Dangerous wind chill temperatures across the Chicago area and northwest Indiana are expected to remain between -30 degrees and -40 degrees Friday as a Winter Storm Warning remains in effect. The severity of the cold, coupled with high winds and blowing snow, prompted travel warnings, Metra delays, flight cancelations and treacherous roadways.
Live updates on temperatures, travel and storm tracking can be found below:
5:55 p.m. US 421 closed in both directions between US Route 30 and County Road 1350 South in LaPorte County
Blowing and drifting snow has rendered many roads in Northwest Indiana impassable, causing the closure of US 421 in both directions.
3:20 p.m. South Shore Line suspends most service due to mechanical issues
Local
With blisteringly cold temperatures and wins contributing to mechanical and overhead wire issues, the South Shore Line is suspending most service for the remainder of Friday.
Officials announced all remaining westbound service will be suspended Friday, with the current train en route being the last westbound train of the day.
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Additionally, all remaining eastbound service will be suspended with the exception of two departures out of Millennium Station.
Eastbound Train 111 is slated to depart at 4:02 p.m., with Eastbound Train 119 scheduled for a 5:58 p.m. departure. There will be no other South Shore Line service for the remainder of Friday.
2:30 p.m. Severe weather has forced an early end to The Salvation Army's Red Kettle campaign.
The Salvation Army announced Friday afternoon that outdoor conditions had forced an early end to the organization's annual campaign, resulting in the loss of critical fundraising days leading up to Christmas.
According to The Salvation Army, Red Kettle donations have been used "to provide families with 12,000 Christmas food boxes, thousands of toys for children, warming centers for the most vulnerable, and helped people stay in their homes through rent, mortgage, and utilities assistance programs."
The Salvation Army estimates the early closing will result in the loss of tens of thousands of dollars of potential donations. In a statement, the organization added that the decision was made to ensure the safety of bell-ringers in dangerously cold temperatures.
12:45 p.m. More than 750 flights in and out of Chicago's O'Hare and Midway International Airport have been canceled, according to FlyChicago, adding to the thousands across the country that have already been canceled leading up to the holiday weekend.
12 p.m. Are you still required to shovel your sidewalk?
While the storm hasn't brought much in terms of snow totals, most places in the city and the suburbs received between one to two inches of accumulation. And according to the city of Chicago, as well as many other local jurisdictions, residents and business owners are required by law once it snows to immediately shovel the sidewalks and walkways surrounding their property.
According to the city, those who fail to shovel can be reported and receive a citation resulting in fines ranging from $50 to $500.
But what if the temperatures are below zero?
11 a.m.: $6 Bears tickets, anyone?
High temperatures for the game in Chicago on Saturday are projected to remain in the teens, so it's no wonder some fans may be trying to offload their tickets.
10 a.m.: Christmas this year will be very, very cold.
According to NBC 5 Storm Team, temperatures in the teens are predicted for Sunday, with wind chills likely in the 20s.
The coldest Christmas on record took place on Dec. 25, 1983, when the high temperature was a staggering minus-5 degrees at O’Hare International Airport.
The second-coldest occurred just two years later in 1985, when the high temperature was 2 degrees.
Last winter, the high temperature on Christmas was 55 degrees, the fifth-warmest on record.
9:15 a.m. The Knox County Sheriff's Office, about 43 miles Northwest of Peoria reports that the current wait time for a tow truck is "2 to 3 hours."
"Do you have enough fuel and cell phone charge to wait that out?", the office wrote in a Facebook post. "If not, we respectfully ask that you say home and not attempt to raise the wit time (seriously do not take this as a challenge!)"
8:43 a.m.: Reports of sliding trucks across the Midwest continue, with one truck at Lake Cook and Deerfield Road sliding off the ramp.
8:35 a.m. All lanes on I-65 Northbound in Northwest Indiana at mile marker 258 near Hobart are blocked, the Indiana State Police reports, as "trucks can't get up the incline over the I-94 overpass" due to iced-over roads.
According to officials, sand trucks are headed to the scene to create traction.
7:30 a.m.: Metra, which sets its tracks on fire to combat freezing temperatures, reports delays across multiple lines due to switch issues, crew shortages and more.
7 a.m. The Chicago Transit Authority reported minimal service delays, but noted minor or residual delays on these lines:
Blue Line: Service is operating with minor delays due to track switching problems at Rosemont.
Brown Line: Service is operating with minor delays due to track switching problems at Barry.
Orange Line: Orange Line trains are running with residual delays following earlier track switching problems at Midway. Bus shuttles are replacing Blue Line service between Midway and Pulaski.
6:30 a.m. About 1,200 ComEd customers have been affected by outages throughout the storm, according to a live power outages map provided by the utility.
ComEd said it brought together 1,800 workers to respond to outages during the storm.
Here's what to do if your power goes out: "ComEd urges customers to contact the company immediately if they experience a power outage. Customers can text OUT to 26633 (COMED) to report an outage and receive restoration information and can follow the company on Twitter @ComEd or on Facebook at Facebook.com/ComEd. Customers can also call 1-800 EDISON1 (1-800-334-7661), or report outages via the website at ComEd.com/report. Spanish-speaking customers should call 1-800-95-LUCES (1-800-955-8237)."
6 a.m. FlyChicago, a site that tracks real-time cancelations out of O'Hare and Midway airports, reported Friday morning that more than 500 flights out of both airports had been canceled, with 261 cancelations at O'Hare and 253 at Midway.
Have someone traveling into town? Track flight delays across the country here.
5:55 a.m. Public and private schools, as well as universities and day cares that weren't already closed for the holiday, announced closings Friday for extreme cold during the winter storm. Check Illinois and Indiana school closings here.
5:48 a.m. The South Shore Line issued this commuter alert: "Due to inclement weather, WB Tr 6 will not operate out of South Bend or Hudson Lake today, 12/23. Updates on today's remaining South Bend train service will be sent as they become available."
5:40 a.m. Metra noted its "Find Next Departure" feature might not reflect actual delay times as "the Metra train tracking system is experiencing problems."
"Please continue to monitor metra.com for current information. Updates will be posted," Metra said in a statement.
5:39 a.m. Chicago's NBC 5 Storm Team continues to track conditions across the area live in the video stream here, offering a current look at everything from snowfall totals to wind speeds to plummeting temperatures.
The interactive radar below shows a look at the snow.
5:35 a.m. Metra reported its tracking system was "experiencing problems" in some places, prompting delays on the Metra Electric line. See Metra's service alerts and delays here.
On Thursday, Metra announced it would operate with modified service on Friday because of the winter storm and advised customers to allow extra time if they need to travel.
5:34 a.m. How cold is it? Apparently cold enough to freeze an entire door top to bottom. This was the view from the National Weather Service's Chicago office.
4:52 a.m. "Absolutely frigid" wind chills clocked in at -37 degrees in Romeoville, -35 degrees in Wheeling and -36 degrees in Valparaiso, Indiana.
4:05 a.m. Drivers in northwest Indiana have seen some of the worst of the winter storm, and the state activated members of the Indiana National Guard to help. Sgt. Glen Fifield of the Indiana State Police gave an update Friday morning on road conditions.
