What are the coldest days ever in Chicago?
CHICAGO (CBS) -- This week's pick-axe-in-your-forehead weather is the coldest air mass in five years, but unlike 2019, this snap is not one for the record books.
On Jan. 30, 2019, the low temperature hit 23 below zero, followed the next day with minus 21. Both those readings crack the top 10 coldest days ever.
Monday's low was minus 9 degrees; the wind chills in several locations were 30 below or lower. Schaumburg recorded the highest wind chill at minus 37 degrees at 2:55 a.m. While not a top 10 hit, Monday's weather was colder than places that are famous for being cold.
The worst-ever wind chill happened on Christmas Eve 1983: minus 57, adjusted for a new wind chill formula adopted about 15 years ago. Under the old formula, the chill was recorded at minus 82. The wind chills in 2019 came close to that record, with readings of around 50 below zero.
The coldest day ever happened on Jan. 20, 1985.
It was 27 degrees below zero that day.
Here is a list of the coldest recorded days in Chicago:
| Date | Temperature |
|---|---|
| Jan. 20, 1985 | 27 below zero |
| Jan. 10, 1982 | 26 below zero |
| Jan. 16, 1982 | 25 below zero |
| Dec. 24, 1983 | 25 below zero |
| Dec. 24, 1872 | 23 below zero |
| Jan. 17, 1982 | 23 below zero |
| Jan. 19, 1985 | 23 below zero |
| Jan. 30, 2019 | 23 below zero |
| Jan. 21, 1984 | 22 below zero |
| Dec. 22, 1872 | 21 below zero |
| Jan. 31, 2019 | 21 below zero |
| Feb. 9, 1899 | 21 below zero |
| Dec. 23, 1983 | 21 below zero |
| Jan. 18, 1994 | 21 below zero |
| Jan. 9, 1875 | 20 below zero |
| Jan. 25, 1897 | 20 below zero |
| Jan. 20, 1984 | 20 below zero |