Chicago Weather: Dangerous cold puts Chicago in deep freeze

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Temperatures plunged and wind chills turned dangerous in the Chicago area Saturday, and along with the cold there is a winter storm warning for part of northwest Indiana.

Saturday was a day of bundling up in multiple layers to protect from dangerous cold. The high winds blew flags around and created high waves on Lake Michigan. A wind chill advisory is in effect until 9 a.m. Sunday morning.

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"This is going to go down as one of the coldest Valentine's Days on record as we could possible fall below zero before midnight," said ABC7 Eyewitness News meteorologist Phil Schwarz. "Some places will get to 25-below zero windchills as we head towards daybreak."

A lot of people are trying to enjoy a night out on a bitterly cold Valentine's Day night.

Of course this is Chicago and it's still Valentine's Day. There are places to go and fun to be had. At Maggie Daley Park, the ice ribbon was packed with folks.

"It's freezing but we do love each other and we figured we'd come out and do something fun for Valentine's Day," said Derrick Pleva.

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Michigan Avenue was also crowded with everyone from shoppers to couples racing to get to their dinner reservations or to the theatre, most just bundled up as best they could.

"I'm wearing like three layers underneath this, Under Armor, it's wonderful," Benjamin Rexroad said.

WEATHER BLAMED FOR MORNING ACCIDENTS

A state of emergency was declared in LaPorte County, Indiana, where snowfall created white-out conditions on the roads.

Officials report at least two dozen crashes, one of them causing the death of a 7-year-old girl.

"We had three back-to-back head-on crashes on US 20 because the visibility is basically zero," said Captain Michael Kellems, LaPorte County Sheriff's Office. "We are asking anyone to stay off the roads right now, because of the state of emergency travel is restricted to emergency traffic only."

The weather is also being blamed for multiple crashes Saturday along southbound I-55 near Gardner, where blowing snow created white conditions and caused a big pileup.

State police had to shut down all southbound lanes for a while to remove all the wrecked vehicles.

A Fed Ex truck and a semi were among those that crashed. Fortunately no one was seriously injured.