The winter of 2013-2014 was one of the coldest winters in the history of Chicago. The “polar vortex” caused the breaking of numerous snowfall records in the Northeast, and record low temperatures all over the country. It even brought snow to states such as Tennessee and Texas, which usually do not see cold weather. It was reported to have caused a $5 billion impact across America, and it was linked to over a dozen deaths nationwide. It also caused school closings, power outages, flight delays, and public transportation problems.
The worst part is that it may be back this winter. According to the Weather Channel, there is always a “polar vortex.” A “polar vortex is cold air that circles the Arctic region of the Northern Hemisphere. However, sometime early in January 2013, two wind patterns combined and forced part of the vortex to extend down into the United States. This caused the unusually frigid conditions that dominated early 2014.
According to the “Old Farmers Almanac,” the conditions for Chicago will be “colder than normal, with the coldest periods in late December, throughout January, and in early February. Snowfall will be above normal in most of the region, with the snowiest periods in mid-December, early and mid- January, and early February.”
On a local level, conditions for the North Shore will be above average snow and colder than regular temperatures, according to the “Old Farmer Almanac.” This is bad for students such as New Trier Senior Evan Gruchot, who said that the brutal chill not only burst a pipe, but also killed his car battery. “It turned out that the pipe had broken in half,” said Gruchot,”We were lucky, it only cost about $200 to replace, it could have been thousands of dollars,” he said. Evan’s story is not unique. Senior Fuzz Coan found that his diesel truck couldn’t hold up in the cold and it kept him from getting to work that day. According to New Trier senior Thomas Burt, he was prevented from driving at all, and he was forced to take public transportation.
The cold did not only affect New Trier students, though, it also was a major obstacle for the school, specifically PPS. Director of PPS, Steven Linke, said “the extreme cold caused many problems for the school. While New Trier has annually ordered 60 tons of salt paying $75 per ton, last year PPS bought 130 tons of salt paying $210 for each ton over the original 60.”
They faced many other problems, including flooding in the locker rooms, and frozen heating coils. Although this winter may not be as intense as the last, PPS is still ordering a larger portion of their total salt. They are also keeping more of the salt on site at New Trier instead of at the Winnetka village yard where it is usually kept, said Linke.