Massive freeze breaks records, strands people on trains, at airports

Ice forms around rocks on the Brooklyn waterfront, across from Lower Manhattan, on Tuesday, January 7, in New York City.

A woman braves the cold in Scranton, Pennsylvania, on January 7.

Passengers wait for a train to arrive in Chicago on January 7, when temperatures were below zero.

A man clenches his fists while walking past a steam vent in New York City on January 7.

A man bundles up against the cold in New York City on January 7.

A couple walks past an advertisement in Pittsburgh during sub-zero temperatures January 7.

A woman tries to stay warm while waiting for a bus in Brooklyn, New York, on January 7.

Ice builds up along Lake Michigan at Chicago's North Avenue Beach on Monday, January 6.

With temperatures nearing 0 degrees, a cloud of steam from a manhole blows across an intersection in downtown Pittsburgh on January 6.

Men battle the bitter wind as they walk in Chicago on January 6.

Postal worker Jamie Jasmon struggles to deliver mail in the snow January 6 in Springfield, Illinois.

 

Metra employees in Chicago walk around LaSalle Street Station on January 6. Vehicles drive down a snow-covered road in Burton, Michigan, on January 6.Vehicles drive down a snow-covered road in Burton, Michigan, on January 6.

A man warms his hand while running errands in Flint, Michigan, on January 6.

A commuter walks past warming lamps at a Chicago train station on January 6.

A woman props up her feet on her luggage January 6 after her flight home was canceled at Logan International Airport in Boston.

A woman makes her way through a snow drift in downtown St. Louis on January 6.

A man shovels the snow off his car in Indianapolis on January 6.

A woman walks to the University of Minnesota's St. Paul campus on January 6.

A man clears the sidewalk in front of his home in Carmel, Indiana, on January 6.

A blanket of fog covers Lake Michigan along the Chicago shoreline January 6.

A man braves the snow in downtown Springfield as a winter storm moves across the Midwest on Sunday, January 5.

A car is buried in snow January 5 in Zionsville, Indiana.

A city snowplow clears the street in an almost-deserted downtown Springfield on January 5.

With the Gateway Arch in the distance, a person struggles to cross the street during a snowstorm January 5 in downtown St. Louis.

Snow covers a garden gnome in St. Louis on January 5.

Anna Maksimkina of Yekaterinburg, Russia, sleeps on the floor at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York after a Delta flight from Toronto to New York skidded off the runway into a snow bank, temporarily halting all flights January 5.

Four homeless men warm themselves on a steam grate by the Federal Trade Commission Building, blocks from the U.S. Capitol in Washington, as frigid temperatures grip the nation's capital on Saturday, January 4.

People go sledding in Prospect Park in Brooklyn, New York, on January 4.

Snow is piled high in front of a Home Depot in Boston on January 4.

Sunlight beams through the windows of a building that caught on fire Friday, January 3, in Plattsmouth, Nebraska. The firefighters' water froze all over the building.

Michael Stanton walks between houses covered with ice in Scituate, Massachusetts, on January 3.

Pedestrians brave wind and snow as they cross New York City's Fifth Avenue on January 3.

Snow clings to the clothing and facial hair of Jerome Williams as he uses a snowblower in front of his home in Roosevelt, New York, on January 3.

Travelers wait in line January 3 at Chicago Midway International Airport.

Frost covers the windows at the Morning Glory natural food store in Brunswick, Maine, on January 3.

Snowplows clear snow from one of the runways at JFK Airport on January 3.

Surfers make their way through snow on New York's Rockaway Beach on January 3.

Passengers wait in line at a security checkpoint at JFK Airport on January 3.

Blowing snow swirls as a worker shovels a platform at a Haddonfield, New Jersey, train station on January 3.

A plane takes off January 3 as trucks plow snow at Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, New Jersey.

 

Winter weather grips U.S.

Winter weather grips U.S.

Winter weather grips U.S.

Winter weather grips U.S.

Winter weather grips U.S.

Winter weather grips U.S.

Winter weather grips U.S.

Winter weather grips U.S.

Winter weather grips U.S.

