Dangerously Cold Weather Grips Chicago Area
Updated 01/07/15 - 11:58 a.m.
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A frigid blast of Arctic air has plunged wind chills so low, it has made it dangerous to go outside for an extended period of time.
The National Weather Service has issued a wind chill advisory through noon Thursday, as temperatures are not expected to rise above single digits until Thursday night, and wind chills are expected to range from 15 to 30 below through Thursday morning. Temperatures likely will be below zero -- or only slightly above zero -- from around dawn Wednesday until mid-morning on Thursday.
The National Weather Service originally issued a wind chill warning starting at midnight Tuesday night, but the warning was later downgraded to an advisory, after conditions proved less severe than originally expected, though temperatures and wind chills were still dangerously low.
As of shortly before 11 a.m. Wednesday, the official temperature in Chicago was only 1 degree above zero, and the wind chill was 22 below at O'Hare International Airport.
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Mayor Rahm Emanuel praised the city's handling of the snow Monday night and the extreme cold Tuesday and Wednesday.
"First of all, I want to do a shout-out both to the people of the city of Chicago – with their stoicism and their sense of here's another winter; they're marshaling through this – also to the city employees who, both from obviously public transportation, our warming centers for our seniors, our Streets and Sanitation when they have to the other night plow and make sure our streets are passable," he said. "So our city's continuing to be able to move."
The mayor especially saluted parents who took school-aged children to work, or to relatives' homes, or to Park District facilities in lieu of school on Wednesday.
The bitterly cold conditions prompted the Chicago Public Schools and dozens of other school districts in the Chicago area to cancel classes for Wednesday. CPS buildings will remain open and staffed to accept any students who do show up.
A handful of school districts was staying open on Wednesday, despite the dangerous cold, among them Lemont High School.
While elementary schools in Lemont were closed, high schoolers were still expected to brave the frigid temperatures to get to class. In a letter to parents, students were told to dress warm, and make arrangements for rides to and from school so they don't have to walk. Those who ride the bus were told to get to their designated stops right at the scheduled time, no earlier, to avoid standing out in the dangerous cold.
However, some students questioned if buses would be able to run on time, or if some would even be no-shows.
"I think it's going to be an issue, because I think two days ago, actually, the buses weren't working," Guy Calcagno said. "So we had to call home and ask for rides to get back home."
Summit School District 104 was among those that canceled classes on Wednesday, in part over concerns about students waiting for buses, or having to walk to school in the extreme cold.
"Our concern was students who would be waiting at bus stops in the morning; the potential for buses not to actually be on time, due to trouble with their ability to start. So that's more of a wild card in the morning," Supt. Troy Whalen said.
Doctors warn that frostbite can happen in just minutes. The combination of cold temperatures and high winds on exposed skin makes anyone out in the elements for even a short amount of time, vulnerable.
"The key is to keep your core warm the fingers, as far as frost bite goes your nose, your ears, your face — that sort of thing," said Rush University Medical Center assistant medical director Dr. Paul Casey.
Layering is essential. So is minimizing skin exposure.
Parents who keep their kids home from school on Wednesday will have some options for keeping them busy.
Both the Shedd Aquarium and the Museum of Science and Industry will remain open Wednesday and are offering free admission for Illinois residents. Admission to the Caribbean Reef, Amazon Rising, and the Waters of the World exhibits at the aquarium will also be free. Other special exhibits will have discounted admission.
The Museum of Science and Industry also is free on Wednesday for all Illinois residents. Admission is free all weekdays through Jan. 30 for Illinois residents.
All YMCA Chicago centers were open on Wednesday as well, although the day's classes and programs were canceled due to the severe cold. However, some centers will offer the "School Days Out" program for children between the ages of 5 and 12. To find a program near you, click here.