BISMARCK, N.D. -- A deadly arctic deep freeze enveloped the Midwest with record-breaking temperatures on Wednesday, triggering widespread closures of schools and businesses, and the cancelling of more than 1,500 flights from Chicago's airports. The cold even prompted the U.S. Postal Service to suspend mail delivery to a wide swath of the region.

Many normal activities shut down and residents huddled inside as the National Weather Service forecast plunging temperatures from one of the coldest air masses in years. The bitter cold is the result of a split in the polar vortex that allowed temperatures to drop much farther south than normal.

In Chicago, temperatures were still dropping after plunging early Wednesday to minus 19 degrees (negative 28 Celsius), breaking the day's previous record low set in 1966. Snowplows were idled overnight in southwestern Minnesota, where temperatures dropped to negative 29 degrees (negative 34 Celsius). And the temperature in Fargo, North Dakota, was 31 degrees below zero (negative 35 Celsius).

In addition to the flight cancellations in Chicago at O'Hare International Airport and Midway International Airport, the extreme cold prompted Amtrak to cancel all trains into and out of Chicago.

Officials throughout the region were focused on protecting vulnerable people from the cold , including the homeless, seniors and those living in substandard housing. Some buses were turned into mobile warming shelters to help the homeless in Chicago.

Governors in Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan declared emergencies as the worst of the cold threatened on Wednesday. In Chicago, major attractions closed because of the bitter cold, including the Lincoln Park Zoo, the Art Institute and the Field Museum.

“These (conditions) are actually a public health risk and you need to treat it appropriately,” Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel said Tuesday. “They are life-threatening conditions and temperatures.”

A wind chill of minus 25 (negative 32 degrees Celsius) can freeze skin within 15 minutes, according to the National Weather Service.

In Michigan, homeless shelters in Lansing were becoming “overloaded,” Mayor Andy Schor said. They also were filling up in Detroit.

“People don't want to be out there right now,” said Brennan Ellis, 53, who is staying at the Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries.

Detroit's outlook was for Wednesday overnight lows around minus 12 (negative 24 degrees Celsius), with wind chills dropping to minus 35 (negative 37 degrees Celsius).

At least four deaths were linked to the weather system Tuesday, including a man struck and killed by a snow plow in the Chicago area, a young couple whose SUV struck another on a snowy road in northern Indiana and a Milwaukee man found frozen to death in a garage.

A popular saying goes: “Neither snow nor rain nor heat ...” will stop the mail from being delivered. But extreme cold will on Wednesday.

The U.S. Postal Service said it would suspend mail delivery on Wednesday in parts or all of several Midwest states including North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana and Michigan.

Hawaii native Charles Henry, 54, was staying at a shelter in St. Paul, Minnesota, and said he was grateful to have a place to stay out of the cold.

“That wind chill out there is not even a joke,” he said. “I feel sorry for anybody that has to stay outside.”

Chicago was turning five buses into makeshift warming centres moving around the city, some with nurses aboard, to encourage the homeless to come in from the cold.

“We're bringing the warming shelters to them, so they can stay near all of their stuff and still warm up,” said Cristina Villarreal, spokeswoman for the city's Department of Family and Support Services.

Shelters, churches and city departments in Detroit worked together to help get vulnerable people out of the cold, offering the message to those who refused help that “you're going to freeze or lose a limb,” said Terra DeFoe, a senior adviser to Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan.

Hundreds of public schools and several large universities from North Dakota to Pennsylvania cancelled classes Tuesday or planned to do so Wednesday.

American Indian tribes in the Upper Midwest were doing what they could to help members in need with heating supplies. The extreme cold was “a scary situation,” because much of the housing is of poor quality, said Chris Fairbanks, energy assistance program manager for the White Earth Band of Ojibwe in Minnesota.

The cold weather was even affecting beer deliveries, with a pair of western Wisconsin distributors saying they would delay or suspend shipments for fear that beer would freeze in their trucks.

But it wasn't stopping one of America's most formidable endurance tests, however - the three-day Arrowhead 135 was going on as scheduled in northeastern Minnesota. Competitors can cover the race route by bicycle, cross-country skis or just running.

The cold is attributed to a sudden warming far above the North Pole. A blast of warm air from misplaced Moroccan heat last month made the normally super chilly air temperatures above the North Pole rapidly increase. That split the polar vortex into pieces, which then started to wander, said Judah Cohen, a winter storm expert for Atmospheric Environmental Research.

One of those polar vortex pieces is responsible for the subzero temperatures across the Midwest this week.

Associated Press reporters Caryn Rousseau and Don Babwin in Chicago; Corey Williams, David Runk and Mike Householder in Detroit; David Eggert in Lansing, Michigan; and Jeff Baenen in Minneapolis contributed to this report. AP Science Writer Seth Borenstein also contributed.</s>This post was originally published on this site

Chicago is forecast to reach an actual temperature of minus 26 degrees Wednesday night — just one degree away from the city’s all-time coldest temperature, which was set in 1994.

And soon, freezing temperatures will take over the Northeast.

The coldest wind chill (what it feels like outside) in the U.S. Wednesday morning was near Ponsford, Minnesota, which clocked in at a bone-chilling minus 66 degrees.

