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In PHOTOS: Here it's colder than Mars!
The Arctic chill, which has now extended to the east, has left all of the United States and Canada frozen, shattering temperature records.
A deadly artic blast gripped in the United States as record-breaking temperatures kept the nation indoors.
Freezing temperatures were recorded in all 50 US states, including the usually warm California and Florida, and Canada.
Freezing at - 37 degrees Celsius, Embarrass and Minnesota experienced the lowest temperature in the nation on Tuesday. That was colder than readings recently recorded on Mars, reports BBC.
Atlanta, Georgia, was 25 degrees below average for this time of year. In New York City, the high was expected to be - 12 degrees Celsius; in Boston, around - 8 degrees Celsius.
Across the South, records were shattered like icicles. Birmingham, Alabama, dipped to a low of - 14 degrees Celsius, breaking the record of - 11.7 degrees Celsius set in 1970.
Atlanta saw a record low of - 14.5 degrees Celsius. Nashville, Tennessee, got down to -16.7 degrees Celsius, and Little Rock, Arkansas, fell to - 13 degrees Celsius. It was just -17 degrees Celsius at Washington Dulles International airport, eclipsing the 1988 mark of - 13 degrees Celsius.
In the Midwest, people were seen digging out from two massive snowstorms, which dumped more than 61cm of snow. The temperatures reached -24 degrees Celsius overnight in the Chicago area and -25.5 degrees Celsius in suburban St Louis.
Even Canadians no stranger to cold found themselves shivering. Temperatures in parts of Ontario fell to - 30 degrees degrees C. Roads in Toronto and Ottawa were coated in dangerous black ice, reports BBC.
Along with the big freeze came the complete chaos. At least 21 deaths have been reported across the country. Schools, businesses and government offices were closed and air, rail and road traffic was disrupted.
With forecasters predicting temperatures above freezing for much of the US in the coming days, there seems to be no reprieve.
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Here it's colder than Mars!
Elmwood Village residents walk down Elmwood Avenue after purchasing needed items from a grocery store in Buffalo, New York.
A deadly blast of arctic air shattered decades-old temperature records as it enveloped the eastern United States on Tuesday, snarling air, road and rail travel, driving energy prices higher and overwhelming shelters for homeless people.
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Here it's colder than Mars!
A woman walks her dog as the sun goes down along Lake Calhoun in Minneapolis.
The National Weather Service said Tuesday's high is expected to be near zero. A deadly blast of arctic air shattered decades-old temperature records as it enveloped the eastern United States on Tuesday.
Authorities have put about half of the United States under a wind chill warning or cold weather advisory.
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Here it's colder than Mars!
Fallen electrical lines lay in a front yard in Indianapolis, Indiana.
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Here it's colder than Mars!
People walk into the wind outside the Brown County Courthouse in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Temperatures were 11 to 22 degrees C below average in parts of Montana, North and South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan and Nebraska, according to the National Weather Service.
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Here it's colder than Mars!
Bradley Smith warms himself at a fire pit outside a shop as he checks his mobile phone while waiting to shovel more snow in Indianapolis, Indiana.
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Here it's colder than Mars!
A sculpture near a walking path is covered in snow in Carmel, Indiana, north of Indianapolis.
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Here it's colder than Mars!
A man uses a power auger to drill a hole in the ice for fishing in Lake Calhoun, Minneapolis.
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Here it's colder than Mars!
Kim Rogers loads firewood into a wheelbarrow at her home in Indianapolis.
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Here it's colder than Mars!
A woman braces against the wind and cold as she walks in Montreal.