A renewed shot of bitterly cold air will arrive later today into tonight (Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2018), the National Weather Service Chicago says.

As a result, temperatures tonight are likely to drop several degrees below zero with a northwest wind of 10 to 15 mph. This will create wind chill values of 20 degrees below to 25 degrees below zero across most areas of northern Illinois and northwestern Indiana away from Lake Michigan tonight.

Dangerous wind chills are also likely Thursday night and again Friday night. Avoid prolonged time outdoors if possible. If spending time outdoors, follow cold weather safety precautions to avoid frostbite and hypothermia. Keep pets indoors.

Wind Chill Advisory In Effect Through Noon Thursday

A Wind Chill Advisory remains in effect for Kane County from 10 p.m. today through noon Thursday.

• What: Very cold wind chills are expected. The cold wind chills will cause frostbite in as little as 30 minutes to exposed skin. Expect wind chills to range from 20 below zero to 25 below zero.
• When: From 10  p.m. Wednesday to noon Thursday.
• Where: Northern Illinois and northwestern Indiana away from Lake Michigan.

A Wind Chill Advisory means that cold air and the wind will combine to create low wind chills. Frost bite and hypothermia can occur if precautions are not taken. Make sure you wear a hat and gloves.

Sugar Grove Wind Chills Hit Minus 35

Wind chills recorded at Sugar Grove Airport hit a low of 35 degrees below zero Monday, Jan. 1.

And that wasn’t even close to the coldest recorded in Illinois so far in this young year.

According to the NWS Chicago, Pontiac Airport recorded a wind chill of -42 at 7:55 a.m. Jan. 1. Three minutes earlier that same day, Sugar Grove Airport was at -35. DuPage Airport recorded -33.

The coldest temperature in Kane County during those two days was -16 on Tuesday at Sugar Grove Airport.

Jan. 1 Wind Chills

Jan. 2 Wind Chills

Fast Facts

• The cold air mass moved into the region on Christmas and has persisted into the new year, with cold at times reaching dangerous levels.
• The coldest part of the air mass thus far was Dec 31-Jan 2, and included the coldest New Year’s Day high temperature on record in Chicago and Rockford and had wind chills of -25 degrees to -40 degrees.
• The high on Jan. 1 was the coldest calendar day high across the area since Jan. 6, 2014.
• The week from Christmas to New Year’s Eve was the second coldest Dec 25-31 on record for Chicago and the coldest for Rockford.
• We are in the midst of a long stretch of days with temperatures remaining below 20 degrees.  If this continues in Chicago through Saturday, Jan. 6, it will mark 12 consecutive days of below 20 degrees, tying a record of such a stretch for the city (only seen twice before in the winters of 1936 and 1895).
• Below 0 degree lows have been frequent since Christmas. The normal number of days below 0 degrees for Chicago is seven and for Rockford is 12.

Da Bomb Affects Travel

(CREDIT: NOAA)

The East Coast will be hit today and Thursday by what some meteorologists call a bombogenesis, or “bomb cyclone.”

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration defines bombogenesis as what happens when a mid-latitude cyclone rapidly intensifies, dropping at least 24 millibars over 24 hours.

“A millibar measures atmospheric pressure,” the NOAA says on this web page. “This can happen when a cold air mass collides with a warm air mass, such as air over warm ocean waters. The formation of this rapidly strengtheining weather system is a process called bombogenesis, which creates what is known as a bomb cyclone.”

Basically, a big winter storm is hitting the East Coast this week, spanning from the Carolinas through New England and into Nova Scotia. Meteorologists have been talking about this weather system going through bombogenesis as it travels along its northward track.

Southern states are affected by the storm, as well.

So, if you’re traveling, especially to states like Florida, Georgia, North Carolina or South Carolina, be sure to check a flight tracking website like flightaware.com.