The temperature in Minneapolis plunged to minus 28 — the lowest since 1996. The city recorded a wind chill of minus 55.

Chicago reached a temperature of minus 23 — the lowest there since 1994. Chicago saw a minus 52 degree wind chill.

As the cold takes over and residents are urged to stay inside to avoid dangers including frostbite, the U.S. Postal Service has suspended delivery for Minnesota, western Wisconsin, western Illinois and Iowa.

Over 1,700 flights have been canceled at Chicago’s airports for the day, and Amtrak suspended all Wednesday trains to and from Chicago.

Classes are even canceled at colleges, including the University of Chicago, Northwestern, University of Wisconsin – Madison and the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor.

In Libertyvile, Illinois, a man was killed by a snowplow, local police said.

In Milwaukee, Wisconsin, a 55-year-old man was “cold and frozen” when he was found dead in a garage near a snow shovel Tuesday, a medical examiner’s office official said.

Making this cold blast worse is that it’s lasting so long. Much of the Midwest won’t see temperatures above zero for well over 24 hours.

By mid-day Wednesday, wind chills had only warmed up to minus 39 in Minneapolis, minus 44 in Chicago and minus 29 in Detroit.

Thursday morning wind chills are forecast to clock in at minus 44 in Minneapolis, minus 43 degrees in Chicago and minus 35 in Detroit.

The extreme freeze comes as whiteout conditions targeted the Dakotas to western New York state.

Blizzard warnings are in effect in upstate New York and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan due to high winds and heavy lake effect snow.

Several feet of snowfall is possible in parts of upstate New York where the heaviest lake effect band sets up.

Snow squalls — sudden bands of snow combined with strong winds — were reported in parts of central Pennsylvania and New York Wednesday.

Snow squalls create dangerous whiteout conditions, which feel similar to a blizzard but do not last as long.

The cold air will next drift East.

Thursday morning wind chills are forecast to reach minus 2 degrees in Washington, D.C., minus 16 in New York City and minus 18 in Boston.

The cold will even extend to the South. Wind chills are forecast to reach 20 degrees in Atlanta, where fans are gearing up for this weekend’s Super Bowl.

For the hard-hit Midwest, relief will return by the weekend, when temperatures in Minneapolis and Chicago will climb back up to the 40s.

Super Bowl fans are also in luck: Atlanta is forecast to be in the 60s for the big game.</s>Parts of America are enduring temperatures colder than Antarctica this week as a blast of Arctic air from the polar vortex has caused the mercury to plunge as low as -40C (-40F).

US officials are urging residents from northern states to stay inside as the deep freeze sets in across the country, bringing with it life-threatening conditions that have forced rail workers in Chicago to start track fires to keep them warm enough to function, and led to warnings not to breathe too deeply when outside.

Brian Hurley, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service's weather prediction centre in Maryland, said: “The heart of this cold ... is hitting us now. A lot of records are going to fall.”

In at least 10 states, the US Postal Service has said delivery service faces disruption - a rare occurrence for a government agency that boasts of never letting weather get in the way of a mailperson and their route.

"Due to the extreme weather conditions caused by Winter Storm Jaden, we have temporarily suspended delivery service in certain locations to ensure the safety and well-being of our employees," the agency tweeted. "Visit our Service Alerts page for more details."

North Dakota has seen temperatures drop as low as -32C (-25F), with wind chills at -52C (-62F) in Minnesota. The chill is expected to reach a wide swath of the US, with cities from Fargo, North Dakota to Minneapolis and Chicago, where temeratures have dipped below -26C (-15F). Accuweather says that there will also be temperatures drop below 0C (single digits in Fahrenheit) in cities and areas around Kansas City, Missouri, St Louis, Cincinnati and Pittsburgh.

All time record lows are expected in northern Indiana, with -46C (-50F) temperatures in that region.

In Des Moines, Iowa, the National Weather Service warned that "this is the coldest air many of us will have ever experienced", and suggested than anyone who goes outside should "avoid taking deep breaths, and minimise talking" while in the chill.

With the freezing temperatures bringing temperaturs unseen in a generation, residents have been told to be wary of hypothermia and frostbite from the arctic blast, which is expected to last for another eight weeks.

“I cannot stress how dangerously cold it will be,” AccuWeather meteorologist Rob Richards told USA Today. "An entire generation has gone by without experiencing this type of cold."

Shelters have been set up in some locations to protect the most vulnerable.

In Chicago, blustery weather could mean wind chills break the current record low of -33C (-27F) recorded in the city at O'Hare airport on January 1985.

Some places in the Midwest will likely be colder than the South Pole, which is around -25C (-13F) to -27C (-17F) this week.

Illinois governor JB Pritzker issued a statewide disaster proclamation, warning the weather “poses a serious threat” to residents.

“This storm poses a serious threat to the well-being of people around the state, and we will use every tool at our disposal to keep our residents safe,” he said in a statement. “This disaster proclamation ensures that the state of Illinois has the flexibility to effectively and efficiently respond to the needs of local governments during this extreme weather event.”

At least four deaths were linked to the dangerous weather system, including a man struck by a snow plough in Chicago, a young couple whose car struck another on a snowy road in northern Indiana, and a Milwaukee man found frozen to death in a garage.

