Your NPR news source
A person walks across a frozen lake in winter

Chicago residents visit the Lakefront of Lake Michigan during the polar vortex on Jan, 30, 2019. Wednesday marks the coldest day in Chicago history. From the crackling Lakefront to the city’s El stops, locals took on the record breaking wind chills. The polar vortex that brought the Chicago area to a halt in January will now be remembered as producing the state’s coldest temperature ever, according to weather officials. Manuel Martinez/WBEZ

Manuel Martinez

A person walks across a frozen lake in winter

Chicago residents visit the Lakefront of Lake Michigan during the polar vortex on Jan, 30, 2019. Wednesday marks the coldest day in Chicago history. From the crackling Lakefront to the city’s El stops, locals took on the record breaking wind chills. The polar vortex that brought the Chicago area to a halt in January will now be remembered as producing the state’s coldest temperature ever, according to weather officials. Manuel Martinez/WBEZ

Manuel Martinez

Curious City

We’ve got answers to your winter-related questions

Chicago residents visit the Lakefront of Lake Michigan during the polar vortex on Jan, 30, 2019. Wednesday marks the coldest day in Chicago history. From the crackling Lakefront to the city’s El stops, locals took on the record breaking wind chills. The polar vortex that brought the Chicago area to a halt in January will now be remembered as producing the state’s coldest temperature ever, according to weather officials. Manuel Martinez/WBEZ

Manuel Martinez
By Jason Marck Joe DeCeault Susie An Adriana Cardona-Maguigad Maggie Sivit Elvia Malagón
   

This week, we rounded up answers to five winter-related questions:

  1. What’s the purpose of the sand dunes along Lake Michigan in the winter? Starts at 2:20

  2. How does salt runoff from Chicago roads affect our waterways? Starts at 5:10

  3. How do I avoid ice falling from buildings when I see those “Caution: Falling ice” signs? Starts at 12:23

  4. How much sun does Chicago get in the winter compared to other cities? Starts at 17:55

  5. What are some activities I can do with my dog in Chicago when it’s freezing outside? Starts at 22:53


Answering these questions took the Curious City team on an epic journey (literally and figuratively) to an indoor doggie pool, the Neiman Marcus building on Michigan Ave. and all the way to the Gulf of Mexico. 

Click “listen” at the top of this page to understand why.

Subscribe to Curious City
More From This Show
An illustration of what the Chicago area would have looked like about 309 million years ago.
What prehistoric creatures roamed Chicago?
Chicago’s geological history stretches back more than 400 million years. The region was once an underwater reef and, later, covered in ice.
By Susie An
 
Curious City Uptown Native neighborhood main image collage
Uptown was once a vibrant hub for Chicago’s Native American community
Native Americans have always lived in Chicago, but in the mid-20th century they established a cultural enclave in Uptown, anchored by community centers and social connections.
By Kadin Mills
 
Dale Kaczmarek’s Ghost Research Society took photos of Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery. Kaczmarek claims an image from 1991 shows the ghost of a woman in white. / Jude Huff-Felz
There’s more to Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery than ghost stories
By Cameron Costanzo
 
More Stories