Winter weather grips U.S.

Winter weather grips U.S.

 

Winter weather grips U.S.

Winter weather grips U.S.

Winter weather grips U.S.

Winter weather grips U.S.

Winter weather grips U.S.

Winter weather grips U.S.

Winter weather grips U.S.

Winter weather grips U.S.

Winter weather grips U.S.

Winter weather grips U.S.

Winter weather grips U.S.

Winter weather grips U.S.

Winter weather grips U.S.

Winter weather grips U.S.

Winter weather grips U.S.

Winter weather grips U.S.

Winter weather grips U.S.

Winter weather grips U.S.

Winter weather grips U.S.

Winter weather grips U.S.

Winter weather grips U.S.

Winter weather grips U.S.

Winter weather grips U.S.

Winter weather grips U.S.

Winter weather grips U.S.

Winter weather grips U.S.

Winter weather grips U.S.

Winter weather grips U.S.

Winter weather grips U.S.

Winter weather grips U.S.

Winter weather grips U.S.

Winter weather grips U.S.

Winter weather grips U.S.

Winter weather grips U.S.

Winter weather grips U.S.

Winter weather grips U.S.

Winter weather grips U.S.

Winter weather grips U.S.

Winter weather grips U.S.

Winter weather grips U.S.

Winter weather grips U.S.

Winter weather grips U.S.

Winter weather grips U.S.

Winter weather grips U.S.

Winter weather grips U.S.

Winter weather grips U.S.

Winter weather grips U.S.

Winter weather grips U.S.

Winter weather grips U.S.

Winter weather grips U.S.

Winter weather grips U.S.

Winter weather grips U.S.

Winter weather grips U.S.

Winter weather grips U.S.

Winter weather grips U.S.

Winter weather grips U.S.

Winter weather grips U.S.

Winter weather grips U.S.

Winter weather grips U.S.

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The polar vortex swirling its way across the United States is breaking records, leaving travelers stranded on trains and in airports, and forcing the Coast Guard to cut through ice.

And unfortunately, it is also being blamed Tuesday for one new death from hypothermia, authorities said.

Even polar bears and penguins have had to take shelter indoors.

New York City saw a record low for the date Tuesday. It was just four degrees in Central Park, breaking a record of six set in 1896.

That's not quite as bad as the all-time low of 15 below zero in 1934. But with the wind chill, temperatures still felt well below zero Tuesday -- a 69-degree drop from Monday, when the weather was a relatively sultry 50 degrees with wind chill.

This is what a polar vortex looks like

Passengers unload their luggage at Chicago's Union Station after their Amtrak train became stuck in snow drifts on Tuesday, January 7.

People ride a street car in New Orleans as temperatures in the area plummeted below freezing on January 7.

A passenger waits for a train to arrive in Chicago on January 7, when temperatures were below zero.

JetBlue passengers in Boston wait for normal flights to resume at Logan International Airport on January 7.

A man takes a nap at Logan International Airport after his flight was canceled Monday, January 6.

Commuters wait for a Virginia Railway Express train to arrive at Washington's L'Enfant Plaza on January 6.

A Delta Air Lines plane is de-iced at Chicago Midway International Airport on January 6.

A commuter walks past warming lamps at a Chicago train station on January 6.

A jet is de-iced at Gerald R. Ford International Airport in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on January 6.

A man and woman do their best to get comfortable while stranded at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport on Sunday, January 5.

Travelers get off a shuttle bus at Chicago O'Hare International Airport on January 5.

A passenger takes a nap inside Los Angeles International Airport on Friday, January 3, after his flight was canceled because of the weather on the East Coast.

An airplane is de-iced at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on January 3.

Snowplows clear snow from one of the runways January 3 at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City.

Travelers in Boston leave the Back Bay train station on January 3.

An airport employee clears snow at New York's LaGuardia Airport on January 3.

Travelers wait in line January 3 at Chicago Midway International Airport.

A plane takes off from Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, New Jersey, as trucks plow snow on the tarmac January 3.

A woman sleeps on the floor of New York's JFK Airport on January 3.

