I have the ability to see the future.

I looked into my crystal ball and predict that hundreds of cars will magically disappear all over Chicago streets under the cover of darkness of early Monday morning.

Hundreds of drivers will get up Monday morning, put on their coats and walk out to where there car was parked and find it missing. It will be like a vehicular rapture from the Book of Revelation.

These poor car-less souls will be shocked and confused. They will wail and grind their teeth. The will wander aimlessly around until they figure out their cars were towed because of the winter ban on overnight parking.

That’s right, at 3 AM early Monday morning, Chicago’s winter parking ban will take effect.

Historically, the winter parking bans resulted from several terrible winter storms, especially the Blizzard of ’67, when the snow was so deep, it was nearly impossible to clear the snow with all the cars parked on the main arterial roadways.

“We learned from past winter storms that there are several critical routes spanning the city that must be kept open at all times for emergency vehicles, buses and cars to get thorough,” stated Mike Picardi, Commissioner of Streets & Sanitation via departmental press release.

Map of Overnight Parking Restrictions from 3 AM – 7 AM, Dec. 1-Apr. 1

This ban effects major city arteries, 107 miles of roadway to be exact, where no parking is allowed overnight from 3 AM – 7 AM, no matter the weather.

IMPORTANT GEEK NOTE: Do NOT ignore the signs just because there is no snow!

Snow, ice, dry pavement– park overnight on one of these streets and you’re making a trip to the auto pound the next morning.

The tow will cost you $150 plus $10 a day storage fee and that’s on top of a $50 ticket.

Very much to their credit, according to Streets and Sanitation spokesperson Matt Smith, the department has made an effort to distribute fliers twice times during the past two weeks, along the entire route warning drivers of the impending ban date.

“The first time we placed a bright yellow information sheet in English and Spanish along the overnight routes,” said Smith. “The second time we placed a map of the enforcement area with an additional information sheet on the other side.”

This effort is in addition to getting the word out in the media and via the Streets & Sanitation website.

So you are really going to be struggling for a decent excuse if you screw up, forget and get towed Monday morning or anytime during the winter ban.

Here’s a map of the streets where the overnight parking bans are in effect, a full listing of those streets where overnight parking is restricted.

Check out our upcoming post on Snow Routes (2″ ban) that will go into mind numbing detail on this winter parking subject.