Dear Tom,
How common is it for Chicago to record a subzero high temperature? When was the last time we had one?
Emilio Guerrero
Dear Emilio,
Most Chicagoans are quite happy that a subzero high here is a relatively rare happening, with only 44 recorded since weather records began being kept in late 1870. It has been more than a dozen years since the city’s last encounter with a subzero high. That bone-chilling event occurred back-to-back on Feb. 2-3, 1996, with both days topping out at a frigid 5 below zero. The all-time lowest high temperature in Chicago is 11 below. It has been logged twice: Dec. 24, 1983, and Jan. 18, 1994. A close runnerup is the 10 below on Jan. 25, 1897. All 44 of the city’s subzero highs have been clustered in a 70-day window that encompasses the heart of the winter season. The earliest subzero high in that window was a 2 below logged on Dec. 15, 1901, and the latest, also 2 below, was recorded on Feb. 23, 1889.
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