US: Polar vortex death toll climbs to 21

By Umar Farooq

WASHINGTON

The death toll from the subfreezing temperatures brought in by the polar vortex has risen to at least 21, with more deaths being reported by multiple outlets.

Among the dead is University of Iowa student Gerald Belz, who was found dead outside a close distance away from his dorm.

According to The New York Times, five people died in Illinois, six people died in traffic crashes in Iowa, and a woman found frozen to death inside a Milwaukee apartment after the thermostat malfunctioned.

In Michigan two people were found frozen near their homes. A 55-year-old man in Wisconsin was found frozen to death in his garage after collapsing while shoveling snow, according to a local report.

In the state of New York, one person died using a snowblower and another was found dead after shoveling. A young married couple in Indiana died in a car crash.

The icy temperatures have been caused by the polar vortex, a mass of freezing air which usually rotates around the North Pole but has drifted south to North America.

The cold air has swept through the Midwest with 90 million Americans feeling temperatures below 0 degrees Fahrenheit (-18C), almost a third of the country's population.

In the midwest and Great Lakes regions, residents have felt temperatures as cold as -63 F (-53 C), which, if exposed, can cause frostbite in under 5 minutes.

In Chicago, the temperature early Thursday went down to -21 F (-29 C) -- close to breaking the record for the lowest ever recorded, -27 F (-33 C).

In Illinois, a temperature of -38F (-39C) was recorded and could be the lowest ever temperature the state has ever seen, if confirmed by officials.

More than 2,300 flights were cancelled across the U.S. on Thursday, according to the flight tracking website FlightAware.

The icy weather is beginning to lose its grip, however, and forecasters say temperatures will rise through the weekend, reaching near 50F (10C) in some parts of the Midwest.