
As the Chicago area continues a mild start to 2023 after a frigid holiday season, Friday's date serves as a reminder of just how cold it could be in the Windy City.
On this date in 1985, a blisteringly cold temperature of -27 degrees was recorded at O'Hare International Airport, serving as Chicago's all-time record low temperature.
According to the National Weather Service, wind chill values dropped to 60 degrees below zero, as sustained winds reached speeds of 25 miles per hour.
Although the coldest temperature Chicago ever witnessed came on Jan. 20, 1985, two other dates in Chicago's history boasted a colder average temperature for the day.
While both Jan. 20, 1985 and Jan. 18, 1994 had average temperatures of 16 degrees below zero, an average temperature of -17 degrees was recorded just four winters ago on Jan. 30, 2019, at the height of that year's polar vortex.
The coldest day in Chicago's history in terms of average temperature fell on Christmas Eve of 1983, when a low of -25 degrees was recorded alongside an average temperature of -18 degrees for the day.
As for the other end of the spectrum, temperatures reached a high of 63 degrees in Chicago on this date in 1906, with Jan. 20, 1921 recorded the highest minimum temperature on this date in city history at 45 degrees.
As for what Chicago has in store for this year's Jan. 20, seasonal temperatures in the low-to-mid 30s and morning flurries marked a strong contrast to what the city has witnessed at this time of year.
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