>> THANK YOU.

>> IF YOU STEPPED OUTSIDE TODAY

OVER THE LAST FEW DAYS FOR THAT

MATTER YOU KNOW THE TEMPERATURE

IS FRIGID.

"CHICAGO TONIGHT"'S AMANDA

VINICKY IS BACK IN OUR COZY

STUDIOS.

HOW COLD IS IT?

SOUNDS LIKE A SETUP TO A JOKE.

>> NO, NO JOKE I WAS OUTSIDE IT

IS NOT FUN OR FUNNY.

WE LIVE IN CHICAGO WITH WINTER.

DUH WE EXPECT IT WILL BE COLD,

RIGHT?

BUT IF YOU THINK IT'S FEELING

MORE FRIGID THAN NORMAL YOU ARE

RIGHT.

IT IS.

AND THAT'S ARRIVEDDERRER, TOO.

--

ARRIVED EARLIER, TOO.

HE SAID WITH THE HIGH YESTERDAY

OF 1° THIS NEW YEAR'S DAY WAS

THE COLDEST ON RECORD.

THE U.S. STARTED KEEPING THE

DATA IN 1871 AND NEVER SINCE HAS

CHICAGO STARTED A NEW YEAR SO

COLD.

THE PREVIOUS RECORD WAS 5° BACK

IN 1969.

I HATE TO BREAK IT TO YOU BUT

THINGS ARE NOT EXPECTED TO GET

BETTER AND WARMER SOON.

SUBDO 0 TEMPERATURES WITHOUT --

SUB20 TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED

THROUGH SATURDAY.

WE'LL TIE ANOTHER RECORD FOR 12

DAYS IN A ROW TEMPERATURES BELOW

20°.

MATTHEW FRIEDLEIN SAYS THE

FORECAST CALLS FOR MILDER

WEATHER SUNDAY AND MONDAY AND

MILD MEANS THE AVERAGE OF 30°.

BUT AT THIS POINT, SNOW IS

LIKELY ON THOSE DAYS.

AND THEN, NEXT WEEK, IT WILL

CHILL AGAIN.

MIND YOU, CHICAGO TYPICALLY GETS

THE COLDEST WEATHER IN JANUARY

LATE JANUARY THROUGH FEBRUARY.

>> AND SO WHAT IS CAUSING THIS

COLD-SNAP, AMANDA?

>> THIS COLD-SNAP MAKE SURE I'M

RIGHT HERE, MATTHEW FRIEDLEIN

SAYS IT'S LA ANYONE YEAH.

THAT --

LA NINA.

THAT MAKES FOR ACTIVE WEATHER

PATTERNS HAVE AN ARCTIC MASS

THAT BUILT SINCE THAT

CHRISTMASTIME SNOW.

AND THE SNOW ON THE GROUND ACTS

AS A SORT OF FREEZER THAT KEEPS

THE WEATHER FRIGID BECAUSE THE

SNOW ISN'T ABSORBING ANY OF THE

SUNLIGHT AND IT'S ALL REFLECTING

BACK.

>> WHAT A IMPLEMENTS APARTMENT

COMBINATION.

PEOPLE NEED TO BE BUNDLED UP

THIS WEATHER PARTICULARLY.

WHAT ELSE?

>> WELL, YOU WANT TO WEAR

LAYERS, STAY HYDRATED.

EAT A LOT.

I CAN DO THAT.

AND CALL 311 IF THERE IS A

PROBLEM WITH YOUR HEAT.

AND IF YOU NEED TO GO SOMEWHERE

WARM GO TO A WARMING CENTER.

CALL 311 FOR A RIDE TO ONE,

EVEN.

THERE ARE SIX WARMING CENTERS IN

THE CITY OF CHICAGO.

IN THE DIRECTOR OF EMERGENCY

MANAGEMENT SAYS CHICAGO WILL NOT

TURN ANYONE AWAY.

BUT SO FAR THAT HASN'T BEEN AN

ISSUE BECAUSE THE CENTERS ARE

NOT AT CAPACITY.

ON AVERAGE ABOUT 400 PEOPLE

UTILIZED THEM EACH DAY SINCE

DECEMBER 28TH.

>> TALK ABOUT VULNERABLE

POPULATIONS, SOMETIMES THEY ARE

RELUCTANT TO LEAVE WHAT THEY

KNOW IS COMFORTABLE.

AND GO TO A SHELTER.

THAT IS WHY IF THERE IS A

MESSAGE WE CAN GIVE TO FOLKS, BY

ALL MEANS, COME TO THE SHELTERS.

THEY ARE SAFE.

WE WANT YOU TO GO AND GET WARMED

UP.

YOU CAN ALWAYS COME BACK IF YOU

WANT TO LEAVE YOU ARE WELCOME

TO.

>> AND ACCORDING TO THE DIRECTOR

THIS COLD SPELL HAS TAKEN THE

LIVES OF THREE CITY RESIDENTS

AND SPOKE TO THE MEDIA FROM THE

OPERATIONS CENTER, MONITORS ARE

CHECKING IN REALTIME FOR ANYONE

IN TROUBLE FOR BROKEN WATERMAIN,

ELECTRICAL OUTAGES.

AND THEY ARE COORDINATING WITH

FAMILY SUPPORT SERVICES AND

POLICE AND INSPECTORS.

ONCE AGAIN, CALL 311 IF YOU ARE

CONCERNED ABOUT AN ELDERLY

NEIGHBOR OR RELATIVE AND WANT TO

MAKE SURE THEY ARE STAYING WARM

AND SAFE.

>> A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE TO LEAVE

THEIR HOMES AND GO OUT INTO THE

WEATHER TO GET TO THEIR JOBS.

MAKES FOR A ROUGH COMMUTE.

>> THAT IS CERTAINLY THE CASE AS

WE KNOW.

BUT YOU ARE ADVISED TO, OF

COURSE, BE PREPARED AND KNOW

WHEN IT COMES TO THE RAILROADS

IT'S SIMPLE SCIENCE.

>> WE OPERATE ON METAL TRACKS.

THEY GET BRUTAL IN THE COLD WE

HAVE AN INCREASED OF RAIL BREAKS

WHICH WE HAVE HAD HAD SEVERAL

THROUGHOUT THIS COLD-SNAP AND

OTHER ISSUES WITH SIGNALS AND

SWITCHES AND THAT IS PART OF

WHAT WE EXPECT DURING THE COLD

WEATHER.

OUR JOB IS TO HAVE THE PEOPLE TO

DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO MITIGATE

IT TO FIND THE PROBLEM HOPEFULLY

BEFORE IT DELAYS THE TRAIN.

BUT ALSO, TO HAVE THE PEOPLE IN

PLACE WHICH WE DO OUT ON THE

SYSTEM SO THAT WHEN SOMETHING

GOES WRONG WE CAN ADDRESS IT AS

QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.

>> METRO RUNS 700 TRAINS A DAY

AND ANOTHER 700 TRAINS MANY ARE

LONG AND HEAVY FREIGHT TRAINS

GOING OVER THE TRACKS EVERY

WEEKDAY.

REILLY SAYS A HAIRLINE CRACK CAN

BECOME A BREAK THAT WILL STOP A

TRAIN IN ITS TRACKS.

>> SO YOU DO SEE SOMETHING LIKE

THIS.

DON'T FRET IT.

THE TRACKS ARE NOT ON FIRE.

THOSE ARE SWITCH HEATERS.

ONE OF THE TOOLS THAT METRO USES

TO KEEP THE TRACKS FROM

CRACKING.

THEY ARE LIKE GAS LINES ON THE