Extreme Cold Watch issued for entire Chicago area starting Friday morning, frostbite possible in minutes

Chicago weather Friday will be severe enough that an Extreme Cold Watch has been issued for the entire area starting early that morning.

The Extreme Cold Watch will go into effect at 3 a.m. Friday for Boone, Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Will, Grundy, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, La Salle, Lake, McHenry, and Winnebago counties in Illinois until noon that day.

Click here to see the latest seven day forecast from our First Alert Weather team

An Extreme Cold Watch is issued by the National Weather Service when dangerously cold air, with or without wind chill, is possible.

A cold front arrives in the Chicago area Thursday, and by Friday morning wind chills could drop below -30 degrees Fahrenheit. The dangerous cold will also continue into Saturday.  Actual lows Thursday are expected to bottom out around -10 degrees.

With wind chills being anywhere from -30 to -40 degrees, frostbite can happen on exposed skin within five to 10 minutes. Making sure you're properly dressed for the weather with as much exposed skin covered as possible is vital to stay safe.

A forecast low of -11 Thursday night would put the area at its coldest temperatures since January of 2019. It's also possible the area could break its record cold weather high on Friday. Currently the forecast calls for a high of -2, but if it's -4 degrees we will tie the record; if it's colder, we'll break it.

The last time the Chicago area saw a high temperature below zero was in 2022. 

Schools in Merrillville, Indiana already announced they will move to e-learning on Friday because of the extreme cold.

"This decision has been made after careful consideration of the risks associated with prolonged exposure to severe weather conditions, including waiting at bus stops in dangerously cold weather," they said in a message to parents. 

Transportation will also be affected. Metra will be operating on reduced schedules on all its lines Friday due to the extreme cold.

Metra has posted severe weather schedules for Friday. The rail agency said the level of service will be similar to Saturday or Sunday service.

The South Shore Line also said it is operating a weekend/holiday schedule on Friday as a precaution due to the extreme cold, as ice and below-zero temperatures can impact the track, overhead wires and train car mechanics.

Take precautions at home to prevent burst pipes, broken heat

Burst pipes that have frozen are one of the most common hazards of the kinds of extreme cold Chicago is staring down at the end of this week, but there are surprisingly simple steps you can take to protect your pipes and your home. 

A simple Styrofoam cover that goes on outdoor faucets can help keep pipes from freezing. Keeping water flowing through the pipes to prevent them from freezing and bursting, which can cause costly damage. And if your pipes do burst, you'll need to shut your water off at the main.

"Wherever the main is, you know. Chicago, they have a B box outside. That's more or less kind of involving a plumber, but if you can shut the main water off in the house and then you're going to have to get the lines repaired wherever it's broken," said Sam Franke of Four Seasons. 

Franke also said you'll want to shut off the main switch for your outdoor faucet as well, shielding it from wind and freezing temperatures. 

"It's Chicago. So we're going to have multiple days where it's going to be cold. So if you have multiple days in the negative, that's very easy to freeze," he said. 

Furnace problems can also be prevented. Franke responded to a home on the North Side for a water leak from a furnace, and discovered a small hole that would cause more problems down the line.

"This thing is just going to keep shutting off when it's cold because it'll keep running and running and that hole right there, will hit the gas, will hit this and keep shutting it off and shutting it off," he said.

He also recommend changing your furnace filter when it gets cold. 

"Even if you think you don't need it, change the filter. Close the blinds on the windows. That'll help a lot. That'll help to keep the cold from coming in," he said.

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.