Chicago Or The North Pole?
It's been a cold February in Chicago this year. So far the fourth coldest on record, with an average temperature of 15 degrees. The average has been brought up though by a few 35 degree days at the beginning of the month. Since February 4th the daytime temperature has struggled to make it into double digits, and right now the temperature here (not the wind chill) is a bone chilling 1 degree. We are supposed to make it into the low teens some time this afternoon, when the 8 - 12 inches of new snow starts to fall. There was a heavy snow two weeks ago (14 inches) and very little of it has melted . Frozen ? Yes. Melted? No. The wind chill tomorrow morning is predicted to be -20. It is supposed to warm up and temperatures into the 30's this coming weekend.
How is the weather in your neck of the woods?
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Chicago weather: Frozen Chicago could see a foot or more of snow by Tuesday
Already locked in a deep freeze, Chicago could see up to a foot — or more — of new snowfall Monday.
Snow was expected to start falling Sunday night and could continue until Tuesday night, the National Weather Service said.
It will hit as Chicago is trying to recover from a brutally cold weekend. With highs in the single digits, workers from the Night Ministry were out and about on Sunday, checking on homeless individuals and offering help.
After an expected dusting of less than an inch Sunday, lake-effect snow on Monday will bring about 7 to 15 inches at Midway Airport, the weather service said. More snow likely will follow Tuesday. A foot is expected at O’Hare Airport.
Fifteen inches “is probably on the high end of things there, but there will be some areas that will likely see around a foot when this is all done,” said meteorologist Kevin Donofrio, noting that lake-effect snowfall totals can vary.
Meanwhile, Sunday’s high temperature peaked at just 4 degrees, breaking the record for the lowest high temperatures on Valentine’s Day — 8 degrees, recorded in 1943. Nighttime temperatures could dip as low as -7, with wind chills potentially dropping to -28, the weather service reported.
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Stephen Koruba, a nurse practitioner with the Night Ministry, prepares to check on Marcus Carter at an encampment near South Michigan Avenue and East Illinois Street on Sunday. Anthony Vazquez/Sun-TimesIn those temperatures, frostbite is possible in fewer than 10 minutes, the weather service warned. Temperatures aren’t expected to climb above freezing until next Sunday.
Amid the lengthy deep-freeze, teams of outreach workers fanned out across the city this weekend to offer assistance to homeless Chicagoans.
Stephan Koruba, a nurse practitioner with the Night Ministry, stopped at encampments and other sites Sunday to ensure homeless individuals aren’t suffering from frostbite or hypothermia and offer blankets, gloves, hand warmers and food to those weathering the cold.
“These folks are socially isolated by definition,” Koruba said while working under a viaduct near Lower Michigan Avenue and Illinois Street. “Just for instance, you come up to someone sleeping and you’re not even sure they’re sleeping under that stack of clothes. You’ve gotta try to get to them before it becomes dangerous and they lose their life.”
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Stephen Koruba (left) speaks to Marcus Carter at an encampment near South Michigan Avenue and East Illinois Street on Sunday. Anthony Vazquez/Sun-TimesMarcus Carter, 50, originally from the Near West Side, was among those accepting help from Koruba and his team Sunday. Carter, who lost his home when his mother died last January, noted living on the streets this past year has been “terrible” and said he has been seeking a pathway out of homelessness.
“I just got on Social Security. I want an apartment, man,” he said. “I’ll pay anything. Just get me off the streets. I want a place to live. I want a roof over my head. I don’t want to live like this.”
The Salvation Army has spent the weekend doing similar outreach work at 22 sites across the city, including 12 homeless encampments. That outreach effort, put together by the city’s Department of Family and Support Services, includes the distribution of food and winter clothing but also gives homeless residents the opportunity to get out of the cold – albeit temporarily.
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Members of The Salvation Army Chicago give a homeless man some supplies, including blankets and hand warmers, down on Lower Wacker Drive on Friday night. Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-TimesBut as of Sunday afternoon, spokeswoman Katie Heinz Pfingsten said the outreach workers still hadn’t transported anyone to city-run warming centers. Koruba acknowledged some homeless individuals don’t want to leave their encampments for a shelter or hotel because they fear their personal effects will be tossed out.
“That’s why some of the folks who are sticking around behind at an encampment will keep an eye on other peoples’ stuff,” he said. “Not everybody has that level of trust with their neighbor at their encampments, but it’s not uncommon.”
Despite the extreme weather, Carter said he would rather be under the downtown viaduct than at a shelter. He noted some shelters require visitors to leave early in the morning, and he worries his personal items could be stolen.
“It’s not a good place to be sometimes,” he said.
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It was so cold right after the heavy snow 10 days ago that many people were unable to completely clear their walkways and front steps before the stuff froze solid, so even leaving the house can be dangerous as far as slipping and falling.
As I look out the window and up and down the block there are very few houses that were able to completely remove the snow off the front steps of their house and walkways before it froze solid, and it turned too cold for snow melting products to work well. Now another 8-12 inches of snow that wont melt for a week? There is already about a foot and a half on the ground that hasnt melted from last time it snowed.
