Chicago braces for brutal arctic blast as schools close and travel chaos looms

The Chicago area is under an Extreme Cold Warning with wind chills as low as -40 and temperatures around -5 to -15, prompting Chicago Public Schools to cancel classes and triggering widespread closures as a major winter storm looms with snow and potential power outages. Travel is disrupted nationwide, transit and tollway services adjust, and authorities urge residents to prepare, protect pipes, check car batteries, and rely on shelters for unhoused residents as conditions worsen through Friday into the weekend.