CPS cancels classes Tuesday due to extreme cold
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Steam rises off of the Chicago River with temperatures below zero on Jan. 14. Photo: Brian Cassella/Getty Images
Chicago is closing schools and warning residents to limit time outdoors as bitterly cold temperatures create dangerous conditions across the region.
Why it matters: It's the coldest Chicago has been since the cold snap in January 2019, the Tribune reports, and forecasters are cautioning that frostbite could develop on exposed skin in as little as 10 minutes.
Driving the news: The National Weather Service has issued a wind chill advisory through Wednesday morning.
- CPS canceled all classes for Tuesday due to the weather. Many suburban and private schools have canceled classes and after-school activities or moved to e-learning.
The big picture: An Arctic outbreak tied to a piece of polar vortex brought subfreezing temperatures across the U.S. in recent days, leaving over 110 million people under wind chill warnings and advisories last weekend, Axios' Rebecca Falconer reports.
Zoom in: Cook County recorded its first cold-related death of this season on Thursday with the death of a 60-year-old Schiller Park man, the Sun-Times reported.
- Hundreds of flights at O'Hare and Midway were canceled over the weekend, and the Department of Aviation continues to advise travelers to check their flight status before traveling this week.
- Metra reported weather delays on Monday and CTA is investigating whether an Orange Line derailment was caused by the cold. No injuries were reported.
Between the lines: Mayor Brandon Johnson late last week extended the 60-day migrant shelter stay limit for 17 migrants who were due to lose their spots, citing the extreme weather. The deadline was postponed by a week.
- A Department of Family and Support Services official says all 17 are being connected with rental assistance to get them into housing.
- Johnson's Tuesday meeting with suburban mayors to discuss the next steps for migrants arriving in the area has been canceled because of the weather.
Details: The Office of Emergency Management has opened additional warming centers, including a 24-hour shelter on the lower level of Harold Washington Library in the Loop, where migrants from the city's "landing zone" were moved to over the weekend.
- The city also runs 24-hour warming centers in Lincoln Park, Back of the Yards, and Garfield Park.
- Park district buildings and library branches also provide shelter during the day.
Of note: OEMC says to dial 3-1-1 to find overnight shelter once daytime shelters close.
What to watch: More snow is expected midweek. NWS is also warning of ice jams on rivers, cautioning residents living in flood-prone zones to watch out for possible flooding.