Record-breaking low temperatures head for North America

Tue Jan 07, 2013

Parts of the US and Canada are braced for potentially record-breaking low temperatures as a blast of arctic air blows across North America.{{more}}

A winter storm has already blanketed areas of Canada and the north-eastern US with up to 2ft (60cm) of snow.

Some 3,700 flights were cancelled on Monday, on top of thousands grounded over the weekend.

Schools have been closed in several US states and residents urged to stay indoors for their own safety.

The storm and the deep cold have been blamed for 16 deaths in recent days.

Temperatures in the north and central US could feel as low as -51C (-60F) with the effect of wind chill, forecasters say.

“The coldest weather in years will be making its presence known from the Upper Midwest to the Mid-Atlantic region for the beginning of the work week,” the US National Weather Service said in a statement.

The states of Ohio, South Dakota and Illinois are among those set to be hit. Tennessee and Kentucky are forecast to see several inches of snow.

Illinois Governor Pat Quinn called the storm “one for the record books” on Monday.

An emergency room doctor in Minneapolis, Minnesota, told the Associated Press news agency he was seeing frostbite injuries occur even through protective clothing.(BBC)