This 12th weekend of meteorological winter is to deliver the coldest February temperatures here in three years—a noteworthy achievement given the lack of snow cover. Not since 1963 has a five-day period in February hosted a more dramatic temperature pullback in the Chicago area. Daybreak wind chills open near -20° and aren’t to break above -5° today. But, the chill is even more intense to Chicago’s north. Thermometer readings under -30° combined with gusty WNW winds are producing life-threatening wind chills to -50° across a wide swath of Minnesota and Wisconsin this morning.
Chicago’s high of 24° on Friday was the city’s coldest in 59 days—since a 20° maximum on Dec. 21.
Arctic air is notoriously dry, having originated in a region that lacks access to moisture. That’s why dew points are so incredibly low today and why in the absence of additional moisture, indoor humidities will hold between 2 and 4 percent.
WGN-TV Chief Meteorologist Tom Skilling and the WGN Weather Center staff provide daily coverage of weather in the Chicago area.
