Le Journal

EDITOR’S NOTE: Around 11:30 a.m. Thursday, Chicago Public Schools announced it would be closed Friday “due to severe weather,” with all buildings closed and no remote learning scheduled. Many Chicago-area schools have already announced closures or shifts to e-learning for this week in advance of dangerously cold temperatures and wind chills as low as -40. The announcements come as the National Weather Service issued an extreme cold warning for all of northeastern Illinois and southeastern Wisconsin, with expected wind chills as low as -30 to -40 degrees. According to the NWS, the warning will go into effect at 3 a.m. Friday. Ahead of the temperature plummet, here’s which schools have announced closures so far, how to check the status of your school and more. Are Illinois schools closed tomorrow? No closures or e-learning plans were in effect for Thursday, but some schools have already announced closures or possible closings for Friday, according to the Emergency Closing Center. Bridgeport Catholic Academy in Chicago said “due to the extreme cold” it will be switching to eLearning for Friday. “Students will be reminded to take home any necessary materials tomorrow,” the school said in an alert to parents. River Trails School District 26 in Mount Prospect issued a note to families saying they are “closely monitoring the predicted extreme cold temperatures.” A final decision was expected by noon Thursday. In the northern suburbs, Lake Forest Community High School issued a similar message, saying a decision about Friday classes would be made at 12 p.m. Thursday. “Updates on Sat., Jan. 24 activities, including the LFHS Winter Formal, will also be communicated by noon on Thursday, Jan. 22,” the school said. Grace Lutheran School in River Forest, Ashburn Christian Academy in Orland Park and St. John The Baptist Catholic School in Winfield will all be closed Friday, per the Emergency Closing Center. Will Chicago Public Schools close? About 11:30 a.m. Thursday, Chicago Public Schools said it was closing Friday with no e-learning scheduled, and classes resuming Monday, Jan. 26. Extracurricular activities were also canceled, including sports practices and games, the district said. In an announcement, the district said it decided to cancel classes Friday “after closely monitoring the forecast for the past 24 hours in collaboration with the City of Chicago’s Office of Emergency Management and Communications (OEMC) and other City agencies.” The following criteria is evaluated before a decision is made, CPS said: Air temperature and wind chill The amount of snow and ice on the ground The accessibility of buildings and roads Potential issues with heating/cooling systems or power outages The ability to transport students safely on buses How to check Illinois school closings Families can check for the latest on their school using the link below: CHECK SCHOOL CLOSINGS HERE (NOTE: If you are accessing this link from our app, please go to your mobile browser). Many school districts also post about closings on social media and on their website homepage, and communicate with their school community via phone, email and text message notifications.

An extreme cold watch issued for the entire Chicago area this week has been upgraded by the National Weather Service to an extreme cold warning, with some schools already announcing closures ahead of what’s expected to be one of the coldest days the Chicago area has seen in years. The dangerously cold weather for Illinois comes as millions of people from New Mexico to the Carolinas brace for a potentially catastrophic ice storm that could that could crush trees and knock out power for days, the Associated Press reported. That same system, which could bring snow to northern Illinois Saturday, is set to move to the east coast this weekend, where forecasters say the snowy conditions could make travel nearly impossible. Ahead of the warning, Thursday was expected to be a quiet weather day with temperatures in the 20s, NBC 5 Storm Team Meteorologist Alicia Roman said. Early Thursday morning, temperatures across the area were in the teens but felt more like -2 degrees. “This is going to feel fantastic compared to what’s coming,” Roman said. The frigid temperatures and Arctic air on the way on the way are likely to break records, NBC 5 Storm Team Meteorologist Kevin Jeanes said. Such conditions could lead to frostbite in as little as 10 minutes. Here’s a look at when and where the cold will be the worst, and what to know. When and where will the extreme cold hit? The sharp drop in temperatures and wind chills will come overnight, Roman said, starting at about midnight. At 3 a.m., the extreme cold warning for all of northeastern Illinois and part of southeastern Wisconsin will go into effect. “This time tomorrow morning, we’re down to -10,” Roman said at 5 a.m. Thursday. Even colder air temperature readings were expected in counties to the north and west, between 6 a.m. to 11 a.m. Wind chills will be even worse. Earlier in the week, forecasters said “feels-like” temperatures Friday morning could be as low as -30 or -35, but the predictions are even colder now. “Perhaps down to -40,” Roman said, with the NWS saying the coldest wind chills will be expected across interior portions of northern Illinois. Friday morning in Woodstock, the predicted “feels-like” temperature was -40 degrees. The temperature was expected to feel like -39 in DeKalb, -37 in DuPage, and -38 in Waukegan. To the south and east, wind chills would be slightly better, in the -20s. Through 11 a.m. Friday, the cold will be the most “critical” Roman said, as the temperatures and wind chills could lead to frostbite in as little as 10 or 15 minutes. “Cover everything. All exposed skin,” Roman warned. “Because it will be very, very dangerous to be out there.” Friday afternoon, things weren’t expected to get any better Roman said. “-2 degrees is the high,” Roman advised. Saturday, the high temperature was 11 degrees, and Sunday, the predicted high was 18, with snow chances both days. How cold does it have to be to cancel school?  Such temperatures and wind chills have forced dozens of school closures in previous winters, and dozens of schools in the state, including Chicago Public Schools have already announced closures or shifts to e-learning Friday. About 11:30 a.m., district officials said it make the decision to cancel classes Friday “after closely monitoring the forecast for the past 24 hours in collaboration with the City of Chicago’s Office of Emergency Management and Communications (OEMC) and other City agencies.” You can find a full list of school closures and check to see the status of your school here. (NOTE: If you are accessing this link from our app, please go to your mobile browser). This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

