Polar vortex brings deadly cold snap to US states
Cities are all but shutting down across the US Midwest as the region shivers through a deadly cold snap known as a polar vortex.
At least six people have been killed across several states as a result of the arctic weather.
Temperatures have dropped as low as -30C (-22F) in Chicago and -37C in North Dakota.
Freezing weather will chill 250 million Americans, and 90 million will experience -17C (0F) or below.
wenty million people in the continental US will experience temperatures of -28C or lower by the week's end.
Snow is expected to fall throughout Wednesday, from the Great Lakes region into New England. As much as 24in (60cm) is forecast in the state of Wisconsin, and 6in in Illinois.
States of emergency have been declared in Midwestern Wisconsin, Michigan and Illinois, and even in the Deep South states of Alabama and Mississippi.
"This could possibly be history-making," said Ricky Castro, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Illinois.
How did the fatalities occur?
A man was killed by a snow plough in Chicago and another man froze to death in a Milwaukee garage.
An 82-year-old man died from hypothermia outside his home in Pekin, Illinois, NBC News reported.
Roads made dangerous by ice and snow have also caused fatal accidents - a young couple died after a collision on snowy roads in northern Indiana.
How is it affecting daily life?
Hundreds of schools have been closed in the affected states.
At least 1,300 flights were grounded early on Wednesday, mainly out of Chicago O'Hare and Chicago Midway international airports, said FlightAware.com.
Amtrak, the US inter-city train operator, has cancelled all rail services to and from Chicago on Wednesday.
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