Frigid air persists Monday as coldest stretch in over a year continues to hit Chicago
A wind chill warning was extended until noon Tuesday and a wind chill advisory until 9 a.m. Wednesday.
By Chicago Sun-Times staff
Frigid air persists Monday as coldest stretch in over a year continues to hit Chicago
A wind chill warning was extended until noon Tuesday and a wind chill advisory until 9 a.m. Wednesday.
By Chicago Sun-Times staffTemperatures remained well below zero Monday and a wind chill warning was extended until noon Tuesday.
At O’Hare, the temperature was minus 10 degrees early Monday morning, National Weather Service meteorologist Kevin Castro said. At Midway, the temperature dropped to minus 9.
The coldest temperature recorded for Jan. 15 in the city was minus 14 degrees in 1979 and Chicago hasn’t been this cold since the cold snap recorded in late January 2019, Castro said.
A wind chill warning was extended until noon Tuesday. A wind chill advisory remains in effect until 9 a.m. Wednesday.
Rockford posted a low of minus 16 degrees and the Aurora Municipal Airport reported a low of minus 15.
Wind chills in the city and surrounding suburbs were between minus 30 to minus 35 degrees and were expected to remain there into Tuesday.
Temperatures were expected to remain below zero Monday, recovering to about minus 1 before dropping to around minus 10 degrees Monday night.
Castro said snow flurries were possible on the North Side and could cause icy road conditions.
“If any sort of snow falls, that can be problematic for tomorrow’s commute,” Castro said.
Temperatures might rise above zero Tuesday but wind chills were expected to be between minus 15 and minus 20 degrees.
Highs will return to the teens and wind chills are anticipated to rise above zero degrees during the day Wednesday, according to Castro.
At O’Hare, 236 flights had been canceled by 11 a.m. Monday. At Midway, 160 flights were canceled.
The Illinois Tollway on Monday began round-the-clock road patrols to find and help stranded drivers stuck on the tollway in the dangerously low temperatures.
Cars or trucks with empty fuel tanks, flat tires, batteries needing a boost, or overheated radiators are among the most frequent problems reported by drivers seeking help, the agency said.
Drivers stranded on the tollway should call *999 and stay in their vehicles until help arrives.
By Tuesday, the area might reach three days of temperatures not getting above 5 degrees. That hasn’t happened since Feb. 2-4, 1996.
As temperatures hit below zero over the weekend, the Harold Washington Library opened as a 24/7 city warming center, and migrants at the city’s landing zone in the West Loop were moved there.
The lower level of the library will remain open around the clock through Wednesday.
Chicago Public Schools announced it was rescheduling all of its Martin Luther King Jr. Day events slated for Monday in light of the frigid temperatures.
School won’t be in session Monday in observance of the holiday, and a decision on whether students will return to classes Tuesday has yet to be made. CPS officials said they were watching weather conditions “closely” and would announce a decision Monday.
The Chicago History Museum also announced it would be closed Monday and canceled its Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebrations due to the weather, though a Sunday night statement from the museum said it expected to reopen Tuesday.
The Shedd Aquarium delayed its opening until 11 a.m. Monday because of the weather. An aquarium representative said all reservations made for earlier in the morning would be accommodated later in the day.
Other warming sites
The Garfield Community Service Center, 10 S. Kedzie Ave., is open 24/7 to help families and residents find emergency shelter. The center is open as warming site Sunday and Monday from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Chicago Park District will also keep 14 field houses open as warming centers on the Monday holiday, though hours vary by location. The agency also said the Lakefront Trail would be closed between North Avenue and Ohio Street Beach and urged “extreme caution” for anyone near the water.
Outside of Chicago, Cook County runs 24-hour warming centers at the Skokie Courthouse, 5600 Old Orchard Road; Maywood Courthouse, 1500 Maybrook Drive; and Markham Courthouse, 16501 S. Kedzie Ave.
Randolph Court at the Chicago Cultural Center, 77 E. Randolph St., will be open as a warming center 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday.
On Martin Luther King Day, the park district will have warming centers at these locations.
Also open Monday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., will be these regional library locations:Â Sulzer, 4455 N. Lincoln Ave.; Woodson, 9525 S. Halsted St.; and Legler, 115 S. Pulaski Road.
