Us Midwest Cold Wave

An eastern Iowa community is grieving an 18-year-old college student who local officials believe died after exposure to the subzero temperatures pervading the Midwest.

Millions of people across the Midwest are enduring a freeze normally reserved for the Arctic Circle as temperatures in some areas dropped below minus-50 degrees Thursday. The second day of frightful cold, bottoming out to record lows, was blamed for several deaths across the region, and fears grew for the most vulnerable populations.

The blast of arctic cold that hit the U.S. Midwest this week will linger on Thursday, but it's pushing east and losing much of its bite.

Polar vortex: Nearly 90 million people are likely to experience temperatures at or below zero in the Midwest and New England, according to the National Weather Service; 25 million of them will face temperatures below minus-20 - dips that when combined with wind can cause frostbite in a matter of minutes.

Record-breaking cold that gripped the U.S. East and Midwest on Thursday snarled travel, shut schools, filled homeless shelters and even led to zoo penguins being ordered inside.

An eastern Iowa community is grieving an 18-year-old college student who local officials believe died after exposure to the subzero temperatures pervading the Midwest.

Millions of people across the Midwest are enduring a freeze normally reserved for the Arctic Circle as temperatures in some areas dropped below minus-50 degrees Thursday. The second day of frightful cold, bottoming out to record lows, was blamed for several deaths across the region, and fears grew for the most vulnerable populations.

The blast of arctic cold that hit the U.S. Midwest this week will linger on Thursday, but it's pushing east and losing much of its bite.

Polar vortex: Nearly 90 million people are likely to experience temperatures at or below zero in the Midwest and New England, according to the National Weather Service; 25 million of them will face temperatures below minus-20 - dips that when combined with wind can cause frostbite in a matter of minutes.

Record-breaking cold that gripped the U.S. East and Midwest on Thursday snarled travel, shut schools, filled homeless shelters and even led to zoo penguins being ordered inside.