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| Arctic temperatures send chill across US and Canada for second day | Arctic temperatures send chill across US and Canada for second day |
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| Arctic-like conditions enveloped parts of the United States and Canada for a second day on Tuesday, coating the region in a layer of frigid air that froze lakes and rivers, iced up trains, and led to wind-chill warnings in southern states better known for more clement weather patterns. | |
| At least four deaths were attributed to the cold weather, which led to temperatures as low as -37F (-38.3C) in Minnesota on Monday, and wind-chill equivalents -40F (-40C) and colder. Chicago set a record for the date at -16F (-27C). Records also fell in Oklahoma, Texas and Indiana. | At least four deaths were attributed to the cold weather, which led to temperatures as low as -37F (-38.3C) in Minnesota on Monday, and wind-chill equivalents -40F (-40C) and colder. Chicago set a record for the date at -16F (-27C). Records also fell in Oklahoma, Texas and Indiana. |
| A “weather whiplash” sent temperatures in New York plunging 50 degrees fahrenheit. At lunchtime on Monday, it was 55F (13C) in Central Park; on Tuesday morning it was 5F (-15C). | A “weather whiplash” sent temperatures in New York plunging 50 degrees fahrenheit. At lunchtime on Monday, it was 55F (13C) in Central Park; on Tuesday morning it was 5F (-15C). |
| In northern Illinois, 500 Amtrak passengers spent the night on board three trains stranded in snow. The trains – the Southwest Chief from Los Angeles, the Illinois Zephyr from Quincy and the California Zephyr from the San Francisco Bay area – got stuck after 3pm Monday in blowing, drifting snow and ice that made the tracks impassable. The passengers were being bussed to their destinations on Tuesday. | In northern Illinois, 500 Amtrak passengers spent the night on board three trains stranded in snow. The trains – the Southwest Chief from Los Angeles, the Illinois Zephyr from Quincy and the California Zephyr from the San Francisco Bay area – got stuck after 3pm Monday in blowing, drifting snow and ice that made the tracks impassable. The passengers were being bussed to their destinations on Tuesday. |
| It was so cold in Kentucky on Monday that an escaped prisoner turned himself in. Robert Vick, 42, escaped from a minimum-security prison on Sunday, the Associated Press reported, but as temperatures dropped through the floor on Monday he walked into a motel and asked the clerk to call the police so he could escape the freezing air. | It was so cold in Kentucky on Monday that an escaped prisoner turned himself in. Robert Vick, 42, escaped from a minimum-security prison on Sunday, the Associated Press reported, but as temperatures dropped through the floor on Monday he walked into a motel and asked the clerk to call the police so he could escape the freezing air. |
| Lexington police said Vick was checked by paramedics and returned to Blackburn correctional complex. | Lexington police said Vick was checked by paramedics and returned to Blackburn correctional complex. |
| Authorities at Toronto airport halted flights at Pearson international airport on Tuesday morning because the extreme cold was causing equipment to freeze. In all, more than 3,700 flights were canceled by late Monday afternoon, following a weekend of travel disruption across the US and southern Canada. | Authorities at Toronto airport halted flights at Pearson international airport on Tuesday morning because the extreme cold was causing equipment to freeze. In all, more than 3,700 flights were canceled by late Monday afternoon, following a weekend of travel disruption across the US and southern Canada. |
| Across the region, airline officials said de-icing fluid was freezing, fuel was pumping sluggishly, and ramp workers were having difficulty loading and unloading luggage. JetBlue Airways stopped all scheduled flights to and from New York and Boston on Monday. Southwest ground to a halt in Chicago earlier in the day, but by the evening, flights resumed in "a trickle", a spokesman said. | Across the region, airline officials said de-icing fluid was freezing, fuel was pumping sluggishly, and ramp workers were having difficulty loading and unloading luggage. JetBlue Airways stopped all scheduled flights to and from New York and Boston on Monday. Southwest ground to a halt in Chicago earlier in the day, but by the evening, flights resumed in "a trickle", a spokesman said. |
| Forecasters said some 187 million people could feel the effects of the "polar vortex" by the time it spreads across the US. Even the south was startlingly cold. Temperatures plunged to 8F (-13C) in Atlanta on Monday. | Forecasters said some 187 million people could feel the effects of the "polar vortex" by the time it spreads across the US. Even the south was startlingly cold. Temperatures plunged to 8F (-13C) in Atlanta on Monday. |
| The polar vortex is a persistent area of low pressure, moving anti-clockwise above the north pole, which sucks warm air up from the south. Fluctuations in the jet stream have led to its pushing cold air much further south than usual, leading to this week’s bitterly cold conditions. | The polar vortex is a persistent area of low pressure, moving anti-clockwise above the north pole, which sucks warm air up from the south. Fluctuations in the jet stream have led to its pushing cold air much further south than usual, leading to this week’s bitterly cold conditions. |
| It took authorities using 10-tonne military vehicles known as "wreckers" until early Monday to clear all the chain-reaction accidents caused when several semis jackknifed along snowy interstates in southern Illinois. The crash stranded about 375 vehicles, but there were no fatalities or injuries, largely because motorists either stayed with their cars or were rescued and taken to nearby warming centers if they were low on gas or didn't have enough coats or blankets, said Jonathon Monken, director of the Illinois emergency management agency. Others got stuck in the snowdrifts, including the Southern Illinois men's basketball team, which had to spend the night in a church. | It took authorities using 10-tonne military vehicles known as "wreckers" until early Monday to clear all the chain-reaction accidents caused when several semis jackknifed along snowy interstates in southern Illinois. The crash stranded about 375 vehicles, but there were no fatalities or injuries, largely because motorists either stayed with their cars or were rescued and taken to nearby warming centers if they were low on gas or didn't have enough coats or blankets, said Jonathon Monken, director of the Illinois emergency management agency. Others got stuck in the snowdrifts, including the Southern Illinois men's basketball team, which had to spend the night in a church. |
| In the eastern United States, temperatures in the 40s and 50s F (from single digits to the low teens C) Monday helped melt piles of snow from a storm last week, raising the risk that roads would freeze over as the cold air moved in Monday night, said Bob Oravec from the Weather Prediction Center in College Park, Maryland. The snap was set to be dramatic; Springfield, Massachusetts, enjoyed 56F (13C) Monday morning but faced an overnight low of 6F (-14C). | In the eastern United States, temperatures in the 40s and 50s F (from single digits to the low teens C) Monday helped melt piles of snow from a storm last week, raising the risk that roads would freeze over as the cold air moved in Monday night, said Bob Oravec from the Weather Prediction Center in College Park, Maryland. The snap was set to be dramatic; Springfield, Massachusetts, enjoyed 56F (13C) Monday morning but faced an overnight low of 6F (-14C). |
| The Associated Press contributed to this report | The Associated Press contributed to this report |
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