Cold temperatures are not uncommon in January, but the extremes the Elgin-area will see Friday are downright dangerous.
Temperatures could drop as low as minus-14 and will be accompanied by wind chills that could bottom out at 35 degrees below zero, National Weather Service meteorologist Zachary Yack said. An extreme cold warning is in effect through noon Friday for Chicago and northeast, north-central, and central Illinois, he said.
Some area school districts — including District U-46 — have announced that classes are canceled Friday. The Kane County Judicial Center, Juvenile Justice Center Court and branch courts in Aurora, Carpentersville, and Elgin also will be closed, with some hearings to be done via Zoom.
The frigid air is coming from Siberia and the North Pole and moving into the Great Lakes region to create polar-like temperatures.
“A piece of (the polar vortex has broken) off and (will) meander southward into our area,” senior NWS meteorologist Gino Izzi said told the Chicago Tribune.
A polar vortex is a constant cold, low-pressure system of air that circulates counterclockwise around both of the Earth’s poles, acting like a wall that contains cold air. A jet stream is a band of strong wind that generally travels from west to east and acts as a boundary between cold, polar air and warmer air farther south.
A weak polar vortex can cause the jet stream to buckle, sending Arctic air from the North Pole southward, according to NWS.
With the temperatures that are predicted, 10 minutes of exposure can lead to frostbite, Yack said.
“This is not a good time to be outside at all. You have to look out for frostbite,” he said.
The city of Elgin’s warming shelter at First United Methodist Church, 216 Highland Ave., is opening an hour early at 7 p.m. and will remain open through Saturday morning, said Elgin Fire Chief Robb Cagann, who serves as the city’s emergency manager. All residents are urged to use it if needed, he said.
During the day, the Gail Borden Public Library downtown and at the Rakow Center branch on Bowes Road are available as warming centers, both opening at 9 a.m. and closing at 6 p.m. and 5 p.m. respectively on Friday and Saturday. Elgin Senior Services Associates’ office at 101 S. Grove Ave. is also open for those who need shelter from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays.
Elgin firefighters and police officers can help residents on a case-by-case basis, Cagann said. If firefighters responding to an ambulance call discover someone doesn’t have heat, “we have resources to help those individuals,” he said.
“We have no Plan A or Plan B,” he said. “It is all dependent on the situation we are faced with at the time. We have a lot of resources at our disposal to bring in should we need to.”
The fire department is also diligent about making sure its fire engines and other vehicles are in working properly so they can respond to emergency calls during the cold snap, Cagann said.
Should there be a fire, mutual aid from other department is sought immediately so that firefighters can be rotated in and out to avoid long exposure to extreme temperatures, he said. The department’s Mobile Command Unit doubles as a warming shelter for firefighters and others at the scene, he said.
“The cold is like a hurricane. You know it’s coming. You have to plan well in advance,” Cagann said. “We always encourage residents to be proactive.”
The American Red Cross recommends gathering supplies in advance, like first aid kits and food, and making sure your home is ready for winter. Experts also recommend running a faucet slowly and steadily to prevent pipes from freezing and bursting.
Central Unit School District 301 and Community Unit School District 300 have announced their buildings will be closed Friday and students will be doing remote learning. A complete list of school closings can be found at emergencyclosingcenter.com.
Metra is reducing schedules on all of its lines and switching to a schedule similar to those on weekends, according to a news release. Travel times will increase due to speed restrictions to help minimize service disruptions and extra personnel will be deployed to address mechanical and track issues that might occur, officials said. More details on schedules can be found at metra.com.
Elgin Senior Services will not be delivering food boxes to seniors Friday because of the weather, according to Peggy Gomez, who manages the program. Participants have been notified, she said.
“We had to cancel because the food pantry is closed due to the weather. And all of my delivery drivers are seniors themselves. We will not put them at risk,” Gomez said.
Food for Greater Elgin’s food pantry at 1553 Commerce Drive also will be closed.
Anyone who must travel and needs help while on the tollway should call *999. The Illinois State Toll Highway Authority will have road patrols traveling constantly 24 hours a day to provide motorists with roadside assistance.
“We’re reminding customers to help us protect them by dialing *999 if they need roadside assistance and then remaining safely inside their vehicles until Tollway crews reach them. Exiting a vehicle before help arrives only makes a bad situation worse,” Illinois Tollway Executive Director Cassaundra Rouse said.
The extreme weather isn’t just dangerous to humans but for pets too. Kane County Animal Control advises pet owners to keep their animals indoors, limit outdoor exposure to 10 minutes maximum and cover short-haired dogs with a coat and booties, if they will tolerate them.
The Chicago area typically sees weather like this once or twice a year, Yack said. “This is not uncommon (for January), but it’s not an everyday type of occurrence either,” he said.
The last time similar temperatures occurred was Dec. 23, 2022, Yack said. Chicago’s coldest day on record was Jan. 20, 1985, when temps dropped to minus 27 and the wind chill felt like minus 57.
Gloria Casas is freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
