News Local/State

Bitter Cold Closes Hundreds Of Illinois Schools

by The Associated Press, with additional reporting from Illinois Public Media
 

Classes are canceled for tens of thousands of Illinois students thanks to bitterly cold weather that's blanketing much of the state.

Hundreds of schools across the state decided to close because of sub-zero weather and wind chills that expected to sink to 45 degrees below zero in some northern Illinois communities.

In central Illinois, the National Weather Service says wind chills are expected to reach 35 degrees below zero.
 
The latest cold weather prompted administrators at Chicago Public Schools along with those in Freeport, Rockford, Springfield, Peoria and elsewhere to cancel school.
 
Illinois State University in Bloomington and Bradley University in Peoria are also closed Monday.  An exception is the University of Illinois' campus in Urbana-Champaign.  Most K-12 schools in the immediate region are closed, including Champaign Unit 4, Urbana District 116, and Danville District 118.
 
The cold, gusting wind is also blamed for causing whiteout conditions in some areas.