The Polar Vortex Impact, By The Numbers
DETROIT (AP) - Here's a look at this week's snowstorm and the effect on the United States, by the numbers:
22 - Number of states that recorded sub-zero temperatures Wednesday. Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York all saw temperatures that were below zero. New Hampshire also saw sub-zero temperatures at higher elevations. Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, and Idaho saw temperatures below zero as well, but not as a direct result of the surge of cold air that has hit the Upper Midwest, according to the National Weather Service.
139 million - Roughly the number of people in the U.S. who were under a wind chill advisory or wind chill warning as of midday Wednesday, according to information from the National Weather Service.
10 - Number of states where mail delivery was suspended either statewide or in part due to dangerously cold conditions, according to the U.S. Postal Service. The affected states include Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio.
370 - Number of blood drives sponsored by the American Red Cross that had to be canceled nationwide due to winter weather. The Red Cross says these cancellations will lead to an estimated 11,600 in uncollected blood donations for the month of January, based on the expected number of potential donors at canceled drive locations.
94 -The difference in degrees between Wednesday morning's low temperature in Key West, Iowa, and Key West, Florida. According to AccuWeather.com, the morning low in Key West, Florida, was 66 degrees. The morning low in Key West, Iowa, was minus 28.
1 - Number of zebras reported dead as a result of the extreme cold. Authorities in northern Indiana say a zebra was found dead Wednesday at a farm outside Delphi, about 65 miles (105 kilometers) northwest of Indianapolis. Another zebra on the farm survived.
6 - Number of states that saw colder weather than the South Pole Wednesday. According to AccuWeather.com, the South Pole station registered a low of negative 26 (minus 32 Celsius) Wednesday morning. At that time, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Illinois all had colder weather. It is the summer season in the southern hemisphere.
94 - The number of competitors who dropped out of the Arrowhead 135, an ultra-endurance test in northeast Minnesota that requires entrants to cover 135 miles on foot, ski or bicycle. Fifty-two people — or roughly 36 percent of participants — completed the race that ended Wednesday. The average finish rate for participants is less than 50 percent.
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