Extreme Cold Warning takes effect for Chicago area overnight, CPS schools closed as lowest temps since 2019 arrive
An Arctic front is moving into the Chicago area, bringing the coldest weather since the 2019 Polar vortex.
An Extreme Cold Watch issued by the National Weather Service Wednesday was by Thursday morning upgraded to an Extreme Cold Warning for Boone, Will, Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Kankakee, Grundy, Lee, Lake, La Salle, McHenry, Winnebago and Livingston counties from 3 a.m. Friday until 12 p.m. Friday.
Chicago Public Schools announced it is canceling classes and closing schools Friday because of the extreme weather.
"With dangerously frigid temperatures expected tomorrow and a Warning from the National Weather Service that wind chills could reach -35 degrees, it will be unsafe for students and staff to travel to school," the district wrote in a statement.
All after school extracurriculars, games, athletic practices and other events scheduled for Friday are also canceled. There will be no remote learning. Classes will resume on Monday and any missed games will be rescheduled.
At the Chicago Office of Emergency Management and Communications, they are staffed 24/7 to monitor the extreme weather.
"Just like every day, we're keeping in close contact with the National Weather Service," said Matt Doughtie, OEMC manager. "There's been a series of watches and warnings issued over the last 24 hours, so obviously we want to make sure that we're on top of that."
At OEMC they have two daily calls with partner agencies like the Chicago Police Department, the Chicago Fire Department, and the Department of Streets and Sanitation to align strategies.
"We're used to this, and just about every winter we'll go through an extreme cold snap like this," he said.
Their main focus has been on communicating with Chicagoans and visitors that the cold is coming and giving them the best guidance on how to stay safe: limit your time outdoors, wear several layers, and a dry layer is better than a wet one.
Utilities like ComEd and Peoples Gas also got to work on Thursday to ward against the incoming frigid air. ComEd is boosting staff this weekend to ensure they can respond to emergencies as they arise.
"We've postponed all of our non-critical work. We've gotten equipment like generators in place and other equipment, so that if we do start to see some outages from this, we can respond quickly and safely," said John Schoen of ComEd. "Cold weather in and of itself isn't a big impact on the system, but if it were to get really windy, or if we'd have heavy snow, then we'd be maybe a little bit more concerned about this."
They are also looking out for possible snow this weekend, which could change the way city agencies respond and create even more problems.
When does the sub-zero weather start?
The Arctic airmass blows into the Chicago area between 5-11 p.m. Thursday evening. By Friday morning, wind chill values dip between -30 to -40 degrees in northern Illinois and Chicago, and -20 to -30 degrees in northwest Indiana. Frostbite could occur on exposed skin in fewer than 10 minutes.
Frigid air lingers into the weekend as a massive winter storm takes shape south of our area.
More than 200 million people are under winter weather alerts across the U.S. as paralyzing ice and snow are expected from Texas to Tennessee.
Sitting on the northern periphery of the storm, the Chicago area now has an increased possibility of accumulating snow Sunday, with preliminary forecasts of 3 to 6 inches possible.
While this cold will be dangerous, in 2019, record-breaking temperatures reached - 21 degrees in Chicago.
Metra running trains on holiday schedule on Friday due to extreme cold
Metra will be running on a holiday schedule on Friday due to the extreme cold, meaning fewer trains for commuters.
"Sort of the equivalent of a weekend schedule on most of our lines. It's reduced service, but still probably enough to get most people downtown," Metra spokesman Michael Gillis said. "It just means everything takes longer."
Gillis said ridership on Friday is typically lighter under normal conditions, and they expect even fewer riders due to the cold.
"That's one reasons why we're doing that. The other reason is steel doesn't like the cold any more than we do. It puts real stress on the rails and on the wheels," he said.
Metra said, at just about every track switch along their lines, there's a heater to keep them from freezing over. Gillis said they'll have extra crews outside for any switch or break issues.
"They'll be rotating in and out. What they can do in nice weather in 10 minutes might take a half hour in this kind of cold weather. So that's another reason why it helps us to run a lighter schedule," Gillis said.
Gillis said, a couple of weeks ago they took a couple of cars out of service to check the wear and tear of some wheels due to the cold.
"The cold sort of increases the normal wear and tear on a steel wheel. So, during the winter months, you have to replace more wheels than you would in the summertime," he said.
Metra has stepped up their wheel inspections and rail inspections because of Friday's cold snap.
Despite the subzero temperatures, the Chicago Transit Authority was planning normal bus and rail service on Friday.
Officials said, when temperatures drop and there's risk of freezing, track switch heaters are turned on to keep them from freezing over. Buses will undergo a thorough inspection process to ensure they can run in the cold, and overhead heaters at all outdoor train stations have been inspected, tested, and activated.
Chicago and Cook County Warming Centers
The City of Chicago operates warming centers during dangerous cold.
The Department of Family and Support Services' Garfield Center at 10 S. Kedzie Ave. is open 24 hours. Other DFSS community service centers are open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., including:
- The Englewood Community Service Center at 1140 W. 79th St.
- The Dr. Martin Luther King Community Service Center at 4314 S. Cottage Grove Ave.
- The North Area Community Service Center at 845 W. Wilson Ave.
- The South Chicago Community Service Center at 8650 S. Commercial Ave.
- The Trina Davila Community Service Center at 4312 W. North Ave.
Chicago Public Library, Park District, and City College facilities, senior centers, community service centers, and police district stations are also pressed into service as warming centers. The city has posted a map of all the facilities.
Just to the north, the City of Evanston is opening five warming centers from Thursday through Saturday:
- Levy Senior Center, 300 Dodge Ave.: Thursday and Friday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- Robert Crown Community Center, 1801 Main St.: open daily, 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
- Prieto Community Center, 430 Asbury Ave., Thursday and Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- Fleetwood-Jourdain Community Center, 1655 Foster St., Thursday and Friday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- Evanston Ecology Center, 2024 McCormick Blvd., open daily, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Evanston residents in need of transportation to a warming center should call or text the City of Evanston via 311 or at 847-448-4311, or call the Evanston police non-emergency number at 847-866-5000.
Cook County is also opening three of its five suburban courthouses as warming centers beginning at 8:30 a.m. Thursday and continuing through 4:30 p.m. Monday of next week. Warming will be available at:
- The Skokie Courthouse, 5600 Old Orchard Rd.
- The Maywood Courthouse, 1500 Maybrook Dr.
- The Markham Courthouse, 16501 S. Kedzie Pkwy.
The courthouses will provide water and snacks and access to restrooms, and residents can bring their pets in cages or carriers. A limited number of cages or carriers will be available at the courthouse.
Other municipalities around suburban Cook County also operate warming centers.
