re: #70 Hecuba’s daughter

Record low in Illinois was −38 °F (−38.9 °C), recorded on January 31, 2019, at Mt Carroll, Illinois. But for Chicago, my home town, record low was -27 degrees, on Jan. 20, 1985.

Lake Michigan keeps things a bit warmer. I lived on the southeast shore for a decade, I was one of the victims of the great spring storm of 1995 (or was it 1996?) that left us without power for 4 days, when I had to clear the driveway so my dad could get gas for the generator and water to keep the family alive.