Chicago O'Hare and Chicago Midway international airports cancelled almost 2,000 flights in the early hours of Wednesday as the wintry weather gripped the Windy City.

Train service Amtrak said it had cancelled all trains in and out of the city due to the deteriorating weather conditions.</s>CLOSE Bubbles freeze in seconds during the brutal cold snap that hit Wisconsin in January 2019. Sarah Kloepping, USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin

Gov. Tony Evers declared a state of emergency for all of Wisconsin Monday as a major winter storm brought blizzard-like conditions ahead of a cold snap that will bring the most extreme temperatures in a generation.

Roads were snow-covered and slippery throughout the state just as the afternoon commute was beginning, with ice-covered highways throughout the Fox Valley, stretches of I-43 near Sheboygan, I-90 between Beloit and Madison and large portions of interstate and state highways in northwestern Wisconsin.

Conditions are so bad in the Green Bay area, the Brown County Sheriff's Department shortly before 3 p.m. Monday strongly urged motorists to stay off roads because of very difficult travel conditions.

De-icing efforts were not working in Brown County because of gusting winds and very low temperatures. Road salt becomes ineffective when temperatures generally drop below 10 degrees.

The Brown County Sheriff's Department warned of glare ice on busy State Highway 172 in the Green Bay area. Because of multiple crashes and conditions that were deteriorating throughout the day, the sheriff's department advised people to avoid traveling if possible.

Monday morning in Columbia County a vehicle skidded off a road, fell through ice and submerged in the Baraboo River, killing the driver.

Renee M. Conger, 49, of Neshkoro, died after her vehicle ended up in the river while traveling on Cascade Mountain Road in the township of Caledonia, according to the Columbia County Sheriff's Department. The accident happened shortly before 7:30 a.m.

The National Weather Service office in Sullivan expects snow, mixed with freezing drizzle across some parts of southeast Wisconsin, to continue to fall during the afternoon before it tapers off to flurries as evening approaches.

"It's looking like another 1 to 2 inches of accumulation for Milwaukee, with blowing and drifting as winds become northerly and gusty," said John Gagan, a meteorologist with the weather service office in Sullivan. "Just obviously very, very raw, temperature-wise."

He also called the freezing drizzle and rain that has fallen an "unwanted guest to this winter storm party."

North and west of Milwaukee there is a fairly wide swath of 6-10 inches of snow accumulation, Gagan said.

The weather service office is also receiving its first reports of snowfall greater than 10 inches across parts of southern Wisconsin, Gagan said.

Kewaskum reported 10.5, Sheboygan Falls, 12 inches, Ripon, 12.5, Montello, 14.8, Fredonia, 11, West Bend 10.5 and 15 inches in Sheboygan.

And it was still snowing as of 2:30 p.m.

"There are going to be some spots that reach the foot total north of Milwaukee," Gagan said. "If you are in Ozaukee, Washington, Fond du Lac and Sheboygan counties you are certainly going to be at risk to get those double-digit (in inches) snow totals."

For those who did make it to work in Milwaukee, look for snow to be pretty much done by the time the evening commute gets here, with the main problem being blowing and drifting snow, Gagan said.

Once the snow stops, temperatures will begin to plummet to levels not seen in the Milwaukee area in at least a generation.

The governor's emergency declaration frees up state agencies for emergencies if needed.

“I’m concerned about the safety and well-being of our residents as this major storm and bitter cold moves in,” Evers said in a statement. “I want to make sure all state assets are available, including the Wisconsin National Guard if needed, to help communities across the state and keep people warm and safe.”

The bone-chilling cold is courtesy of the polar vortex that has dislodged from the Arctic Circle and settled over the Great Lakes and Northern Plains, bringing with it potentially "life-threatening" freezing temperatures for some 200 million people across two-thirds of the eastern United States.

Temperatures are forecast to drop below zero late Monday night and stay below zero through early Friday.

Wednesday will be the coldest day, with a forecast high of 12 degrees below zero in the Milwaukee area. Low temperatures Wednesday and Thursday mornings will be around minus-19 with wind chills of minus-40.

Temperatures will be even colder west of Milwaukee.

"It cannot be overstated how dangerous this is," Gagan said. "We're going to have about a 72 hour period where the air temperature will be below zero."

"The wind chills are going to be very, very dangerous," he added.

Slippery conditions

Schools are closed across the state on Monday, including Milwaukee Public Schools.

In downtown Milwaukee, city streets that would normally be bustling on the first business day of the week were all but deserted, save for emergency vehicles and snow plows. It appears that many people are working from home.

Every major highway in the state is snow and/or ice covered, according to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation's road conditions website.

Travel is generally slow as crews work to keep highways clear, said Capt. Adrian Logan, commander of the Wisconsin State Patrol post in Wausau.

In the northwest part of the state near Eau Claire, major roads are reported to be ice covered.

Across the state, "snow is falling pretty quickly," Sgt. Harman Chahal of the State Patrol, said while working in the state traffic management center in Milwaukee.

"If people can stay home today, they should do that," Chahal said.

Logan said blowing and drifting snow leading to low visibility are among the biggest problems on the roads across the north central part of the state.

As in much of the state, emergency crews have been responding mostly to spin-outs and vehicles sliding off roadways.

