Chicago residents are bracing for bitterly cold air to move into the area later this week, and according to the latest forecasts, Wednesday could be a potentially historic day.
According to the latest models from the NBC 5 Storm Team, the forecasted high temperature for Wednesday is negative-8 degrees. If that forecast holds, it would be the third-lowest high temperature ever recorded in the city of Chicago, and the lowest high temperature in the last 25 years.
The coldest high temperature ever recorded in Chicago history came on Jan. 20, 1994, when the mercury topped out at a preposterous negative-11 degrees. That temperature came in one of the coldest stretches in the city’s history, as the temperature remained below zero for several days in a row.
The second-coldest day in Chicago history came on Jan. 25, 1950, when the mercury topped out at negative-10 degrees.
Timeline: Potential Snowstorm, Frigid Arctic Air Head Toward Chicago Area
If forecasts hold, Wednesday’s high temperature will obliterate the old record for January 30, which currently stands at three degrees above zero.
Judging by the forecast, the week is going to be one Chicagoans will remember for a long time, as temperatures are barely going to reach zero degrees on Thursday as well.
Local
Wind chills are expected to drop to 35 to 50 degrees below zero in some locations on Tuesday night and into Wednesday morning, prompting warnings from city and state officials.
