The cold weather seems to be breaking all the records and the polar vortex is to be blamed.
A polar vortex is a large pocket of very cold air, typically the coldest air in the Northern hemisphere, which sits over the polar region during the winter season.
The polar vortex is a circulation of strong, upper-level winds that normally surround the northern pole in a counterclockwise direction keeping the bitter cold air locked in the Arctic regions. Sometimes this vortex can become distorted and dip further south, allowing cold air to spill southward.
The frigid air has found its way into the United States reaching southern Canada and the northern Plains, Midwest and northeastern portions of the United States causing a deadly blast of Arctic air that has shattered decades-old records.
It was about minus 7F (-22C) in Chicago.
Temperatures were 20 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit below average across the Great Lakes region. In the Duluth-area of Minnesota, temperatures plummeted to minus 24F to minus 26F (-31C to -32C).
Shelters for the homeless are overflowing and the deep freeze has ruined plans of commuters as roads are closed and flights delayed. Tuesday saw some 1,800 U.S. flights canceled and roughly 400 delayed.
People have been sharing what the world around them looks like through social media and it just sends a chill down ones spine.
It's so cold that this building froze after firefighters put out a fire in Nebraska, USA. pic.twitter.com/vqNaVMkNah— Planet Earth (@planetepics) January 7, 2014
My toilet water froze. That’s how cold it is. pic.twitter.com/IstaQIg00w— Pratik (@TheIndianbruh) January 7, 2014
So what does one do in a cold like this? Stay indoors of course.
“If you can stay indoors, please do so,” says Gary Schenkel, executive director of the Chicago’s Office of Emergency Management and Communications.“Everyday activities may not be feasible,” he adds.