Photographs: Joshua Lott/Getty Images
The brutal Arctic blast threatens the coldest weather in the United States in two decades. Is the worst yet to come?
A blast of Arctic air gripped the vast middle of the United States with the coldest temperatures in two decades bringing life to a standstill. Businesses and schools were forced to shutdown and thousands of flights were cancelled.
At least four deaths were recorded as the blast gripped the US Midwest and pushed toward the East and South and eastern Canada.
The National Weather Service issued warnings for life-threatening wind chills in western and central North Dakota, with temperatures as low as minus 51 degrees Celsius. The coldest temperatures in years and gusty winds were expected as far south as Brownsville, Texas, and central Florida, the National Weather Service said.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency. Parts of major highways would be closed in preparation for the extreme weather,
The severe cold has been described by some meteorologists as the "polar vortex" and dubbed by media as the "polar pig." The polar vortex is the coldest air in the Northern hemisphere that hovers over the polar region in winter but can be pushed south.
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POLAR FREEZE: Here's a glimpse from the ice age
Photographs: Joshua Lott/Getty Images
Ice builds up along Lake Michigan as temperatures dipped well below zero on in Chicago, Illinois.
Chicago saw a record low of minus minus 27 C on Monday as a polar air mass brought the coldest temperatures in about two decades into the city.
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POLAR FREEZE: Here's a glimpse from the ice age
Photographs: Jim Young/Reuters
A person walks past a snow covered bus shelter in downtown Chicago, Illinois.
Meteorologists said temperatures were dangerously cold and life-threatening in some places, with minus 18 Celsius recorded in Chicago, St. Louis and Indianapolis. The chill was set to bear down on eastern and southern states as the day wore on.
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POLAR FREEZE: Here's a glimpse from the ice age
Photographs: Joshua Lott/Getty Images
A worker uses a tractor to remove snow along Woodward Avenue as the area deals with record breaking freezing weather in Detroit, Michigan.
Michigan and most of the Midwest received their first major snow storm of 2014 last week and subzero temperatures are expected most of this week with wind-chill driving temperatures down to 50-70 degrees below zero.
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POLAR FREEZE: Here's a glimpse from the ice age
Photographs: Joshua Lott/Getty Images
Pedestrians cross Woodward Avenue as it snows in Detroit, Michigan. Michigan.
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POLAR FREEZE: Here's a glimpse from the ice age
Photographs: Jim Young/Reuters
A woman walks through a gust of blowing snow in frigid cold temperatures during winter in downtown Chicago, Illinois.
A blast of Arctic air forced businesses and schools to close and causing widespread airline delays and hazardous driving conditions.
POLAR FREEZE: Here's a glimpse from the ice age
Photographs: Jim Young/Reuters
A man photographs the Korean War Veterans Memorial after a heavy snow storm in Washington.
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POLAR FREEZE: Here's a glimpse from the ice age
Photographs: Scott Olson/Getty Images
Mist rises from Lake Michigan as temperatures dipped well below zero on Monday.
POLAR FREEZE: Here's a glimpse from the ice age
Photographs: Scott Olson/Getty Images
A woman falls while slipping on ice during freezing rain on Roosevelt Island, a borough of Manhattan, in New York January.
New York City was hit on Friday by the first severe winter storm of 2014 and is still gripped in sub-freezing weather.
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POLAR FREEZE: Here's a glimpse from the ice age
Photographs: Scott Olson/Getty Images
Ice crystals form on the inside of a window as the area deals with record breaking freezing weather in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
POLAR FREEZE: Here's a glimpse from the ice age
Photographs: Nate Chute/Reuters
A man clears snow from his car in Indianapolis, Indiana.
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POLAR FREEZE: Here's a glimpse from the ice age
Photographs: Chris Wattie/Reuters
A man cycles along the Rideau Canal in Ottawa.
The National Capital Commission closed the canal on Monday for ice skating following an overnight mixture of freezing rain and snow, local media reported.
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POLAR FREEZE: Here's a glimpse from the ice age
Photographs: Chris Wattie/Reuters
Severe cold in the US is forecast to move across the Atlantic to affect the United Kingdom as well.
After the rains and the storm, UK is likely to face snow and ice with winds swinging round to the north of England and Scotland.
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POLAR FREEZE: Here's a glimpse from the ice age
Photographs: Rebecca Naden/Reuters
A large wave crashes over the promenade at high tide in Aberystwyth, mid Wales.
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POLAR FREEZE: Here's a glimpse from the ice age
Photographs: lazquez Dominguez/Getty Images
People watch waves breaking against the rocks near North beach or Praia do Norte in Nazare, Portugal.
Strong winds and big waves are expected along the coastline of Portugal and Galicia in Spain.
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