A tractor-trailer ran off a highway in Waushara County, Logan said.

Statewide, "There haven't been a lot of major incidents or major crashes," Chahal said. "It's a lot of disabled vehicles," and vehicles sliding off slippery roads.

By 11 a.m., a total of 67 flights had been canceled into and out of Mitchell International in Milwaukee, according to flightaware.com. You can check your flight here.

Further south, hundreds of flights were canceled at Chicago's O'Hare and Midway airports.

Out all night

Milwaukee Department of Public Works spokesman Brian DeNeve said the severity of Monday's storm made it a challenge for crews. There were 213 pieces of equipment out clearing city streets all night.

WEATHER: Send us your snow photos and video

“Even with all our equipment and personnel tackling this, it will be difficult, if not impossible, to stay ahead of the storm in our effort to clear the streets,” DeNeve said.

The city of Sheboygan Department of Public works said just before 5 a.m. that its plows were having a difficult time keeping up with the snow. "Roads are covering back with snow minutes after a plow has passed."

Heavy snow with rates of 1-2 inches per hour, visibilities as low as 1/4 mile and gusty winds causing near blizzard conditions. #swiwx#wiwxpic.twitter.com/6edp67ICWc — NWS Milwaukee (@NWSMKX) January 28, 2019

"Most people will end up in that 6 to 10 inch range with up to a foot further south before all is said and done," Tasos Kallas a meteorologist with the weather service in Green Bay said. "Add in the winds which are 15 to 20 miles-per-hour with gusts over 30, and the snow is light so it will blow and drift."

Heavy snow in the east, a lull in the west. More to come later today. #swiwxpic.twitter.com/2mt6tDvZnH — NWS Milwaukee (@NWSMKX) January 28, 2019

Snow piles up

The Weather Service in Sullivan issued a winter storm warning for the region until 6 p.m. Monday.

Snowfall forecasts for the Milwaukee area are 9 to 13 inches. Other snowfall predictions: 9 to 12 inches in Waukesha County, 7 to 11 in Racine County, 10 to 14 in Ozaukee and Washington counties, 9 to 14 in Sheboygan County and 9 to 13 in Fond du Lac County.

The forecast prompted school districts, county and city governments and businesses to pre-emptively shut down.

Milwaukee, Waukesha, Columbia and Washington counties will close courthouses and most offices, though not sheriff's and transportation departments. The Milwaukee County Zoo, Milwaukee Public Library and Milwaukee Public Museum will close, as will most city of Milwaukee offices.

Milwaukee Public Schools decided Monday would be a snow day, canceling classes and extracurricular activities, as did dozens of other school districts. The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Marquette University canceled Monday classes.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison said early Monday that classes would be held today but that officials will "continue to assess" the extreme cold expected later in the week.

The Hop, the new Milwaukee streetcar, has handled the winter weather well.

"No major issues," a Hop spokesman said.

"Given the slower conditions on the roads we’ve been consistently a few minutes behind the posted schedules, but the vehicles are operating well and we’ve been providing consistent service all day thus far."

In the City of Milwaukee, garbage and recycling collections will be suspended Monday through Wednesday because all DPW sanitation employees are needed to clear snow.

That's right. It's all hands on deck but this is no easy task! https://t.co/ql81BWbzwv — Milwaukee DPW (@milwaukeedpw) January 28, 2019

Milwaukee County Transit System buses will run as scheduled, though weather-related delays are possible.

Mobilizing to fight the cold

The Milwaukee Health Department has posted its cold weather safety advisory reminding residents to, among other things, prepare emergency kits for their homes and cars, and heat their homes only with devices approved for indoor use and ensure they are properly vented.

And advocates for the homeless are mobilizing to get as many people as possible off the streets and into shelters. Wendy Weckler, executive director of Hope House and chairman of the Shelter Task Force, said all warming houses and shelters will be open and outreach teams will be scouring the city encouraging individuals to come in from the cold.

Shelly Sarasin, co-founder of Street Angels Milwaukee Outreach, said the combination of increased media coverage and warnings about the dangerous temperatures has led more Milwaukeeans to call them or police if they see someone who looks homeless.

"The numbers at St. Ben's were around 40 to 45 people per night in December and last night they were up to 90. And that's just one warming center," she said, referring to St. Benedict the Moor's warming center.

Sarasin said the cold is tough even for Street Angels, despite wearing three to four layers and good boots.

"It's cold," she admitted. "I had to buy another pair of good boots because my toes were freezing."

But in temperatures where frostbite can occur in 10 minutes, getting people who live in the cold somewhere warm is a life-or-death scenario.

"We have been out every night until at least midnight, picking people up from their homeless camp or emergency room pickups," she said. "It's been lifesaving for many people"

Read or Share this story: https://www.jsonline.com/story/weather/2019/01/28/wisconsin-snowstorm-milwaukee-wakes-up-blizzard-like-conditions/2698625002/</s>A historic and deadly polar vortex gripped a wide swath of the nation Wednesday, with temperatures plunging far below zero and wind chill numbers as extraordinary as they were dangerous.

It was cold in Delaware, too, though the First State avoided the modest snow that was predicted for Tuesday night. Instead, the state was hit by snow squalls Wednesday afternoon.

