Temporary Aurora Warming Center Will Open Wednesday Night

AURORA, IL — Aurora will activate its temporary overnight warming center at Wesley United Methodist Church starting at 8 p.m. Wednesday.

The church, at 14 N. May St., will serve as a place of warm refuge from 8 p.m. Wednesday to 8 a.m. Thursday and again from 8 p.m. Thursday to 8 a.m. Friday.

Each evening, staff will provide guests with a cot, snacks and water. Security will also be on-site at all times.

The city opens its overnight warming center whenever temperatures dip below 15 degrees. An Arctic cold blast is expected to hit the Chicago area starting Wednesday afternoon and continue into Thursday, bringing bitterly cold wind chills of 20 below zero, Patch reported.

On Wednesday evening, "temperatures will plummet as west to northwest winds increase. Wind chills will drop to -10 to -20 overnight," the weather service said.

The high for Thursday is 21 degrees. Conditions will start to warm up after Thursday, with a high of 40 degrees expected on Friday.

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