CHICAGO — As extreme cold grips the city this week, city officials and weather experts are urging residents to stay indoors and take precautions.
The temperature is expected to remain at a high of zero throughout Monday, with the low dipping to 12 below. It will feel like 20 to 30 degrees below zero through Monday and Tuesday, according to Tom Kines, a senior meteorologist with AccuWeather.
The wind is averaging 20 miles per hour, Kines said, “which on a typical day isn’t too bad, but when it gets this cold, it makes it a whole lot worse.”
“Even though the actual temperature this afternoon is going to be close to zero, 20 below zero is what it’s going to feel like,” Kines said. “Tomorrow is going to be the same.”
The National Weather Service issued a wind chill warning through noon Tuesday, alongside an already existing wind chill advisory, which will remain in effect through 9 a.m. Wednesday.
This is the coldest stretch Chicago has felt in over a year. Kines said it’s reminiscent of Dec. 23, 2022 — when the city had a high of one below zero.
“The extreme cold lasted a day back then,” Kines said. “Whereas in this case, we’re experiencing a few days where high temperatures are close to or below zero.”
There’s some hope on the horizon, with temperatures expected to rise to the teens Wednesday and Thursday, according to Kines. But even that could be followed by Wednesday night snow and lower temperatures Friday and Saturday, he said.
Residents are being urged to limit time outdoors, avoid unnecessary travel and be cautious on roads, which can be slippery due to ice.
The Chicago Park District has also taken steps to ensure safe conditions through the Arctic blast, deploying landscape crews to plow and clear park sidewalks, pathways and parking lots.
More than 20 Park District facilities were open as warming centers Monday. Find a list of park sites and their hours here.
Chicagoans should bundle up and wear multiple layers — covering their head, face, ears, hands and feet — if they have to venture outdoors this week, as frostbite could develop in 15 minutes or less, Kines said.
“If you could stay indoors, that’s your best bet,” Kines said.
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Follow For Updates
• National Weather Service Twitter
• National Weather Service website
• Hourly weather reports in the Chicago area
• Flight cancellations and delays at O’Hare and Midway
• Chicago Office of Emergency Management and Communications Facebook page
What To Know About Frostbite, 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.
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