Cars sit covered in snow at Chicago O'Hare International Airport on Thursday, January 2.

Icicles hang from a window looking onto airplanes at Logan International Airport in Boston on January 2.

Winter weather slows travel across U.S.

Winter weather slows travel across U.S.

Winter weather slows travel across U.S.

Winter weather slows travel across U.S.

Winter weather slows travel across U.S.

Winter weather slows travel across U.S.

Winter weather slows travel across U.S.

Winter weather slows travel across U.S.

Winter weather slows travel across U.S.

Winter weather slows travel across U.S.

Winter weather slows travel across U.S.

Winter weather slows travel across U.S.

Winter weather slows travel across U.S.

Winter weather slows travel across U.S.

Winter weather slows travel across U.S.

Winter weather slows travel across U.S.

Winter weather slows travel across U.S.

Winter weather slows travel across U.S.

Winter weather slows travel across U.S.

Winter weather slows travel across U.S.

Winter weather slows travel across U.S.

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Photos: Winter weather slows travel across U.S.

A Chicago resident's eyelashes froze on the morning of January 6.

CNN iReporter Robert Livesay took this picture of frozen ice bubble he blew in Grove, Oklahoma, on Monday, January 6. "If you have too much wind, the bubbles will blow away," he said.

A little snow won't stop these two from enjoying a run in northeast Ohio on January 6.

A Chicago man heads to work on January 6 with an overcoat and briefcase ... plus a balaclava and ski goggles.

Maranda McClaskey knew the birds in Harrisville, West Virginia, would appreciate extra food in the chilly weather on January 6. But when one poor bird landed on her porch to eat, it got stuck to the ice! Finally the bird managed to free itself -- but it left these feathers behind.

Sixteen-year-old student Christian Arnold photographed a snowdrift in Indiana on January 6. "This is the most dangerous winter weather I have ever witnessed," he said.

In Wisconsin on January 6, temperatures fell to minus 21 degrees, with wind chills below 40.

Nature photographer Candice Trimble bundled up in layers to snap some shots of the frozen conditions outside her home in Front Royal, Virginia, on Sunday, January 5. She watched this water hit the leaf and then completely freeze.

Is this guy nuts?! He's sporting shorts in Chicago on January 6, when the temperature did not rise above 0 degrees Fahrenheit.

Trees are weighed down with snow in the Long Lake area in Michigan on January 5.

The frigid weather inspired photographer Tanya Fuchs to take her camera out around her neighborhood in Fire Island, New York, on Saturday, January 4.

CNN iReporter Joy Lewandowski's son Matt plays in a snow fort built by kids on her street on January 5. School was canceled Monday.

Jason Bentley decided to take a relaxing break in the snow on January 5 in Indianapolis, Indiana, after he learned that his Southwest flight back home to Los Angeles was canceled and rescheduled for Thursday.

CNN iReporter Todd Joyce took this photo of his dog, Ginger, playing in the snow in Ohio on January 5.

Alexandra Leahy ventured outside her apartment complex in Carmel, Indiana, on January 5 to photograph the snowy landscape. "The snow is very white, very glistening, and stuck to everything," she said.

Mark Anthony Baquir captured this photo of a snowy yard in Maryland on Friday, January 3. "It seemed like no one was prepared for the storm in this part of Maryland," he said.

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Your winter weather photos

Reporter: Polar vortex a 'cursed phrase'

Temperatures plummeted below freezing somewhere in all 50 states Tuesday morning -- most, but not all, due to the arctic blast hovering like an ice chest, according to CNN meteorologist Dave Hennen. (The cold regions of California and Hawaii, for example, had nothing to do with the vortex.)

In Florida, despite the low temperatures, crops were not damaged Tuesday morning, the state's Fruit and Vegetable Association told CNN.

Hard freeze warnings were in effect from eastern Texas to the Florida Panhandle.

Authorities have blamed at least 16 deaths on the cold so far, including 11 from traffic accidents and three involving hypothermia. A spokesman for the Cook County medical examiner's office said Tuesday that one person had died as a result of the extreme cold.

