Arctic blast: US temperatures plummet to record lows
An Arctic air mass has brought record-breaking low temperatures to several places in the US.
The Arctic blast, which began in Siberia, has brought heavy snow and ice to many areas.
Daily records have been set in states including Kansas and Illinois. Forecasters say hundreds of records could be matched or broken this week.
Four traffic deaths have been linked to the bad weather and more than 1,000 flights have been cancelled.
Schools have also been closed in some areas.
The National Weather Service (NSW) said the air mass was continuing to spread from the Plains towards the East Coast.
It warned that the cold front would make it feel like “the middle of winter” rather than November for much of the eastern two-thirds of the country.
Several cities in Kansas set record low temperatures on Tuesday, when compared to the same date in previous years. The lowest temperature was recorded in Garden City, where it dropped to -1F (-18C), breaking the record of 7F set last year.
Chicago recorded a low of 7F, breaking the previous record of 8F set in 1986, the NWS said. The city also set a daily record for snowfall on Monday.
A recording of 8F in Indianapolis marked the city’s earliest recorded autumn temperature in single digits.