Armando L. Sanchez / baiduhaiFirefighters work at the scene of a fire on the 100 block of North Green Street late Jan. 30, 2019, in Chicago.
Jose M. Osorio/baiduhaiA photographer watches the sun rise on the Chicago lakefront at North Avenue beach on Jan. 29, 2019.
Antonio Perez / baiduhaiCanadian geese appear to line up for food provided by a kind soul at Montrose beach in Chicago, Friday, Jan. 25, 2019. (Antonio Perez/ baiduhai)
Armando L. Sanchez / baiduhaiPedestrians walk through the snow near Buckingham Fountain in Chicago on a cold Jan. 27, 2019.
Stacey Wescott/baiduhaiWith temperatures around minus 20 degrees, a person crosses the tracks as a late-arriving Union Pacific-Northwest Line Metra train pulls out of the station early Jan. 30, 2019, in Palatine.
Antonio Perez / baiduhaiDuring a second morning of deep cold Kim Guzman of Chicago waits for a CTA Green Line train in the Austin area of Chicago early Jan. 31, 2019. (Antonio Perez/baiduhai)
Antonio Perez/baiduhaiSafe passage worker Margarita Panora keeps watch for children as she stands outside a school near W. 23rd Street and S. Leavitt Ave., as the cold weather envelops the city, Jan. 25, 2019. Panora was layered up with four shirts and three pairs of pants.
Armando L. Sanchez / baiduhaiIcicles form around several bushes at Whiting Lakefront Park during sunrise Jan. 31, 2019, in Whiting, Ind.
Jose M. Osorio/baiduhaiPedestrians walk to the CTA Montrose Blue Line station in Chicago on a cold and snowy morning Jan. 28, 2019. The inbound Kennedy Expressway is on the right.
Steven Rosenberg/baiduhaiCommuters wait in below zero temperatures for a CTA Red line train at the Belmont station, Jan. 25, 2019.
Terrence A. James / baiduhaiPedestrians contend with snow and cold weather at Clinton Street and Jackson Boulevard in Chicago on Jan. 28, 2019.
Jose M. Osorio/baiduhaiA man walks along the Chicago Riverwalk on a cold and morning, Jan. 25. 2019.
John J. Kim / baiduhaiCTA passengers stand in a heat shelter at the Blue Line Damen stop on Jan. 24, 2019, in Chicago.
Stacey Wescott/baiduhaiMetra trains go in and out of the Western Avenue Station in subzero temperatures on Jan. 29, 2019, in Chicago. The tracks are heated with gas-fired switch heaters that help prevent switching problems in extreme weather. Metra spokesperson Meg Reile said, "They are like giant gas grills."
Jose M. Osorio/baiduhaiDiversey Harbor on a cold and frigid Friday morning in Chicago, Jan. 25. 2019.
John J. Kim / baiduhaiIce forms on Lake Michigan along Lake Shore Drive Jan. 29, 2019, in Chicago.
Antonio Perez/baiduhaiIce begins to form on Lake Michigan as cold weather envelops the city, as seen from 360 Chicago Observation Deck in Chicago on Jan. 25, 2019.
Zbigniew Bzdak/baiduhaiMetra Electric line commuters at the Flossmoor station listen to an announcement from the agency that all service is suspended on the line early Jan. 30, 2019, due to problems related to the extreme cold.
Brian Cassella / baiduhaiPeople walk in temperatures near zero degrees as snow and wind swirl during a cold weather snap on Jan. 29, 2019 in Chicago's Loop.
Stacey Wescott/baiduhaiMetra trains go in and out of the Western Avenue Station in subzero temperatures on Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2019 in Chicago. The tracks are heated with gas-fired switch heaters that help prevent switching problems in extreme weather.
Mark Hume/baiduhaiPeople trudge through newly fallen snow as they cross Michigan Avenue at Randolph Street in Chicago early on Jan. 28, 2019.
Armando L. Sanchez / baiduhaiFirefighters move a person to a waiting ambulance at the scene of a fire on the 8000 block of South Prairie Avenue early Jan. 31, 2019, in Chicago.
Terrence Antonio James/baiduhaiSub-zero temperatures blanket downtown Chicago and Lake Michigan on Jan. 30, 2019. See many more photos from the polar vortex cold snap here.
