Chicago closures: Full list of schools, shops and train services CLOSED as SNOW HELL hits
RECORD-BREAKING cold temperatures have hit Chicago, bringing the US city to a standstill - here is the full list of closed schools, shops and train services as the Midwest freezes.
Chicago: Flesh will freeze in BARBARIC cold says meteorologist
Temperatures hit a record-breaking -30C (-22F) at Chicago O’Hare International Airport at 5am local time on Wednesday, with a wind chill of -46C (-52F), as deadly cold weather set in. The current deep freeze across US Midwestern states has been caused by a weather phenomenon known as a polar vortex, a blast of arctic air plummeting further south than usual. At least six people have been killed by the arctic snap since Saturday in Iowa, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota. Ricky Castro, a National Weather Service (NWS) meteorologist in Illinois, has said the freezing cold “could possibly be history-making”.
But how have the temperatures impacted the city’s public services? Here is what you need to know.
School closures
Hundreds of schools are closed on Wednesday, January 30 and Thursday, January 31.
Chicago, which has the United States’ third-largest school system, has 600 public schools and 361,000 students.
Janice Jackson, CEO of Chicago Public Schools, tweeted: “Schools are closed Wednesday, January 30th, 2019 and Thursday, January 31st, 2019 due to inclement weather. District and network offices will be open. #staywarm.”
To check your individual school and for live updates, click on the list of Chicago School Closings provided by CBS Chicago.
Flights
More than 1,800 flights were cancelled on Wednesday out of Chicago O'Hare and Chicago Midway international airports, according to the flight tracking site FlightAware.
There were at least 1,479 cancellations and 161 delays at Chicago O'Hare about 12:30pm local time (6.30pm GMT).
To see the current list of flights still scheduled to go ahead, visit FlightAware LIVE
Trains
Train service Amtrak said it would cancel all trains in and out of Chicago on Wednesday.
Some scheduled trains between Chicago and St. Louis, Carbondale, Milwaukee and Detroit have been cancelled.
The Chicago Transit is operating a normal service for most lines but people have been advised to “plan ahead and dress in layers” for their own safety.
The official advice for people is to stay home and limit time outdoors as frostbite can set in as quickly as 10 minutes in the current conditions.
Rich Guidice, Office of Emergency Management and Communications executive director, said “We ask everyone to limit your time outdoors, and work remotely from home, if possible.”
Shops
Some shops have told people they are closed and Navy Pier earlier tweeted to say its closure was applicable “to all restaurants, shops and attractions on the Pier”.