2018 starts with record cold in parts of the Midwest

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Bone-chilling cold gripped the middle of the U.S. as 2018 began, breaking low temperature records, icing some New Year’s celebrations and leading to at least two deaths attributed to exposure to the elements.
A pocket of cold weather is centered over North America presently. While many areas in North America are having record low temperatures, by contrast much of the rest of the world is experiencing record highs. The National Weather Service issued wind chill advisories for Monday covering a vast area from South Texas all the way to Canada and from Montana and Wyoming in the west through New England in the east.
Dangerously low temperatures enveloped eight Midwest states including parts of Kansas, Missouri, Illinois and Nebraska along with nearly all of Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota and North Dakota.
The weather service said Omaha’s temperature low of 15 below zero (-9 Celsius) before midnight broke a record that had stood since 1884.

Image: University of Maine