CPS cancels classes Tuesday as cold stretch continues in Chicago; temperatures edged above zero Monday

A wind chill warning remained in effect until noon Tuesday after temperatures edged above zero Monday.

Temperatures are forecast in the single digits again Tuesday, with a high of 0 degrees and wind chills going as low as minus 30 degrees, according to the National Weather Service. A wind chill advisory remains in effect until 9 a.m. Wednesday.

The high temperature was 1 degree at O’Hare Airport on Monday, the weather service reported. At Midway, the mercury reached 3 degrees.

The low temperature was minus 10 degrees at O’Hare, weather service meteorologist Kevin Castro said. At Midway, the temperature dropped to minus 9.

The coldest temperature recorded for Jan. 15 in the city was minus 14 degrees in 1979, and Chicago hasn’t been this cold since the cold snap recorded in late January 2019, Castro said.

Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times

Chicago Public Schools canceled all class and after-school activities for Tuesday, citing the “inclement weather” and wind chills that could reach minus 30 degrees. The district expects school to resume Wednesday and has not scheduled any remote learning.

Roosevelt, DePaul, Northeastern Illinois University and Columbia College will also be closed. “In-person classes will be cancelled, and faculty should switch to remote instruction where possible,” DePaul University said in an email.

University of Illinois at Chicago is reducing in-person operations Tuesday, while Northwestern University said it still plans to be open.

Rockford posted a low of minus 16 degrees and the Aurora Municipal Airport reported a low of minus 15.

The Illinois Tollway on Monday began round-the-clock road patrols to find and help stranded drivers stuck on the tollway in the dangerously low temperatures.

Cars or trucks with empty fuel tanks, flat tires, batteries needing a boost, or overheated radiators are among the most frequent problems reported by drivers seeking help, the agency said.

Drivers stranded on the tollway should call *999 and stay in their vehicles until help arrives.

Wind chills in the city and surrounding suburbs were between minus 30 and minus 35 degrees and were expected to remain there into Tuesday.

Castro said snow flurries were possible on the North Side and could cause icy road conditions. Wind gusts of up to 25 mph could also cause “patchy blowing snow,” the weather service said.

“If any sort of snow falls, that can be problematic for tomorrow’s commute,” Castro said.

Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

Highs will return to the teens and wind chills are anticipated to rise above zero during the day Wednesday, Castro said.

By 11 p.m. Monday, 365 flights were canceled at O’Hare and 175 flights were called off at Midway. Another 95 flights at O’Hare and 71 flights at Midway have already been canceled Tuesday.

Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

By Tuesday, the area might reach three days of temperatures not getting above 5 degrees. That hasn’t happened since Feb. 2-4, 1996.

As temperatures hit below zero over the weekend, the Harold Washington Library opened as a 24/7 city warming center, and migrants at the city’s landing zone in the West Loop were moved there.

The lower level of the library will remain open around the clock through Wednesday.

Chicago Public Schools announced it was rescheduling all of its Martin Luther King Jr. Day events slated for Monday in light of the frigid temperatures. School wasn’t in session Monday in observance of the holiday.

The Chicago History Museum will be closed Tuesday after also canceling its Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebrations due to the weather.

The Shedd Aquarium delayed its opening until 11 a.m. Monday and again Tuesday because of the weather. An aquarium representative said all reservations made for earlier in the morning would be accommodated later in the day.

The Chicago Park District said the Lakefront Trail would be closed between North Avenue and Ohio Street Beach and urged “extreme caution” for anyone near the water.

Chicago and Cook County warming centers

As snow and cold descended on the Chicago area, the city and Cook County opened warming centers.

The city’s warming shelters are open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and anyone in need of overnight shelter can speak with staff at the public shelters or call 311, the Office of Emergency Management and Communications said.

The Garfield Community Service Center, 10 S. Kedzie Ave., is open 24/7 to help families and residents find emergency shelter.

The city’s other warming centers:

• Englewood Community Service Center (1140 W. 79th St), 312-747-0200
• Dr. Martin Luther King Community Service Center (4314 S. Cottage Grove), 312-747-2300
• North Area Community Service Center (845 W. Wilson Ave.), 312-744-2580
• South Chicago Community Service Center (8650 S. Commercial Ave.), 312-747-0500
• Trina Davila Community Service Center (4312 W. North Ave.), 312-744-2014

Most of the Chicago Park District’s field houses also will be open as warming centers Tuesday, though hours vary by location.

Cook County will open 24-hour warming centers from 3 p.m. Saturday to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, according to the Office of the Cook County Board president. The 24-hour warming centers are at the following locations:

• Skokie Courthouse (5600 Old Orchard Road)
• Maywood Courthouse (1500 Maybrook Drive)
• Markham Courthouse (16501 S. Kedzie Ave.)

Water, snacks and restrooms will be available at the warming centers. Pets are also welcome in cages or carriers, and the county will provide a limited number of crates at each courthouse, according to the release.

Other Cook County warming centers, and their hours, can be found on the county’s website.

First snowstorm of the season dumps snow

Chicago’s first major winter storm of the year left half a foot of snow in parts of the city before a brutal cold front started moving in.

By Saturday morning, O’Hare Airport recorded 6.7 inches of snow while 5.8 inches were recorded near Midway Airport, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Jake Peter. But some areas closer to the lakefront only got about 2 inches.

Far north and west suburbs were hit the hardest, with Bull Valley topping the list at 13.6 inches, Hampshire recording more than 11 inches and Elgin receiving 10.5 inches.

