What to Know
- Chicago's extreme freeze on Wednesday makes conditions colder than those in Antarctica, Siberia and other places known for their chill
When you think of cold weather, the South Pole, Mount Everest, Siberia and Alaska often come to mind – but Chicago is colder than all of those places Wednesday.
As the city is blanketed by a bout of historic cold, temperature highs aren’t expected to rise above -15 degrees. Lows could reach to near -26 Wednesday, nearing the coldest temperature ever seen in the city.
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By comparison, the high for Wednesday in Anchorage is 34 degrees and the low is 24. At the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, the high temperature is -3 and the low is -8.
A 10-degree high is forecast at the Mount Everest Base Camp, along with a low of -1. Even in Siberia, the high for Wednesday is forecast to sit at 8 degrees, with a low of 5.
The entire Chicago area is under a Wind Chill Warning until noon Thursday.
Pete Sack breaks down how quickly frostbite can occur in the dangerous cold set to hit the Chicago area.
