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Long-time records were beaten this week as the polar vortex sent a brutal and dangerously cold air through the Midwest and Northeast. It was sometimes colder in parts of the Midwest than in Alaska or Antarctica.
At least 16 people have died in the cold, according to the Associated Press.
"A whole generation has pbaded without having to experience this type of cold in the Chicago area," said Mike Doll, Senior Meteorologist at AccuWeather.
The US Postal Service suspended its delivery service Wednesday in Minnesota, western Wisconsin, Iowa and western Illinois to ensure worker safety .
AP Photo / Garret Fischer
Dan Eidsmoe
The Chicago tug, James J. Versluis, attempted to open the Chicago River after the Arctic freeze on January 31, 2019.
(AP Photo / Teresa Crawford)
Chicago Lake is ice-covered on Wednesday, January 30, 2019. Temperatures are falling in Chicago as authorities warn against venturing into the freezing cold.
(AP Photo / Teresa Crawford)
The ice covers the Chicago River on Wednesday, January 30, 2019 in Chicago. A deadly arctic freezing ice has invaded the Midwest while record temperatures have resulted in the widespread closure of schools and businesses.
(AP Photo / Kiichiro Sato)
A person walks by the lake on Wednesday, January 30, 2019, in Chicago, Illinois.
(Photo / Dan Eidsmoe)
As the polar vortex sent extreme cold into the Midwest, Lake Michigan became ice cold on Wednesday, January 30, 2019.
(AP Photo / Kiichiro Sato)
The ice forms along the shores of Lake Michigan before sunrise on Wednesday, January 30, 2019 in Chicago. A deadly Arctic ice freeze has enveloped the Midwest with record temperatures.
(AP Photo / Kiichiro Sato)
A man poses for an image as ice forms along the shores of Lake Michigan on Wednesday, January 30, 2019 in Chicago. A deadly Arctic ice freeze wrapped the Midwest Wednesday with record temperatures.
(AP Photo / Kiichiro Sato)
The ice forms along the shores of Lake Michigan before sunrise on Wednesday, January 30, 2019 in Chicago.
(AP Photo / Kiichiro Sato)
The ice forms along the shores of Lake Michigan before sunrise on Wednesday, January 30, 2019, in Chicago, Illinois.
(AP Photo / Kiichiro Sato)
A Metra train heads south to downtown Chicago, while the gas air heater on the rails prevents ice and snow from entering near turnouts near the Metra Western Avenue subway station. Chicago, Tuesday, January 29, 2019.
(AP Photo / Kiichiro Sato)
A Metra train heads south to downtown Chicago, while the gas air heater on the rails prevents ice and snow from entering near turnouts near the Metra Western Avenue subway station. Chicago, Tuesday, January 29, 2019.
(AP Photo / Kiichiro Sato)
A worker shovels snow on turnouts at Metra Western Avenue Yard on Tuesday, January 29, 2019 in Chicago.
(AP Photo / Nam Y. Huh)
A warning sign is covered with ice at Clark Square Park in Evanston, IL on Wednesday, January 30, 2019.
(AP Photo / Jeffrey Phelps)
Geese huddle in the water as the sun rises over Port Washington Harbor, Wisconsin, on Wednesday, January 30, 2019. A deadly Arctic ice freeze enveloped the Midwest with record temperatures.
(AP Photo / Nati Harnik)
First responders evacuate a person found in freezing temperatures on the shores of Carter Lake in Omaha, Nebraska, Wednesday, January 30, 2019.
(AP Photo / Nam Y. Huh)
A tree is shrouded in fog at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois on Wednesday, January 30, 2019.
(AP Photo / Nati Harnik)
Pedestrians are piling up in freezing temperatures on the campus of the University of Nebraska-Omaha, Omaha, Neb., On Wednesday, January 30th. An extreme freeze of the Arctic has enveloped the Midwest with record temperatures.
(AP Photo / Nati Harnik)
Students from the University of Nebraska are sipping complementary hot chocolate while they wait in frosty weather to be admitted to the Pinnacle Bank Arena for a university basketball game against Wisconsin in the NCAA, in Lincoln, Nebr. , Tuesday, January 29, 2019.
(AP Photo / John Minchillo)
Commuters face the wind and snow in freezing weather on Wednesday, January 30, 2019 in Cincinnati. Extreme cold and record temperatures reach levels from North Dakota to Missouri and Ohio.
(AP Photo / John Minchillo)
Commuters face the wind and snow in cold weather on Wednesday, January 30, 2019 in Cincinnati, Ohio.
