A harbor light is covered by snow and ice on the Lake Michigan at 39th Street Harbor, Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2019, in Chicago. A deadly arctic deep freeze enveloped the Midwest with record-breaking temperatures on Wednesday, triggering widespread closures of schools and businesses, and prompting the U.S. Postal Service to take the rare step of suspending mail delivery to a wide swath of the region. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
The Associated Press
ROCKFORD, Ill. (AP) - Rockford broke the record for its all-time lowest temperature Thursday morning when it hit 30 degrees below zero (-34 Celsius).
The National Weather Service says Thursday's temperature at 6:45 a.m. beats the previous record low of minus 27 (-32 Celsius) recorded Jan. 10, 1982. The bitter cold that has put much of the Midwest into a historic deep freeze is expected to ease Thursday before snow moves into Illinois. The snow is expected to begin Thursday afternoon in northern and central Illinois, bringing as much as 6 inches to areas.
It was still frigid Thursday morning, with wind chills dipping to minus 53 in Bloomington. Transit still was affected too, with about 1,700 flights canceled at Chicago airports Thursday morning and some commuter train lines not running. Wind chill warnings across Illinois were to expire at 12 p.m. Thursday.
A sign shows the current outdoor temperature in Glenview, Ill., Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2019. A deadly arctic deep freeze enveloped the Midwest with record-breaking temperatures on Wednesday, triggering widespread closures of schools and businesses, and prompting the U.S. Postal Service to take the rare step of suspending mail delivery to a wide swath of the region. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
The Associated Press
People enjoy at the Lake Michigan at 31st Street Harbor, Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2019, in Chicago. A deadly arctic deep freeze enveloped the Midwest with record-breaking temperatures on Wednesday, triggering widespread closures of schools and businesses, and prompting the U.S. Postal Service to take the rare step of suspending mail delivery to a wide swath of the region. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
The Associated Press