Science & Nature

Chicago Finally Thaws Out, Streak of Sub-Freezing Temperatures Ends at 20 Days

Chicago’s streak of sub-freezing days came to a merciful end Friday morning when the mercury finally hit 32 degrees for the first time in 20 days.

The last time it was this warm in Chicago, the Bears were still in the playoff hunt. That was Jan. 16, when the temperature soared to a comparatively balmy 37 degrees. Then the bottom fell out.

The deep freeze peaked — or, more accurately, cratered — Jan. 23-24, with highs in the single digits and lows of minus 11 and minus 10 degrees below zero. Those were actual air temperatures; wind chills made it feel more like minus 20 or minus 30.

The streak nearly came to end before it gained steam. The temperature at O’Hare Airport, Chicago’s official weather station, reached 30 degrees on Jan. 21. It wouldn’t come that close to freezing again until Feb. 5, when gauges registered a just-miss of 31 degrees.

The forecast calls for a brief return to sub-freezing temps on Saturday, followed by a sustained warmup.

So where does the 20-day streak rank in Chicago’s weather history?

The winter of 1976-77 takes the prize for relentless cold, notching a record 43 consecutive days of below-freezing temperatures, set between Dec. 28 and Feb. 8.

Coming in second is a 33-day streak set in 1985, between Jan. 15 and Feb. 16. 

After that, there were a pair of 29-day streaks in the late 1800s and there have been two 28-day streaks, both in the early 1900s.

Contact Patty Wetli: [email protected]

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