More than half of the U.S. is enduring a dangerously cold start to the week as a whirlpool of frigid, dense air known as a ‘polar vortex’ descended on Monday morning, pummeling parts of the country with a dangerous cold and adding to the brutal weather that has grounded more than 4,400 flights.

Record low temperatures have already been set; at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, temperatures of minus 16 degrees were recorded at 8am on Monday, beating the previous record of minus 14 set in 1988.

In Minnesota, officials took the rare step of closing all of the state’s public schools on Monday – the first time in 17 years. Schools across Chicago, Milwaukee and St Louis were also closed, while officials in Washington D.C. and as far south as Atlanta have announced school closures for Tuesday.

With wind chill warnings stretching from Montana to Alabama, much of the U.S. is experiencing the coldest temperatures in almost 20 years, according to the National Weather Service. They are expected to be 30 to 50 degrees below average in some cities – and the deep freeze is expected to last into Tuesday.

• Nearly 187 million people, more than half of the nation’s population, were under a wind chill warning or advisory on Monday
• The coldest temperature reported in a 24-hour period through Monday was -36 degrees at Crane Lake, Minnesota, while the warmest was 84 at Hollywood and Punta Gorda, Florida
• Minnesota officials took the rare step on Monday of closing all public schools; schools in St. Louis, Chicago and Milwaukee were also shut and schools in Washington D.C. and Atlanta will also be closed on Tuesday
• Thousands of flights have been canceled and JetBlue shut down its operations in Boston and New York-area airports in an attempt to correct the backlog of canceled flights; it will resume as normal tomorrow
• Experts have called the temperatures and freezing winds ‘dangerous and life threatening’ – warning that skin can freeze in just ten minutes in wind chills of minus 50; parts of Minnesota could be hit with wind chills of minus 60
• New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency covering 13 counties in the western part of the state on Monday afternoon and more than 300 Army and Air National Guard have been mobilized

By DAILY MAIL REPORTERS and ASSOCIATED PRESS REPORTER

The Chicago Skyline sits as a backdrop as fog drifts across Monroe Harbor with temperatures well below zero and wind chills expected to reach 40 to 50 below as the whirlpool of frigid, dense air known as the ‘Polar Vortex’ descended onto much of the U.S. on Monday

A man in Flint, Michigan, carries his shovel while walking through the drifting snow on Monday: The deep freeze is to blame for an estimated 13 deaths so far

Firefighters contend with dangerously cold temperatures and wind as they battle a structure fire in an industrial park just south of Brookston, Ind. on Monday

Ice builds up along Lake Michigan at North Avenue Beach as temperatures dipped well below zero on Monday in Chicago, Illinois

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wreck: A semi truck sits in the ditch on the eastbound side of I-74 west of St. Joseph, Illinois, on Monday amid sub zero temperatures and blowing snow

 

 

 

 

 

Many motorists experienced difficulties getting their cars started due to the weather

 

Nearly 187 million people, more than half of the nation’s population, were under a wind chill warning or advisory on Monday.

The winds made it feel like 55 below zero in International Falls, Minn., and parts of the Midwest accustomed to temperatures that are cold – albeit seldom this cold. But even the coal fields of Virginia and West Virginia, the wind chill was negative 35.

 

A woman pushes her daughter and their groceries through blowing snow in the Kroger parking lot in Green Acres Plaza on State Street in Saginaw Township, Michigan on Monday

 

Frozen: Greg Rohde commuted to work to the University of Minnesota via cross-country skis along West River Parkway in the frigid -20 weather on Monday

 

 

Stuck: John Douglas shovels the snow off his car in Indianapolis on Monday as temperatures hovered around 10 below zero. More than 12 inches of snow fell on Sunday

Wrapped up: Chris Tinney, 41, is covered in snow as he shovels outside businesses in Muskegon, Michigan on Monday Morning

 

Chill: Many parts of the country are suffering freezing temperatures – the coldest temperatures in more than 20 years

