Records fall, ferries freeze as deep freeze grips eastern U.S.

Arctic air plunged the eastern half of the United States into a deep freeze - as far south as Alabama and Georgia - and broke records Friday.

The cold snap followed snow and ice storms earlier in the week, and weather forecasters warned that more sleet and freezing rain will be possible in the coming days.

Residents also had to deal with more school cancellations, power outages, road hazards and water main breaks.

Here's a look at the latest weather and the effect it is having around the country:

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Siberian Express?

"Polar vortex" is so last year. Some forecasters are calling the record-setting bout of icy air the "Siberian Express" because winds coming from Russia are traveling over the Arctic Circle and pushing into Canada and the United States.

Despite being the buzzword of winter 2014, the polar vortex is a term that has been used for decades in meteorology. It is a pocket of very cold air that typically swirls around the North Pole.

Last year was displaced by a high pressure system that traveled far north into the Pacific Ocean, sending the center of the vortex into southern Canada.

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Frozen ferries

A Boston-bound commuter ferry carrying more than 100 passengers had trouble steering in the ice and had to be towed to port.

The ferry Massachusetts departed Hingham at about 8:30 a.m. Friday right behind an ice breaker, said Alison Nolan, an official with Boston Harbor Cruises. After the ferry went off course, the ice breaker towed it to Boston.

The Massachusetts arrived at about 10 a.m., about 45 minutes later than normal. No one was hurt and the boat was not damaged.

Ferry service was canceled elsewhere in the Northeast. The Cape May-Lewes Ferry, which connects Delaware and New Jersey, halted operations because of ice and wind. Ferries on New York's East River also were canceled.

CBS New York reported that the ferry commute across the Hudson River has been blustery and bumpy and the icy river conditions means steel tug boats are used to cut through the thickest chunks first, leaving a path for the lighter ferries.

NY Waterway says these are the iciest conditions in the company's 28-year history.

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Bone-chilling, Record-breaking

Bitter cold temperatures have shattered decades-old records from Cincinnati to Washington to New York.

The National Weather Service said the low Friday got down to 6 degrees at Reagan National Airport, just across the Potomac River from Washington. At Baltimore's airport, the temperature dipped to a record low 2 degrees.

In western Pennsylvania, temperatures dipped to minus 18 in New Castle, minus 15 in Butler and 6 below zero in Pittsburgh - all records.

Records also were set at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey (1 degree); Trenton, N.J. (zero degrees); New York's Central Park (2 degrees); and Cincinnati (12 degrees below zero).

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Another Kind of Island Living

The Virginia National Guard flew in food, medicine and mail to an ice-bound fishing and tourism outpost in the middle of Chesapeake Bay, 14 miles from the mainland.

The mayor of Tangier Island, Mayor James "Ooker" Eskridge, played down its plight but said medicines were essential for those who could not get off the island. Tangier has no drugstore.

"But you know, we're not starving out here," he said in an interview. "This happens when you live in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay."

While the island has a grocery, many islanders hop on a ferry to Crisfield, Maryland, for larger purchases.

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You Think It's Cold Where You Are?

Temperatures dropping close to 0 degrees at home? That's nothing to folks in Embarrass, Minnesota.

On Thursday, the community reported a temperature of 41 below zero - without the wind chill factor.

Forecasters say that's the lowest recorded temperature in northern Minnesota this winter.

Elsewhere in Minnesota, it was 31 below zero in Ely and Fosston, and 28 below at Bemidji.

The National Weather Service issued a wind chill advisory for parts of the state.

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Niagara Falls Spectacle

The deep freeze transformed Niagara Falls into an icy spectacle, encasing the trees around it into crystal shells and drawing tourists who are braving below-zero temperatures.

The Niagara River is flowing below the ice cover, so the falls aren't completely frozen.

But days of subzero temperatures have created a thick coating of ice and snow on every surface near the falls, including railings, trees and boulders. The massive ice buildup has become a tourist magnet.

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Chain-reaction Crash

Delaware State Police say at least 16 children suffered minor injuries when three school buses they were riding crashed into one another.

The chain-reaction wreck happened about 4 p.m. Thursday in Bridgeville. Troopers say three school buses were traveling north when the first bus slowed because of icy road conditions. Officers say the third bus slid on the ice and rear-ended the second bus, which then hit the first bus.

Authorities say the buses were carrying 3rd- to 5th-grade students from the Woodbridge School District.

Police say at least 16 children were taken to hospitals. The bus drivers were not hurt.

Troopers say no charges are expected.

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NASA Shivers

Schools in Alabama sent students home early and NASA shut down its Huntsville facility as a winter storm began coating north Alabama with ice, sleet and snow.

Dozens of school systems dismissed students early or canceled classes altogether Friday because of the weather. NASA closed early at its Marshall Space Flight Center because of deteriorating road conditions.

Huntsville and the rest of the state's northeastern corner is under a winter storm warning through early Saturday, and forecasters say much of northern Alabama and Georgia could get snow and sleet, including metro Atlanta.

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Frozen Bass Fishing

In South Carolina, the start of the three-day Bassmaster Classic was delayed about 90 minutes, pushing first launch to about 8:30 a.m. Friday when temperatures were under 20 degrees.

Still, the competitors cast their lines amid finger-chilling temperatures on sprawling Lake Hartwell, located along the border of South Carolina and Georgia.