Wind chill of 10 degrees below zero possible on MLK Day; low temps here to stay

Martin Luther King Jr. Day will bring partly sunny skies and a blustery wind chill that could reach minus 10 degrees early morning in Cook County, the National Weather Service is warning.

Expect temperatures to rise as high as 14 to 18 degrees during the daytime Monday until southeast winds pickup in the afternoon, blowing as fast as 20 to 30 mph near the lake at nighttime, the weather service said. Temperatures could go as low as 9 degrees.

Early Monday morning, areas near the lakeshore also saw another blitz of lake-effect snow for a couple hours, with accumulation levels anticipated to be up to an inch and a half, the weather service said. Road visibility will be cut down to below half a mile.

Chicago’s Department of Streets and Sanitation came out late Sunday with 211 salt spreaders and snow plows to tidy up the streets, according to a DSS press release. The machines will start with Lake Shore Drive and arterial routes before going into residential areas.

More snow is forecast for Tuesday, with the weather service reporting a 90 percent chance of precipitation. Some snow and ice accumulation is possible, and temperatures could reach the lower 30s. Freezing rain is possible Tuesday night, the weather service said.

Temperatures are expected to stay in the teens or single digits at least until next Sunday, the weather service said.

Chicago experienced its first winter storm of 2019 Friday evening, and reported about 5 inches of snow accumulation, the weather service said.

The winter storm caused more than 1,000 flight cancellations at O’Hare and Midway airports, and a United Airlines flight skidding off a runway at O’Hare, authorities said. No one was injured.

By Saturday evening, O’Hare Airport had reported 1,044 flight cancellations and Midway reported 86 cancellations, the Chicago Department of Aviation said.

Chicagoans who need to get out of the cold can call 311 for information about the nearest warming center or overnight shelter. Cook County officials have also released a list of suburban warming centers. State officials also provide information about warming centers online, or at (847) 411-9276.