Temperatures topped out around 30 degrees in New Castle County and the mid-30s downstate. They were expected to plummet overnight, reaching single digits by daybreak Thursday, according to National Weather Service Meteorologist Alex Staarmann.

Wind chills of minus 10 are possible Thursday morning, as are statewide high temperatures of 20 degrees.

Here's what the rest of the nation saw.

Chicago's temperature tumbled to 21 degrees below zero, a record for the date and closing in on the city's all-time record of minus 27 set in 1985. The wind chill dipped to an even more startling 51 degrees below zero.

It feels like 51 below zero in Chicago: Polar vortex strikes Midwest

The National Weather Service said the temperature reached minus 28 degrees in Minneapolis, poised to break a record dating back more than 100 years. The wind chill was minus 49.

Wind chill temperatures in dozens of towns across Minnesota and North Dakota plummeted to 60 degrees below zero or less, the National Weather Service said. The early leader was Ely, Minnesota, with a very cool minus 70 degrees.

Officials in Minnesota pulled snowplows off the roads in 11 southeastern counties, citing mechanical problems caused by the extreme cold.

"One of the coldest arctic air mass intrusions in recent memory is surging south into the Upper Midwest before spreading across much of the eastern two-thirds of the country," the National Weather Service said, warning of "life-threatening wind chills, likely leading to widespread record lows and low maximum temperatures."

At least six deaths were linked to the weather system, including a man struck and killed by a snow plow in the Chicago area, a young couple whose SUV struck another on a snowy road in northern Indiana and in Milwaukee, and a man found frozen to death in a garage.

In Michigan, the body of a Detroit man was found in front of a neighbor's home, and in suburban Ecorse, another man was found outside without a hat or gloves. Temperatures fell to 27 below in Detroit, minus 32 in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Thousands of flights into and out of airports in the region were delayed or canceled, including more than 1,000 flights at Chicago airports alone.

United Airlines spokesman Charlie Hobart says "everything tends to slow down" during severely cold weather, including manpower, fueling and equipment. The airline had brought in extra workers to help and was also providing heated tents for employees.

Amtrak pulled the plug in Chicago, announcing the "extreme weather conditions and an abundance of caution" led the service to cancel all trains to and from the city on Wednesday.

Short-distance services are also canceled on Thursday, Amtrak said.

Light rail was also a mess, with some suburban lines shutting down Wednesday. The Chicago Transit Authority, which shuttles about 1.6 million riders on a typical weekday, said it was experiencing significant delays.

Even the Postal Service took notice, announcing that due to concerns for the safety of its employees, mail wouldn't be delivered Wednesday in parts of at least 10 states.

What is the polar vortex blamed for cold weather, freezing temperatures and cold?

In Wisconsin, Gov. Tony Evers issued an executive order closing all non-essential state offices Wednesday, when the wind chill was forecast to be as low as minus-55 degrees.

Scores of schools, courthouses and businesses were closed across the Midwest.

In Delaware, school administrators monitored the weather closely. Two schools — Odyssey Charter and Providence Creek Academy — dismissed students early.

As in Delaware, several states opened emergency shelters and warming shelters for the homeless and displaced.

Susan Kent, executive director of Love Inc. of Mid Delmarva, said they were trying to get as many people to spend the night inside as possible.

"Every year, there’s one or two fatalities," Kent said. "It really is a matter of life or death."

How to save a life: What to do if you see someone out in the cold this week

More than 30,000 homes and businesses were without power in Indiana, Illinois and Ohio – a life-threatening condition in the brutal cold.

In Chicago, officials added 500 shelter beds and tapped more than 100 religious leaders to make calls and check on senior citizens. Five Chicago Transit Authority buses were dispatched to give homeless people a place to warm up who might not want to go to a shelter.

“Every one of us has a role to check on somebody who is maybe a neighbor on the block who is elderly, infirm or needs extra help,” Mayor Rahm Emanuel said.

The weather was headed east. New York's forecast high for Thursday was 16 degrees, with a wind chill of minus 15.

The city Housing Authority activated its Situation Room, with heating response teams prepped to respond to heat and hot water emergencies.

Philadelphia enacted "Cold Blue," including 24-hour outreach to find people who are homeless and transport them to safe indoor spaces

People enduring the frigid temperatures have been using hashtags like #Chiberia — a combination of Chicago and Siberia — to share what it's like under such harsh conditions.

They also made videos of cans of soda and beer exploding, frost developing on doorknobs from the inside, officials setting fire to train tracks to keep them from freezing and more.

The USA Today Network and the Associated Press contributed reporting. Contact Jessica Bies at (302) 324-2881 or jbies@delawareonline.com. Follow her on Twitter @jessicajbies.</s>Evening Update: A new wind chill advisory has been issued.

The snow will continue to weaken this evening. Slick roads and blowing snow are expected overnight. New wind chill advisories and warnings have been issued. The new wind chill advisory starts at 4 am Tuesday and lasts through 6 pm Tuesday. Wind chills between -20 and -30 below are expected.

A wind chill warning goes into effect Tuesday at 6 pm and lasts until Noon on Thursday! Wind chills between -40 and -60 are expected. The record wind chill for Milwaukee is -56 on January 10th, 1982!









