US braced for colder temperatures than Antarctica as polar vortex brings wind chill as low as -50C

A pedestrian stops to take a photo by Chicago River, as bitter cold snap grips the United States
REUTERS
Ella Wills30 January 2019

Americans have been urged to stay indoors as a great swathe of the United States is gripped by a deep freeze with record-breaking temperatures falling lower than Antarctica.

Residents across the Midwest and into Eastern states have been warned of bitterly cold conditions as wind chill temperatures could plunge as low as -51C (-60F) in parts, according to forecasters.

An extreme blast of Arctic air, caused by a spinning pool of cold air known as a polar vortex, has already seen temperatures drop below -40C (-40F).

Weather officials in Iowa have urged people to "avoid taking deep breaths, and to minimise talking" if they go outside.

A commuter walks through Chicago in sub-zero temperatures
Getty Images

At least five deaths relating to cold weather were reported across several states, local media reports said.

A state of emergency has been declared in the Midwestern states of Wisconsin, Michigan and Illinois as well as in the southern states of Alabama and Mississippi.

Schools in Chicago were closed on Wednesday and Thursday while police warned of the risk of accidents on roads.

The US Postal Service has halted deliveries from parts of the Dakotas through to Ohio.

Officials throughout the Midwest are taking extraordinary measures to protect the homeless and other vulnerable people from the bitter cold, including turning some city buses into mobile warming shelters in Chicago.

Temperatures in parts of the Northern Plains and Great Lakes plunged to as low -41C (-42F) in Park Rapids, Minnesota, and -31F in Fargo, North Dakota, according to the National Weather Service.

A woman in Minneapolis goes for a ski run with her dog
EPA

Andrew Orrison, a meteorologist with the service, said the some of the coldest wind chills were recorded in International Falls, Minnesota, at -48C(-55F).

This is significantly lower than an expected low of -33C (-28F) with wind chill in Antarctica.

Mr Orrison told Reuters: "Really today is going to be the absolute coldest across the Northern Plains and across the Midwest... stretching down into the Ohio Valley as well.

Steam rises from Chicago and Lake Michigan
EPA

"Moving forward here, we are going to see a decent amount of this cold air move through the East Coast."

The bitter cold is being carried by the polar vortex, a stream of air that spins around the stratosphere over the North Pole, but whose current has been disrupted and is now pushing south.

At least five deaths relating to cold weather were reported since Saturday in Iowa, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota, local media reports said.

More than 2,000 flights were cancelled early on Wednesday, largely out of Chicago O'Hare and Chicago Midway international airports, according to the flight tracking site FlightAware.

Train service Amtrak said it would cancel all trains in and out of Chicago on Wednesday.

Most federal government offices in Washington DC opened three hours late on Wednesday due to the severe weather already impacting the area.

Additional reporting by agencies.

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