Bundle up! Friday marks one of the coldest Valentine's Days in Chicago weather history.
A Wind Chill Advisory took effect at 8 p.m. Thursday night across all Chicago-area counties in Illinois. The advisory last through 10 a.m. Friday, warning of temperatures potentially plunging as low as 20 degrees below zero.
Wind chills were expected to drop as low as -15 and -20 degrees, levels that could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 30 minutes, according to the National Weather Service.
An arctic high will settle in early Friday, causing winds to ease, but temperatures will likely remain well below zero for inland areas and in the single digits along the lakefront. Wind chill readings will stay between -5 to -20 on average Friday morning.
This marks the first time in 346 days that the air temperature in Chicago dropped below zero. The morning low of -1 degree will be the coldest reading in the city since March 4, 2019.
Highs were expected to climb only into the teens during the day.
The high of 15 degrees Friday will likely mark the second-coldest Valentine's Day on record in Chicago. The coldest was 8 degrees in 1943.
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But don't worry, relief is in sight - temps are expected to return to the 30s on Saturday for a milder rest of the weekend.
