Chiberia (Chicago nickname)
“Chiberia (Chicago + Siberia) is a nickname that has been used during Chicago’s winter storms. Siberia is a cold place and is often used as a weather metonym.
“Chi-beria. Yeah, you can use it” was posted on Twitter by Gary Doyle on December 18, 2008. “Has renamed Chicago Chiberia. And it isn’t even February” was posted on Twitter by Samantha L Vérant on January 19, 2009. “17 things to do on a snow day in Chiberia” was a story in Time Out—Chicago on February 2, 2011.
Richard Castro, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service, popularized “Chiberia” in January 2014, but he wasn’t the first to use the word.
Wikipedia: Chicago
Chicago (/ʃᵻˈkɑːɡoʊ/ or /ʃᵻˈkɔːɡoʊ/; shi-kah-goh) is the third most populous city in the United States. With over 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the state of Illinois and the Midwestern United States, and the county seat of Cook County. The Chicago metropolitan area, often referred to as Chicagoland, has nearly 10 million people and is the third-largest in the U.S.
Wikipedia: List of nicknames for Chicago
“Chi-beria” – A play on Siberia, a nickname largely used during the 2014 North American Cold Wave.
Twitter
Gary Doyle
@garytdoyle
Chi-beria. Yeah, you can use it.
4:57 PM - 18 Dec 2008
Twitter
Samantha L Vérant
@samantha_verant
has renamed Chicago Chiberia. And it isn’t even February.
10:12 AM - 19 Jan 2009
Twitter
James Rhine
@jamesrhine
We live in Chiberia. RT @ChiBoys: What the deuce!!! It’s snowing #Chicago
7:21 PM - 5 Jan 2011
Time Out—Chicago
17 things to do on a snow day in Chiberia
Posted in Around Town, Home & Living, Restaurants and bars, Spas, fitness and health by Kate Dessa on February 2nd, 2011 at 8:46 am
The Chicago Blizzard of 2011 has arrived turning our fair city into a veritable Chiberia. With predictions of up to 26 inches of snow when it’s all over, Chicagoans are preparing for what looks like a city-wide snow day. Whether one plans to hunker down and enjoy a day inside or go out and explore the windy winter wonderland, TOC has some suggestions for your new found spare time. Just make sure you call ahead, before doing anything—most cultural institutions and businesses are closed for the day—and wear extra layers.
Twitter
Jen Sanders
@chitownjen
Chi-beria! RT @ChrisFranjola: I think I would rather be holding Anderson Cooper’s camera in downtown Cairo than be in Chicago right now.
4:54 PM - 3 Feb 2011
Twitter
E.J. Luna
@ejtheasian
Chi-raq?
No. Welcome to Chi-beria. #WinterStorm
3:45 PM - 4 Jan 2014
The Huffington Post
Chicago Weather About To Take A Turn For The Brutally Cold, ‘Life-Threatening’ Conditions Ahead
01/05/2014 01:34 pm ET | Updated Jan 23, 2014
(...)
Richard Castro of the National Weather Service coined the term ChiBeria to describe the “life-threatening” conditions ahead in the Windy City, the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
Urban Dictionary
Chi-beria
Chi-beria is what Chicago turns into when it gets really fucking cold. I mean like -400 degrees. So cold that you legitimately question whether you are in the 3rd largest American city or on the frozen tundra of Siberia.
When a polar vortex rolls through the Midwest, you know all the schools are closing in Chi-beria.
#chiberia #chi-beria #chi-laska #antarct-ditka #chicago #freezing
by jmarteeeeen January 08, 2014
Urban Dictionary
Chiberia
Chi-beria is a term coined by NWS meteorologist Ricky Castro (on his way to work) before the 1/6/2014 polar vortex outbreak. The City of Chicago and greater suburban areas reached AIR temperatures at around -15 degree Fahrenheit. Combined with even colder wind chills of down to -50 degrees Fahrenheit and about a foot of snow, social media controller for the NWS decided it would accurately depict the severity of the upcoming weather and cause people to take precaution. The word went viral via hastags (#) and became to be used as a term to describe Chicago during periods of extreme cold weather. Simple etymology consists of combining the names “Chicago” with “Siberia”. It means conditions for the city will or currently rival conditions of Siberia, notorious for extreme cold and snow.
(...)
by chiraqimofoo January 25, 2014
CBS Chicago
Meet The Man Who Coined The Word ‘Chiberia’
March 6, 2014 3:20 PM By Ed Curran
CHICAGO (CBS) — He’s the Sultan of Stats and clever with words, too.
“We had the coldest January since the late 70s, the coldest February since the late ’70s,” says Richard Castro, meteorologist for the National Weather Service says.
(...)
The idea was sparked by a Facebook post that asked, “When did Chicago become Siberia?”
“It took a couple of days to marinade and on my way to work, I thought just, kinda, well … Chiberia,” Castro told CBS 2 Meteorologist Ed Curran.
That’s right, Castro coined the word, Chiberia.