What is the biggest weather risk in Chicago?

Chicago is unusual in facing deadly extremes in both seasons. Its worst weather disaster on record is the July 1995 heat wave, which killed 739 people in a single week. But winter is just as dangerous: the 2019 polar vortex drove wind chills near −52°F. A good Chicago kit prepares for both extreme cold and extreme heat.

How cold does it get during a Chicago polar vortex?

During the late-January 2019 polar vortex, O'Hare recorded −23°F with a wind chill near −52°F, and the city stayed below zero for 52 straight hours. At those wind chills frostbite can set in within minutes — keep warm layers, blankets, and a safe way to heat your home if the power fails.

What should be in a Chicago winter emergency kit?

Plan to be snowed in and possibly without heat: 3–7 days of water, food, and medications; warm layers and blankets; a battery or hand-crank NOAA weather radio; flashlights and portable chargers; and a winter survival kit in your car. The 2011 Groundhog Day Blizzard stranded about 900 vehicles on Lake Shore Drive — don't get caught driving in a blizzard.

Does Chicago get dangerous heat too?

Yes. The July 1995 heat wave killed 739 Chicagoans, most of them elderly residents without air conditioning, as temperatures hit 106°F. If a summer heat wave knocks out power, know the location of the nearest city cooling center and check on elderly neighbors — heat is the city's deadliest weather hazard on record.

Chicago, United States

Chicago Emergency Kit — Personalized for Your Risks

Chicago is a city of deadly extremes — polar-vortex cold and paralyzing blizzards in winter, and the heat waves that make it one of the few U.S. metros where both cold and heat have killed at scale.

Primary Risks for Chicago

Extreme Cold
Blizzard
Extreme Heat

Key takeaways for Chicago

Primary risks: Extreme Cold, Blizzard, Extreme Heat
Plan for: Built for both extremes — stock for a multi-day deep freeze (warm layers, car kit, safe heat) and a summer heat wave (cooling plan, check on elders), plus a NOAA weather radio.
Read more: Chicago Office of Emergency Management & Communications (OEMC)

What you'll get

Chicago-specific risk analysis: AI-powered analysis of disaster risks specific to Chicago and your exact address.
Personalized kit list: Emergency supplies tailored to your household size, pets, and home type.
Direct purchase links: One-click links to buy every item in your personalized kit.
Emergency action guide: Step-by-step instructions for each disaster type common in Chicago.

Chicago Risk Briefing

Local Hazard History

Chicago is built for extremes in both directions. Its deadliest disaster on record wasn't snow — it was heat: the July 1995 heat wave killed 739 people across the city in a single week, most of them elderly residents without air conditioning, as the temperature hit 106°F on July 13. Winter is the city's other killer. During the late-January 2019 polar vortex, the temperature at O'Hare fell to −23°F with a wind chill near −52°F, and the metro endured 52 straight hours below zero — one of the longest deep freezes on record. Snow shuts the city down too: the 2011 Groundhog Day Blizzard (January 31–February 2) dropped 21.2 inches — Chicago's third-largest snowstorm on record — and stranded roughly 900 cars and buses on Lake Shore Drive, some for up to 12 hours, forcing the lakefront highway to close for the first time ever. The all-time single-storm record still belongs to the Blizzard of 1967 and its 23 inches.

When Risk Peaks

Dec–Mar: Blizzards, lake-effect snow, and Arctic outbreaks; the most dangerous cold often arrives in January
Dec–Feb: Polar-vortex events can drive wind chills to 40–50 below — frostbite in minutes
Jun–Aug: Dangerous heat and humidity; the deadly 1995 heat wave struck in mid-July
Spring–summer: Severe thunderstorms, damaging straight-line winds, and the occasional tornado across the metro

What to Pack for Chicago

A complete Chicago kit has to cover both a deep freeze and a heat wave:

For extreme cold: warm layers, blankets, and a way to stay warm if the heat fails — plus a winter survival kit in your car (blanket, food, traction)
For heat waves: a plan to stay cool if the AC fails — know your nearest city cooling center and check on elderly neighbors, who are most at risk
3–7 days of water, food, and medications for blizzards that close the roads and the CTA
A battery or hand-crank NOAA weather radio for blizzard, wind-chill, and excessive-heat warnings
Flashlights, portable chargers, and a manual can opener for multi-day outages in either season
Never run a generator or grill indoors and never heat a home with a stove — carbon-monoxide deaths spike during cold-weather outages

Local Resources

Chicago Office of Emergency Management & Communications (OEMC) — City preparedness, AlertChicago notifications, and cooling/warming-center information.
Ready Illinois (IEMA-OHS) — Statewide preparedness guides for extreme cold, heat, and severe weather.
NWS Chicago — Local forecasts, blizzard, wind-chill, and excessive-heat warnings for northern Illinois.

Other locations

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