Chicago records coldest Valentine’s Day temp in nearly half a century

The city recorded minus 2 degrees shortly before sunrise at O’Hare International Airport.

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Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14, 2020, is the coldest day so far this season.

Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14, 2020, is the coldest day so far this season.

Rich Hein/Sun-Times file photo

Chicago residents woke up Friday to subzero temperatures on Valentine’s Day that were the coldest in 47 years.

The city recorded minus 2 degrees shortly before sunrise at O’Hare International Airport, according to the National Weather Service.

That’s one degree cooler than the city experienced in 1943 — and was also the coldest day so far this season.

But it’s still well above the coldest recorded Valentine’s Day on record in 1905, when the city saw temperatures of minus 11.

“Without much cold to this magnitude this winter, here is a reminder to dress accordingly,” the weather service said in a statement.

But the bitter cold won’t last long.

Temperatures will rise to a high of 14 to 18 degrees on Friday, according to the weather service.

The subzero temps follow a Wednesday night snowstorm that dumped 4 inches of snow at Midway and 3.5 inches at O’Hare international airports.

Temperatures will rebound by Saturday into the 30s, with a chance of snow to accompany it.

The City of Chicago has warming centers for those in need.

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