The latest round of wintry cold means below-zero wind chills for the Chicago area. NBC 5 meteorologist Kevin Jeanes has your forecast.
Bundle up, Chicago,
The first of two cold weather advisories this week was in effect for much of northeastern Illinois until 11 a.m. Monday morning, the National Weather Service said, with wind chill values or "feels like" temperatures as low as 20 to 25 degrees below zero.
As of 5 a.m. Monday morning, temperatures were in the single digits across the Chicago area, with wind chills in the teens or even lower. By Monday afternoon, a high temperature of 10 degrees was expected, with wind gusts as high as 25 miles-per-hour.
"It's all about the cold," NBC 5 Meteorologist Kevin Jeanes said, of Monday's weather forecast. Across the Midwest, even colder morning temperatures were recorded, with a wind chill in Minneapolis of -34 degrees, and -43 in Fargo, North Dakota.
How long to warm up your car in the extreme cold? It's different than you may think
"Really cold air spilling in from Canada will continue across the Midwest," Jeanes said.
Monday night into Tuesday morning was expected to be even colder, Jeanes said, with another cold weather advisory going into effect at 9 p.m. to 12 p.m. Areas to the west were expected to be impacted the most, Jeanes said.
"Western suburbs especially may drop to 10 degrees below zero, with wind chills between 20 and 30 degrees below zero," Jeanes said. Jeanes added that wind chills that low could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 30 minutes.
[2:20 PM 2/16/2025] An extended period of bitterly cold conditions will occur this week. The coldest period will be Mon. night-Tues. AM, during which wind chills of -25 to -30 degrees are expected across interior portions of N. Illinois w/ values of -15 to -25 degrees elsewhere. pic.twitter.com/2bZNPor8lu
— NWS Chicago (@NWSChicago) February 16, 2025
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Tuesday will also be dangerously cold, Jeanes said, with highs in the teens, followed by more temperatures in the teens Wednesday along with a chance of snow.
By Thursday, a warming trend begins, with highs in the 20s and gradually rising into the 30s over the weekend. By the time Monday rolls around, temperatures were expected to be in the 40s.
Frozen pipes, warming centers and more
Amid the cold, the Chicago Department of Water Management was advising residents to run a trickle of cold weather on each floor of their home to prevent pipes from freezing.
"If a pipe does freeze, never use an open flame to thaw it," the department said. "Use a hairdryer instead."
Warming centers
Not all warming centers across Chicago will be open Monday, Feb. 17, due to the federal holiday of Presidents Day.
Below are the following centers that will be open Monday:
- Chicago Park District: 57 locations will be open
- Chicago Police Districts
- Garfield Community Service Center: 10 S. Kedzie Ave., 9am – 5pm
- Salvation Army Freedom Center: 825 N. Christiana, will be available as a 24/7 warming center through Tuesday, Feb. 18
- Matthew House: 3722 S. Indiana Ave., 6:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
- Sarah’s Circle: 4838 N. Sheridan Rd., 9 a.m.– 4:30 p.m.
- Lincoln Park Community Services: 1521 N. Sedgwick St, 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.
- Franciscan Outreach: 10 S. Kedzie Ave., 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
- Broadway Youth Center: 1023 W. Irving Park Rd., 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
- Inspiration Corporation: 4554 N. Broadway, Suite #207, 6 a.m.– 10 a.m.
