Wind chills plummet below minus-20 in Chicago area
Temperatures in the single digits Monday, and gusty wind conditions have made for wind chills well below zero degrees in the Chicago area.
The high at O'Hare International Airport was 6 degrees but winds blowing at 30 to 40 miles-per-hour created wind chills that dropped to minus-24, according to the National Weather Service. O'Hare reached a low of minus-1 degree, marking the first subzero temperatures at the airport since Dec. 14.
The frosty conditions can lead to hypothermia, frostbite in about 30 minutes, frozen pipes and slippery road conditions.
The bitter cold was expected to continue into Tuesday morning, where wind chills are expected to be between 5 and 15 degrees below zero, the weather service said.
Cold temperatures and wind gusts 30 to 40 mph created cold wind chills today down below -20°F. #ILwx #INwx pic.twitter.com/XQB4dl3aUZ
— NWS Chicago (@NWSChicago) January 19, 2026