Chicago Weather: Bitter cold temperatures; snow developing
CHICAGO (WLS) -- The Chicago area is coping with extreme cold weather for a second day, with temperatures well below freezing and subzero wind chills.
Wind chill values are expected to be between -5 and -20 Friday morning, making for a frigid start to the day.
ABC7 Meteorologist Tracy Butler said Friday's high temperature will be around 20, but does not expect the mercury to reach that point until Friday evening. Highs will be in the single digits Friday morning and warm to the teens Friday afternoon.
WATCH: ABC7 FIRST ALERT WEATHER FORECAST
Butler said clouds will increase Friday and light snow is expected to develop in the afternoon, with accumulations around one tenth of an inch. More snow is expected to start falling early Saturday morning, the most from the city to the south suburbs by the afternoon.
High temperatures will be near 30 on Saturday, but they are expected to fall to the teens again Sunday.
SCHOOL BACK IN SESSION
Chicago Public Schools students will be back in the classroom Friday after classes were canceled Thursday due to the weather.
A small number of area schools do not have school Friday. To find out if your school is one of them, check out this list of Chicago area school closings.
COLD COMMUTE
Chicago-area residents are in for another bone-chilling commute Friday morning.
Metra is keeping switch heaters burning to prevent switches from freezing and causing delays. A train derailed in the Joliet rail yard, and has caused the delay and cancellations of some trains on the Rock Island and Heritage Corridor lines. Please check metrarail.com for details.
"The cold is hard on the steel, hard on the engines, hard on the people, riders and personnel. But it's a little easier to deal with when we don't have snow with it," Metra spokesman Michael Gillis said.
Riders are advised to stay in their cars or wait in the stations as long as possible before stepping onto the platform to make their trains, instead of waiting outside in the frigid cold.
Cars are taking a beating, too. One man picking up his boss from O'Hare said he couldn't get his luggage in the trunk because it was frozen shut. The most common problems mechanics have seen this week have been vehicles that won't start and flat tires. Even small leaks can be aggravated by the cold and cause problems for drivers.
Illinois Tollway teams are still out looking for stranded drivers. If a motorist runs out of gas, gets a flat or needs any other kind of help, they should call *999. They are also advised to keep winter survival kits in the car, including jumper cables, tire traction materials like cat litter, a fully charged cell phone, a first aid kit, a blanket, food and water.
CARBON MONOXIDE DANGERS
Nicor is reminding customers about the potential dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning when using home heating appliances.
Carbon monoxide can escape when appliances, such as furnaces, water heaters and portable generators, malfunction.
It's always a good idea to make sure you have working carbon monoxide detectors near all the bedrooms in your home.
