The Nation : Midwest, Plains Brace for Severe Cold

The Upper Midwest and northern plains braced for what may be the coldest weather of the season, while freezing rain and sleet fell in the South, where one man died in Louisiana lowland flooding. The latest arctic wave dipped into the upper reaches of the northern plains, dropping temperatures to near zero across North Dakota and eastern Montana. Colder redings were yet to come to the plains, the National Weather Service warned. “That’s certainly an understatement. It’s going to be so cold that the wind chills across North Dakota will be 40 to 70 degrees below zero,” forecaster Pete Reynolds said. In Chicago and across much of the Midwest, temperatures were close to normal for January after a New Year’s Day of single-digit temperatures and subzero wind chills. But the respite was expected to be short-lived, and Chicago officials appealed for help in finding shelter for the homeless.