Montreal Gazette by Tammy Webber and Kerry Lester, AP
CHICAGO - A whirlpool of frigid, dense air known as a "polar vortex" descended Monday into much of the United States, pummelling parts of the country with a dangerous cold that could break decades-old records with wind chill warnings stretching from Montana to Alabama.
For a big chunk of the Midwest, the extremely cold temperatures were moving in behind another winter wallop: more than a foot (30 centimetres) of snow and high winds that made travelling treacherous. Officials closed schools in cities including Chicago, St. Louis and Milwaukee and warned residents to stay indoors and avoid the frigid cold altogether.
The forecast is extreme: 32 below zero (-35 C) in Fargo, N. D., minus 21 (-29 C) in Madison, Wis. and 15 below zero (-27 C) in Minneapolis, Indianapolis and Chicago. Wind chills could drop into the minus 50s and 60s (-40s and -50s).