4 PM Update:



Snow showers are expected to continue through 6 pm, especially alogn the lake. Another inch or so is possible before the winds shift and the snow moves out.



Later tonight the winds will pick up and blowing and drifting snow is likely. Overnight temperatures will range from 0 to -15 degrees. Wind chill values between -20 and -30 are expected. A wind chill advisory will go into effect at 4 am and last through 6 pm Tuesday. The advisory will be replaced by a wind chill warning for Tuesday night through Thursday morning! Wind chills are expected to drop between -40 and -60 below.





















2 PM Update:

Heavy snow continues to fall across the area and will likely continue through 6 pm. Low visibility and winds are creating some blowing snow. This next round of snow could produce another 1" to 3". Some lake enhancement is also likely. That's on top of what has already fallen from this morning.

Tonight a wind chill advisory will likely be issued for wind chills between -20 to -30 below! Roads will remain slick going into Tuesday morning.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________









MIDDAY UPDATE: Look for the snow to continue this afternoon, mainly in the form of snow showers. The wind will stay strong, causing more blowing and drifting. Visibility will be reduced to less than a mile. Please use extreme caution if you have to travel. So far from this storm, some spots have seen close to a foot of snow.

A few more inches can't be ruled out this afternoon. The Winter Storm Warning wraps up around dinner time. Then we sit and wait for dangerously cold weather by Wednesday.

10 AM UPDATE: Snow showers will continue on and off the rest of the day. Expect another 2"-4" of fresh snowfall from now until the end of the system later today. The Winter Storm Warning will run until 6 pm this evening. The roads will improve throughout the day, but there will still be snow-covered areas and nasty conditions.

7 AM UPDATE: Drier air starting to move in around the low. This could bring down the totals around southeastern Wisconsin, however, expect still at least 6" for the region. The scattered snow shower threat continues for the rest of the day.

A major winter storm will continue to hammer southeastern Wisconsin today, beginning to diminish slowly during the day. The heaviest of the snowfall will take place during the morning hours while the bulk of the moisture and energy clips the Great Lakes. Snowfall rates at times could be between 1”-2”. Gusty winds will reduce visibilities and create blowing and drifting. Many schools are canceled today. Snowfall totals could get over a foot in some parts. The majority of the area will see between 7”-14” of fresh snowfall when all said and done. A Winter Storm Warning will run until 6 pm today.





Once the snow moves out, the coldest air in nearly 23 years could hit Wisconsin. These temperatures will be brutal. In fact, the temperatures could stay below zero from Tuesday through Friday. Wind chills could fall as far as -50!

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email</s>CHICAGO: Bitter cold with temperatures lower than Antarctica gripped the American Midwest on Wednesday (Jan 30), grounding flights, closing schools and businesses and raising frostbite and hypothermia fears for homeless residents.



Mail deliveries were suspended and people encouraged to stay home in nearly a dozen US states where the mercury plunged into the negative double digits, the worst freeze to grip the region in a generation.

US media have attributed at least five deaths since the weekend to the freezing conditions and a major snowstorm that preceded the blast of Arctic air currently gripping the region.

In Chicago, blocks of ice floated on the downtown river of America's third-largest city and flames from gas burners heated regional commuter rail lines to keep them functioning.

The morning temperature in the Windy City was -22 degrees Fahrenheit (-30 Celsius), which felt like -50 degrees (-46 Celsius) with wind chill. It was colder than Alaska's state capital and even colder than parts of Antarctica.

"It feels like being close to dry ice, so I can feel my skin tighten up," Leon Gilbert, 31, told AFP.

Unlike most Chicago residents, Gilbert was required to report to his job at a Starbucks located on a downtown street largely devoid of its usual bustle of people and traffic.

More than 1,500 flights were canceled at Chicago's two major airports while rail operator Amtrak scrapped train services from its hub in the city.

The US Postal Service - known for its commitment to bringing the mail whatever the weather - suspended deliveries in parts of Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Ohio, Iowa, the Dakotas and Nebraska.

The cause of the sub-zero chill was a swirl of arctic air that broke away from the polar vortex that usually encircles the North Pole.

"There's cold, and then there's COLD!" the National Weather Service (NWS) said. "Extreme and dangerous COLD!"

The agency predicted temperatures to remain 25 to 45 degrees below average through Thursday, with wind chill values as low as -25 to -55 degrees Fahrenheit (-32 to -48 Celsius).

"The dangerously cold wind chills could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as five minutes," NWS said.

Residents in Grand Forks, North Dakota awoke to a bone-chilling -35 degrees Fahrenheit, and it was -27 degrees in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Authorities warned that the extreme temperatures were life-threatening, as Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin implemented emergency measures.

"The bitter cold temperatures pose a real risk to people across the state," Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker said on Twitter after touring state emergency operations.

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer said government offices would remain closed through Thursday and nonessential employees would stay home.

"The National Weather Service continues to predict dangerously cold sub-zero temperatures and the priority must continue to be on keeping people safe," Whitmer said in a statement.

Authorities and health experts warned that frostbite and hypothermia could set in in minutes in the extreme cold.

Warming centres were opened for vulnerable residents such as the elderly and shelter capacities increased for the homeless, including the approximately 16,000 people estimated to live on the streets of Chicago.

