Chicago Winter Season: Essential Tips
It’s already that time of year. You know, when you leave your house with a short sleeve shirt and maybe some thin jeans or pants and walk outside only to realize that gust of wind is colder than usual. Chicago winter is quickly approaching, you’d think we went from summer, skipped fall, and went right into winter.
In Chicago, the winter season is about 3 months (but it feels as if it’s 7 months, it’s that cold!) Winter is right around the corner and here are 10 essential items and need-to-know advice during Chicago’s brutal winters.
Essentials
Tips
1. A Winter Coat
In Chicago, you MUST have a winter coat. Specifically, a WINTER coat, this means a coat with a hood, heavyweight, and warm liner of some sort on the inside.
I stress this because in Chicago, it’s one thing for it to be in the freezing cold but add the wind chill to that equation and it will easily be -10 degrees.
A warm heavy winter coat will save you from the brutal wind that the beloved Windy City gives us all year round, but specifically during the winter.
2. Boots
These will be your best friend. The snow that accumulates here is enough to make you fall if you don’t have any boots with grip. Invest in boots that will grip the snow underneath your foot because without them, the snow will nine times out of ten win.
You should also aim to have a longer pair of boots so that snow, sleet (wet snow), or rain won’t sneak their way in. A good pair of winter boots will always keep your feet warm and dry during the Chicago winter season.
So, when you’re shopping for a quality pair of boots, make sure they have grip, warmth, and are longer in length. You’ll seriously thank me later.
3. Chapstick & Lotion
Winters are rough in Chicago and even worse on the skin if not properly kept up. I combined these two because they really do go hand in hand with each other when the freezing temperatures come out to play.
Since winter is coming, I always buy so many tubes of Chapstick (even though I lose half of them – never ending battle) because I personally HATE having dry lips.
Having Chapstick to keep my lips moisturized in the cold is one of those simple life pleasures. It’s always a good feeling.
I have to always keep my cocoa butter Vaseline lotion on deck! My skin gets really dry in the winter so the more moisture I can get, the better.
I’ve known a few people who sometimes go without lotion in the winter season and I’m a little shocked (Don’t you feel your skin cracking!?).
Please invest in a good moisturizing lotion and Chapstick to give your skin the extra help that it needs during these freezing cold temperatures.
4. Gloves
Now, you may be thinking, “Do I really need gloves if I can just put my hands in my coat pockets?”
The answer is yes. I too once thought that I didn’t need gloves to aid my hands in the winter. I quickly found out that I had made a huge mistake.
If you live anywhere where it snows a good amount and gets continuous freezing temps, then you know those times where you take your hands out of your pocket for a quick second and it’s as if you’ve gotten instant frost bite. With a good pair of gloves, you can easily avoid this hassle.
5. A Winter Hat
Having a winter hat is definitely an essential, especially for those of you who have longer hair. As you know, when it snows it gets all over your head which isn’t necessarily the bad part for most.
It’s when the snow on your head starts to melt, and then all of a sudden it looks as if you’ve forgotten to dry your hair out of the shower.
Wearing a knitted hat or thicker hat that even covers the ears is a small way to avoid this minor inconvenience.
A Few Essential Need To Know Tips
6. Black Ice
Oh, the infamous black ice. During Chicago winter season, the city famous for having black ice. For those of you who don’t know of the term “black ice” it is a thin layer of ice that’s clear and is usually on the sidewalks or roads.
Yep, you got it right, because the ice is clear you really don’t have any indication that there might be some in front of you while you’re walking or driving.
I, unfortunately, have come into contact with black ice as I imagine many of you have as well. This particular time, I was driving my car (which only had front wheel drive – bad for the Chicago winter season) and I was making a left turn a bit faster than usual.
I turned and drove right on to some black ice and all of a sudden, my car kept turning!
I ended up doing an unwanted donut in street because I had no indication there was black ice there. Luckily, the road was on the larger side and after the donut I did, my car finally gripped the road, and I was able to get the car straightened out.
My biggest tip for helping you tackle black ice is to get a good pair of winter boots (as mentioned above) that have pretty decent grip on the bottom and to walk or drive with caution after snow or rainy day in the winter.
7. Freezing Temperatures
As I mentioned in the first tip, Chicago winters can be very brutal and well into the negative degree range. I always try to make sure I check the weather app on my phone because this lets me accurately prepare what I should wear for the day.
Although since I work from home 100% of the time now, I’m a bit lucky to just throw on some sweats and oversized crewneck.
8. Layer Up!
Layering up your clothes will help you a ton! With wearing layers, it gives you more warmth of course. This is especially great for people who are taking public transportation during the winter.
The wind chill can really take a toll on you. Having a couple layers on will help you out immensely.
One of my go-to pieces of clothing I use for layering up is some good ol’ long johns (as my grandma would say).
Long Johns aka thermal underwear is a long two-piece set with long legs and long sleeves meant to fit under normal clothes during the cold seasons. I love these as they keep me warm and fits the body well.
The only issue, at least if you have hairy legs and arms like me, is that it can become a bit itchy. Other than that, they’re my go-to!
9. Time Management
This may seem like an odd one to add to this list, but it is a must to adjust your schedule during the winter. In the freezing temperatures, if you drive you have to account for the time it takes to warm up your car.
If it’s been snowing overnight, which happens a lot in Chicago, you have to head out about ten minutes earlier than you would normally to wipe off the snow and ice on your car while it’s warming up.
Public transportation and Ubers are a huge deal in Chicago. When it’s snowing you have to build in a window of time because typically these services will be delayed.
If you build in an allotted amount of time, then you should be good to make it to your destination at the time you planned for.
10. Street Parking
As we all know, street parking can be such a pain in the city. Now, imagine that it’s also snowing, this adds to the headache of finding street parking. One of the major pains of living through the brutal Chicago winter season.
Typically, when it is snowing for a consecutive number of days, no one wants to leave their homes, so parking is so scarce.
I don’t know if this is just a Chicago thing, but when it snows and you have shoveled out your own parking spot on the street, it’s now yours.
Figuratively of course, but you will see people putting any item they can find in their house that isn’t being used, to keep that spot “reserved”.
As frustrating as this can be because it feels like you’ll never find a spot (or you could be that guy who takes the park but is shunned by everyone who sees you on the block lol).
On the other hand, I do understand this concept because it takes a lot of energy to dig out a spot.
No one wants to do that every day.
Your best bet is to have an assigned parking spot or be like the rest of us and continue to circle around your block until you find a spot….10 years later.
If you’ve made it this far I thank you! I decided to throw in an extra tip for you.
11. Get A Space Heater
We have a lot of vintage buildings here in Chicago that are typically just renovated, but a lot of them kept the radiator heating system.
I’ve always dreaded the radiators that you can’t control the yourself, which in most apartments in Chicago you can’t. The radiators are either super-hot or they’re not on at all.
Getting a space heater, yes, I know they’re dangerous, but I recommend that you only turn them on when you are in the room and never leave them on overnight.
But using a space heater to knock out the chill in your home works great, but definitely use with caution.
These are just a few tips that I have learned throughout my time growing up in Chicago. If you use any of the tips while you’re in any city during the winter months, you’ll be readily prepared. Although the winters in Chicago, we all look forward to spring and summer. Those are the best months to visit the city.
Joshua Wade
Blogger, Fashion enthusiast, tech nerd, LGBTQIA+, city native. I love sharing insight on my experiences and knowledge.