The record cold in many areas is putting a strain on electric grids -- creating dangers that more people could lose power. "We're past our expected peak power demand for today," the Tennessee Valley Authority said on Twitter. "Thanks for conserving where you can." In Alabama, 27,000 customers were without power Tuesday morning, but that figure dropped to about 18,000 as service was restored in some areas, according to Alabama Power.

At Chicago's Lincoln Park Zoo, Anana -- a polar bear who never grew the thick layer of fat that bears in the Arctic do -- had to be brought inside Monday. And at the National Aviary in Pittsburgh, bald eagles and African penguins, "who are used to temperate climates," were taken off exhibit until the weather warms up, the facility reported.

Travel snarled

The weather left more than 500 people stranded on three Amtrak trains overnight in western and north-central Illinois, Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari said.

All three Chicago-bound trains -- two coming from California, and one originating in Quincy, Illinois -- stopped Monday afternoon or evening because conditions prevented them from going farther. At least one was stopped by "heavy snow drifting in a trenchlike area," Magliari said.

"The passengers were sheltered in place overnight," Magliari said. "It wasn't safe to take people off these trains ... because there wasn't a good way to get people to and from the trains in the bad weather."

Amtrak worked to make other arrangements, putting some passengers on buses. The first buses arrived in Chicago at 7 a.m. ET; the last bus wasn't expected to reach the city until early Tuesday afternoon, Magliari said.

All the trains had heat and electricity throughout, he said.

"It certainly wasn't as comfortable as anyone would have liked, but it was not unsafe," Magliari said. "It was the best thing to do in these temperatures in these conditions at that time overnight in that part of the state."

Jeanette Floyd, who boarded one of the California trains in Kansas City, praised the crew for helping to keep passengers positive, but said her trip -- which ended up taking more than a day from start to finish -- still was "one of the worst (experiences) ever."

"I can't feel my butt because it's just not there anymore, just sitting for literally 26 hours," Floyd told CNN Tuesday after arriving in Chicago by bus.

Floyd and other passengers said the crew gave them a complimentary meal during the stranding.

A fourth Amtrak train was stuck for nine hours Monday night and early Tuesday near Kalamazoo, Michigan, about 300 passengers had to wait more than nine hours to reach their destination, CNN affiliate WXMI reported.

"It was kind of like purgatory," a passenger told CNN affiliate WLS, adding that it was "not quite hellish because there was good company." The train, which was bound for Chicago, finally arrived at the city's Union Station on Monday night, WLS reported.

Bone-chilling cold to grip much of U.S.

Temperatures plunge in Chicago

Tips to prepare for winter weather

More than 2,500 flights were canceled within, into or out of the United States on Tuesday morning, according to flightaware.com.

New York resident Mindy Goldberg said her family's flight back from Mexico had been diverted to Boston because of the weather.

"I just called my kids' school to tell them they wouldn't be there, and she said, 'Everyone's stuck somewhere,'" Goldberg told CNN affiliate WBZ.

Ships ran into trouble as well. The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Hollyhock had to break through ice in Lake Michigan.

In Indianapolis, Los Angeles resident Jason Bentley decided to play in the snow outside the airport after learning that his flight home had been canceled Sunday. It was 15 below zero Farenheit (-26 Celsius).

JetBlue cancels Northeast flights to rest crews

"This is the wettest snow I've ever touched, the easiest snow to make a snowman and to have snowball fights," Bentley wrote in a CNN Facebook discussion. "It's also probably the worst (weather) I've ever been in because of the temperature."

"Sick as a dog. Car is dead. Roads are closed. Space heater died yesterday," Amanda Brooke of Valparaiso, Indiana, said on Facebook. "Missing doctors' appointments I've had for six months." She described herself as "cold, sick, and trying not to be miserable."

In Columbus, Ohio, Alexis Mitchell-Tremain posted that she still had to go to work. "So, it's layers of clothing, the hubby's big woolly scarf, and a lot of coffee."

Jason Coppula in Pittsburgh can relate. "I have about three layers on, two gloves, two (pairs of) socks, scarf and ski goggles," he wrote on Facebook.