A heavy snow storm in Illinois has been blamed for the partial closure of Interstate 39 after over 100 cars were involved in multiple crashes late on Thursday, authorities said. The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) said they don’t expect the highway, which runs from Illinois to Wisconsin, to reopen until later on Friday. As of 10 a.m. local time, the road remained closed in both directions north of Normal, a town in McLean County, part of the Bloomington metropolitan area. “Together, with our local partners, we are diligently working to ensure motorists are safely escorted from the area to warming centers,” Illinois State Police (ISP) said in a statement. Police said they strongly encourage people to avoid travel, unless absolutely necessary, due to hazardous road conditions. The pileup, which involved about 100 cars, trucks, and big rigs, left a 17-mile stretch of the I-39 shut down for a second day. ISP …