 

Big chill: Houses and streets are covered with a blanket of snow in Chicago, Illinois on Monday after a massive blast of bitterly cold air blasted the area

Bitter: A dial, left, shows temperatures plummeting to minus 20 in south Minneapolis on Monday while, right, Hank Wade is bundled up in Lyndhurst, Ohio

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Braving the chill: A rugged-up man walks near the snow-covered Lake Michigan in Evanston, Illinois on Friday

Grueling: A man digs his car out of a driveway in Indianapolis on Monday after the city was hit by 30 centimeters of snow and sub-freezing temperatures

 

Deep: Caleb Panning shovels snow on Monday in Bowling Green, Ohio as frigid, dense air swirled across much of the U.S.

Chilled: A horse drinks water from a hole in a frozen water tank in Enid, Oklahoma. Record low temperatures were set in at least two Oklahoma cities on Monday

 

 

Freezing: Time and temperature signs agree to the cold temperatures in Lawrence, Kansas on Monday. The area was under a wind chill warning until noon

 

Storm: The huge weather system can be seen in this satellite handout image provided by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

 

 

 

Grounded: More than 2,500 flights have been grounded. On Sunday, Delta planes sit on the tarmac at JFK Airport after one of its fleet skidded off a runway and into a snowbank

 

Skid: The plane is seen after it skidded off the runway at John F. Kennedy International Airport in this picture provided by NBC 4

Stress: JetBlue announced that they would halt operations in Boston, New York and New Jersey on Monday afternoon to rest their crews and give it time to service aircraft, due to flight delays and cancellations

 

Tired out: Evan, Ace, and Laura Peagels sleep on the floor in the baggage area of Delta Airlines Terminal 2 at Kennedy International Airport as thousands of flights were canceled

Smash: A city passenger bus crashed into the Idaho Power corporate headquarters building early on Monday in Boise, Idaho. Police say the brakes failed on the bus

 

 

Damage: The front of the bus is shown entering the Idaho Power corporate headquarters building after it lost control, swerved through a parking lot and hit the building

 

No escape: A commuter walks to an exit on Chicago’s El tracks after arriving at the Washington/Wells station with temperatures well below zero

Arctic: A man walks across a frozen Lake Harriet in south Minneapolis amid frigid wind chill temperatures that forced businesses and schools to close on Monday

 

Battle: Daryl Daugherty clears the sidewalk in front of his home on Monday in Carmel, Indiana as temperatures dropped to 10 below zero after 12 inches of snow fell

Freeze: A man’s glasses steam up in the cold temperatures as commuters make a sub-zero trek to offices in the Loop on Monday in Chicago, Illinois

 

 

 

 

A woman runs from the surf as waves crash into houses on Lighthouse Road during a winter nor’easter snow storm in Scituate, Massachusetts today

Records: Chicago experienced record temperatures on Monday. At O’Hare Airport temperatures reached minus 16, beating a previous record in 1988

Cold commute: A man crosses the Chicago River during a sub-zero trek to offices in the Loop on Monday morning as the coldest temperatures in 20 years swept through

 

 

 

 

 

 

Staying positive: Greg Rohde has an ice and snow encrusted beard after commuting to work at the University of Minnesota by cross-country skis on Monday

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Covered: Matt Frame brushes off a Buick at Ray Laethem Buick-GMC in Detroit, where more than 15 inches of snow have fallen in some places

 

Grounded: Ramp workers walk across the snow covered tarmac in freezing temperatures at Midway International Airport in Chicago. Thousands of flights have been canceled

 

Dreary: A woman walks during a morning rainstorm in Philadelphia on Monday. In southeastern Pennsylvania, a weather advisory warned of wind chills of 15 to 20 degrees below zero

 

Cold: Snow sticks to leaves and vines across an alley wall on Monday morning in downtown Flint, Michigan, after a severe snowstorm dumped 16.2 inches of snow over the weekend

source::::mailonline.com UK

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