--- description: Icy air and winter storms are sweeping the nation this week, and forced Chicago to close its public schools Wednesday title: Extreme Cold Closes Chicago's Public Schools image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd2ea113e65bab986/698778792dce015a2a9dccb5/lake-michigan-frozen.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [U.S.](/section/us/) ## U.S. Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [weather](/tag/weather/) ## weather Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Extreme Cold Closes Chicago's Public Schools  by [Jack Linshi](/author/jack-linshi/)  ## Jack Linshi Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jan 7, 2015 2:37 AM CUT  Charles Martinez looks over the partially frozen Lake Michigan and the Chicago skyline on Jan. 5, 2015. Charles Martinez looks over the partially frozen Lake Michigan and the Chicago skyline on Jan. 5, 2015.Jim Young—Reuters  by [Jack Linshi](/author/jack-linshi/)  ## Jack Linshi Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jan 7, 2015 2:37 AM CUT Chicago Public Schools [announced](http://cps.edu/News/Press%5Freleases/Pages/PR2%5F1%5F6%5F2015.aspx "undefined") Tuesday that classes on Wednesday had been canceled due to an extreme cold blast. School buildings will still be staffed and open for any students who do show up, with administrative staff and building engineers available, according a statement released by the country’s third-largest school district, which serves nearly 400,000 students in 664 schools. Temperatures in the area are expected to drop below zero into Wednesday with wind chills up to 40 below, the National Weather Service said, which makes it cold enough to cause frostbite on exposed skin within 15 minutes. ### See 11 of the Worst Winter Storms in U.S. History  The Blizzard of 1888 (March 11-12, 1888) This late-in-the-season snowstorm devastated much of the East Coast, incapacitating New York City, Boston, Washington and Philadelphia with up to 50 inches of snow. Here, carts haul excess snow and ice from city streets for dumping in the East River in New York City. Buyenlarge/Getty Images  The Knickerbocker Storm (Jan. 27-28, 1922) This snowstorm lasted for two days and a accumulated a regional record of 28-inches of snow. And it got its name after the famous Knickerbocker Theater, whose roof collapsed under the weight of the snow, with Washingtonians still inside watching a film. The disaster claimed 98 lives and is still one of Washington's deadliest snow storms. Buyenlarge/Getty Images  The Great Midwest Blizzard (Jan. 26-27, 1967) This blizzard raged from the Ohio Valley down to New Mexico. It still holds Chicago's record for heaviest snow fall in 24 hours (23 inches) and resulted in the deaths of 76 people. Robert Abbott Sengstacke—Getty Images  The Post Christmas Storm of 1969 (Dec. 25-28, 1969) Up to 2-3 feet of snow accumulated in New England and upstate New York. Here, kids skate while their dog plays on the snow-covered ground at Argyle Pond in Babylon, New York, Dec. 25, 1969. Gordon Rynders—New York Daily News Archive/Getty Images  The Blizzard of 1978 (Feb. 5-7 1978) Hurricane-force winds, up to 90mph, and snow totals of up to 3 feet defined this blizzard. Here, Roy Sodersjerna of Higham, Mass. suns himself on the hood of his car, which is stuck in the snow on Massachusetts Route 128 in Dedham, Mass. on Feb. 9, 1978. AP  The Superstorm of 1993 (March 12-13, 1993) This storm caused nearly 300 deaths, with New York state recording over 40 inches of snow. Paul Hurschmann—AP  The Blizzard of 1996 (Jan. 6-9, 1996) The mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions received 2-3 feet of snow, with Philadelphia accumulating 30.7 inches - its highest snowfall record to date. Susan Watts—New York Daily News Archive/Getty Images  The Blizzard of 2005 (Jan. 20-24, 2005) Snowfall blanketed the Northeast, with areas around Boston reporting 3-5 inches of snowfall per hour and totalling 43 inches. Here, Sam Germaine walks past the frozen entrance to his home in Hull, Mass. on Jan. 25, 2005. STEVEN SENNE—AP  The Post-Christmas Storm of 2010 (Dec. 25-28, 2010) New York City received over 20 inches of snowfall. Here, a man digs out his car in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City on Dec. 27, 2010. Chris McGrath—Getty Images  The Groundhog Day Blizzard (Feb. 1-2, 2011) Many cities throughout the midwest and Northeast received 1-2 feet of snow and some even declared states of emergency. Here, University of Iowa student Andrew Uhe uses a cookie sheet to sled down the hill behind Lincoln Elementary School in Iowa City on Feb. 2, 2011. Chip Somodevilla—Getty Images  Blizzard in Buffalo (Nov. 18-20, 2014) Over six feet of snow descended on Buffalo, N.Y. and its suburbs, paralyzing the area. Over 100 people were stranded and at least six people died. Derek Gee—The Buffalo News/AP “The safety and well-being of our students comes first,” Chicago Public Schools CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett said in the statement. “The frigid temperatures and winds make a dangerous combination, and it is in the best interest of our students to cancel classes.” The district’s closure on Wednesday means it’ll join more than 125 other school districts, according to the Chicago _Tribune_. The full list can be found [here](http://www.emergencyclosingcenter.com/complete.html "undefined"). Subzero temperatures last January similarly led officials to close the city’s schools for four days. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3656979/chicago-schools-closed-cold-temperature/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3656979/chicago-schools-closed-cold-temperature/"},"headline":"Extreme Cold Closes Chicago's Public Schools","datePublished":"2015-01-07T02:37:11.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T05:06:23.514Z","description":"Hundreds of schools will be closed Wednesday","url":"https://time.com/3656979/chicago-schools-closed-cold-temperature/","keywords":["weather","Education"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd2ea113e65bab986/698778792dce015a2a9dccb5/lake-michigan-frozen.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Jack Linshi","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/jack-linshi/"}],"articleSection":"U.S.","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd2ea113e65bab986/698778792dce015a2a9dccb5/lake-michigan-frozen.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Charles Martinez looks over the partially frozen Lake Michigan and the Chicago skyline on Jan. 5, 2015.","caption":"Charles Martinez looks over the partially frozen Lake Michigan and the Chicago skyline on Jan. 5, 2015.","creditText":"Jim Young—Reuters","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/us/","name":"U.S."}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/weather/","name":"weather"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3656979/chicago-schools-closed-cold-temperature/","name":"Extreme Cold Closes Chicago's Public Schools"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Winter Weather Pileup on Ontario Interstate","description":"Winter Weather Pileup on Ontario Interstate","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/B7ZlnxPT/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-01-01T18:12:28.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/B7ZlnxPT.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3656979/chicago-schools-closed-cold-temperature/","duration":"PT13S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3656979/chicago-schools-closed-cold-temperature/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```