My day began with a post from my daughter in the family chat announcing that nursery school had been cancelled. Her kids, therefore, were fully available for the pre‑Shabbat call. She included a screenshot of her weather app: –7 degrees in Skokie, IL, with a wind chill of –23.

Separately, a friend in Minneapolis shared his own update on social media: a screenshot showing –22 degrees with a wind chill of –28, accompanied by his very reasonable plan to go back to bed.

These extreme temperatures haven’t reached our area yet, but they’re on their way. What’s been interesting to me is watching how different groups prepare for the cold.

Meteorologists do an excellent job reminding people about the dangers of extreme cold: how quickly hypothermia and frostbite can set in, how to dress in layers, and the importance of checking in on elderly neighbors. All of that is important and appreciated. Still, I wouldn’t mind a special advisory on what to do about our teenagers, who seem constitutionally incapable of acknowledging the existence of coats, hats, or gloves. Perhaps a new category of alert: “Wind chill warnings apply even to 16‑year‑olds who insist they’re not cold.”

I also receive newsletters from all of our community synagogues, and the different ways they’re handling the Shabbat‑weather situation is noteworthy.

Some synagogues simply cancelled Shabbat services this week. Others shifted to livestream only. One made a point of reassuring congregants that while it may be frigid outside, it’s warm inside the shul—so take precautions, be safe, but come if you can. Another rabbi, speaking directly to the Shabbat‑walking crowd, emphasized prioritizing safety, especially for families with very young children and strollers.

Of course, all of this is just the warm‑up act—pun intended—for the major snowstorm barreling in on Sunday. So, enjoy these last few hours of merely freezing temperatures. By the time the weekend ends, we may all be comparing screenshots of snowfall totals instead of wind chills.