I wake up on a Monday in January 2024 and check my phone. "CLASSES CANCELLED DUE TO INCLEMENT WEATHER" is the first thing I see on my phone screen. School busses couldn't start due to the cold weather. My mom texts me to do some errands for her. Walking out to my car, the cold air burns my nose hairs and I feel a headache brewing. Starting my car, it heaves and groans as it turns over, eventually starting after fifteen long seconds. It was the coldest day in the past five years.
(Photo of Navy Pier in 2024 from the NWS)
There are few geohazards present in Chicago. There are no hurricanes due to its distance from the coasts, and there are few tornadoes due to its size and proximity to Lake Michigan. One of the most prominent geohazards in Chicago is extremely cold temperatures. Over the last several years, the polar vortex resulted in sub zero temperatures, with wind chills up to -30 °F in Chicago. The polar vortex happens when air is warmed in the north pole, which sends colder air south to places that usually do not get especially cold temperatures.
Extreme cold can be incredibly dangerous, with potential of frostbite and hypothermia. Frigid temperatures also interrupt daily life, causing flight cancellations, inability to start engines, and an increase in electricity usage because of more people heating their homes.
(Photo of ice jam in neighboring country from the NWS)
Works Cited
https://www.climate.gov/news-features/blogs/polar-vortex/polar-vortex-intensifications-overlooked-influencer#:~:text=The%20polar%20vortex%20during%20the%20middle%20of,allowing%20warmer%20air%20into%20the%20Arctic%20stratosphere.
https://www.weather.gov/lot/2024_01_14-17_Cold
https://www.yahoo.com/news/chicago-extreme-weather-2024-hottest-203700593.html
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