At least 21 people have died in one of the worst temperatures to hit the US Midwest in decades.
Ninety million people have seen temperatures of -17C or below. Some 250 million Americans overall have experienced the “polar vortex” conditions. Hospitals have been treating patients reporting frostbite as parts of the country come to a standstill. Temperatures are expected to move to above average on the weekend. More than 30 record lows were broken across the Midwest. In Toronto, where winters tend to be colder compared to other cities, temperatures dropped to -18C (0F). Temperatures of -40C in the Midwest and Great Lakes have felt closer to -53C, which is enough to cause frostbite in less than five minutes.
Homeless people have been particularly at risk with warming shelters set up across the cities. However, some braved the cold and one women,60, was found dead in an abandoned house in Lorain, Ohio. Many others were found dead a short walk away from their homes. Officials said a Michigan man who froze to death in his neighbourhood was “inadequately dressed for the weather”. In a wind chill of -46C (-51F) an 18-year-old student was found unresponsive a short walk from his room on Wednesday and later died in hospital. On Tuesday a man froze to death in a garage in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, having “apparently collapsed after shovelling snow”, according to a medical examiner.
Dangerous roads have also been a factor in the deaths as a man was fatally struck by a snow plough near Chicago on Monday and in northern Indiana a young couple died after a collision on icy roads.
The official low temperature at Chicago this morning was -21F. This shatters the previous record for Jan 31st, which was -12F set back 1985. In records that date back to the 1870s, this is only the 15th time Chicago has seen a daily low this cold or colder, yesterday was 14th.
— NWS Chicago (@NWSChicago) January 31, 2019
By the end of the weekend, chicago could see temperatures of 10C.
More than 2,300 flights have been cancelled and 3,500 delayed due to the polar vortex. The weather could cost the US billions of dollars. In 2014, a similar freeze cost the country $5 billion.
In Chicago, a group of rough sleepers living in a makeshift camp of tents were evacuated after one of about 100 propane tanks they were using to keep warm exploded. After the explosion, the Chicago fire department contacted the Salvation Army to transport people shelters. However, an anonymous donor stepped forward to cover the cost of putting the group of 70 into a hotel.
In Cleveland, Ohio, residents have been tying warm clothes up to the wall of love for the cities homeless population.
W 117th & Madison… a beautiful act of kindness in action in the midst of the #PolarVortex2019! Doesn’t take a lot to make a huge difference! #MakeClevelandBetter #BeTheChange #DifferenceMaker pic.twitter.com/oMkOMLgz1y
— S.U.T Cleveland (@SUTCle216) January 30, 2019