(AP Photo / John Minchillo)
Commuters face the wind and snow in freezing weather on Wednesday, January 30, 2019 in Cincinnati.
(AP Photo / John Minchillo)
A commuter confronts wind and snow in freezing weather on Wednesday, January 30, 2019 in Cincinnati, Ohio.
(AP Photo / John Minchillo)
Commuters face the wind and snow in freezing weather on Wednesday, January 30, 2019 in Cincinnati. Extreme cold and record temperatures reach many states, from North Dakota to Missouri, and then to Ohio, after the snow storm in the region earlier this week.
(AP Photo / Bruce Crummy)
An electronic sign indicating a primary school in Moorhead, Minnesota, indicates the school's cancellation due to an icy temperature on Tuesday, January 29, 2019. Daytime temperatures in the Fargo area -Moorhead were close to -20 ° F, Wednesday's temperature being even colder.
(AP Photo / Nam Y. Huh)
A bank is showing a closed sign in front of the gate in Northbrook, Illinois, on Wednesday, January 30, 2019. A deadly freeze in the Arctic enveloped the Midwest on Wednesday with record temperatures.
(AP Photo / Nam Y. Huh)
Traffic travels along Milwaukee Avenue in Wheeling, Illinois, on Wednesday, January 30, 2019. A deadly Arctic frost wrapped the Midwest Wednesday with record temperatures.
Dan Eidsmoe
The streets were more empty than normal in Chicago while an icy cold was beating down on the city on Wednesday, January 30, 2019.
(Photo / Dan Eidsmoe)
The steam is high from Lake Michigan in the intense cold Wednesday, January 30, 2019.
The strong winds that led to the dangerous sub-zero AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures also created blinding snow squalls from the Midwest to the Northeast and New England.
During the cold spell, tens of thousands of people lost their food in parts of Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin.
At least 100 firefighters were called in the cold during a fire at a paper mill in Elmwood Park, New Jersey, but extreme conditions made it difficult to extinguish the fire. Nobody was hurt.
Reports indicated that the water pipes of the fire pump froze in the middle of single-digit temperatures. The fire destroyed the emblematic sign of the paper mill, as well as a large part of the building, according to NJ.com.
Eventually, officials decided to let the fire go out because firefighters could not fight it during the cold.
Just a day later, in Newark, New Jersey, authorities reacted to another fire after several cars were fired at the Newark Liberty International Airport.
In cold weather, a man had to be rescued after trying to save his dog in an icy lake, railway lines were burned voluntarily, traffic lights went out in Philadelphia and "frost tremors" been heard across the country.
People have also used the cold as an opportunity to experiment by showing how boiling water can freeze instantly and staging a scene from "A Christmas Story".
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A brutal cold has also seized Syria this week, killing at least 29 babies and children in refugee camps, according to The Guardian.
The World Health Organization said that thousands of people have descended into the camp after perilous journeys, only to find inappropriate shelter due to limited resources.
Al-Hol, the name of the camp, has tripled its population in the past two months.
Officials canceled clbades in hundreds of schools in Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, as air pollution reached unhealthy levels this week.
According to the Associated Press, the city's governor declared a "pollution control zone", giving officials the legal right to reduce pollution levels. Those who do not consider applications such as diesel exhaust limitations and construction activities can be sentenced to three months in prison.
Stagnant air and heavy traffic have led to poor air quality, officials said.
"We decided to eliminate the problem by closing the schools," said Asawin Kwanmuang, governor of the city. "We are afraid it can be dangerous for children."
The snow covered parts of the UK this week, closing one of the country's largest airports.
Manchester, in northwestern England, was hit by a buildup of snow Wednesday, interrupting flights at the city's international airport.
Snowy roads have created inconvenience and long delays on motorways. For a South Manchester skiing enthusiast, he offers a different way of traveling.
Best way to get around Manchester this morning #uksnow pic.twitter.com/i7iD90oJOA
– galabelle (@gabisanderson) January 30, 2019
The floods killed at least a dozen people this week in Saudi Arabia when rain fell in the west and north-west of the country.
More than 270 people have been rescued from the floods, officials said in a statement, Al Jazeera reported.
Some parts of Australia are experiencing a persistent heat wave in Victoria and New South Wales.
According to Al Jazeera, nearly 50,000 people in Sydney lost their power during the intense heat, including a whole hospital.
Some people were stuck in elevators when the power was cut.
Meanwhile, record rains have led to floods, landslides, road closures and evacuations across Queensland.
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