Weather

Record warmth Monday, but storms, cold and possibly snow all on the way: 'We'll be back to reality on Wednesday'

Chicago reached 71 degrees Monday, breaking the previous record high for the date. Temperatures will begin to cool Tuesday evening with strong to severe storms expected. Snow is possible late Tuesday and early Wednesday. In other words, a typical run of Chicago weather.

By Cindy Hernandez

A man walks along North Broadway Avenue in the Edgewater neighborhood as snow showers dust Chicago, Friday, Feb. 23, 2024.

Weather

Chicago weather could bring snow, freezing temps, National Weather Service says

Rain showers should transition into snow, with temperatures falling below freezing Friday evening before mild weather returns by Sunday.

By Phyllis Cha

Weather

Chicago is on track for the warmest February on record

The monthly average temperature is predicted to be 39.2 degrees, barely above the record 39-degree average set in February 1882.

By Kade Heather

City Hall

City unveils winners of You Name a Snow Plow contest

WGN meteorologist Tom Skilling, namesake of ‘Skilling It,’ was on hand for the unveiling of six newly named snow plows at the Department of Streets and Sanitation’s salt dome. One will be deployed in each of the department’s districts.

By Sun-Times staff

People walk along a path in Lincoln Park as temperatures reached 56 degrees Friday.

Weather

Chicago ties record temperature set in 1886 with high of 56 degrees Friday

The stretch of warm weather Chicago has seen to start February is “pretty unusual,” said Brett Borchardt, senior meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

By Phyllis Cha

Weather

Storms produce strong winds, rain, hail ahead of Chicago area’s possible record-high temperatures

Wind gusts could reach up to 60 mph overnight, and Friday’s expected high of 56 degrees would tie the record high for Feb. 9 set in 1886. A small tornado struck in Wisconsin.

By Sun-Times Wire

A man walks along the Lake Front Trail near Montrose Beach on Monday. The high temp Monday was 42, but the forecast calls for temps in the upper 50s by Thursday.

Weather

Wintry warmth? Mild weather spell across Chicago this week could break records

There’s a chance the record high for Feb. 9 of 56 degrees, set in 1886, could be broken as the area experiences a warm-up. But the warm-up cools down again Saturday.

By Emmanuel Camarillo

Weather

Ivory ready to succeed Skilling at WGN: ‘I’ve seen all sorts of weather — the good, the bad, the ugly and the really ugly’

Demetrius Ivory joined WGN in 2013 and currently works on the WGN Midday News and Evening News at 4 p.m. Tom Skilling, 71, will retire Feb. 28, after 46 years.

By Kade Heather

Celebration of Groundhog Day at Woodstock IL, on Feb. 2nd, 2023. The groundhog, Woodstock Willie, saw his shadow and predicted 6 more weeks of winter.

Weather

Forget looking for shadows, this Groundhog Day, keep your eyes peeled for an example of Chicago’s biodiversity

Check your garden Friday for a glimpse of one of Punxsutawney Phil’s cousins. Groundhogs are everywhere, quietly burrowing into pathways and attacking gardens.

By Audrey Hettleman

Weather

Will County residents warned of ‘life-threatening flooding’ in Wilmington as Kankakee River rises

A flash flood warning is in effect until Saturday morning, according to the National Weather Service. When an ice jam on the river breaks, flooding could happen quickly and without warning.

By Mary Norkol

Weather

Dense fog grips Chicago area, prompting warnings for drivers

Dense fog advisories have been issued in the Chicago area for much of this week, and drivers are advised to be extra cautious.

By Mary Norkol

La niebla podría reducir la visibilidad a un cuarto de milla o menos. La baja visibilidad podría provocar condiciones de conducir peligrosas.

La Voz Chicago

Niebla en carreteras de Chicago se podría despejar luego de lluvia el jueves por la noche

Se espera lluvia a última hora de la tarde el jueves, lo que podría mejorar la visibilidad y despejar algo de niebla.

By Cindy Hernandez

Weather

Dense fog in Chicago area expected through Thursday evening, low visibility could cause hazardous driving conditions

A dense fog advisory was issued until 6 p.m. Thursday. Fog could reduce visibility to a quarter of a mile or less, the weather service said.

By Cindy Hernandez

Trozos de hielo flotan en el agua cerca del Lago Michigan cuando las temperaturas estaban ligeramente por encima de los 0 grados.

Weather

Mix of snow, freezing rain expected for Monday in Chicago area

Light snow will start Monday morning and accumulate up to 1 inch. Later in the day, freezing rain will begin and last overnight, leading to slick roads, sidewalks Tuesday.

By Kaitlin Washburn

A stretch of bitter cold air was expected to remain over the weekend before warmer temperatures arrive next week.

Weather

Cold snap keeps grip on Chicago — but not for much longer

Wind chills below zero were expected for the weekend before temperatures were expected to warm up next week.

