As a result of forecasts projecting that the dangerously cold weather conditions that shuttered operations at government buildings and schools on Wednesday will continue to pound Chicago on Thursday, the LT Administration made the decision Wednesday morning to yet again cancel school for a second day.

“It is rare LT cancels school due to cold weather, but these conditions are also extremely rare,” NC Associate Principal Kevin Brown told the LION Tuesday regarding closure of school on Jan. 30. 

On the school website Wednesday, the cancelation was attributed to the “continued extreme air temperatures” that have forced much of the midwest to shutdown. The cancelation of school Thursday marks the third time LT has canceled school due to cold weather in the past 10 years.

The announcement stated that LT students will have to make-up the missed day—both for Wednesday and Thursday—but the replacement for Thursday has yet to be announced. The institute day scheduled for April 22 has been made a school attendance day as a result of Wednesday’s closure.

On Wednesday, LaGrange faced a low of 23 degrees below zero, with wind chills adding further danger to the situation. The temperatures were further brought down by significant wind-chills, sinking temperatures down to around 50 degrees below zero.

Additionally, the temperature Thursday is not expected to rise much. The Chicago Tribune forecasts similarly frigid temperatures on Thursday, with a low of 28 degrees below zero. However, the high for Thursday is forecasted to be three degrees above zero, in comparison to Wednesday’s high of eight degrees below zero.

The extreme sub-zero temperatures are the result of a polar-vortex, which according to the National Weather Service is caused by the “large area of low pressure and cold air” that is concentrated typically only at the Earth’s poles expanding, sending that cold air from the north pole into southern areas, such as Chicago.

“Plunging temperatures combined with gusty winds is producing dangerous wind chills across a significant portion of the Upper Midwest and Ohio Valley,” the National Weather Service said on its website.

The National Weather Service is imploring people to avoid going outside if possible. Frostbite can occur within five minutes as a result of the combination of the wind and air temperatures.

Hypothermia and frostbite are both cold-related medical conditions that can be deadly if not properly treated. So far, seven deaths have been reported across the midwest because of the cold, USA Today reported Wednesday afternoon.

The LTHS administration said on the school’s website that school is expected to resume on Friday. The National Weather Service’s wind-chill warning is set to expire at noon on Thursday.

Reporting contributed by The LION’s Anna McCormick.