AS REPORTED BY THE CHICAGO SUNTIMES
Chicago’s bitter cold temperatures reached a New Year’s Day record Monday, continuing a relentlessly dangerous stretch of cold air over the past week.
The city reached a high of 1 degree, marking a new record for the coldest high temperature on the first day of the year, according to the National Weather Service. The previous record was 5 degrees in 1969.
The average temperature of -4 degrees was also the coldest average for Jan. 1 in Chicago, lower than the -2.5 degree mark set in 1969, the Weather Service said. The low temperature Monday was -9 degrees.
An advisory remained in effect through the overnight hours until noon Tuesday as wind chills were expected to range from 15-below to 30-below across the Chicagoland area, the Weather Service said.
Meteorologists warned exposed skin could get frostbite in as little as 30 minutes, and hypothermia can occur without a hat and gloves.
A high of 14 degrees was expected for Tuesday.