CCTV — A severe cold wave has hit the United States Midwest, including Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota, drastically lowering temperatures across the region.
Chicago, the capital of Illinois, experienced its lowest temperature of 23 degrees Celsius on Dec 18, which almost matched the city’s record low temperature of 23.3 degrees Celsius, that happened on the same day in 1983.
In order to ensure road safety in the region, Illinois sent more than 1,700 snow sweepers to salt the many roads.
“Right now, I guess I’m wearing five or six (layers), two pairs of pants, one thermal. The dog’s got two layers on. It’s dangerous, it’s dangerous temperatures,” said a resident.
Due to the severe weather, more than 70 schools in Chicago and surrounding cities decided to cancel class starting on Monday.
The severe cold wave has brought lower temperatures to most Midwestern states, especially southern parts of Wisconsin and northern parts of Indiana, which received more than 20 centimeters of snow.
The National Weather Service has continued to send cold alerts to several states such as Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota including severe frostbite warnings. Frostbite may occur as quickly as 15 minutes without proper protection.