Bone-chilling cold grips wide swath of US, causes at least 2 deaths

April Nickila and Christina Liesmaki try to stay warm while waiting in subzero temperatures to enter US Bank Stadium to watch an NFL football game between the Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings, Sunday, Dec. 31, 2017, in Minneapolis. (Photo by CARLOS GONZALEZ / Star Tribune via AP)

MILWAUKEE — Bone-chilling cold has gripped much of the central US as 2018 opens, breaking century-old records and leading to at least two deaths attributed to exposure to the dangerously low temperatures.

The National Weather Service issued wind chill advisories covering a vast area from south Texas to Canada and from Montana and Wyoming through New England. The bitter cold wave enveloped much of the Midwest, yet that didn’t deter hundreds of people from ringing in the new year by jumping into Lake Michigan.

Despite sub-freezing temperatures and a warning of potential hypothermia from the local fire chief, throngs of people took part in the annual Milwaukee tradition Monday.

But a similar event was canceled from the Chicago lakefront, where the temperature dipped below zero as thick white steam rose from the lake. Organizers said the arctic blast made jumping into the lake too dangerous.

Temperatures plunged below zero elsewhere in the Midwest, including in Aberdeen, South Dakota, where the mercury dropped to a record-breaking –32°F (–36°C). The previous New Year’s Day record had stood for 99 years.

In Nebraska, temperatures hit 15 below zero (–26°C) before midnight Sunday in Omaha, breaking a record low dating to 1884.

Omaha officials cited the forecast in postponing the 18th annual New Year’s Eve Fireworks Spectacular that draws around 30,000 people.

It was colder in Des Moines, Iowa, where city officials closed a downtown outdoor ice skating plaza and said it wouldn’t reopen until the city emerged from sub-zero temperatures. The temperature hit 20 below zero (–29°C) early Monday, with the wind chill dipping to –31°F (–35°C).

Indianapolis Public Schools canceled classes for Tuesday on all its campuses due to the predicted sub-zero temperatures. Students had been scheduled to return from winter break.

In northeastern Montana, the wind chill readings dipped as low as minus 58 (-50 Celsius). And in Duluth, Minnesota, a city known for its bitter cold winters, the wind chill dipped to 36 below zero (–38°C).

Plunging overnight temperatures in Texas brought rare snow flurries as far south as Austin, and accidents racked up on icy roads across the state. In the central Texas city of Abilene, the local police chief said more than three dozen vehicle crashes were reported in 24 hours.

It’s even cold in the Deep South, as temperatures plummeted early Tuesday to 14°F (–10°C) in Atlanta and 26°F (–3°C) as far south as New Orleans.

Warming shelters were open across the South as freeze watches and warnings blanketed the region, including hard freeze warnings for much of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.

The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office said two bodies found Sunday showed signs of hypothermia. They included a man in his 50s found on the ground in an alley and a 34-year-old man.

Police believe the cold weather also may have been a factor in the death of a man in Bismarck, North Dakota, whose body was found near a river.