Chicago First Day Of Spring: City's Vernal Equinox Comes With Subzero Wind Chill

Chicago News and Weather | FOX 32 News

Wednesday marks the long-awaited first day of spring in Chicago -- but you wouldn't be able to tell that from the bitterly cold weather that won't be going anywhere anytime soon.

Thanks to a cold Arctic air mass, the city remains in the grips of a cold spell that will continue through at least the end of the week and Wednesday's expected high temperature will only hit the mid-20s, according to the Chicago Weather Center blog.

The day started with temperatures of 14 and 15 degrees at the city's two airports -- and a subzero wind chill, thanks to winds that are expected to gust up to 30mph on Wednesday, according to NBC Chicago.

Last year at this time, Chicago was in the midst of an unprecedented heat wave. The city hit 85 degrees on March 20, a record high, and 87 degrees on March 21, another record high, the Chicago Tribune reports.

As if that wasn't bad enough, accumulating snow, according to the Weather Center, is appearing increasingly likely on Sunday and Monday in Chicago.

As Fox Chicago notes, March temperatures in Chicago typically hit the upper 40s.