Polar vortex will make parts of the U.S. colder than South Pole
A dangerous and deadly polar vortex is sweeping the coldest air in a generation into the country's midsection. The upper Midwest will face temperatures 20 to 40 degrees below average Tuesday. Grand Forks, North Dakota will dip to -24 degrees and Minneapolis will hit minus 13.
Wind chills will be as low as minus 65 in parts of Wisconsin and Minnesota, reports CBS News' DeMarco Morgan. The system dumped 18 inches of snow in Montana. The cold even prompted governors in Wisconsin and Michigan to declare states of emergency. It's so cold in Minneapolis, public schools are closed Tuesday and Wednesday.
To give a sense of how cold it is, it'll be colder in Chicago that it is in parts of the Arctic Circle. Even the South Pole is expected to be warmer than parts of the U.S.
The YouthLink shelter in Minneapolis, a place for homeless young adults, added 20 additional beds and 23-year-old Monica Johnson — who has been living on the streets on and off for six years — said the organization is a life-saver.
Police believe a Minnesota man died of hypothermia and frostbite Sunday after he was locked out of his home.
The snow and cold also means misery on the roads, plows working overtime up and down the highways and cars struggling to move. Getting around in the air wasn't any easier. At Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee, the weather grounded people in planes trying to take off.
Chicago's O'Hare Airport saw more than 1,200 canceled flights Monday with six inches of snow and public schools are already closed for Wednesday. The forecast over the next couple days there could break a 34-year-old record from 1985 when the low was minus 20.
Experts have some tips for people during this deep freeze. Move furniture that's blocking vents to better distribute heat in your home, and leave a faucet dripping to prevent your pipes from freezing over.
