Chicago is experiencing its coldest winter in more than a decade, with the average temperature this season at 24.3 degrees Fahrenheit—3.5 degrees below normal, according to WGN-TV meteorologist Bill Snyder.
“It’s been our coldest winter in 12 years,” Snyder said. “It’s not been pleasant, but it certainly could be worse.”
The city has faced an extended period of freezing temperatures since Jan. 16, with Tuesday marking the 18th consecutive day below freezing and Wednesday expected to extend that streak to 19 days. Snyder noted, “That’s our longest freezing streak since 2007 when we were below 32 degrees for 22 straight days.
“There’s no question we’re feeling it a bit, and we’re not quite used to this persistent cold the past few years,” he added.
On Friday, Jan. 23, air temperatures dropped as low as minus 10 degrees Fahrenheit with wind chills reaching minus 35 in Chicago. The National Weather Service issued an extreme cold warning across Illinois during this period. Many schools and businesses closed due to the weather; however, some residents continued their routines outdoors despite the subzero conditions.
Snyder pointed out that while this current stretch is significant, it does not approach Chicago’s record for consecutive subfreezing days: “Chicago’s longest streak of subfreezing temperatures is a staggering 43 days, from late December 1976 into February 1977… It was extraordinary. It was an icebox.”
A slight rise in temperatures is expected soon. “It’s possible we get above freezing on Thursday, but it’ll be close,” Snyder said. “But I think we’ll get into the mid-30s by Friday. So I’m very confident the streak will end this week.”
However, he cautioned that another drop in temperature is likely over the weekend: “It’ll be cold for Saturday and Super Bowl Sunday, but I do think we might hit the 40s in the middle of next week.”
Explaining why Chicago has had a colder winter following several milder seasons, Snyder said: “We saw some key indicators going into this winter that we had a weak ‘La Nina’ going, which tends to result in a more wavy jet stream, which would certainly encourage some of these cold outbreaks to visit us from Canada on a more frequent basis.”
He also reminded residents that snow can persist well into March or even April.
