The polar wave paralyzes Chicago: the temperature was -30 degrees

Postal services were interrupted, schools and businesses shut down, and residents had to stay at home in 12 states with temperatures below double digits, in the most extreme cold snap that shook the city. region for years.

Attribute of the American media at least five deaths at low temperatures and the snowstorm that preceded them.

In the third American city, Chicago, where the temperature was -30 ° C, with a thermal sensation of -46 ° C because of the icy wind, it was colder than in the capital of Alaska and even more than in some regions. parts of Antarctica.

And blocks of ice floated in the city's river, while flames from gas burners heated the regional railways to keep them going.

More than 1,800 flights were canceled at the two major airports in the city and the Amtrak rail operator stopped service from Chicago.

The US Postal Service, known for its commitment to deliver mail despite inclement weather, has suspended shipments in Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Ohio, North Dakota, Dakota South and Nebraska.

The cause seems to be an arctic air mbad that is detached from the polar vortex that generally surrounds the North Pole, thereby triggering the polar wave.

"A record mbad of cold air will remain in the central and eastern United States in the coming days," the National Weather Service (NWS) announced.

"It's cold, and then there's COLD!" says the NWS. "COLD extreme and dangerous!"

"Icy winds between 30 and 60 degrees below zero will be common in the northern plains, the great lakes and the upper half of the Midwest," he added.

Authorities warned that extreme temperatures could be deadly and the states of Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin have put in place emergency plans.

"The National Weather Service continues to predict sub zero dangerous temperatures and the priority remains human safety," Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer said in a statement.

In addition shelters were opened for vulnerable residents and shelters for vagrants, including about 16,000 people without technologyor who live in the streets of Chicago.

"We are adding extra beds in the shelters," Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel said Tuesday at a news conference. "We will not leave anyone in need of a safe and secure place," he added.

In Chicago and Minneapolis, buses are used as homeless shelters for people who are homeless.

"We need everyone to do their part and make sure you and your families are ready"said the governor of Illinois, JB Pritzker.

Authorities and health experts have indicated that freezing and hypothermia could occur a few minutes after exposure to extreme cold.