8 dead as dangerous cold temps sweep US

By Umar Farooq

WASHINGTON (AA) - At least eight people were reported dead in the U.S. because of freezing temperatures brought in by a large swath of Arctic air known as the polar vortex.

The latest death was reported Wednesday, when the University of Iowa student Gerald Belz died after being found unresponsive in the cold, where the wind chill reached -51 degrees Fahrenheit (-46 C). Officials believe the death was weather-related.

In Illinois, an 82-year-old man died in the cold after falling while attempting to enter his home. Two other deaths were also reported in Michigan, as well as two in Indiana and another in Illinois.

A 55-year-old man in Wisconsin was found frozen to death in his garage after collapsing while shoveling snow, according to a local report.

The cold air has swept through the midwest with more than 200 million Americans feeling temperatures below freezing, and putting roughly 120 million people under a wind chill warning or advisory, according to MSNBC meteorologist Bill Karins.

In the midwest and Great Lakes regions, residents have felt temperatures as cold as -63 F (-53 C), which, if exposed, can cause frostbite in under 5 minutes.

In Chicago, the temperature early Thursday went down to -21 F (-29 C) -- close to breaking the record for the lowest ever recorded for the at -27 F (-33 C).

The cold air is headed toward the northeast U.S. Thursday, bringing below freezing temperatures to cities including Boston, New York and Philadelphia.