How are Chicagoans handling the big chill?
CHICAGO (CBS) -- From the suburbs to the city, we're seeing how folks are handling the big chill, with temperatures below zero, and wind chills as cold as -40 overnight.
We spoke with some people on their Friday commute at the Belmont station on the Red Line, as temperatures lingered around -6.
JT Phillis said it's the coldest Christmastime he's experienced in 20 years.
"I've been in Chicago like 20-plus years, and this is the coldest I think it's ever been," he said. "Bundling up. I've got three layers on top and bottom. So I'm just going to try and stay warm that way."
Beth Chen said she has lived in Chicago for more than 10 years, and agreed it hasn't been this cold in a long time, but she actually likes it.
"I mean, we would have all moved to Florida if we wanted to have four seasons of summer," she said.
While the cold is brutal, the city didn't get much in the way of snow, with the official total at O'Hare coming in at only 1.1 inches. According to the National Weather Service, 3 inches of snow fell in the West Ridge neighborhood, while 1.5 inches fell in the Douglas neighborhood.
Chicago's full fleet of 287 snow plows began plowing and salting the city's main streets and Lake Shore Drive on Thurdsay morning. At about 8 a.m. Friday, 200 of those trucks began clearing side streets.