Temperatures have plunged to -30 degree Celsius (-22F) and below in parts of North America as extreme cold weather known as a polar vortex strikes the region.
At least eight people are reported to have died in incidents related to the weather.
Snow and ice covers Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois. With conditions being so severe people in Chicago and elsewhere have been told to stay indoors if they can. Photograph: Scott Olson/Getty Images
Snow and ice covers the rooftops of homes. Businesses and schools have closed, Amtrak has suspended service into the city, more than a thousand flights have been cancelled and mail delivery has been suspended as the city copes with record-setting low temperatures. Photograph: Scott Olson/Getty Images
Ice surrounds a ship along the shore of Lake Michigan near downtown in Chicago, Illinois. Relief is on the way. “The coldest air will be in retreat by Friday,” CBS News reported. Photograph: Scott Olson/Getty Images
Photographers shoot the sunrise despite temperatures hovering around -20 degrees and wind chills nearing -50 degrees on January 31, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois Photograph: Scott Olson/Getty Images
A woman walks through snowstorm in Times Square, as record low temperatures spread across the Midwest and Eastern states, in New York City. Eyebrows and eyelashes have been freezing in this weather. In fact, some residents have been posting images of themselves throwing boiling water into the air and seeing it turn instantly into ice. Photograph: Brendan McDermid/Reuters
A homeless man sits in the falling snow in New York City. The city is under a wind chill advisory, with possible win gusts up to 50 miles per hour. Photograph: Drew Angerer/Getty Images
Man clears snow during a winter storm in Buffalo, New York. Photograph: Lindsay DeDario/Reuters