In Chicago and Minneapolis, buses were used as roving warming shelters for the homeless.

Chicago's regional electric train service was canceled due to wire problems caused by freezing temperatures, as gas burners heated rail switches to keep trains moving on a reduced schedule.

Flight cancelations piled up throughout the United States, with more than 2,500 by mid-afternoon, stranding travelers such as Brandon Robinson who was spending extra days in a downtown Chicago hotel.

"I'm here until they let me leave," Robinson told AFP. "All my flights have been cancelled."

Remnants of a weekend snowstorm continued to plague portions of the northeast US - with strong winds and blowing snow reducing visibility on the roads.

Heavy snow was forecast in the northern stretches of Maine and snow squalls were predicted for other parts of the east coast of the country.</s>Shelter employees across the Midwest worked fervently Tuesday to find safe harbor for thousands of homeless people with no place to go, as officials warn the extreme cold set to seep into the region overnight could prove deadly for anyone left on the street.

The National Weather Service said Tuesday "one of the coldest arctic air intrusions in recent memory" is expected to blast the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes from Tuesday through Thursday, likely leading to widespread record lows and low maximum temperatures.

"We actually might see cold temperatures that we have never seen before or felt before across the Northern Plains," Fox News Senior Meteorologist Janice Dean said on "FOX & friends." "This is potentially deadly weather. You cannot be outside in temperatures like that. Your skin will freeze in minutes."

Temperatures on Tuesday will enter subzero territory, but the worst is expected to come Wednesday. That's when wind chills in northern Illinois could fall to negative 55 degrees, while temperatures in Minnesota may plunge to minus 30 degrees with a wind chill of negative 60.

WINTER STORM SLAMMING MIDWEST TO BRING SNOW TO SOUTH, NORTHEAST AHEAD OF POLAR VORTEX BLAST

The governors in Michigan and Wisconsin have declared states of emergency ahead of the dangerously cold weather.

The expected onslaught of frigid conditions have set agencies and nonprofit groups in Chicago scrambling to get the area's homeless population off the streets before the bitter temperatures descend on the city.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel said Monday the city plans to park CTA buses near homeless populations over the next few nights and expand the number of warming shelters.

"We have opened two additional 24-hour warming centers, our Garfield Community Service Center at 10 South Kedzie, and our King Community Center at 4341 South Cottage will each be open 24 hours a day,” Commissioner of Family and Support Services Liza Morrison-Butler said at a news conference.

The Salvation Army was out in neighborhoods Monday handing out hot soup and warm clothes to people on the city's West Side. Major Nancy Powers with the Salvation Army told FOX32 the concern is with the small percentage of the homeless population that refuse to come in from the cold.

"Just trying to get them not to freeze to death,” she said. “In this weather, believe it or not, at 20 degrees below zero, there are some folks who are still going to stay put."

AT WHAT TEMPERATURE CAN YOU GET FROSTBITE? SIGNS, SYMPTOMS AND EVERYTHING ELSE TO KNOW

Large crowds were already beginning to gather at one warming center on Monday as volunteers handed out supplies.

"I'm gonna survive by staying at the warming center and drinking hot cocoa,” one woman told FOX32.

In Minneapolis, the Salvation Army said Monday it was opening shelters for 24 hours to help people escape from the cold.

“People are like, ‘I enjoy the weather like this, I don’t have to go out,’ but now what happens to people that are out, they have to come in somewhere and the Salvation Army is willing to open our doors,” said Captain Bersabe Vera of the Salvation Army told FOX9.

Another organization, Union Gospel Mission Twin Cities, said it was preparing additional space to hold more people during the bitter blast of cold. The group said more beds were being added for the next three days at a facility in St. Paul.

Hennepin County Emergency Management Director Eric Waage said Monday that ambulance crews were handling all outside response incidents as being potentially life-threatening.

The extreme cold is also leading to school cancellations and travel disruptions throughout the region as officials prepare for its impact.

Minneapolis Public Schools officials have canceled classes through Wednesday, when the region is expected to experience frigid temperatures not felt for a quarter century. Hundreds of Michigan schools were closed Tuesday, including in Detroit, while Chicago Public Schools canceled Wednesday classes because of the anticipated cold snap.

The Chicago Zoological Society said it was closing the Brookfield Zoo on Wednesday and Thursday — marking only the fourth time the zoo has closed during its 85-year history — to ensure the safety of its employees and animals.

WHAT IS A POLAR VORTEX? A LOOK AT WHAT COULD BE IN THE FORECAST THIS WINTER

At O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, the high temperature on Wednesday is expected to be negative 14 degrees, which would break a record set on Jan. 18, 1994. Hundreds of flights have been canceled at O'Hare and Chicago's Midway Airport on Tuesday due to lingering effects of the winter storm that hit the region on Monday, according to the Chicago Department of Aviation.

The cold will curtail Amtrak operations, with some scheduled trains between Chicago and St. Louis, Carbondale, Milwaukee and Detroit canceled due to the cold snap.

The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois will be closed Wednesday, in addition to several universities.

