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PHOTOS: Chicagoans Brave The Arctic Blast Before The Holidays

The temperatures remained subzero Friday morning after the winter storm's snowfall subsided.

Colin Boyle and Kelly Bauer
1:35 PM CST on Dec 23, 2022
Pedestrians pass a steamy alley off of Madison Street in the Loop as sub-zero temperatures and blizzard conditions freeze Chicago on Dec. 23, 2022.
Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago
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CHICAGO — Many Chicagoans and visitors carried on despite a winter storm that hit Thursday and is expected to last into the weekend.

The storm dropped several inches of snow on the city and was accompanied by strong winds — with gusts up to 45 mph — that led to temperatures plummeting. It’s expected to feel as cold as 40 degrees below zero at points Friday, and the chilly weather will stick around throughout the weekend.

RELATED: It Could Feel 90 Degrees Warmer Next Week In Chicago

On Friday, steam rose off Lake Michigan and the Chicago River as snow whipped about.

Photos from the storm:

Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago
Chicagoans brave the snow in Wicker Park on Dec. 22, 2022, as a winter storm begins to make its way through the city.
Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago
The Chicago skyline is visible as mist rises from the lake on Dec. 23, 2022.
Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago
A pedestrian braves the cold in the Loop as sub-zero temperatures freeze Chicago on Dec. 23, 2022.
Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago
Drivers drive on Elston Avenue as snow falls during the winter storm and arctic blast in Albany Park on Dec. 22, 2022.
Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago
A cyclist bundles up in Uptown as subzero temperatures freeze Chicago on Dec. 23, 2022.
Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago
A pedestrian blows smoke as the cigarette falls out of her hand in the Loop as subzero temperatures freeze Chicago on Dec. 23, 2022.
Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago
Steam rises on the Chicago River in the Loop as subzero temperatures freeze Chicago on Dec. 23, 2022.
Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago
Jose Diaz plows the sidewalk on Wabash Avenue in the Loop as subzero temperatures freeze Chicago on Dec. 23, 2022.
Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago
Steam rises from a building in the Loop as subzero temperatures freeze Chicago on Dec. 23, 2022.
Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago
A worker shovels a Wendella tour boat in the Loop as sub-zero temperatures freeze Chicago on Dec. 23, 2022.
Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago
A person braves the cold on Michigan Avenue in the Loop as sub-zero temperatures freeze Chicago on Dec. 23, 2022.
Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago
A salt truck tosses salt on Damen Avenue Wicker Park on Dec. 22, 2022, as a winter storm makes its way through the city.
Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago
Birds flock together as subzero temperatures freeze Chicago on Dec. 23, 2022.
Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago
Emergency alerts for the Winter Storm Warning light up a bus terminal on Madison Street in the Loop as sub-zero temperatures freeze Chicago on Dec. 23, 2022.
Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago
A person carries a pooch in the Loop as sub-zero temperatures freeze Chicago on Dec. 23, 2022.
Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago
Chicagoans brave the snow in Wicker Park on Dec. 22, 2022, as a winter storm makes its way through the city.
Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago
Steam rises from a building on Madison Street in the Loop as su-zero temperatures freeze Chicago on Dec. 23, 2022.
Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago
Chicagoans brave the snow in Wicker Park on Dec. 22, 2022, as a winter storm makes its way through the city.
Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago
A snowplow driver passes through Montrose Harbor as subzero temperatures freeze Chicago on Dec. 23, 2022.
Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago
Steam rises on the Chicago River in the Loop as subzero temperatures freeze Chicago on Dec. 23, 2022.
Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago
Pedestrians brave the cold on Michigan Avenue in the Loop as subzero temperatures freeze Chicago on Dec. 23, 2022.
Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago
Chicagoans brave the snow in Wicker Park on Dec. 22, 2022, as a winter storm makes its way through the city.
Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago
Snow falls during the winter storm and arctic blast in Albany Park on Dec. 22, 2022.

Here’s what you need to know about the winter storm:

How To Stay Safe

• It Could Feel As Cold As 30 Below Zero In Chicago This Week. Here’s How To Keep Your Home Safely Warm

• If You Absolutely Can’t Stay Home, Here’s How To Stay Safe While Traveling, Commuting During A Winter Storm

• Chicago Public Schools Cancels Thursday After-School Programs As Winter Storm Approaches

• Park District Field Houses Open As Warming Centers During Winter Storm

Follow For Updates

• National Weather Service Twitter

• National Weather Service website

• Hourly weather reports in the Chicago area

• Cameras on Illinois roads

• Chicago snow plow tracker

• Flight cancellations and delays at O’Hare and Midway

• Chicago Office of Emergency Management and Communications Facebook page

Watch For Frostbite And Hypothermia

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns to watch for these signs of frostbite:

  • Redness or pain in the skin can be a sign frostbite is beginning.
  • Numbness.
  • White or grayish-yellow skin.
  • Skin that feels unusually firm or waxy.

People experiencing symptoms of frostbite should immediately seek medical care, according to the CDC. If immediate medical care is not available, the person with signs of frostbite should be brought into a warm room as soon as possible, according to the agency.

People with signs of frostbite in their feet or toes should not walk, and people should not massage the frostbitten area or rub snow on it, as these actions can cause more damage, according to the CDC.

People should put the skin affected by frostbite in warm but not hot water; if warm water isn’t available, warm the skin with bodyheat, like by putting frostbitten fingers in an armpit, according to the CDC. More information about frostbite is available online.

Hypothermia symptoms:

  • Shivering.
  • Exhaustion or feeling very tired.
  • Confusion.
  • Fumbling hands.
  • Memory loss.
  • Slurred speech.
  • Drowsiness.
  • Bright, cold skin and very low energy in babies.

People showing signs of hypothermia should have their temperature taken; if it is below 95 degrees, they should seek immediate medical attention, according to the CDC.

If immediate medical care is not available, the people should get into a warm room or shelter, remove any wet clothing and warm the center of their body — their chest, neck, head and groin — with an electric blanket, according to the CDC.

People experiencing hypothermia who are conscious can also drink warm drinks, but they should not have alcohol, according to the CDC.

Once the person has warmed up, they should stay dry and keep their body wrapped in a warm blanket, and they should get medical care as soon as possible, according to the CDC.

More information about hypothermia is available online.

Chicago Warming Centers

People who need a safe space to warm up can go to a city warming center, which open when temperatures are at 32 degrees or below. They’re open 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

The locations:

  • Englewood Center, 1140 W. 79th St.
  • North Area Center, 845 W. Wilson Ave.
  • Garfield Center, 10 S. Kedzie Ave.: This center is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to connect people to emergency shelter.
  • South Chicago Center, 8650 S. Commercial Ave.
  • King Center, 4314 S. Cottage Grove Ave.
  • Trina Davila Center, 4312 W. North Ave.

You can call 311 to find the warming center nearest to you. Older people can also go to one of the city’s 21 senior centers. Information about the senior centers is available online.

Listen to “It’s All Good: A Block Club Chicago Podcast”:

Colin Boyle
Kelly Bauer

kelly@blockclubchi.org

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