Bundle up, Chicago: Bitter cold temperatures and even colder wind chills were in the forecast, the NBC 5 Storm Team said, thanks to a blast of icy, Arctic air that moved in following a cold front Wednesday.
Thursday morning, temperatures across the area were in the single digits, NBC 5 Storm Team Meteorologist Alicia Roman said. Things would get even colder from there.
“This is not even the coldest part of the day,” Roman said at 5 a.m., pointing to nine degree temperatures in DuPage County. By 7 a.m., the temperatures are expected to drop even more, with wind chills as low as -15 or colder for some.
Wind chills 5 below to 15 below zero are expected this morning and again tonight into Friday morning. Bundle up before heading out. These cold conditions may also lead to river ice formation and possible ice jams. #ILWX #INWX pic.twitter.com/DEEDBH2guk
— NWS Chicago (@NWSChicago) December 4, 2025The high temperature Thursday at O’Hare is predicted to be 18 degrees. Some parts to the south and in northwest Indiana would see readings in the 20s, Roman said, thanks to lingering clouds.
Thursday night into Friday morning, temperatures will drop again into the single digits, Roman said, with another freezing cold morning expected. By Friday afternoon, temperatures will warm slightly, with highs in the 20s.
Such cold air is unusual for Chicago this early in the season, NBC 5 Storm Team Meteorologist Kevin Jeanes said.
The record low for Dec. 4 is 0 degrees, which was set in 1893, but the last time a temperature of 5 degrees or colder was recorded at O’Hare prior to Dec. 5 was Dec. 4, in 1991.
In 153 years of records, the temperature in Chicago has dropped to 5 degrees or colder prior to Dec. 5 just 26 times. The earliest was Nov. 17 in 1959, when the low was 3 degrees.
The cold has led some Chicago area communities to cancel events, including in Bourbonnais, where officials moved to cancel their annual Christmas tree lighting.
“As much as we love kicking off the holiday season together, the forecast is projecting frigid risks that we cannot overlook,” local officials there said.
In Palatine, the village warned residents that such extreme cold could frozen water pipes to burst inside homes or businesses.
Through Friday, the Illinois Tollway will be operating “around-the-clock Zero Weather Road Patrols” as part of roadside assistance during the dangerously cold weather.
“Drivers need to be prepared for frigid temperatures and sub-zero windchills as they travel this week and should dial *999 for prompt roadside assistance if they experience mechanical problems or are stranded along the Tollway system,” a release from the Tollway authority said.
According to Illinois Tollway executive director Cassaundra Rouse, the patrols will operate 24 hours a day to search for stranded drivers and respond to calls.
“Safety is always our top priority and we will do whatever is necessary to protect our customers during this extreme weather,” Rouse said.
More snow on the way
According to Roman, a “series of disturbances” will pass through over the weekend, bringing more light snow chances, including late Saturday night and late Sunday into Monday morning.
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