Polar vortex blasts US with life-threatening cold

Warming shelters open in midwest as Chicago area sees temperatures drop to -50F (-46C), with snow possible in southern states

• Polar vortex: how cold will it be?

A blast of arctic-chilled air from the polar vortex brought dangerous, record-setting cold to a wide swath of the eastern US on Tuesday, stretching from the Dakotas through Maine, with snow expected as far south as Alabama and Georgia.

Cities in the midwest opened warming shelters as temperatures plummeted well below zero degrees Fahrenheit (-17.8C) . Regional governments closed hundreds of schools and airlines canceled more than 1,000 flights, including many to Atlanta days before the Super Bowl.

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from World news | The Guardian http://bit.ly/2FVkBTC