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Brutal, life-threatening cold invades Midwest and Northeast: Latest

1:11
How long will brutal cold last?
Gary Hershorn/ABC News
ByMelissa Griffin
January 20, 2026, 2:53 PM

A major arctic blast is stretching from the Midwest to the Northeast, bringing dangerously cold weather to 43 million people.

On Monday morning, the wind chill -- what temperature it feels like -- plunged to minus 30 degrees in Minneapolis; minus 27 degrees in Cedar Rapids, Iowa; minus 22 degrees in Chicago; and minus 22 degrees in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

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How to stay safe in the cold: What to know about frostbite, hypothermia as Arctic blast hits US

The brutal Midwest wind chill continued on Tuesday morning, hitting minus 13 degrees in Chicago; minus 23 in Green Bay; and minus 12 in Cleveland.

The freeze hit the Northeast on Tuesday morning, with the wind chill dropping to minus 11 degrees in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; 7 degrees in Washington, D.C.; and 5 degrees in New York City.

A man holds a coffee on a cold morning as he waits to cross 42nd Street as the sun rises in New York City, Jan. 20, 2026.
Gary Hershorn/ABC News
A person bundles up against the cold as the sun rises along 42nd Street in New York City, Jan. 20, 2026.
Gary Hershorn/ABC News

The Arctic blast is also bringing heavy lake effect snow to the Midwest and Northeast. The heaviest lake effect snow is expected in western Michigan and western and upstate New York where, 6 to 12 inches of snow is forecast.

Click here for what you need to know to stay safe in the cold.

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