(8:00PM – Wednesday, January 21st, 2026) A period of bitter Arctic cold is on the way from late this week through early next week…
⏰Timing…
•Thursday night thru early next week. (January 22nd-27th)
📍Location…
•All of Illinois.
🥶Hazards…
•Bitterly cold wind chills at levels well below zero will be likely on numerous occasions during this period across the state.
•Cold temperatures are expected, with nightly low temperatures below zero likely across varying portions of the state.
•Be aware of high frostbite and hypothermia risk if unprotected and exposed to cold temperatures and wind chills for even a short period of time.
✔️Summary…
•As a piece of the stratospheric polar vortex becomes established for a time across the Hudson Bay region of Canada, tropospheric lobes of the vortex will spiral around the Central/Eastern Canada and Great Lakes/Northeast region of the U.S. This will set the stage for a significant push of deep Artic origin cold area to set up residence in the region from late this week through early next week.
•The most significant conditions will exist on Friday morning, when wind chills of -25 to -40 will be likely across the northern half of the state, and actual air temperatures will bottom out in the single digit to teens below zero.