>> 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