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Cold weather advisories are in effect across a broad swath of the central U.S., from North Dakota to Missouri and spanning into Ohio. Temperatures will be as many as 20 degrees below average in parts of the Upper Great Lakes region and Upper Mississippi Valley, according to the National Weather Service.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.</s>CHICAGO – An historic and deadly polar vortex gripped a wide swath of the nation Wednesday, with temperatures plunging far below zero and wind chill numbers as extraordinary as they are dangerous.

Chicago's temperature tumbled to 21 degrees below zero, a record for the date and closing in on the city's all-time record of minus 27 set in 1985. The wind chill dipped to an even more startling 51 degrees below zero.

The National Weather Service said the temperature reached minus 28 degrees in Minneapolis, poised to break a record dating back more than 100 years. The wind chill: minus 49.

Wind chill temperatures in dozens of towns across Minnesota and North Dakota plummeted to 60 degrees below zero or less, the National Weather Service said. The early leader was Ponsford, Minnesota, with a very cool minus 66 degrees.

Frostbite can set in within five minutes in such temperatures, the weather service said.

"One of the coldest arctic air mass intrusions in recent memory is surging south into the Upper Midwest before spreading across much of the eastern two-thirds of the country," the National Weather Service said, warning of "life-threatening wind chills, likely leading to widespread record lows and low maximum temperatures."

Even the Postal Service took notice, announcing that due to concerns for the safety of its employees, mail won't be delivered Wednesday in parts of at least 10 states. More than 1,000 flights were canceled or delayed across the region, with Chicago's O'Hare suffering the most chaos.

Amtrak pulled the plug in Chicago, announcing the "extreme weather conditions and an abundance of caution" led the service to cancel all trains to and from the city on Wednesday. Short-distance services are also canceled on Thursday, Amtrak said.

Light rail was also a mess, with some suburban lines shutting down Wednesday. The Chicago Transit Authority, which shuttles about 1.6 million riders on a typical weekday, said it was experiencing significant delays.

At least four deaths were linked to the weather system, including a man struck and killed by a snow plow in the Chicago area, a young couple whose SUV struck another on a snowy road in northern Indiana and a Milwaukee man found frozen to death in a garage.

Chicago River freezing: Here's what it looks like in sub-zero temperatures

Homeless shelters and warming centers were abuzz across the region. In Chicago, officials added 500 shelter beds and tapped more than 100 religious leaders to make calls and checks on senior citizens. Five Chicago Transit Authority buses were dispatched to give homeless people a place to warm up who might not want to go to a shelter.

“Everyone of us has a role to check on somebody who is maybe a neighbor on the block who is elderly, infirm or needs extra help,” Mayor Rahm Emanuel said.

"Don't leave your pets outside unattended in this weather, period," the rescue organization warned on Twitter. "Make sure your gates are latched and your dog(s) cannot escape your yard."

The weekend could finally bring relief. In Des Moines, Iowa, the temperature barreled down to minus 20 on Wednesday with a wind chill of minus 40. But Allan Curtis, a meteorologist with the Des Moines branch of the National Weather Service, said the temperature on Saturday could exceed 40 degrees above zero.

“It may as well be basketball shorts weather,” Curtis said.

Madhani reported from Chicago, Bacon from McLean, Virgina. Contributing: Austin Cannon, Des Moines Register; The Associated Press

Extreme cold: How long does it take for hypothermia, mummified skin to set in

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: It feels like 51 below zero in Chicago: Polar vortex strikes Midwest</s>Bitter Arctic air is blasting from the polar vortex into the US and bringing brutally cold temperatures. The polar vortex is a stream of cold air that spins around the stratosphere over the North Pole, but the current has been disrupted and is now pushing south into the United States. The result has been bitterly freezing temperatures, feet of snow, as lakes are frozen over and schools are shut.

Snow has affected the midwestern states, but is now pushing into northeastern US. Governors in Wisconsin, Illinois and Michigan declared emergencies as temperatures plunged as low as -32C in North Dakota, with wind chills as low as -52C in Minnesota on Tuesday. The National Weather Service said a wind chill of -32C can freeze skin within 15 minutes. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said: “Keeping Michiganders safe during this stretch of dangerously cold temperatures is our priority.

“Such widespread, extreme conditions have not occurred in Michigan for many years and it is imperative that we are proactive with record-low temperatures being predicted by the National Weather Service.” Wednesday could be the coldest day ever recorded in Chicago with a forecast of -14F (-26C), but it’s possible the Windy City could break its all-time coldest temperatures of -27C. Officials warned Chicago residents to expect an unusually deep and dangerous freeze. Even the city’s supply of its signature deep-dish pizza was affected: one chain announced it would stop taking delivery orders at 8pm on Tuesday.

The wind chill will make temperatures feel as low as -50F (-46C) through Thursday, the National Weather Service said. What is the coldest temperature in the US today? Temperatures could reach lows of -30F to -40F (-34C to -40C) in parts of the Northern Plains and Great Lakes on Wednesday, the NWS said. Ricky Castro, a National Weather Service meteorologist, in Romeoville, Illinois: “This could possibly be history-making.” As much as two feet (60cm) of snow was forecast in Wisconsin, and six inches (15cm) in Illinois.
Major midwestern cities, including Minneapolis, Detroit, Chicago and Milwaukee, are under severe wind chill advisories with wind chills approaching −55 °F (−48 °C) at night. Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers declare states of emergency due to the record low windchill temperatures.