US gripped by deep freeze that is colder than the South Pole
Minus 40°C is forecast for parts of Great Lakes region with schools closed, the postal service canceled and plans grounded
Chicago — A blast of polar air brought record-low temperatures to much of the US Midwest on Wednesday, canceling trash pick-ups, halting the mail and forcing residents who pride themselves on their winter hardiness to huddle indoors. Classes were canceled for Wednesday and Thursday in many cities, including Chicago, home of the nation’s third-largest school system, and police warned of the risk of accidents on icy highways. Michigan said all state offices would remain closed throughout Thursday. In a rare move, the US Postal Service appeared to temporarily set aside its credo that “neither snow nor rain ... nor gloom of night” would stop its work: it halted deliveries from parts of the Dakotas through to Ohio. Streets in Chicago were nearly empty, with few people walking outside in the painfully cold air as temperatures hovered around minus 28°C. “It’s terrible!” Pasquale Cappellano, a waiter, said as he smoked a cigarette while waiting outside for a bus on Chicago’s North Side. “I ...
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