Arctic blast pushes area into deep freeze

You might be wishing you were in Anchorage, Alaska right now, where its 42 degrees and rain is expected later this morning.

As expected, an arctic blast descended on the Midwest overnight, plunging temperatures into the negative degree column and creating a sheet of ice across Chicagoland.

Chicago-area residents woke up to temperatures ranging from one degree above to nine degrees below zero Thursday morning.

To add insult to the bitter cold, the area remained under a wind chill advisory as winds made the already cold temperatures feel more than 20 degrees cooler, officials said.

Bitterly cold temperatures will combine with northwest winds to produce dangerous wind chills of -25 to -40 degrees, meteorologists from the National Weather Service said.

For example, while it was -2 degrees in Aurora at 5:30 a.m., meteorologists said the temps felt closer to -42 degrees because of the winter winds, officials said.

The wind chill advisory remains in effect until noon Friday.

They added frostbite and hypothermia can set in under 30 minutes if precautions are not taken, and people should bundle up with extra layers to protect themselves from the temperatures.

The cold temperatures closed most schools throughout the Chicago area. To check if your school is closed, please click the link on the right of the page to navigate to a complete list of school closings.

The cold temperatures and wind chill caused black ice to appear on roads everywhere.

The main trouble spots seem to be the ramps on most major highways, as cold temperatures, high winds and a lack of use by cars are creating slippery conditions.

Police are asking people to slow down and to anticipate black ice on the roadways.

<div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Stories</h2> <ul class="links"> <li><a href="/story/?id=264495">These tips can help you survive the bitter cold</a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=264609">Hey, the roads still are slick out there and accidents plentiful </a></li> </ul> <h2>Related links</h2> <ul class="moreWeb"> <li><a href="http://www.emergencyclosingcenter.com/ecc/home.jsp" class="mediaItem">Full list of school closings</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.accuweather.com/forecast-details.asp?partner=9612&traveler=0&zipcode=60666&metric=0&fday=1" class="mediaItem">Latest Forecast</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.crh.noaa.gov/lot/" class="mediaItem">National Weather Service outlook</a></li> <li><a href="http://radar.weather.gov/radar.php?rid=lot&product=N0R&overlay=11101111&loop=no" class="mediaItem">National Weather Service radar</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.flychicago.com/fidsohare/default.asp" class="mediaItem">O'Hare flight information</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.flychicago.com/fidsmidway/default.asp" class="mediaItem">Midway flight information</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.metrarail.com/Service_Updates/" class="mediaItem">Metra service advisories</a></li> <li><a href="http://wrc.gettingaroundillinois.com/winterroadconditions" class="mediaItem">Road conditions</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.gcmtravel.com/gcm/maps_chicago.jsp" class="mediaItem">Traffic conditions</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>