In the late 70's, I used to walk down the stairs to lower Michigan Ave to my East Illinois offices. Even back then, there were people that lived along that wall in the winter because there are vents in the 'sidewalk' that release heat coming from the buildings on the 'Miracle mile'. I always have $10 in singles on me to hand out to 'the guys'. Back then $1 would get them coffee AND a donut.
The Original Billy Goat Tavern [a la SNL 'Cheeseburger, Cheeseburger, no coke pepsi] is across the street on that level...
We get 'lake effect' snow so we've had over 3'. It's the light fluffy stuff so every morning I use a leaf blower to clear off the walk, and a path for the dog and to the cars. The roads SUCK in the morning.
Where I grew up, Red Lake MN. the current temp is -21 without wind chill. That is why I live in Florida.
I can take zero degree temperatures or a foot of snow. But both at the same time is brutal.
Red Lake currently has 30 inches of snow and -21. Burrrrrrrrrrr
i know you miss it kavika.
I only visit in the summertime which is a Tuesday afternoon in August. LOL
I could never deal with that stuff! I had a guy break up with me years ago, because I told him that I would NEVER live in the UP of MI year-round. I am very aware that I couldn't handle that much snow and cold.
MN has always been a frigged place.
Sounds like you made up a new curse word - 'it's so frigged cold outside!'
I like it!
Now look here, Mister. Weather-related nanner nanner boo boo's are just mean!
LOL, I just thought that I'd give everyone a glimpse of Florida weather, nothing mean about that. Well maybe a little.
Now there is always compromise...
The nice weather also comes with a lot of lunatics and crappy politics.
Our neighborhood is lunatic free but the crappy politics is a true statement.
I get enough of that cruel and unusual punishment from my buddies from 'the Villages'.
Detroit area of MI is similar temps and weather as Chicago area... we just get it a day later, but we've been pretty frigged here for a couple weeks as well.
Rocky, my APBT is only out long enough to do his business... I'm out there with him, because I want to make sure he's back in ASAP. It was very different when we had our husky, Samson.
I'm glad people are looking out for the homeless. It's DAMN cold for them for sure.
I live in Canada, we have 2 seasons ... Winter and July.
Where-about in Canada? Just curious.
Montreal
Meanwhile in Finland ... snowshoe art.
That is fantastic artwork, Hallux.
That's awesome! That must've taken quite some time and planning!
Considering they have about 22 seconds of daylight.
Yeah, it's certainly not a lot. I work for a company that has a facility in Sweden, which isn't as far north and they only get about 4 hours of daylight in January.
The official low for Denver was -16 out at DIA..... but a few degrees warmer closer the mountains. -5 now downtown at 8:30. Lots of snow in the mountains, only about an inch in the city. Warmer and some snow predicted for tomorrow and Wednesday
My sister sent me this picture today of her deck in San Antonio Texas this morning.
Wow that is really something.
There will probably be a lot of accidents down there today. Those people have no idea how to drive in snow.
I heard there was a 100 car pile up in Texas recently with the cold and icy weather
yes, sadly a number of people were killed in that pile up in ft worth
Ain't that the truth!
She says they are expecting more snow in San Antonio on Wednesday.
Well since we are discussing weather.........
All that jet fuel..................
Um ... and not a windmill in sight.
Why would they use hot water, heated by a diesel truck rather than good ol' Ethylene or Propylene Glycol? Why hasn't anyone come up with an anti-icing boot system? Jets use Ethylene or Propylene Glycol and anti-ice rubber boots that inflate to break apart any ice that has formed for deicing aircraft controls.
I suppose they're worried about EG or PG getting into the water system, but they could have catch containers to prevent that from happening.
We had 2 rolling black-outs in the wee hours this morning. The second one resulted in ice forming on our west-facing windows...on the inside.
You're going to have to go out and buy a winter coat if this keeps up !
Egads.... I feel bad for you guys.
I guess you only have electric heaters in Texas.
I grew up in the midwest and don't miss that kind of winter at all ! Moved to Cali 30 years ago. Today's high will be 61 degrees, a little cool for me, lol.
It's warmed up nicely into the minus 20s this week which is a vast improvement over the minus 30s and 40s of the last two weeks. Might have to break out the shorts and t-shirts for a couple days next week as we're supposed to get a couple days of minus single digits.
Thankfully this is a small town with a good number of shelters so there's normally not too much concern of people freezing.
It amazes me that people live in these conditions on purpose.
But not is all sunshine and roses here in Paradise. We have had hardly any rain. In fact, the weather nerds are saying that our rainy season has shrunken to basically January and February, and this year we have barely had any rain at all in that time. The next rain in the forecast is for March.
I went out for a short walk in the backyard less than an hour ago. It's 68 and partly cloudy. I noticed the daffodil 3 days ago. This is from today.
OK trying to depress me with all this spring like beauty. Bah humbug!
Took these yesterday on my way to get lunch.
Hi Perrie, at least you can think WARM...
Have a nice evening.
This is the view looking down the street I live on this morning. The snow is about 2 ft deep.
LOL I feel sorry for you. I grew up in Peoria Ill we didn't see the ground for months back then. To me snow just meant life just got harder. No Thanks !
I took these yesterday it was 70 degrees out at the time.