Zbigniew Bzdak / baiduhaiA man walks along an icy breakwater at sunrise at 31st Street Beach in Chicago on Jan. 29, 2019.
Brian Cassella/baiduhaiA man sleeps on an empty CTA "L" car with a shopping cart of possessions in the Loop during below-zero temperatures, Jan. 30, 2019.
Jose M. Osorio/baiduhaiThe sunrise reveals a frigid Chicago lakefront with temperatures around minus 20 degrees early Jan. 30, 2019.
Brian Cassella / baiduhaiThe city's James J. Versluis, an 80-foot ice-breaking tugboat built in 1957, at work Thursday, Jan. 31, 2019 in the Chicago River. (Brian Cassella/baiduhai)
Jose M. Osorio/baiduhaiDuring a second morning of deep sub-zero cold people cross an icy Chicago River on the DuSable Michigan Avenue Bridge, in downtown Chicago on Jan. 31, 2019.
John J. Kim/baiduhaiPeople wait for buses in the 600 block of North Michigan Avenue on Jan. 29, 2019, in Chicago.
Antonio Perez/baiduhaiAndre Torres, left, waits to hear his engine to start as he gets a jump for his stalled car from friend Leo Lopez outside an Oak Park gas station, Jan. 31, 2019.
Jose M. Osorio/baiduhaiIce forms on a railing at North Avenue Beach as the sun rises over Lake Michigan and downtown Chicago with temperatures below zero and highs only reaching the single digits, Jan. 25, 2019.
Jose M. Osorio / baiduhaiA man covers his ears as he walks on West Wacker Drive in Chicago on a cold and frigid Friday morning on Jan. 25. 2019. (Jose M. Osorio/baiduhai)
Antonio Perez/baiduhaiA woman's glasses fog up while covered up in layers as the frigid temperatures continue in Chicago, Jan. 29, 2019.
Stacey Wescott/baiduhaiClad in blankets to keep them warm, Fintan, left, and Chester, right, stand in the sun at the Hoofed Animal Rescue & Protection Society (HARPS) on Jan. 25, 2019, in Barrington.
John J. Kim/baiduhaiA woman walks a dog in circles at a park on the corner of Oak Street and East Lake Shore Drive on Jan. 29, 2019, in Chicago.
Antonio Perez/baiduhaiA young boy trudges through the snow with shopping bags following several inches of snowfall in Chicago on Jan. 28, 2019.
Terrence Antonio James / baiduhaiDowntown Chicago and Lake Michigan are seen in late afternoon as sub-zero temperatures blanket the city on Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2019.
Zbigniew Bzdak/baiduhaiLake Michigan waves splash against a breakwater at sunrise at 31st Street Beach in Chicago on Jan. 29, 2019.
Jose M. Osorio/baiduhaiA man walks on West Irving Park Road in the Six Corners intersection in Chicago's Portage Park neighborhood on a cold and snowy Monday morning, Jan. 28, 2019.
Armando L. Sanchez / baiduhaiA pedestrian jogs along the lakefront near Monroe Harbor on Jan. 27, 2019, in Chicago.
Abel Uribe / baiduhaiBundled-up residents walk in Chicago's Chinatown on Jan. 26, 2019, past red lanterns decorating the neighborhood for the approaching Lunar New Year.
John J. Kim / baiduhaiJustin Leverenz reads the instructions for hand warmers before participating in the 18th annual Polar Plunge at Oak Street Beach in Chicago on Jan. 26, 2019. The air temperature was about 8 degrees during the event.
Erin Hooley/baiduhaiSnow and ice cover Cloud Gate as the sculpture is surrounded by very few visitors on a day with below zero temperatures, Jan. 30, 2019, in Chicago.
Antonio Perez / baiduhaiA woman waits for her bus following several inches of snowfall in Chicago, Jan. 28, 2019.
Stacey Wescott/baiduhaiDon Milliken, of Palatine, clears snow from his neighbors' sidewalks and driveways along Winston Drive in Hoffman Estates on Jan. 28, 2019. Milliken, a former Floridian, makes the most of the winter by pitching in and teaching scuba lessons at the Park District.
Antonio Perez/baiduhaiCommuters make their way in the snow in Berwyn on Jan. 28, 2019.