While forecasters said the storm ended up falling short of being categorized as a “bomb cyclone” — a rapidly intensifying low-pressure storm that typically happens only a few times nationwide every year — Peter stressed the severe cold temperatures would be dangerous.

“Limit time outdoors,” he said. “If you do have to be outdoors, make sure to bundle up and make any preparations to your homes to get ready for those lower temperatures.”

Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

The bitter cold front will feel even more bone-chilling, the National Weather Service warned, because of how unseasonably warm it’s been.

“The record/near-record warm start to winter is going to make the upcoming cold feel much worse,” the agency said in a social media post. “Chicago hasn’t had a day with a high temperature below freezing since back on Nov 28. Chicago’s never gone this deep into meteorological winter — December-February — without a high below 32.

“The first 43 days of winter in Chicago has been the third-mildest on record, behind only 1890 and 1878, when the temperatures were recorded along the lakefront. The average temp Dec. 1-Jan. 12 this winter has been 37.1 degrees, which is around 7.9 degrees above normal.”

Violet Miller/Sun-Times

Marcus Moore, a Richton Park resident, ventured into the city Saturday morning to clear snow off his mother’s and aunt’s homes on 87th street in the Gresham neighborhood.

“Gotta make sure to take care of the women in my life,” Moore said.

He said the blizzard was hyped up, but as he stood on the steps bundled up, he noted the dropping temperatures weren’t.

Moore said he didn’t mind the little bit of snow, saying he remembered larger blizzards during his time in the area, but that his daughter made it easier to enjoy.

“I could do with a little snow,” Moore said. “As far as my daughter, she likes the snow so we like playing in the snow … I guess being in Chicago so long you just end up adapting to it.”

Read more storm coverage below.

3 dead in separate crashes during overnight snowstorm

As the snow blanketed the Chicago area early Saturday, three people were killed in separate traffic crashes that happened within about an hour of each other on the South Side and in south suburban Hazel Crest.

Just after 2 a.m., a vehicle with four people inside crashed into a tree in Hazel Crest. The driver and a passenger who was ejected were both dead at the scene.

An hour earlier, an SUV crashed into an embankment on the Dan Ryan Expressway near the 75th Street exit, killing one.

Authorities couldn’t immediately say if the brutal weather factored into either crash.

Man dies of cold exposure in Schiller Park

A man died of cold exposure Thursday in northwest suburban Schiller Park, the year’s first cold-related death as the area endures a winter storm ahead of colder temperatures this week.

The 60-year-old man, whose name wasn’t released, died about 1 p.m. in the 4600 block of Wesley Terrace, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

Schiller Park police and fire officials couldn’t be reached immediately.

Autopsy results released Friday said he died of environmental cold exposure, and his death was ruled an accident, according to the medical examiner’s office.

Pedestrians walk while trying to shield their faces from the wind along West Foster Avenue in the Edgewater neighborhood during a major snowstorm, Friday morning, Jan. 12, 2024. | Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

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A pedestrian walks with a cup of coffee on North Broadway Street in the Uptown neighborhood during a major snowstorm, Friday morning, Jan. 12, 2024. | Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

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Luke S. uses an electric shovel to clear his driveway in Palos Hills. | Mohammad Samra/Sun-Times

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A pedestrian walks along North Broadway Street in the Uptown neighborhood during a major snowstorm, Friday morning, Jan. 12, 2024. | Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

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A person removes snow from the windows of a car on North Magnolia Street in the Edgewater neighborhood during a major snowstorm, Friday morning, Jan. 12, 2024. | Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

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Ken Fronczak shovels in Bridgeport Friday morning near 29th and Throop streets. | David Struett/Sun-Times

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Cars on West Winona Street near North Broadway Street in the Uptown neighborhood are covered with snow during a major snowstorm, Friday morning, Jan. 12, 2024. | Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

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A pedestrian walks along North Broadway Street in the Uptown neighborhood during a major snowstorm, Friday morning, Jan. 12, 2024. | Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

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A pedestrian walks along North Broadway Street in the Uptown neighborhood during a major snowstorm, Friday morning, Jan. 12, 2024. | Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

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Commuters wait for a bus along West Foster Avenue in the Edgewater neighborhood during a major snowstorm, Friday morning, Jan. 12, 2024. | Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

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Roger Sansone walks his dog Friday morning in Bridgeport. | David Struett/Sun-Times

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Viviana LaGiglio sleds at Palmisano Park on Friday as snow turned to sleet. | David Struett/Sun-Times

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Asylum seekers exit Chicago Transit Authority warming buses for fresh air and a meal at Chicago’s designated landing zone for new migrant arrivals at 800 S. Desplaines St. in the West Loop during a snowstorm Friday. | Zubaer Khan/Sun-Times

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Following a snowstorm Friday and with below-freezing temps on the way, some asylum seekers show off their footwear outside Chicago Transit Authority warming buses at Chicago’s designated landing zone for new migrant arrivals at 800 S. Desplaines St. in the West Loop. | Zubaer Khan/Sun-Times

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Asylum seekers stand inside a Chicago Transit Authority warming bus at Chicago’s designated landing zone for new migrant arrivals at 800 S. Desplaines St. in the West Loop during a snowstorm Friday. | Zubaer Khan/Sun-Times

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A child stands outside, wrapped in a blanket, Wednesday at Chicago’s designated landing zone for new migrant arrivals at 800 S. Desplaines St. in the West Loop. | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times file photo

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Contributing: David Struett, Kade Heather, Katie Anthony, Mary Norkol, Satchel Price, Michael Loria, Ellery Jones, Violet Miller, Emmanuel Camarillo