Bitter cold sets in after snow blankets Chicago area

(Chicago) Some Chicago school students are holding out hope for canceled class Wednesday as the city faces bitter cold temperatures and dangerous wind chills on the anniversary of last year’s polar vortex.

About 2 inches of snow were recorded at O’Hare Monday night into early Tuesday, with just under 3 inches measured in southwest suburban Romeoville as of 6 a.m., according to the National Weather Service.

As the snow diminished, temperatures dropped into the single digits across the area, according to the weather service. Tuesday night the temperatures will steadily drop, and a combination of gusty winds and bitterly cold temperatures will create dangerous wind chills as low as 25 to 30 below.

Wednesday will be even worse, with highs expected to reach just 2 degrees and a bone-chilling 30 below with the wind chill factored in, according to the weather service. Wednesday night could see wind chills as low as 35 below, when lows will sink to minus-7 in the city and minus-10 in the suburbs.

And now, forecasters have issued a wind chill advisory slated to last through Thursday afternoon as the mercury dips well below zero, with gusts making it feel as cold as minus-35 degrees. Forecasters warn that frostbite could set in to exposed skin within 15 minutes.

Gov. Pat Quinn announced Monday afternoon that more than 100 statewide Department of Human Services warming centers would be open to those looking to escape the cold. Locations can be found at keepwarm.illinois.gov or by calling (800) 843-6154, according to the governor’s office.

Metra posted a notice on its website Monday night warning riders that weather and temperature-related speed restrictions could lead to delays or service disruptions through Wednesday. Riders should allow extra travel time. Some lines reported delays between 10 and 20 minutes during Tuesday’s morning commute because of switch failures.

At O’Hare International Airport, about 150 flights have been canceled as of 10:30 a.m., according to the city’s Department of Aviation. Most of those flights were bound for the East Coast. No delays have been reported.

At Midway, about a dozen flights have been canceled and another dozen are delayed at least 20 minutes.

The city Department of Streets & Sanitation redeployed its 280-plow fleet Tuesday morning to clear neighborhood streets after arterial routes were plowed overnight, officials said. More than 1,700 Illinois Department of Transportation trucks were deployed statewide Monday night, along with the Illinois Tollway’s full fleet of 185 snowplows to clear its 268 miles of roadway in the Chicago area, officials said.