Abel Uribe / baiduhaiGeorge Arroyo, self-proclaimed mayor of a homeless encampment, stands by his tent along the Dan Ryan Expressway between Roosevelt Road and Taylor Street during a cold weekend in Chicago, Jan 26, 2019.
Jose M. Osorio/baiduhaiA dog plays in the snow near Montrose Harbor in Chicago on a cold and snowy morning Jan. 28, 2019.
Stacey Wescott/baiduhaiMetra carman Diego Lopez helps bring a train car into the Western Avenue yard on Jan. 29, 2019, in Chicago. Workers here perform routine and emergency maintenance on a daily basis, including cleaning cars, replacing brakes, and refueling trains.
Jose M. Osorio/baiduhaiA pedestrian waits to cross North Cicero Avenue in the Six Corners area of the Portage Park neighborhood in Chicago as snow continues to fall early on Jan. 28, 2019.
Antonio Perez / baiduhaiCommuters await their train at the CTA's Pink Line Damen station following several inches of snowfall in Chicago on Jan. 28, 2019.
Armando L. Sanchez / baiduhaiCrews work the scene of a broken water pipe that covered in the road in ice near the 5500 block of North Nagle Avenue on Jan. 30, 2019, in Chicago.
Armando L. Sanchez / baiduhaiPedestrians cross Lake Street bridge while sheets of ice cover the Chicago River Monday Jan. 28, 2019, in Chicago.
Jose M. Osorio/baiduhaiThe outbound Kennedy Expressway, left, and Edens Expressway, right, in Chicago on a cold and snowy morning Jan. 28, 2019.
Zbigniew Bzdak/baiduhaiRick Krumbacher, a newspaper editor from Harbert, Mich., takes pictures of the Michigan City Lighthouse and Pier in Michigan City, Ind., on Jan. 31, 2019. The temperature read -13 degrees.
Armando L. Sanchez/baiduhaiStephanie Haaser, 32, gets her cot ready before going to sleep in a warming center at the Salvation Army's Freedom Center on the 800 block of North Christiana Avenue on Jan. 29, 2019, in Chicago.
Armando L. Sanchez / baiduhaiCrews and police work the scene of a broken water pipe that covered the road in ice near the 5500 block of North Nagle Avenue on Jan. 30, 2019, in Chicago.
Armando L. Sanchez/baiduhaiA person walks between tents while people sleep near a wooded area adjacent to the Dan Ryan Expressway on Jan. 29, 2019, in Chicago.
Armando L. Sanchez / baiduhaiA pedestrian walks by a dress in window near the 2600 block of South Avers Avenue in the Little Village neighborhood of Chicago on Jan. 28, 2019.
Zbigniew Bzdak / baiduhaiKathy Bakutis walks with her dog Chen on the Centennial Trail along the Des Plaines River as the temperature falls in Romeoville on Jan. 25, 2019.
Jose M. Osorio/baiduhaiThe sunrise reveals a frigid Chicago lakefront near Montrose Harbor with temperatures around minus 20 degrees early Jan. 30, 2019.
John J. Kim / baiduhaiA man walks through Pioneer Plaza in the 400 block of North Michigan Avenue on Jan. 29, 2019, in Chicago.
Antonio Perez/baiduhaiA man clears snow near Western Avenue following several inches of snowfall in Chicago on Jan. 28, 2019.
Armando L. Sanchez/baiduhaiA man carries a propane tank he brought to donate to people sleeping in a wooded area near the Dan Ryan Expressway on Jan. 29, 2019, in Chicago.
Abel Uribe / baiduhaiA man works at clearing snow in the Amtrak rail yard near Roosevelt Road during a cold weekend in Chicago, Jan 26, 2019.
Abel Uribe / baiduhaiBlankets hang from trees blocking the wind at a homeless encampment located along the Dan Ryan Expressway between Roosevelt Road and Taylor Street during a cold weekend in Chicago, Jan 26, 2019.
Armando L. Sanchez / baiduhaiCrews work the scene of a broken water pipe that covered in the road in ice near the 5500 block of North Nagle Avenue on Jan. 30, 2019, in Chicago.
