CHICAGO (WLS) — The dangerous cold is keeping many people inside and Monday is a holiday, but there are still many cold-related issues, including for electric vehicle owners.
The dangerously cold temperatures will last for the next few days, which means people that have to drive into work have to worry about their commute.
A Wind Chill Warning is in effect until noon Monday for eastern Will and Kankakee counties. A Wind Chill Advisory will go into effect at noon and remain in place until 9 a.m. Wednesday.
The warning is in effect until noon Tuesday for Boon, Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Grundy, Kane, Kendall, Lake, LaSalle, Lee, Livingston McHenry, northern and southern Will counties. A Wind Chill Advisory will go into effect for those counties except Livingston at noon Tuesday and remain in effect until 9 a.m. Wednesday.
Arctic blast leaves commuters out in cold
ABC7 Accuweather Meteorologist Tracy Butler says most of the day Monday will be spent below zero with wind chills from -25 to -35. The dangerous cold temperatures will continue Tuesday before climbing into double digits on Wednesday.
Several Tesla drivers have complained about charging stations not working in these extreme conditions.
Near 95th Street and Western Avenue in Evergreen Park, several Tesla owners were stranded with dead batteries from the cold, and not enough working charging stations at that location.
“Our batters are so cold it’s taking longer to charge now, so it should take 45 minutes, it’s taking two hours for the one charger that we have,” Tesla owner Brandon Welbourne said. “I have seen at least 10 cars get towed away from here because the cars, they died, they’ve run out of battery. It’s too cold, it uses too much of the energy to try to keep the car somewhat reasonable temperature, so everybody is getting towed away and we have nowhere to charge.”
In Oakbrook, some drivers came looking for a charge, and waited hours.
“Right from outside highway, there’s a whole line of cars, about over 20 cars, all Tesla cars, and you can look around here, every single car is a Tesla car full with Tesla cars this whole parking lot and we’re waiting and waiting for over an hour’s,” Tesla driver Sajid Ahmed said. “It’s unfortunate that this cars are sitting dead in the spots.”
For many drivers, it was too late, their cars died during the long wait, and they had to leave their vehicles stranded and wait for the stations to get up and running again.
“I think just someone needs to come out here to make sure things are OK because it’s not OK,” Tesla driver John Baldys said.
A major disruption on the CTA’s Orange Line Monday morning when a train derailed near the 35th/Archer station.
The derailment itself was minor and no one was injured, but the 20 passengers on board, and those that use the line regularly had to wait around for shuttle buses in the cold.
“Very inconvenient, I have to get to work and I don’t drive so it’s always something with the CTA,” commuter Aaron Reed said. “Either it’s not on time, the operators are not very nice, or you are waiting in this weather especially when you don’t have car.”
CTA workers were on the tracks investigating the derailment and trying to get things back on the move as fast as possible, but still it came at a bad time for morning commuters.
The Orange Line it’s 20 minutes at the most, and the buses take 30-45 and it’s cold outside, so it’s bad,” commuter Eva Gonzalez said.
Experts advise if you do not have to leave home, stay indoors. These temperatures can be potentially life-threatening.
Doctors warn, with wind chills this high, frostbite and hypothermia can set in within a manner of minutes.
If you do have to head to work and take public transportation, layer up and prepare for a bitter cold start to the day.
At Chicago’s airports, 242 flights were cancelled at O’Hare and 162 flight cancellations at Midway as of 11:06 a.m.
Warming centers open as temperatures drop
Chicago activated its warming centers through Wednesday.
The centers open when temperatures are 32 degrees. They are available from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Warming centers include the Inspiration Corporation at 4554 N Broadway #207, La Casa Norte at 1736 W 47th St, Lincoln Park Community Services at 1521 N Sedwick St, the Matthew House at 3722 S Indiana, the Broadway Youth Center at 1023 W. Irving Park Road and the Covenant House at 2934 W. Lake Street.
The Harold Washington Library has opened the lower level as a 24/7 warming center through Jan. 17 for anyone in need. At least 66 new migrant arrivals have been moved there as they await permanent shelter placement.
The Garfield Center at 10 S. Kedzie is open 24 hours to help families find emergency shelter. The Chicago Department of Family & Support Services has also expanded outreach teams to encourage unhoused residents to seek shelter or warming options as they conduct well-being checks.
Warming centers in Cook County will be open 24/7 through Wednesday.
Warming centers in other Chicago-area counties:
Gary, Indiana said it has also opened warming centers, including the Calumet Township Multi-Purpose facility, Ambridge-Mann Community Center, Brother’s Keeper, Restoration House Shelter for Men and Serenity House.
SEE ALSO | School Closings: Chicago Area Complete List
Chicago Public Schools has canceled and rescheduled all events scheduled to be held in their buildings on Monday due to the weather conditions.
CPS has not yet made a decision about whether schools will be open on Tuesday. If the forecast continues to show current weather conditions persisting through Tuesday, with continuing wind chills below -20 degrees, CPS said, it will cancel classes.
The Shedd Aquarium will now open at 11 a.m. on Monday instead of 9 a.m. due to the low temperatures.