Broadway comedy hit “Oh Mary!” is bringing its tour to Chicago. The Tony Award-winning hit will make its way to Chicago in 2027, Broadway in Chicago announced. Broadway had announced Wednesday that the show would embark on a North American tour starting in fall 2026, but only two dates had been announced so far: Hartford, Connecticut, in September 2026 and Las Vegas, Nevada, Oct. 6-11. For Chicago, no official dates or ticketing information have been announced so far, but the show is expected to perform at the CIBC Theatre. “Oh, Mary! is a dark comedy about a miserable, suffocated Mary Todd Lincoln in the weeks leading up to Abraham Lincoln’s assassination. Unrequited yearning, alcoholism, and suppressed desires abound in this 80-minute one-act play that finally examines the forgotten life and dreams of Mrs. Lincoln, through the lens of an idiot (playwright Cole Escola),” Broadway in Chicago’s website reads. The show was deemed “one of the best comedies in years” by the New York Times and earned two Tony Awards. It was also named a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Broadway in Chicago said additional details on the Chicago performances will come “at a later date.” This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

Residents in a portion of Joliet were asked to shelter in place during an “active incident” in the southwest Chicago suburb, police said. An alert sent out around 9 a.m. Thursday warned that police were conducting an active investigation in the 1000 block of North Raynor Avenue. “Residents in that immediate area are being requested to shelter in place,” police said in the alert. Few details were provided and no updates had been issued as of 10:30 a.m. Check back for more on this developing story.

It may be in the 20s Thursday, but don’t be fooled: an Arctic front headed to the Chicago area by nighttime will send temperatures plunging overnight, with perilous wind chill values that could cause frostbite in as little as 10 minutes. According to the National Weather Service, the coldest conditions will come starting at about 3 a.m., when an extreme cold warning goes into effect for all of northeastern Illinois. “Dangerously cold wind chills as low as 30 to 40 below zero expected,” the NWS said. “Dress in layers including a hat, face mask, and gloves if you must go outside.” The warning led more than 100 schools across the city and suburbs to move to e-learning or fully close Friday, including Chicago Public Schools, the largest district in the state. According to NBC 5 Storm Team Meteorologist Kevin Jeanes, Friday is likely to break weather records, and could be Chicago’s coldest day in years. As the cold approaches, here’s a look at when and where it will be the worst, and what to know. Extreme cold timeline While Thursday afternoon will see highs in the 20s, a sharp drop in temperatures and wind chills will come overnight, with a “brutally cold air mass” moving in around midnight. At 3 a.m., an extreme cold warning for all of northeastern Illinois and parts of southeastern Wisconsin will go into effect. By 6 a.m. Friday, temperatures will have nosedived below zero, with air temperatures in Chicago predicted to be around -10 degrees. Those readings will be even lower in counties to the north and west. And, wind chill values will be even worse than that, especially in parts north and west of I-55, the NWS warned. Friday morning in Woodstock, the predicted “feels-like” temperature was -40 degrees. The temperature was expected to feel like -39 in DeKalb, -37 in DuPage, and -38 in Waukegan. In parts southeast of I-55, and in northwest Indiana, wind chills would range from -20 to -30. The worst of the cold was expected to last through 12 p.m. Friday, though the afternoon wouldn’t be much better, Roman said, with a high of -2 degrees. “Some areas will likely see actual temps remain below zero all day,” the NWS said. The NWS added that there was also “high confidence” in a period of bitter cold with dangerous temperatures through Saturday morning. Saturday, the high temperature was 11 degrees, and Sunday, the predicted high was 18, with snow chances both days as a major winter storm makes its way across the country. Next week, temperatures will rise, but only into the teens, the NBC 5 Storm Team said. This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.