At least 21 dead as Arctic freeze spreads into US North-east
Tens of millions of Americans braved Arctic-like temperatures as low as minus 49 C on Thursday that paralysed the US Midwest and were blamed for at least 21 deaths, Reuters reported.
Warmer weather was on the way, but that offered little comfort to vulnerable populations such as the homeless and elderly enduring cold that caused frostbite in minutes and made being outside potentially deadly.
Officials across multiple states linked numerous deaths to the frigid air. The death toll rose from a previous 12 after at least nine more people in Chicago were reported to have died from cold-related injuries, according to the report.