‘Polar vortex’ hammers US and Canada with record cold weather
Print Edition
The eastern half of the US and Canada shivered yesterday as a dangerously cold whirlpool of dense air known as a “polar vortex” threatened to break decades-old records and freeze exposed skin within minutes.
The bitter weather comes after a heavy snowstorm hit much of the region last week. Officials closed schools in Chicago and other Midwest cities and warned residents to stay indoors.
More than 1,000 flights were canceled on Sunday at airports throughout the Midwest. More than 400 flights were canceled at Chicago’s airports yesterday.
“It’s just a dangerous cold,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Butch Dye.
In the United States, temperatures were 20 to 40 degrees Celsius below average in parts of Montana, North and South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan and Nebraska, according to forecasters.
They issued warnings for life-threatening wind chills in western and central North Dakota, with temperatures as low as minus 51 degrees.
In New York City, the temperature was expected to drop sharply from about 11 to minus 12 degrees overnight as the arctic air moved in.
In Newfoundland, Canada, about 30,000 customers remained without power because of blackouts in recent days.
However, Premier Kathy Dunderdale said it wasn’t a crisis and government services were still operating.
It hasn’t been this cold for almost two decades in many parts of the region. Frostbite and hypothermia can set in within minutes.
“I have seen frostbite occur through clothing,” said Douglas Brunette, an emergency room doctor in Minneapolis. “It’s not enough just to be covered. You need clothes made for the elements. You need to repel the wind.”
The Indianapolis mayor upgraded the city’s travel emergency level to “red,” making it illegal for anyone to drive except for emergencies or seeking shelter. The last time the city issued such a travel warning was 1978.
Elnur Toktombetov, a Chicago taxi driver, said an hour into his shift, his car’s windows were still coated with ice on the inside.
Many cities came to a virtual standstill. School was called off yesterday for the state of Minnesota. Government offices and courts in several states closed.
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