Yeah, it’s cold: How to keep yourself, your house and your pets safe

Maybe you are a newcomer to the area, having moved here from the balmy South. Or you are a newly minted grown-up with a mortgage or rent payment to prove it.

There are a few things you should know about dealing with the subzero temperatures on Thursday and Friday, to stay safe and happy.

Temperatures Friday are expected to dip as low as -13. That’s seriously cold. Then there’s the wind chill factor, which calculates how cold you may feel when there’s a wind blowing. The National Weather Service said that it may hit -35.

An Extreme Cold Warning is in effect from 3 a.m. Friday until noon for Cook and the collar counties. The warning extends throughout the entirety of Northern Illinois and as far south as Bloomington, but also covers all of Wisconsin, Minnesota and North Dakota as well as most of Iowa and parts of Indiana, Montana, Nebraska, South Dakota and much of Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

“Our criteria for such a warning is wind chills or air temperatures of minus 30 degrees or more,” said Zachary Yack, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service bureau in Romeoville. “We're more accustomed to seeing this than someone in the South, but people still should be prepared and limit time outside.”

The last such warning for the Chicago area was in 2022. Meteorologists are considering issuing a cold weather advisory for the area once the warning expires Saturday, Yack added.

The things to worry about: Frostbite, frozen water pipes, and hypothermia.

Your body

To protect yourself from frostbite and hypothermia, you first should limit the amount of time you spend outdoors. Second, remember to cover up.

Cold doesn’t care that you “run warm,” or that you hate hats.

Flesh can be damaged by frostbite in as little as 5 minutes, depending on the combination of cold and wind, according to a chart from the National Weather Service.

Fingers, noses, toes and earlobes are particularly vulnerable, especially if they are exposed. If you start to feel shivering or any pain in your appendages, get inside and slowly warm the areas. Doctors at Endeavor Health suggest submerging the area in warm — not hot — water. If you think you have frostbite, go to an emergency room.

So remember to wear gloves or mittens, a hat, and a scarf over your face.

As for staying warm, layers are your friend. Air trapped between layers of clothing acts as insulation. Long underwear is great. If you don’t have that, perhaps wear a pair of tights under your pants. A moisture-wicking long-sleeved T-shirt, followed by a sweater and a vest, is helpful.

Your house

A major concern is preventing water pipes from freezing and then bursting, particularly pipes that lie in unheated areas or run along exterior walls, according to the American Red Cross.

So keep a faucet running. A steady trickle will do. And let warm air get to the pipes under your sinks by leaving the cabinet doors open.

If a pipe should freeze (but not burst), you can use a hair dryer or a space heater to thaw it. Do not use an open flame.

Your pets

The Cook County Department of Animal and Rabies Control says to keep pets inside, even if they normally are acclimated to outdoor living. Although they have fur coats, dogs and cats can get frostbite, including on the pads of their feet, their nose or the tips of their ears. An outside doghouse may not be an adequate shelter during extreme cold.

The agency suggests limiting time outside to just enough to do their business, less than 10 minutes. Check their pads afterward, and wash with a warm, moist towel.

Pets should be leashed. The agency says more pets become lost in winter because snowfall disguises recognizable scents that would normally help them find their way home.

If you really want to take your dog on a long walk, consider heading to Yorktown Center mall in Lombard. The mall welcomes dogs.