CHICAGO — As we put on our third pair of gloves this morning, we thought to ourselves: this is the Chicago winter we know.
Love it or hate it (seriously though who loves -15 wind chills?), Chicago winter is something that unites us. We complain about unshoveled sidewalks, opine about dibs and celebrate those weird 55 degree December days.
The city's reputation for brutal winters keeps unsavory characters out, and that we're OK with. Still, it's fun to complain about the weather, so we decided to start an index that would rate our general winter misery throughout the season.
The Winter Misery Index will consider how many days we go without sunshine (pro-tip: Vitamin D supplements), the temperature, how well (or poorly) our sports teams are doing and just the general vibe of the city. Since this is all in good fun, we'll avoid talking politics or crime here. There are plenty of places to find that on our site, however.
And now, for today's rating: Considerably Miserable (6)
Why a 6? Well, wind chills were about 15 below this morning, but the sun made an appearance today and yesterday and we aren't completely traumatized by the brutal temperatures just yet. It's also not snowing at the moment, but that will change around 3 p.m., making for an icy and likely slow ride home if you drive.
More reasons for misery: David Bowie died yesterday, breaking our hearts and the hearts of his fans everywhere. What a loss. We also learned that those adorable chicks at the Museum of Science and Industry are fed to animals at the Lincoln Park Zoo. Circle of life, we know, but they're so cute!
Why things aren't the worst: Temperatures will hit 40 by Thursday (thanks El Niño) and the current cold weather gives us an excuse to stay inside, blast "Hunky Dory" and eat our feelings.
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