Death toll rises as below freezing ‘polar vortex’ continues to rock US midwest

Matt Johnson
Feb 01, 2019, updated Feb 01, 2019

Chicago continues to freeze, as a polar vortex sends temperatures plummeting below minus 40 degrees. Photo: AAP

At least 21 people are dead as arctic-like temperatures produced by a polar vortex continue to rock the US midwest.

Temperatures descended to as low as minus 49 degrees during the freakish weather which has affected millions of Americans, with officials linking the spate of deaths to the icy outdoor conditions.

Dr Stathis Poulakidas from Chicago’s John H Stroger Jr Hospital said nine additional people in the city were reported to have died from cold-related injuries, adding to the existing 12 people who had succumbed to the weather.

A University of Iowa student was found dead on campus with exposure to a wind chill factor of minus 46 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.

More than 30 record lows were shattered across the Midwest, with the Minnesota town of Cotton recording the lowest national temperature at minus 48 degrees during the polar vortex phenomenon.

Relatively balmier weather is on the horizon, with Chicago expected to bask in snow-melting highs between 4 and 10 degrees, along with other parts of the Midwest, the weather service said.

Social media reveals true extent of chilly conditions

Chicago residents have documented the transformation of Lake Michigan in the ongoing polar vortex, as ice continues to build up on the water’s surface.

https://twitter.com/angelafritz/status/1091035101759197185

Vision captured steam billowing for kilometre-long stretches, in a phenomenon that usually occurs when the air temperature dips below that of the water.

WATCH: Steam rises off Lake Michigan with outside temperatures in Chicago near -20 degrees. https://t.co/cHqXyCDbBj pic.twitter.com/bkBIgadK3s

— NBC News (@NBCNews) January 31, 2019

Crews in Chicago had to resort to setting train tracks on fire so the city’s train network could continue to operate amid the threat of rail defects.

Others stepped outside their front doors momentarily to show the true magnitude of the bitterly cold conditions, throwing steaming cups of water into the ether, which instantaneously transformed into a cloud of snow.

Soooo it’s so cold that this just happened 🥶 ❄️-49°F : pic.twitter.com/zhh0EHQENu

— Jamie (Taylor’s Version) (@Xfeedbuttrflies) January 30, 2019

https://twitter.com/StarrburyMike/status/1090634940478308353

Photos doing the round have shown the cold conditions wreaking havoc on the dinner plans of some Americans, while others have seen their toilets go completely bust.