Polar vortex 2019: Chilling photos that'll freeze you solid
Millions of people in the Midwest and Great Lakes are seeing record-shattering temperatures with even lower wind chills — cold so extreme it's been linked to more than 20 deaths. Forecasters have warned that the chill could cause frostbite on exposed skin in five minutes or less. Some 100 million people were expected to experience temperatures near or below zero.
Here, boiling water freezes as it is thrown during subzero temperatures carried by the polar vortex in Chicago January 30.
Polar vortex 2019: Frozen Chicago River
A pedestrian takes a photo by the icy Chicago River on January 29, 2019.
Polar vortex 2019: Frozen pants
Frozen pants stand alone in Saint Anthony Village, Minnesota on January 30.
Polar vortex 2019: Frozen falls
Water flows around ice caused by to subzero temperatures in Niagara Falls, New York on January 22.
Polar vortex 2019: Instant freeze
Here's another icy action shot, captured by flinging hot water into the wind. Photo courtesy of blogger Rachel Wolf.
Polar vortex 2019: A safety warning
Wolf warns, "You can burn yourself terribly while doing this, if it's not properly executed."
Polar vortex 2019: Burn the tracks
A train moves southbound to downtown Chicago as the gas-fired switch heater on the rails keeps the ice and snow off the switches on January 29.
Polar vortex 2019: Winter is here
Photographer Benjamin Waterseed shared this icy shot from the banks of Lake Michigan on January 30.
Polar vortex 2019: Frozen fountain
Pedestrians pass a frozen water fountain at Bryant Park on January 3 in New York.
Polar vortex 2019: 10 below
Bells Brewery in Comstock, Michigan posted this photo of a thermometer reading 10 degrees below zero on January 30.
Polar vortex 2019: Iced-in harbor light
A harbor light is covered with snow and ice on Chicago's Lake Michigan on January 30.
Polar vortex 2019: Snowy in Wisconsin
Rachel Wolf and her family ventured into the snow in Wisconsin on January 31.
Polar vortex 2019: All bundled up
They posed for photos in the morning light.
Polar vortex 2019: Huddling birds
Pigeons huddle together in the snow during a winter storm in Buffalo, New York on January 30.
Polar vortex 2019: Shivering student
A student is dressed for subzero temperatures while walking to class at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis on January 29.
Polar vortex 2019: Frozen clothes
A shirt that was hung outside is seen frozen during subzero temperatures carried by the polar vortex in Chicago on January 30.
Polar vortex 2019: Another view from above
This Chicago photographer writes, "Nearly froze my fingers off to get this shot."
Polar vortex 2019: Avoiding the wind chill
On a Wisconsin farm, these cows stayed warm inside the barn on January 30.
Polar vortex 2019: One cool cow
Just a day later, once the wind died down, some cows were ready to go back outside.
Polar vortex 2019: View of Lake Michigan
Frozen Lake Michigan is pictured in St. Joseph, Michigan.
Polar vortex 2019: View from space
A satellite image above the Great Lakes shows parallel rows of "cloud streets" streaming over the lakes' surface caused by the frigid weather.
Polar vortex 2019: City skiing
A man cross-country skis down sidewalk during a winter storm in Buffalo, New York on January 30.
Polar vortex 2019: Chicago freezes over
Ice covers the Lake Michigan shoreline on January 30, 2019 in Chicago. Businesses and schools closed, Amtrak suspended service into the city, more than a thousand flights were cancelled and even mail delivery was suspended.
Polar vortex 2019: Fighting the ice
The James Versluis tug boat breaks ice on the frozen Chicago River on January 30 in downtown Chicago.
Polar vortex 2019: Icy river
Ice covers the Chicago River on January 30.
Polar vortex 2019: Nowhere to go
A boat sits in the ice on the Chicago River on January 30.
Polar vortex 2019: Snowed in
This boat is also waiting for the ice to melt.
Polar vortex 2019: One cold sunrise
Photographers shoot the sunrise despite temperatures hovering around minus-20 degrees and wind chills nearing minus-50 on January 31 in Chicago.
Polar vortex: Snowy lake
A man walks along the Chicago lakefront as temperatures hovered around 20 degrees below zero on January 30.
Polar vortex 2019: Shuttered by the cold
A shoe store displays a sign that it is closed due to weather on January 30 in Oak Park, Illinois.
Polar vortex 2019: Wrigley Field
It was certainly too cold for baseball at Chicago's Wrigley Field on January 30. Luckily, opening day isn't scheduled until April 8.
Polar vortex 2019: Hard for the homeless
A homeless man sits in the falling snow in the Financial District in New York City on January 30. Wind gusts were expected to reach up to 50 miles per hour.
Polar vortex 2019: A snowy night
Photographer Benjamin Waterseed braved the ice and snow to snap this photo in Chicago's Park District.
Polar vortex 2019: Cold as ice
There were no people in sight, but Waterseed did find this massive ice formation.
Polar vortex 2019: Braving the chill
A couple takes a photo of ice formed on the American Falls in Niagara Falls, New York, as viewed from the Canadian side, in Ontario, Canada, on January 22.
Polar vortex 2019: View from the Mall
The Reflecting Pool on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on January 31, was frozen.
Polar vortex 2019: No cooler necessary
Some adventurous photographers employ alternative means for staying warm.
Polar vortex 2019: Where's the foliage?
Ice and snow cover branches near the brink of the Horseshoe Falls in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, on January 22.
Polar vortex 2019: Empty streets
The streets were already quiet in Elgin, Illinois on January 23, 2019, just ahead of the official arrival of the polar vortex.
Polar vortex 2019: Ice-covered park
Lauren Massarella, one half of the Chicago-based blog The Sister Project, took some ice-covered photos at Promontory Point on Chicago's South Shore.
Polar vortex 2019: White snow, blue skies
This icy arch is actually one tree, bent over from the weight of winter.
Polar vortex 2019: Looking to the north
Downtown Chicago is visible to the north, along the banks of Lake Michigan.
Polar vortex 2019: Tracks on fire
The train tracks in Chicago are being set on fire to keep the trains moving. The flames are used to repair the steel tracks, which can crack when the temperature drops quickly.
Polar vortex 2019: Ice on the Hudson
Here is the icy Hudson River between the New York towns of Kingston and Poughkeepsie, as seen by U.S. Coast Guard members working on an ice breaker January 31.
Polar vortex: Not the Arctic
Ice forms along the shore of Lake Michigan before sunrise on January 30 in Chicago.