Frozen Chicago could see a foot or more of snow by Tuesday

Chicago, which was already locked in a deep freezing point, could see new feet – or more – of new snowfall on Monday.

Snow is expected to start falling on Sunday night and could continue until Tuesday night, the national weather service said.

It will hit while Chicago is trying to recover from a brutally cold weekend. With the highlights in the single figures, Sunday Ministry workers were on the verge of checking on homeless individuals and offering assistance.

After an expected dusting of less than a centimeter Sunday, snow on the lake on Monday will bring about 7 to 15 centimeters at Midway Airport, the weather service said. More snow is likely to follow Tuesday. A foot is expected at O’Hare Airport.

Fifteen inches “is probably here at the end of business, but there will be some areas that will probably see a foot when it’s all done,” said meteorologist Kevin Donofrio, noting that snowfall numbers in the lake could vary.

Meanwhile, Sunday’s high temperature reached a peak of just 4 degrees, breaking the record for the lowest high temperatures on Valentine’s Day – 8 degrees, recorded in 1943. Night temperatures could drop as low as -7, with wind chills possibly dropping to -28, weather reports said.

Anthony Vazquez / Sun-Times

In those temperatures, freezing is possible in less than ten minutes, the weather service warned. The temperature is not expected to climb to freezing point until next Sunday.

Amid the prolonged freeze, teams of outreach workers swept through the city over the weekend to provide assistance to homeless Chicago residents.

Stephan Koruba, a nurse at the Night Ministry, stopped at campsites and other sites on Sunday to ensure homeless people do not suffer from freezing or hypothermia, and provides blankets, gloves, hand warmers and food for those who weather the cold.

“These people are by definition socially isolated,” Koruba said as he worked under a viaduct near Lower Michigan Avenue and Illinois Street. ‘Just for example, you come to someone who is sleeping and does not even know if he is sleeping under the pile of clothes. You must try to reach them before it becomes dangerous and they lose their lives. ‘

Anthony Vazquez / Sun-Times

Marcus Carter, 50, originally from the Near West Side, was one of those who accepted help from Koruba and his team on Sunday. Carter, who lost his home when his mother died in January last year, remarked that he had been ‘terrible’ on the street for the past year and said he wanted to find a way to homelessness.

‘I just came to social security. I want an apartment, man, ‘he said. ‘I’ll pay anything. Just get me off the streets. I want to go. I want a roof over my head. I do not want to live like that. ”

The Salvation Army did similar outreach work over the weekend at 22 locations across the city, including 12 homeless campsites. This outreach campaign, put together by the city’s Department of Family and Support Services, includes the distribution of food and winter clothing, but also offers homeless residents the opportunity to get out of the cold – albeit temporarily.

Tyler LaRiviere / Sun-Times

However, spokesperson Katie Heinz Pfingsten said on Sunday afternoon that the outreach workers had still not transported anyone to the heating centers in the city. Koruba has admitted that some homeless individuals do not want to leave their campsites to a shelter or hotel because they are afraid that their personal belongings will be thrown away.

“That’s why some people who stay behind at a camp will watch other people’s things,” he said. “Not everyone has that much confidence in their neighbor in their campsites, but it’s not uncommon.”

Despite the extreme weather, Carter said he would rather be under the viaduct downtown than in a shelter. He noted that some shelters had to leave visitors early in the morning, and he was concerned that his personal items might be stolen.

“Sometimes it’s not a good place to be,” he said.

Contributions: Manny Ramos, David Struett