Temperatures Hit New Lows in Much of U.S.

Chicago’s record low temperature of 19 below zero Saturday didn’t faze Patrick O’Connell, standing out of the wind while he waited for a commuter train.

“After all, this is why we live in Chicago. It’s kind of exhilarating in a way,” said O’Connell, 52. “It’s something to pit yourself against.”

Records for overnight low temperatures were rewritten Saturday from Utah, where Salt Lake City fell to 12 below zero, to Indiana and south into Alabama, where Huntsville posted a low of 7.

In the Black Hills of South Dakota, the temperature dropped to 45 below at the town of Rochford. Saturday’s coldest reading in Minnesota was 47 below zero at Embarrass, something of a relief after the town of Tower fell all the way to 60 below zero on Friday.

At least 43 deaths had been blamed on the cold, snow, ice and rain over the last week.

In Wisconsin, sponsors of the annual Badger State Winter Games in Wausau canceled skiing and other outdoor events. About 5,500 amateurs were registered for the competition.

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Farther south, Monroe, La., chilled down to 15, and Dyersburg, Tenn., dropped to 3 above zero. Freezing rain put a slippery glaze of ice on highways, trees and power lines across the lower Atlantic Coast states as far south as the northern third of Georgia.

In western North Carolina, snapping power lines left nearly 300,000 homes and businesses without electricity.

Snow blew through much of the East overnight. At least 17 inches have piled up since Thursday in southern West Virginia, with 13 inches in Maryland. The snow closed New York City’s Kennedy International Airport for a couple of hours early Saturday, affecting only cargo flights.

Washington struggled to dig itself out from the snowfall--just a month after a blizzard closed down the federal government.

Mayor Marion Barry sought federal help, saying the debt-ridden city couldn’t afford to sufficiently clear its streets of 8 inches of snow. There was no immediate response from federal officials.