How Low Will Temps Go? Hour-by-Hour Look at Chicago-Area Cold Blast

After a hiatus from the snow and the cold, we are getting it all this week. Cold air has flooded into the region, bringing wind chills in the teens on Wednesday. Winter is expected to bring daytime wind chills in the single digits for Thursday and Friday. The wind chill readings will be closer to zero at night, according to the National Weather Service. Meanwhile, wind gusts up to 30 mph are in the forecast for Thursday, and wind gusts between 10 to 20 mph are expected on Friday.

The temperatures this week are 10 to 20 degrees below normal. The cold blast is expected to continue into this weekend with even colder air expected next week when temps will potentially be 20 to 25 degrees below normal, according to the National Weather Service.

As area residents head out to work and school Friday morning, wind chills will hover around 4 degrees for much of the area. So be sure to bundle up! Here is a closer look at the dropping temps as we head into Thursday.

Wednesday, Dec. 7

• 5 p.m.: Temp: 30; Wind chill: 16
• 7 p.m.: Temp: 26; Wind chill: 14
• 9 p.m.: Temp: 26, Wind chill: 12

Thursday, Dec. 8

• 12 a.m.: Temp: 23; Wind chill: 11
• 2 a.m.: Temp: 22; Wind chill: 10
• 4 a.m.: Temp, 21; Wind chill: 8
• 6 a.m.: Temp, 20; Wind chill: 6
• 8 a.m.: Temp, 19; Wind chill, 4
• 10 a.m.: Temp, 20; Wind chill, 5
• 2 p.m.: Temp, 22; Wind chill, 8
• 5 p.m.: Temp, 23; Wind chill, 9
• 8 p.m.: Temp, 22; Wind chill, 8

It will be much of the same on Friday. Temps will hover around 18 degrees with wind chill readings at 5 degrees at 8 a.m. Friday morning. Temperatures will reach a high around 22 degrees with wind chill readings not expected to go far above 10 degrees.

Meanwhile, there is a chance for snow flurries on Thursday with accumulating snow possible Saturday night and continuing into Sunday.

10 Cold Weather Safety Tips

The American Red Cross offers the following ten steps people can take to stay safe during the cold weather:

1. Layer up! Wear layers of lightweight clothing to stay warm. Gloves and a hat will help prevent losing your body heat.
2. Don’t forget your furry friends: Remember to bring pets indoors. If they can’t come inside, make sure they have enough shelter to keep them warm and make sure they can get to unfrozen water.
3. Remember the three feet rule: If you are using a space heater, place it on a level, hard surface and keep anything flammable--things such as paper, clothing, bedding, curtains or rugs--at least three feet away.
4. Turn off space heaters and make sure fireplace embers are out before leaving the room or going to bed.
5. If you are using a fireplace, use a glass or metal fire screen large enough to catch sparks and rolling logs.
6. Protect your pipes: Run water, even at a trickle, to help prevent your pipes from freezing. Open the kitchen and bathroom cabinet doors to allow warmer air to circulate around the plumbing. Be sure to move any harmful cleaners and household chemicals out of the reach of children. Keep the garage doors closed if there are water lines in the garage.
7. Better safe than sorry: Keep the thermostat at the same temperature day and night. Your heating bill may be a little higher, but you could avoid a more costly repair job if your pipes freeze and burst.
8. The kitchen is for cooking: Never use a stove or oven to heat your home.
9. Use generators outside: Never operate a generator inside the home, including in the basement or garage.
10. Knowledge is power: Don’t hook a generator up to the home’s wiring. The safest thing to do is to connect the equipment you want to power directly to the outlets on the generator.

For more information on how to stay safe during the cold weather, visit the American Red Cross's winter storm safety page.