Chicago Winter Survival Guide

Satellite view after last years blizzard.

Home sweet H.O.M.E.S.

Nowhere else in the world have I heard the weather described in finite terms.  In the middle west it is rampant.  The second that September comes around it is echoed through out the land, "Summer is gone"  It is said with the absolute certainty that it will never be back.  Ever.  I get it people are getting their minds set for a cold and brutal couple of months.  The winters here are survivable though and we make it to Summer every year.   I personally love Old Man Winter.  The year before I started biking in the winter though I had it tough.  Now I have my own set of helpful tips.

Number one: Hibernation is not an option.  I know too many Chicagoans that bury themselves under blankets and wait for their late February/early March trip to Arizona.  Get out in it.   Stay just as active as  in the summer months and you will change with the seasons.  I ride my bike all winter and besides the clothes I wear I don't notice much of a difference.  However clothing does matter.  The majority of my winter layers started out as inexpensive GI gear bought at an Army Navy surplus or handed down from servicemen friends and relatives.   Season by season I upgraded one piece to a sport specific article.  Now this is what gets me though most of what mother nature tosses at me.  Remember there's no bad weather only bad clothing.   Chicago's average wind chill is 24∘

A fleece lined wind breaker and jersey for temps down to 40∘.

Below 40∘ I add a base layer.

At 30∘and lower I add a fleece vest.

With shorts that convert to pants for the teens and below.  

A full length bib is under it all.

Number Two:  Keep a rosy view.  What really gets to me is not the biting cold its the lack of sunshine.  Chicago gets and estimated 43% sunshine in the winter and it will get you down.  I've gone to extreme lengths to see the hope of sunshine.  Even woke up to see it at the horizon before it went into a cloud covered sky.  However even this is not the answer because sleep deprivation won't help you any either.  In comes eye wear.  I advocate protecting your peepers all the time.  Invest in some interchangeable sunglasses.  Mine not only have an amber lens but a rose colored one also.  Switching them in for the doom and gloom outside might just trick your brain enough to where you don't notice the gray so much.  And when it is too windy I bust out my ski goggles.  Go with a low tint and you will be able to wear them at night with the aid of street lights.

 

For my head I have a GI Issue insulated helmet liner.

The chin strap goes in the holes and under the chin.

The peripheral vision is unobstructed.  This thing is perfect.

Number Three: Fire and Friends.  Find your self a bar with a fireplace and invite your friends.  Support is crucial and there is something about a fire that makes things special.  One of my warming memories is going to a friends house for a dead of winter BBQ every Monday and eating in front of their wood burning stove.  It is something I've been meaning to recreate at my current locale.  Give yourself something to look forward to every week and you won't be counting down the days till Spring Training in Glendale.  So keep the grill out and for a list of pubs with fire places click here.

Finally keep a weathered eye here are some of my favorite weather sights with lakefront cams. NOAA and Midwest HazeCam.