The Chicago area is bracing for a level of cold that hasn’t been felt in more than three years.
Temperatures are expected to drop below zero Thursday night and remain near zero until Saturday while wind chills are projected to drop as low as minus 35 Friday and stay below zero into next week, according to the National Weather Service. Zachary Yack, a meteorologist with the weather service, said temperatures are expected to stay below normal through the rest of next week.
“The cold looks like it’s going to stick around,” Yack said.
Along with the bitterly cold conditions, snow from a winter storm, expected to hit a large strip of the United States, could bring 1 to 4 inches of snow Saturday night into Sunday.
“The tricky part of this system is we’re kind of on the northern fringe of it, so there’s a little bit of uncertainty of how much snow we actually get,” Yack said.
No matter how much snow falls during the cold snap, Yack warns that the precipitation will freeze quickly and create slick roads.
“Some slippery travel is to be expected,” Yack said.
A number of government offices and businesses across the city announced closures for Friday, including the 19th Ward office, 40th Ward office, 44th Ward office, Coalition for a Better Chinese American Community and the Beverly Arts Center. Outside Chicago, the Secretary of State’s four senior centers — located in Evanston, Westchester, Bridgeview and Calumet Park — as well as Waukegan Township’s town offices were also set to be closed. Chicago Public Schools is one of nearly 200 area districts that are canceling classes due to the weather.
The Shedd Aquarium, Field Museum and Alder Planetarium will close Friday and reopen to the public Saturday, according to a news release from the Museum Campus cultural organizations. Those who had already purchased tickets for either location will have the option to rebook for a different day.
And in spite of those brave enough to tough out the cold in nature, DuPage Forest Preserve District was closing its headquarters and six of its education centers: Danada Equestrian Center in Wheaton, Fullersburg Woods Nature Education Center in Oak Brook, Kline Creek Farm in West Chicago, Mayslake Peabody Estate in Oak Brook, St. James Farm in Warrenville and DuPage Wildlife Conservation Center in Glen Ellyn.
