Chicago sees longest stretch of extreme cold weather in nearly 30 years

In the Disney classic “Frozen,” Elsa sings “the cold never bothered me anyway,” but even the Snow Queen herself might have something to say about the area’s current cold snap.

That’s because Chicago has been in the clutches of Mother Nature’s icy grip for a stretch it hasn’t experienced in nearly 30 years.

High temperatures in the city have failed to reach 5 degrees or above for three consecutive days for the first time since February 1996, according to the National Weather Service.

Tuesday’s temperatures at O’Hare Airport, where records for the city are collected, hit a high of 2 degrees about 4 p.m., the NWS said.

Monday’s high temperature was also 2 degrees, and Sunday recorded a high of 3 degrees after midnight before temperatures plummeted below zero during daylight hours, the NWS said.

In the 1996 stretch, O’Hare recorded highs of 5 below zero on Feb. 2 and 3, and of 2 degrees on Feb. 4, according to NWS meteorologist Casey Sullivan.

Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

Sullivan said the longest stretch of temps below 5 degrees in the area was a period of five days in the 1880s, according to NWS records, which go back to 1871.

“It doesn’t look like we’re going to do that, but it’s unusual, not unheard of,” Sullivan said of the cold streak.

The Chicago area is also currently under a wind chill advisory until 9 a.m. Wednesday, the NWS said, warning of “very cold” wind chills as low as negative 30 that can cause frostbite in as little as 30 minutes.

Tyler Pasicak LaRiviere/Sun-Times

The cold forced many closures Monday and Tuesday, including at Chicago Public Schools, which canceled all classes and after-school activities Tuesday citing the “inclement weather.” Classes are back in session Wednesday, CPS said.

Migrants new to Chicago who were sleeping aboard CTA buses at the city’s designated “landing zone” for incoming arrivals were moved over the weekend to Harold Washington Library, where the lower level was turned into a 24-hour warming center for anyone in the city.

Dozens of migrants were moved Saturday evening to the downtown library at Ida B. Wells Drive and State Street from the landing zone at 800 S. Desplaines St., where many had previously said conditions aboard the buses were cold and wet.

The city has used the downtown library as a temporary migrant shelter, on and off, for months, and a dozen migrants were staying there Tuesday, according to the city.

In a release citing the “extreme cold,” the city said migrants arriving at the landing zone would be transported to the warming center, which is expected to remain open at least through Wednesday.

The city was expected to begin evicting migrants Tuesday who had hit the end of their 60-day shelter stay, but the city delayed that move until Jan. 22, also because of the cold.

Hundreds are expected to be kicked out then. They could then return to the landing zone to either get help with transportation outside of Chicago or reapply for shelter.

There may be some — albeit slight — relief from the extreme cold on the way in the coming days. High temperatures Wednesday should climb to a high of around 18 degrees, the NWS said.

Thursday’s high temps could end up in the low 20s, and Friday’s high is expected to be near 16 degrees.

“It’s still going to be cold, but not nearly as cold as we’ve been,” Sullivan said.

Sullivan also said there is a chance for accumulating snow of about 1 inch Wednesday afternoon. He added there’s a greater chance for another, similar round of snow over much of the area Thursday night into Friday morning.

Before the brutal cold front moved in, the first major winter storm of the season hit Chicago.

Nearly 7 inches of snow fell at O’Hare, and 5.8 inches was recorded near Midway Airport when it stopped Saturday.

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

Contributing: Michael Loria, Mohammad Samra