Sometimes in life, a little perspective can be helpful, but then there are other times when it helps contribute to misery.
The weather in Chicago Sunday is a great example of both.
According to the NBC 5 Storm Team, the forecast high temperature for Chicago on Sunday will be minus-2 degrees, with wind chill readings of 20-to-30 degrees below zero throughout the day.
The blast of arctic air is expected to continue for several days, but it may surprise some residents to learn just how dramatic the cold snap truly is.
For example, Anchorage, Alaska isn’t exactly the warmest place on Earth, but its high temperature is forecasted to be 30 degrees warmer than that of Chicago, with the mercury expected to hit 28 degrees on Sunday. The average daily high in Anchorage is approximately 23 degrees in the month of January, according to the National Weather Service.
Chicago’s temperatures are even colder than some found in the Arctic Circle. For example, Murmansk in Russia is the world’s most populous city in the Arctic Circle, and according to the Weather Channel their high temperature Sunday is expected to be 10 degrees.
Novosibirsk, the largest city in Siberia, is also expected to reach 10 degrees on Sunday.
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Tromso, Norway is also within the Arctic Circle, and is expected to hit 18 degrees.
Finally, Whitehorse, the capital of Yukon and the largest city in Northern Canada, is expected to hit 1 degree above zero Sunday, making it warmer than Chicago by a few degrees at least.
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So amid all of this sad news, are there any bright spots?
Chicago-area residents could have woken up in Bismarck, North Dakota on Sunday morning. As of 9 a.m., the air temperature is minus-20 degrees, with wind chills as low as 60 degrees below zero. The high temperature Sunday is only expected to reach minus-8.
Billings, Montana has a similar story, with a high of minus-7 and a wind chill warning in effect, with those readings dipping to minus-50.
For those hoping for some relief from the cold, temperatures are expected to finally climb back into double digits by Wednesday and could warm into the 30s by the weekend or early next week.