Bitter cold, dangerous wind chills hit Chicago area Sunday; warmer temperatures forecasted later in the week

Temperatures reached the single digits, and wind chills overnight and into the morning could make the air feel as cold as minus 20 degrees, officials said.

SHARE Bitter cold, dangerous wind chills hit Chicago area Sunday; warmer temperatures forecasted later in the week
Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14, 2020, is the coldest day so far this season.

Wind chills could reach as low as 20 degrees below zero in the Chicago area Sunday, Jan. 19, 2020. In this file photo, a bundled-up commuter makes his way through the loop on January 30, 2019.

Rich Hein/Sun-Times file photo

Overnight wind chills plummeted to dangerous lows in what meteorologists are calling the Chicago area’s coldest night so far this winter.

A wind chill advisory was issued just before 9 p.m. Saturday and remains in effect until 10 a.m. Sunday for parts of north central Illinois and the northwest suburbs, according to the National Weather Service. Suburbs affected include Crystal Lake, Algonquin, Lake in the Hills, McHenry, Woodstock and Cary.

Commuters wait for the bus along North Sheridan Road in Chicago’s Edgewater neighborhood on Jan. 19, 2020.

People wait for the bus along North Sheridan Road in Chicago’s Edgewater neighborhood on Jan. 19, 2020.

Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

Temperatures in the area reached the single digits and wind chills overnight and into the morning could make the air feel as cold as minus 20 degrees, the weather service said.

Residents are advised to use caution while traveling outside and to wear appropriate clothing, the weather service said. Frostbite can affect exposed skin in as little as a half hour.

The forecast indicates a high temperature of 17 degrees Sunday for Chicago, followed by a low of 13 overnight.

A Chicagoan walks around the Bryn Mawr/Lake Shore Drive Park in Chicago’s Edgewater neighborhood on Jan. 19, 2020.

A Chicagoan walks their dog around the Bryn Mawr/Lake Shore Drive Park in Chicago’s Edgewater neighborhood on Jan. 19, 2020.

Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

Temperatures are expected to gradually climb over the next few days, peaking at high of 39 Thursday, forecasters said. Martin Luther King Day is forecasted to be partly sunny with a high of 25 and a low of 12 at night. Tuesday is expected to have similar conditions, while Wednesday temperatures will climb to 35, but there is a slight chance of snow that evening carrying into Thursday morning.

Sandeep Kumar, 27, covered up to protect himself from the cold in Chicago’s Edgewater neighborhood on Jan. 19, 2020.

Sandeep Kumar, 27, covered up to protect himself from the cold in Chicago’s Edgewater neighborhood on Jan. 19, 2020.

Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

Cook County officials are reminding residents that warming centers are available during the daytime for those without adequate heating in their homes.

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