Currently, icy temperatures are prevailing in many parts of the US with record-breaking negative figures: extreme temperatures of almost minus 40 degrees Celsius were measured during the night on Thursday, especially in the Midwest. The National Meteorological Service (NWS) and doctors and emergency workers warned of "life-threatening" conditions the day before, and at least three states called for disaster.
By Wednesday, eight people died as a result of the cold, as several US media reported, including the station ABC. The NWS warned against frostbite on unprotected skin in minutes.
Chicago, located on Lake Michigan in the north of the US, was at the center of the great cold. Temperatures of minus 33 degrees Celsius are expected on Thursday in the metropolis in the state of Illinois - which is colder than in parts of the Antarctic and close to the Allzeittief, which was measured in 1994.
The Chicago authorities set up more than 60 warmth homes for homeless people. In addition, each police department took on people who wanted to protect themselves from the cold.
By Wednesday night, due to temperatures throughout the country, more than 3,000 flights were canceled and hundreds of flights were canceled on Thursday. The airports did not get along partly with the deicing of the machines. The railway company Amtrak said Wednesday all train connections to and from Chicago. On local railways, flames were deliberately ignited with gas in some places to ensure a smooth flow despite the cold temperatures:
It's so cold in Chicago, crews moving to smoothly. https://t.co/YsCjTNIMhe pic.twitter.com/j0ej5C0PAl
- ABC News (@ABC) January 30, 2019Even the weather-proven deliverers of the US postal service had to surrender in many places. The USPS said the service will be discontinued in Iowa, Minnesota and parts of Wisconsin and Illinois. Many states also have schools and universities closed.
The US Midwest includes Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.
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Responsible for this "Arctic cold" is the so-called polar vortex - a band of cold westerly winds that normally revolve over the North Pole. If the vortex is weakened, the air can escape to lower latitudes (more background on the "Polar Vortex" can be found here).