The National Weather Service reported extreme cold and a negative 40-degree wind chill on Sunday morning and issued a wind chill advisory lasting until 9 a.m. Wednesday. Wind chills Sunday night are expected to be similar to earlier in the day.
Weather service senior meteorologist Brett Borchardt said Chicago narrowly missed breaking the record for the lowest maximum temperature for Jan. 14 of 1 degree. Temperatures at O’Hare were at 3 degrees “for a few minutes” after midnight Sunday before crashing below zero, he said.
“But the air temperature has been below zero during daylight hours today, so I would call that unusual,” Borchardt said.
Still, Borchardt said periods of extreme cold are not unusual for the region this time of year. “It’s comparable with some of the colder snaps that we’ve had. It’s not the coldest on record by far. Every year, we’re going to get these cold stretches, this is just one of the colder ones.”
He compared this frigid weekend to Dec. 22-23, 2022, when -40 degree wind chills were recorded, and temperatures in Chicago dipped to -8 degrees.
Residents should limit time outside to avoid slippery road conditions and frostbite, the weather service cautioned. The wind chill could cause frostbite on exposed skin in about 30 minutes.
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, when temperature are expected to rise.
Migrants staying on buses at the landing zone at 800 S. Desplaines St. have been moved to the library at 400 S. State St., according to Mayor Brandon Johnson’s office and the city’s Office of Emergency Management and Communications.
But neither office said when they were moved or how many were taken to the library. City officials said that as of Friday, 141 migrants were awaiting placement at the landing zone.
The National Weather Service reported extreme cold and a negative 30-degree wind chill on Sunday and issued a wind chill advisory through 9 a.m. Wednesday.
Residents should limit time outside to avoid slippery road conditions and frostbite, the weather service cautioned. The wind chill could cause frostbite on exposed skin in about 30 minutes.
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 or not 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.
“CPS will communicate with staff and families as soon as possible on Monday regarding classes being in session on Tuesday,” a representative said in a statement Sunday. “We are working diligently to ensure that if classes are in session on Tuesday, we can provide students and staff with buildings that are warm, safe and dry.”
As of Sunday morning, ComEd reported 14 outages in Cook County, three in DuPage County and one in DeKalb County. In Cook County, 82 customers were affected by the outages, according to ComEd.
Within the last 24 hours, 141 flights were canceled at O’Hare International Airport and 17 at Midway International Airport, according to the Chicago Department of Aviation. The average delay at both airports was running about 20 minutes.
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.
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. Sunday and 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: Sulzer, 4455 N. Lincoln Ave.; Woodson, 9525 S. Halsted St.; and Legler, 115 S. Pulaski Road.
First snowstorm of the season dumps snow, brings bitter cold
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 into the city, promising a subzero regional deep-freeze heading into next week.
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 two 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.
Saturday highs that hovered in the 20s fell to the teens by the afternoon and were expected to plummet overnight. A wind chill advisory is in effect through Wednesday morning, with nightly temperatures hovering in the single digits and wind chills dropping as low as minus 35 degrees.
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 will 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.”
Quinlynn, 6, sleds down Cricket Hill in the Uptown neighborhood after a major snowstorm hit the Chicago area, Saturday, Jan. 13, 2024.
Pat Nabong/Sun-Times
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.”
The weather was still causing travel headaches, with 197 flights canceled at O’Hare and 20 more at Midway Airport as of Saturday afternoon.
Marcus Moore shovels the steps of his mother’s Gresham neighborhood home Saturday morning on the South Side. Parts of the city got 6 inches of snow.
Violet Miller/Sun-Times
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.
Man dies of cold exposure in Schiller Park
A man died of cold exposure Thursday in northwest suburban Schiller Park, the year’s first cold-related death as the area endures a winter storm ahead of colder temperatures next week.
The 60-year-old man, whose name wasn’t released, died about 1 p.m. in the 4600 block of Wesley Terrace, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
Schiller Park police and fire officials couldn’t be reached immediately.
Autopsy results released Friday said he died of environmental cold exposure, and his death was ruled an accident, according to the medical examiner’s office.
Chicago and Cook County warming centers
As snow and cold descend on the Chicago area, the city and Cook County has 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.
Migrants at ‘landing zone’ stuck on buses as snowstorm hits Chicago
As a powerful snowstorm and below-freezing temps bear down on Chicago, migrants facing eviction from shelters next week won’t get booted — though those at the city’s designated “landing zone” for new arrivals remain confined to buses.
The city had planned to evict dozens of migrants who had reached the 60-day limit starting Tuesday, but, citing the extreme cold, officials set back the exit date a week at a news conference Friday.
There are no permanent structures at the “landing zone” at 800 S. Desplaines St., where the city says more than 140 new arrivals are sleeping on CTA buses waiting for placement in city shelters, including 22 minors. Almost all were sheltering inside the buses on Friday, where many have said conditions are crowded and uncomfortable.
“There’s about 60 people on there,” said one migrant from Venezuela Friday, “sleeping on the seats, underneath, everywhere.”
On Friday, Gov. J.B. Pritzker sent Texas Gov. Greg Abbott a sweeping letter about the ongoing migrant crisis, urging him to stop drop-offs during a dangerous winter storm.
“While action is pending at the federal level, I plead with you for mercy for the thousands of people who are powerless to speak for themselves,” Pritzker said in the letter. “Please, while winter is threatening vulnerable people’s lives, suspend your transports and do not send more people to our state.”
Contributing: David Struett, Kade Heather, Katie Anthony, Mary Norkol, Satchel Price, Michael Loria, Ellery Jones