The polar vortex continued to freeze a large part of the country on Tuesday with temperatures in the single digits and teens, affecting at least 187 million people, according to forecasters.
"For people stepping outside their front door in any of these cities this morning it will be a real shock," Kevin Roth, The Weather Channel's head meteorologist told NBC News. "It is going to be cold enough to take your breath away."
Georgia was colder than many cities in Alaska this morning, according to the AP. The cold in Virginia broke more than 60-year-old records.
It was so cold, in fact, an escaped prisoner in Lexington, Kentucky decided to turn himself in. The 42-year-old man went to a motel and told the clerk to call the police when the temperatures dipped into the single digits.
And it was so cold in Chicago on Monday that the city's Lincoln Park Zoo kept their polar bear, Anana, indoors. Though that's mostly because Anana doesn't have the thick layer of fat common in polar bears after eating seals and whale carcasses.
Though the toll on lives is unclear, in Illinois, where the temperatures dropped well below zero, at least six people died from the snow and bitter cold. Four were estimated dead in Indianapolis, and a 1-year-old boy died in a car crash in Missouri.
Ice builds up along Lake Michigan as temperatures dipped to -30 Celcius in Chicago, USA #polarvortex #ChiBeria
Fascinating Pictures
@Fascinatingpics
Ice builds up along Lake Michigan as temperatures dipped to -30 Celcius in Chicago, USA #polarvortex #ChiBeria
PHOTO: Mist rose from Lake Michigan as temperatures dipped below zero in Chicago on Monday. http://t.co/XXyjVQDdnQ
The Boston Globe
@BostonGlobe
PHOTO: Mist rose from Lake Michigan as temperatures dipped below zero in Chicago on Monday. http://t.co/XXyjVQDdnQ
Parts of Minnesota dropped to temperatures as low as 25 below zero, while the weather also affected parts of the country that don't often experience deep cold, with single-digit temperatures recorded in Georgia and Alabama.
Proof it's cold in Atlanta: a frozen fountain [courtesy: Mario Page] #GAwx
Shawn Reynolds
@WCL_Shawn
Proof it's cold in Atlanta: a frozen fountain [courtesy: Mario Page] #GAwx
In Indiana, at least 15,000 people lost power this morning. A 118-year-old record was broken in New York's Central Park, where it was 5 degrees. The city's Office of Emergency Management warned of "life-threatening wind chill."
Flightaware.com reports more than 10,000 flights were canceled between Saturday and Monday. To let their crews rest, JetBlue canceled nearly all operations in New York, Newark and Boston into this morning.