First snowstorm of the season dumps snow
Chicago’s first major winter storm of the year left half a foot of snow in parts of the city before a brutal cold front started moving in.
By Saturday morning, O’Hare Airport recorded 6.7 inches of snow while 5.8 inches were recorded near Midway Airport, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Jake Peter. But some areas closer to the lakefront only got about 2 inches.
Far north and west suburbs were hit the hardest, with Bull Valley topping the list at 13.6 inches, Hampshire recording more than 11 inches and Elgin receiving 10.5 inches.
While forecasters said the storm ended up falling short of being categorized as a “bomb cyclone” — a rapidly intensifying low-pressure storm that typically happens only a few times nationwide every year — Peter stressed the severe cold temperatures would be dangerous.
“Limit time outdoors,” he said. “If you do have to be outdoors, make sure to bundle up and make any preparations to your homes to get ready for those lower temperatures.”
The bitter cold front will feel even more bone-chilling, the National Weather Service warned, because of how unseasonably warm it’s been.
“The record/near-record warm start to winter is going to make the upcoming cold feel much worse,” the agency said in a social media post. “Chicago hasn’t had a day with a high temperature below freezing since back on Nov 28. Chicago’s never gone this deep into meteorological winter — December-February — without a high below 32.
“The first 43 days of winter in Chicago has been the third-mildest on record, behind only 1890 and 1878, when the temperatures were recorded along the lakefront. The average temp Dec. 1-Jan. 12 this winter has been 37.1 degrees, which is around 7.9 degrees above normal.”
Marcus Moore, a Richton Park resident, ventured into the city Saturday morning to clear snow off his mother’s and aunt’s homes on 87th street in the Gresham neighborhood.
“Gotta make sure to take care of the women in my life,” Moore said.
He said the blizzard was hyped up, but as he stood on the steps bundled up, he noted the dropping temperatures weren’t.
Moore said he didn’t mind the little bit of snow, saying he remembered larger blizzards during his time in the area, but that his daughter made it easier to enjoy.
“I could do with a little snow,” Moore said. “As far as my daughter, she likes the snow so we like playing in the snow. … I guess being in Chicago so long you just end up adapting to it.”
Read more storm coverage below.
3 dead in separate crashes during overnight snowstorm
As the snow blanketed the Chicago area early Saturday, three people were killed in separate traffic crashes that happened within about an hour of each other on the South Side and in south suburban Hazel Crest.
Just after 2 a.m., a vehicle with four people inside crashed into a tree in Hazel Crest. The driver and a passenger who was ejected were both dead at the scene.
An hour earlier, an SUV crashed into an embankment on the Dan Ryan Expressway near the 75th Street exit, killing one.
Authorities couldn’t immediately say if the brutal weather factored into either crash.
Chicago and Cook County warming centers
As snow and cold descended on the Chicago area, the city and Cook County opened warming centers.
The city’s warming shelters, which are usually available on weekdays, will be open through the weekend, and anyone in need of overnight shelter can speak with staff at the public shelters or call 311, officials said Friday during a news conference at the Office of Emergency Management and Communications.
The Garfield Community Service Center, 10 S. Kedzie Ave., is open around the clock to help families and residents find emergency shelter. The Department of Family and Support Services said the Garfield center will be open all weekend, and drop-in centers will have expanded hours.
The city’s other warming centers:
- Englewood Community Service Center (1140 W. 79th St), 312-747-0200
- Dr. Martin Luther King Community Service Center (4314 S. Cottage Grove), 312-747-2300
- North Area Community Service Center (845 W. Wilson Ave.), 312-744-2580
- South Chicago Community Service Center (8650 S. Commercial Ave.), 312-747-0500
- Trina Davila Community Service Center (4312 W. North Ave.), 312-744-2014
Cook County will open 24-hour warming centers from 3 p.m. Saturday to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, according to the Office of the Cook County Board president. The 24-hour warming centers are at the following locations:
- Skokie Courthouse (5600 Old Orchard Road)
- Maywood Courthouse (1500 Maybrook Drive)
- Markham Courthouse (16501 S. Kedzie Ave.)
Water, snacks and restrooms will be available at the warming centers. Pets are also welcome in cages or carriers, and the county will provide a limited number of crates at each courthouse, according to the release.
Other Cook County warming centers, and their hours, can be found on the county’s website.