Antonio Perez / baiduhaiIce begins to form on Lake Michigan as cold weather envelops the city, as seen from the 360 Chicago observation deck in Chicago on Jan. 25, 2019.
Antonio Perez/baiduhaiA pigeon warms itself up from a memorial flame at Daley Plaza as the frigid temperatures continue in Chicago, Jan. 29, 2019.
Stacey Wescott/baiduhaiWith temperatures around minus 20 degrees, early morning commuters board a late-arriving Union Pacific-Northwest Line Metra train early Jan. 30, 2019, in Palatine.
Zbigniew Bzdak / baiduhaiThousands of birds find a refuge on the Des Plaines River in Romeoville as the temperature falls on Jan. 25, 2019.
Antonio Perez/baiduhaiSteam cascades from buildings as the deep cold temperatures envelop the city, Jan. 25, 2019.
Armando L. Sanchez / baiduhaiRichard Vargas of the Salvation Army and a woman from a local church pray with David Jefferson, 30, near Lower Lower Wacker Drive on Jan. 29, 2019, in Chicago. Vargas visited several locations around the city to ask anyone sleeping outside to seek shelter.
Jose M. Osorio/baiduhaiTraffic moves slowly through newly fallen snow on North Cicero Avenue in the Portage Park neighborhood of Chicago early on Jan. 28, 2019.
Erin Hooley / baiduhaiKelly Nichol tosses a snowball for her 11-month-old dog Mason at the dog park at Horner Park on Jan. 28, 2019, in Chicago. In addition to the pink coat, Nichol said she puts a special cream on Mason's paws to protect him from the cold.
Zbigniew Bzdak/baiduhaiJim Brownlee clears snow that fell overnight in Flossmoor early on Jan. 28, 2019.
Brian Cassella/baiduhaiA bicyclist rides a Divvy along Milwaukee Avenue in negative temperatures on Jan. 30, 2019, in West Town.
Jose M. Osorio/baiduhaiBelow zero temperatures doesn't stop a woman from exercising along the lakefront at Diversey Harbor on Jan. 25, 2019.
Armando L. Sanchez / baiduhaiA man walks by the Picasso statue in the Loop as temperatures begin to fall below zero Jan. 29, 2019, in Chicago.
Stacey Wescott/baiduhaiCowboy nudges the coffee cup of Donna Ewing at the Hoofed Animal Rescue & Protection Society on Jan. 25, 2019, in Barrington. Cowboy wears a blanket so he can endure the frigid temperatures.
Antonio Perez / baiduhaiPeople walks toward the icy Chicago River near Merchandise Mart on Jan. 31, 2019.
Armando L. Sanchez/baiduhaiMimi Hristova of the Salvation Army helps Tia Williams collect her things near Lower Wacker Drive before going to a warming center for the night at the Salvation Army's Freedom Center on the 800 block of North Christiana Avenue Jan. 29, 2019, in Chicago.
Antonio Perez/baiduhaiIce forms on Lake Michigan as cold weather envelops the city, as seen from 360 Chicago Observation Deck in Chicago, Jan. 25, 2019.
John J. Kim/baiduhaiA woman poses for a photograph at Oak Street Beach on Jan. 29, 2019, in Chicago.
Armando L. Sanchez/baiduhaiRichard Vargas of the Salvation Army gives a woman food who was sleeping in a tent near a wooded area adjacent to the Dan Ryan Expressway Jan. 29, 2019, in Chicago. Vargas visited several locations around the city to ask anyone sleeping outside to seek shelter.
Brian Cassella/baiduhaiA man rides the CTA Blue Line in below-zero temperatures on Jan. 30, 2019.
Jose M. Osorio/baiduhaiA man holds a dog as they enter a building at North Clinton Street at West Kinzie Street in Chicago on a frigid morning, Jan. 25. 2019.
Jose M. Osorio/baiduhaiPedestrians walk on West Wacker Drive in Chicago on a cold and frigid morning, Jan. 25. 2019.
John J. Kim / baiduhaiA woman and man walk along Promontory Point Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2019, in Chicago.
Jose M. Osorio / baiduhaiPedestrians walk on West Wacker Drive in Chicago on a cold and frigid morning on Jan. 25. 2019.
