Science & Nature

Dangerous Cold Is Coming. How Low Will the Temperatures Go?

The National Weather Service has issued an extreme cold warning for northeast Illinois, with wind chills expected to plummet to 40-below zero is some locations.

Forecasters are warning Chicagoans to prepare for “dangerously cold temperatures” in the coming days as a deep freeze settles over the region.

The mercury will begin to nosedive late in the evening Thursday and temperatures will continue to fall overnight. All of northeast Illinois will wake up to sub-zero temperatures Friday morning, according to the National Weather Service, with the worst of the cold between 3 a.m. and noon.

Winds of 15 to 25 miles per hour will make it feel even colder Friday, with wind chills of -25 to -35 degrees in Chicago, but potentially as low as -40 degrees further west in Rockford and DeKalb.

(National Weather Service)

Temperatures won’t climb above zero until Saturday, but it will remain bitterly cold, forecasters said.

Officials are advising people to stay indoors as much as possible, and to cover any exposed skin when outdoors. Frostbite can occur in fewer than 10 minutes.

Added cold weather advice and resources:

— Chicago has a list of warming centers posted online, and the Garfield Community Service Center at 10 S. Kedzie Ave. is open 24 hours to connect people to emergency shelter.

— Cook County is also opening warming centers throughout the suburbs. Residents can bring pets in cages or carriers.

— Chicago landlords are required to maintain a minimum temperature of 68 degrees during the day and 66 degrees at night. Call 311 to lodge a complaint.

— Also call 311 to request a well-being check on a family member or neighbor.

— Use space heaters safely. Don’t plug into an extension cord, don’t leave on overnight and keep three feet away from anything flammable.

— Don’t use the oven for heat. Don’t bring charcoal or gas grills indoors for added heat.

— Keep a trickle of water running to prevent pipes from freezing.

In addition to the extreme cold, meteorologists are keeping an eye on a massive storm barreling down on the southern United States this weekend.

During a briefing on Wednesday, Gino Izzi, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service Chicago office, said there’s a good deal of uncertainty regarding how far north that system could push. Some computer models show a potential for it to reach Illinois, with a possibility for snowfall Saturday into Sunday.

That system is actually three different weather disturbances converging on each other, Izzi said, and how they evolve and interact will determine the impact on the Chicago region.

So stay tuned.

Contact Patty Wetli: [email protected]

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