Visiting in February. What do I need? (Chicago: apartment, rent)

[westcoastvp]

I"ll be coming to Chicago for the first time in February and being that I'm from southern California (and know nothing about real winters), I would like to know what to expect as far as weather goes. I realize it's gonna be cold, but generally speaking, is it usually a stormy month? And are there any specific articles of clothing that I should get prior to going. Any advice would be helpful.
Thanks.

[chirack]

Are you just visiting or are you moving here? Do you expect to drive to most of your locations or public transit? Are you a man or a woman? Do you need to wear a suit? All of those go into the equation of what you need for winter here. Oh buy your coat before you come here becuase it is going to be hard to find a coat in Febuary as the stores are starting to stock for spring/summer.

For February you are going to need a coat that goes down to thighs with a hood and a hat/gloves. Now if you need to wear a suit to work then a formal coat may be in order if not regular coat with hood. If you get a regular coat you still need a hat preferable a ski hat that you can put on under the hood if it is really cold or store in your pocket if not.

If you have a formal coat then a scarf and or ear muffs may be needed since the hat you wear with those usually does not cover the ears.

Additional pieces such as a heavy jacket for march if you are planning to live here into late march. Boots if you are a woman or a man who needs to walk a lot in snow(outside public transit). Scarf if you plan to live here and take public transit(you can risk it if you are just visiting for a short time) and you probably don't need one if you are driving.

Avoid walking around in dress shoes outside because slush/salt can damage them(change into them at work or in your car a short distance from work).

February is when winter is at is worse but Chicago's winters are very variable. It could be 50-60 outside. It could be -3 with a -20 windchill.We get a lot of freeze thaw. So far this winter has been a bit more constant than most with temps remaining just under freezing rather than the usual 50 Mon 20 or worse Tue routine.

[Trollblaster]

The coldest month of Winter in Chicago is January.

The average high temp in February increases greatly from the middle of the month to the end. By March 1st the average high is about 40.

The chances it will be really cold in the daytime are very low. At night however the average low is still well below freezing for the entire month.

[Trollblaster]

Originally Posted by chirack

(*Clipped*) So far this winter has been a bit more constant than most with temps remaining just under freezing rather than the usual 50 Mon 20 or worse Tue routine.

I do not know what city you live in, but almost every night this month and most of the nights in December the temperature have gone below 20 at night.

[chirack]

Originally Posted by Trollblaster

I do not know what city you live in, but almost every night this month and most of the nights in December the temperature have gone below 20 at night.

I know. I was thinking of day time temps. Although have we gone bellow zero this year?

[Trollblaster]

Originally Posted by chirack

(*Clipped*) Although have we gone bellow zero this year?

No, but it is supposed to happen Thursday night. From Thursday night to Sunday night the low for each day is predicted to be below 0.

[andrewesque]

As a former southern Californian who now lives in Chicago, by way of New England, here's my advice. My assumptions are that you are just visiting, you don't want to spend a huge amount of money on a new wardrobe and formality is not a huge concern. Adjust based on what differs from this.

Coat: It's hard enough getting a coat here now, as spring in the retail world begins right after Christmas and the warm stuff that's still available in stores is often in weird sizes like XS and XXXL, so buying a coat in California will be just as difficult. I'd go for borrowing/buying a ski jacket, as that's what will probably be the most available to you given SoCal's skiing.

In terms of down/puffy/ski vs. wool, I personally actually wear wool coats almost all the time unless it's sleeting/freezing ice/heavy snowing, but I'm also generally on the warm side, keep the heat in my apartment fairly low and like wool in general. For somebody who is just visiting, it is hard to acclimate to the cold suddenly (for native Chicagoans, it's as if September were followed immediately by January) and ski/down/puffy jackets are just warmer than a lot of the fashionable but thin wool jackets, particularly those sold in California.

Accessories: It almost feels disingenuous to call these just accessories, because they help *tremendously* to ward against the cold.
- Scarves help to insulate that patch of air at your collar where your jacket opens.
- Gloves are your friend (and not those huge gardening gloves, but either leather or wool gloves) as your hands, especially if you have poor circulation, will feel colder than they've ever felt before.
- Hat/earwarmers: I am not a hat person as I get hat hair, but I swear by a pair of behind-the-neck earwarmers. I have 180s, which you will probably be able to find at a sporting goods and skiing store. If you don't get hat hair, though, by all means get a wool hat/cap as long as it covers your ears.

Shoes: Salt on sidewalks and streets will be new; I know I wondered why all the streets looked white (and not with snow) in the winter when I first moved to New England. Nice leather shoes will be ruined, or at least stained with salt which you'll have to get cleaned out. So don't go walking around in those. I'd say get some wool socks, sturdy shoes and possibly boots if you are a woman and depending on budget.

If you're a guy, winter boots are obviously nice if it ends up snowing heavily, but given that you're just visiting and the chance of such an extreme snowfall, I don't think they're a good value proposition (particularly since they will probably see very little to no wear once you get back to California, which is not the case for women, since I see lots of them with classy leather boots when I visit LA in the winter.)

Other thoughts: If you're just being a tourist, don't rent a car, as nearly all of the typical first-time Chicago tourist destinations are easily accessible by public transportation. And finally, I know I love the sun and warmth when I go to CA for the holidays, but there's something about the crisp cold air on a sunny 25-degree day in the winter in Chicago that I love, and hopefully you'll get to experience that.

[tonythetuna]

Originally Posted by westcoastvp

I"ll be coming to Chicago for the first time in February and being that I'm from southern California (and know nothing about real winters), I would like to know what to expect as far as weather goes. I realize it's gonna be cold, but generally speaking, is it usually a stormy month? And are there any specific articles of clothing that I should get prior to going. Any advice would be helpful.
Thanks.

Hopefully you were not here for the blizzard or are here right now!

[marie312]

All your ski clothes. Face mask.