Would somebody close the freezer door! State still left in the cold

Forecasters warned that bitter subzero cold would grip Illinois through today as the onslaught of arctic cold in the Midwest continued.

From central Illinois northward, temperatures are expected to drop into the minus zone, according to the National Weather Service, with wind chills of 15 below zero to 30 below zero foreseeable until mid-morning today.

Forecasters said the weather pattern that's brought the repeated polar chills to the Midwest is unusual and will set records in some spots. In central Illinois, most areas are on track to record one of the top 10 coldest winter seasons.

Lincoln and Tuscola are having their coldest winters on record, according to National Weather Service figures. Normal, Rushville and Olney are having their second-coldest winters on record as of Sunday.

The official coldest winter results won't be available until next month.

Snowfall is also well above normal in many areas. Lacon in central Illinois is having its snowiest winter on record with more than 44 inches recorded this season through Monday. Danville is experiencing its second-snowiest winter on record with 36.4 inches as of Monday.

The National Weather Service said the Monday morning wind chill was 39 below zero at Aurora Municipal Airport and 33 below zero at Galesburg Municipal Airport. In DeKalb, the wind chill dropped to 32 below zero. In Kankakee, the wind chill was negative 35.