Chicago Weather: Record low temps possible this week
CHICAGO (WLS) -- There won't be snow on President's Day, but bitter cold is on the way and it will stick around the rest of the week.
It's a federal holiday, but not everyone has the day off. Construction workers are still hard at work on Monday - working, like they always do, outdoors regardless of the weather.
"We try as hard as we can to put on as many clothes as we can to keep comfortable and still be able to do the job. Unfortunately the elements are what they are and we have to get the job done," said Gabriel Restrepo, a construction worker.
Because Monday isn't nearly as cold as the weekend was, the work continued here, but it might be a different story later in the week, when temperatures are expected to drop below zero.
"Probably more than likely, Wednesday and Thursday we'll probably be on shut down," said Tony Neumann, a construction worker.
For those who did have the day off, the trick was to find a place to entertain the kids while also staying warm. Lincoln Park Zoo, which is free every day, was one such option. This time of year, the animals are inside, too.
"We can be here for five minutes, we can be here for two hours. We have a packed lunch, we might as well go and enjoy. We've done the cat house, snuck over to the lizard house, and jumped over here to the apes. We're hiding in all of the warm spots," said Laura Wilkison.
For those parents who still had to work, the zoo offered a special President's Day camp. Today's activities were all held indoors, like this talk at the gorilla house.
"If they have to go to work, there's still someplace their child can go and it's a place to get a real unique, enriching experience," said Allison Price, Lincoln Park Zoo.
And then there are the out-of-towners, those who don't necessarily want to be out and about, but are grinning and bearing it anyway.
"It's terrible. The first night we came, we were like we can't go outside. We can't do anything so we stayed in the hotel. Then I was like, you know what, we're in Chicago, this is my first time, I'm going to try and roam around. It's not too bad, now," said Mona Payne, who is visiting form Florida.
ARCTIC AIR EXPECTED MIDWEEK
By Wednesday, the temperatures will drop into the single digits and lows will hit below zero. Thursday is when the record lows could come into play.
"Temperatures will be significantly below average into next week," ABC7 Meteorologist Tracy Butler said. "We could have one of the coldest Februaries on record by Friday."
Monday's high is an expected 17 degrees, the low is 5 degrees. The average temperature for February 16, 2015 is 36 degrees. In 1921, the high was 58 degrees and in 1885, the low was -10.