By Mohammad Samra

Weather

More snow, cold headed our way — and maybe some rain (but you’ll have to wait until next week for that)

The National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory from 6 p.m. Thursday until noon Friday. Temps will dip into the teens, and the wind chill could fall below zero.

By Emmanuel Camarillo

A Metra train takes a curve near Chicago’s Western Avenue station as flames from a gas-fired switch heater keep the switching point working.

Transportation

Rail agencies use heat, sometimes with flames, to thaw tracks

Railroad agencies warm up switch points to prevent frozen or clogged switches, allowing trains to link to other tracks.

By Kade Heather

A large ice jam has caused flooding along the Kankakee River near Wilmington in Will County.

Weather

Ice jam along Kankakee River could cause weeklong flooding

A flood warning is in effect for the Wilmington area in Will County until further notice, according to the National Weather Service.

By Sun-Times Wire

Un hombre se calienta cerca de un campamento bajo el Dan Ryan en la Avenida Canalport en el lado sur.

Weather

Blankets, gloves, a tent and some propane protect some homeless Chicagoans during ‘brutal’ cold snap

As temperatures plummeted to their lowest this season, the homeless outreach program of Thresholds, a North Side-based mental health provider, worked overtime to canvass the city handing out warm clothes, meals and offering shelter.

By David Struett

A pedestrian walks through the Loop as temperatures across Chicago hover around 0 degrees, Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024.

Weather

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

High temperatures have not gone above 5 degrees for three consecutive days. That hasn’t happened since February 1996, the National Weather Service says. CPS classes will resume Wednesday.

By Emmanuel Camarillo

A pedestrian appears to shiver in the cold on South Wentworth Avenue in the Chinatown neighborhood, Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024. Temperatures dipped to the single digits Tuesday afternoon.

Weather

Failing furnaces, frozen pipes, dead car batteries make surviving the cold no snap

‘You deal with the mild weather for long enough, and then you get the first real cold spell and you remember you live in Chicago,’ says the manager for hardware sales at JC Licht Ace, on the spike in sales of space heaters.

By Kaitlin Washburn

Weather

Brutal cold claims four lives, but Chicago area hospitals don’t see rise in weather-related problems

The people who died had pre-existing health conditions, and their secondary cause of death was listed as cold exposure, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office.

By Audrey Hettleman

Downed trees in a neighborhood by the Bowes Road and Corron Road west of Elgin, Illinois Wednesday, July 12, 2023.

News

Illinois saw the most tornadoes in the U.S. in 2023, National Weather Service says

About 120 tornadoes were reported in the state, more than triple the amount in 2022 when there were 39. “We had a significant number of days where just ... all the ingredients you need for tornadoes all came together,” said Victor Gensini, a professor at Northern Illinois University.

By Phyllis Cha

A woman bundled in winter gear takes photos of Lake Michigan at Montrose Beach, with the Chicago skyline in the background.

Letters to the Editor

This is Chicago. Keeping students out of school just because it’s cold is a joke.

Having thousands of kids home on a weekday, many without parental supervision, isn’t safe.

By Letters to the Editor

Ice chunks float in the water near Fullerton Parkway as temperatures were just above 0 degrees, Monday afternoon, Jan. 15, 2024.

Weather

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

The expected high temperature Tuesday is 0 degrees at O’Hare Airport, the National Weather Service reported. CPS, DePaul, Roosevelt and Northeastern Illinois University cancel classes.

By Sun-Times staff

Education

Chicago Public Schools cancels Tuesday classes due to weather

No remote learning has been scheduled, but officials say school is expected to resume Wednesday.

By Isabel Funk

An individual looks up at the buildings as water vapor is seen rolling off the top of the river as temperatures reach the negatives in the loop, Sunday, Jan. 14, 2024.

Weather

Temps hit minus 10 as deep freeze grips Chicago

A wind chill warning is in effect through noon Monday, meaning skin can experience frostbite in 10 minutes. Monday’s high is expected to be 6. Temperatures could rise to the 20s by Wednesday, and snow could return Thursday.

By Kaitlin Washburn, Emmanuel Camarillo, and 1 more

Vincent Brown, a 60-year-old Englewood resident, shovels snow on his fourth and final snow removal job of the day Saturday, Jan. 13, 2024.

Weather

Chicagoans dig out, hunker down after snowstorm as brutal cold awaits: ‘You just end up adapting to it’

Todd Kluber, a National Weather Service meteorologist, said Sunday will be the first time since Dec. 23, 2022 that Chicago will have a high in the single digits.

By Violet Miller

Three people were killed in separate crashes across the Chicago area during a winter storm early Saturday.

News

3 dead in separate crashes during overnight snowstorm

Officials couldn’t immediately say if the weather factored into the crashes on the South Side and in south suburban Hazel Crest.

By Sun-Times Wire

Surfer Justin Ferranti exits Lake Michigan in Whiting, Ind. In winter, the water is more dense, mimicking some of the buoyancy that saltwater affords.

For winter surfers on Lake Michigan, bad weather is almost always good

By Zachary Nauth | WBEZ