Chicago

Mail Delivery Suspended in Chicago Region Over Polar Vortex

“The main reason is to ensure the safety of our employees, obviously,” USPS spokesman Tim Norman said

What to Know

  • Post offices will be open to provide retail services, but mail carriers will not be making deliveries on Wednesday
  • The suspension encompasses Chicago and its surrounding suburbs as well as Minnesota, Iowa, western Wisconsin and western Illinois

The U.S. Postal Service has suspended mail delivery Wednesday in the Chicago area.

While post offices will be open to provide retail services, mail carriers will not be making deliveries in the record-breaking cold that descended on the region Wednesday, according to USPS spokesman Tim Norman.

“The main reason is to ensure the safety of our employees, obviously,” Norman said. “It’s brutal out there.”

As of 9 a.m., temperatures had reached minus 23 degrees at O’Hare International Airport, according to the National Weather Service. The previous record daily low for Jan. 30 was set at minus 15 in 1966.

In addition to Chicago and the surrounding suburbs, mail delivery has been suspended in Minnesota, Iowa, western Wisconsin and western Illinois because of Polar Vortex Jayden, according to a statement from the weather service.

Norman said officials would make another announcement later in the day if service were to be suspended on Thursday as well.

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