Dear Tom,
What is the coldest day in Chicago history?
“Fnell”
Dear “Fnell”,
The onset of autumn and the promise of winter that is sure to follow always prompt “cold questions,” and yours is among the first of this season.
A computer scan of 136 years of Chicago temperature records from the inception of data on Nov. 1, 1870, reveals that the city has logged readings of -20(degrees) or lower on 15 days. Among them, the very lowest was -27(degrees) on Sunday, Jan. 20, 1985, which brought Chicago’s coldest temperature but, surprisingly, not its coldest day. With a high of -4(degrees), the daily average turned out to be -15.5(degrees).
Based upon average daily temperatures, Chicago’s all-time coldest day was Saturday, Dec. 24, 1983–Christmas Eve. The day’s high/low temperatures were -11(degrees)/-25(degrees), for a frigid average of -18(degrees).
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Tom Skilling is chief meteorologist at WGN-TV. His forecasts can be seen Monday through Friday on WGN-TV News at noon and 9 p.m.
Write to: ASK TOM WHY, 2501 Bradley Pl., Chicago, IL 60618 or asktomwhy@wgntv.com (Mail volume precludes personal response.)
WGN-TV meteorologists Steve Kahn, Richard Koeneman and Paul Dailey plus weather producer Bill Snyder contribute to this page.