Antonio Perez / baiduhaiDroves of visitors ignore the cold weather warnings and converge at 31St. Beach to photograph themselves and others along the steaming lake and frozen trees, in Chicago Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2019.
John J. Kim / baiduhaiParticipants run through Lake Michigan during the 18th annual Polar Plunge at Oak Street Beach in Chicago on Jan. 26, 2019. The air temperature was about 8 degrees during the event.
Jose M. Osorio / baiduhaiDuring a second morning of deep sub-zero cold ice forms on the Chicago River, in downtown Chicago on Jan. 31, 2019.
John J. Kim/baiduhaiIce covers tree branches at Promontory Point on Jan. 30, 2019.
Jose M. Osorio/baiduhaiA jogger runs along the lakefront with temperatures in the single digits near North Avenue beach in Chicago as the sun rises on Jan. 29, 2019.
Stacey Wescott/baiduhaiMetra trains go in and out of the Western Avenue station in subzero temperatures on Jan. 29, 2019, in Chicago. This is the busiest station with over 300 trains passing through on weekdays.
Zbigniew Bzdak/baiduhaiMetra Electric line commuters waiting for a train at the Flossmoor station listen to an announcement early Jan. 30, 2019, that the agency was suspending all service on the line due to problems related to extreme cold.
Erin Hooley / baiduhaiA man shovels snow off the sidewalk after an overnight storm Jan. 28, 2019, in the Albany Park neighborhood of Chicago.
Brian Cassella/baiduhaiA lone woman waits for a train at the Washington CTA "L" stop in negative temperatures, Jan. 30, 2019.
Antonio Perez / baiduhaiA pedestrian and a CTA "L" train cross the icy Chicago River on the Lake Street bridge on Jan. 31, 2019.
Jose M. Osorio/baiduhaiThe Chicago skyline seen from North Avenue Beach as the sun rises on a cold and chilly morning Jan. 30, 2019.
John J. Kim / baiduhaiMiriam Hurtarte walks 3-year-old Sophie past a sign for Jonathan Burr Elementary School in the Wicker Park neighborhood on Jan. 24, 2019, in Chicago.
Armando L. Sanchez / baiduhai
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Firefighters work at the scene of a fire on the 100 block of North Green Street late Jan. 30, 2019, in Chicago.
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Want to escape Chicago’s brutal cold snap
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? Try the South Pole.That’s just one of many very cold locations that will be warmer than Chicago this week.
By Wednesday morning, temperatures had descended to 23 degrees below zero at O’Hare International Airport, with a wind chill of 52 below.
The city has started to shut down, with everything from museums to Chicago Public Schools closing and everything from Amtrak to the U.S. Postal Service halting service, and Chicagoans are preparing for the bitter cold still to come. Temperatures might not recover to zero until late Thursday, creating a possible 45-hour stretch of below-zero temperatures.
The lowest temperature ever recorded in Chicago was minus 27 on Jan. 20, 1985.
As “Chiberia” earns its nickname again, and you realize you could have been anywhere you wanted tonight and tomorrow but you’re stuck in this city, here are some spots that will be balmier than Chicago, according to AccuWeather.com:
There’s a low of minus 8 degrees Wednesday at the South Pole, a few degrees above what suburban areas could see.
Barrow, Alaska, the northernmost town in the U.S., was about 9 below zero Wednesday morning.
Greenland’s capital Nuuk will have a high of about 18 degrees Wednesday, almost 35 degrees warmer than Chicago’s Wednesday highs of 10 to 15 below.
In Canada, Saguenay will have a Wednesday high of 14 degrees and Regina will have a high of 4.
The Siberian city Novosibirsk will see daytime temperatures hovering around zero degrees over the next few days.
In Fairbanks, Alaska, the Wednesday low was only minus 15, with daytime “times of cloud and sun.”
A high of 18 degrees will hit Oslo, Norway, on Wednesday.
It will be mostly sunny in Reykjavik, Iceland, on Wednesday, with a high of about 25 degrees and a low of 19.
On Mars, the high will be almost 35 degrees warmer than Chicago, at around 19 degrees, according to NASA. But the low will be about 99 degrees below zero at night.
But even with the freezing temperatures, Chicago may not be as cold as Siberian Yakutsk in Russia, where a high of 31 below zero is expected Wednesday.
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