Tag Archives: Chiberia

Harsh temperatures break February 1936 record

                                                                       photo credit / Bill Cameron, 89 WLS News

(Chicago)  A 79-year-old temperature record was broken on Thursday as a blast of dangerously frigid Arctic air gripped the Chicago area.

Wind chills paired with 20 mph gusts could make the temperature feel as cold as 30 degrees below zero on Thursday, according to a wind chill advisory issued at 6 p.m. Wednesday. The advisory is slated to run through noon Thursday.

The temperature at O’Hare Airport was minus-8 degrees at 6:18 a.m., breaking the record set for Feb. 19 in 1936 by 1 degree, according to the National Weather Service. The wind chill at O’Hare was a brutal 28 below zero.

The coldest day on record in Chicago was Jan. 27, 1985, when the temperature was minus-27 with a wind chill of 77 below, according to Amy Seeley, National Weather Service meteorologist.

The low could drop anywhere between six to ten below zero Thursday night, Seeley said. The day’s high temperature will hardly beat that—the weather service expects temperatures to hover between 3 to 7 degrees.

Chicago Public Schools canceled classes for Thursday in anticipation of the weather, as did many suburban districts.

Forecasters urge people to dress for the brutal weather, in which frostbite could set in to exposed skin within minutes.

A relatively balmy Friday will see temperatures inch past 20 degrees, while highs could thaw to 30 on Saturday, according to the weather service.

This February is on track to be the fifth-coldest on record in Chicago, according to the weather service. The coldest February in Chicago was in 1875, when the mean temperature was 14.6 degrees, according to weather service records.

The mean temperature so far this February is 16.9 degrees, Seeley said. In February 2014, the mean temperature was 17.3 degrees, making it the ninth-coldest on record.

The top ten coldest Februaries on record in Chicago are:

1. 1875

2. 1936

3. 1979

4. 1978

5. 1895

6. 1901

7. 1905

8. 1904

9. 2014

10. 1885

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Wind chill advisory issued through Thursday as cold wave descends on city

(Chicago)  Chicagoans bundled up and most area classes were canceled Wednesday as bitter cold hit the area, and there’s no immediate end in sight.

A wind chill Warning has been canceled and replaced with a wind chill advisory, which remains in effect until noon Thursday, according to the National Weather Service.

“As cold as we are, it could be worse,” said Gino Izzi, meteorologist with the Weather Service in Romeoville. “It looks like we’re going to stay cold for the next several days.”

As of noon Wednesday, the temperature hovered about 3 degrees in Chicago, with a wind chill of 17 below, according to the weather service.

Wednesday night, the temperatures will drop again and the wind chill values will fall between 25 and 30 below zero.

All Chicago Public Schools classes and activities were canceled Wednesday, though school buildings remain open and are accepting students, according to a statement from CPS.

Many other schools and school districts throughout Chicago and the suburbs have also called off classes because of the weather.

People should bundle up and take precautions, and bring all pets inside, according to the weather service.

Thursday will be a little warmer but windier, with a high temperature near 13 degrees, according to the weather service. During the evening rush hour, up to an inch of snow could fall in the area.

On Friday, a second shot of cold air will arrive and the high will only reach a blustery 7 degrees, according to the weather service.

More than 100 statewide Department of Human Services warming centers are open to those looking to escape the cold. Locations can be found at keepwarm.illinois.gov or by calling (800) 843-6154, according to the governor’s office.

The Illinois Tollway has activated its Zero Weather Road Patrols, meaning any driver stranded on a tollway during the extreme cold can call *999 for help. Drivers should also keep cold weather safety kits in their vehicles, with warm clothes, blankets, a flashlight, food and water, and other essentials in case of an emergency.

Metra posted a notice on its website Monday night warning riders that weather and temperature-related speed restrictions could lead to delays or service disruptions through Wednesday. Riders should allow extra travel time.

The Cook County and DuPage County forest preserves will also close several sledding hills and snowmobiling areas, as well as cross-country ski area to visitors Wednesday because of the cold temperatures. Nature centers will remain open for indoor activities.

Airlines at O’Hare and Midway were reporting normal operations, according to the city’s Department of Aviation.

Some Chicago institutions are taking another approach to the cold weather. Illinois residents can get into the Art Institute, Museum of Science and Industry, and Shedd Aquarium for free as a way to beat the cold.

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Bitter cold sets in after snow blankets Chicago area

(Chicago)  Some Chicago school students are holding out hope for canceled class Wednesday as the city faces bitter cold temperatures and dangerous wind chills on the anniversary of last year’s polar vortex.

About 2 inches of snow were recorded at O’Hare Monday night into early Tuesday, with just under 3 inches measured in southwest suburban Romeoville as of 6 a.m., according to the National Weather Service.

As the snow diminished, temperatures dropped into the single digits across the area, according to the weather service. Tuesday night the temperatures will steadily drop, and a combination of gusty winds and bitterly cold temperatures will create dangerous wind chills as low as 25 to 30 below.

Wednesday will be even worse, with highs expected to reach just 2 degrees and a bone-chilling 30 below with the wind chill factored in, according to the weather service. Wednesday night could see wind chills as low as 35 below, when lows will sink to minus-7 in the city and minus-10 in the suburbs.

And now, forecasters have issued a wind chill advisory slated to last through Thursday afternoon as the mercury dips well below zero, with gusts making it feel as cold as minus-35 degrees. Forecasters warn that frostbite could set in to exposed skin within 15 minutes.

Gov. Pat Quinn announced Monday afternoon that more than 100 statewide Department of Human Services warming centers would be open to those looking to escape the cold. Locations can be found at keepwarm.illinois.gov or by calling (800) 843-6154, according to the governor’s office.

Metra posted a notice on its website Monday night warning riders that weather and temperature-related speed restrictions could lead to delays or service disruptions through Wednesday. Riders should allow extra travel time. Some lines reported delays between 10 and 20 minutes during Tuesday’s morning commute because of switch failures.

At O’Hare International Airport, about 150 flights have been canceled as of 10:30 a.m., according to the city’s Department of Aviation. Most of those flights were bound for the East Coast. No delays have been reported.

At Midway, about a dozen flights have been canceled and another dozen are delayed at least 20 minutes.

The city Department of Streets & Sanitation redeployed its 280-plow fleet Tuesday morning to clear neighborhood streets after arterial routes were plowed overnight, officials said. More than 1,700 Illinois Department of Transportation trucks were deployed statewide Monday night, along with the Illinois Tollway’s full fleet of 185 snowplows to clear its 268 miles of roadway in the Chicago area, officials said.

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