Northeast, Midwest brace for dangerous wind chill, bitter cold

The Associated Press

8 years ago

Lake Michigan is steaming in the morning as temperatures dipped below zero at North Avenue Beach, Tuesday, Dec. 26, 2017, in Chicago. Meteorologists warn of sub-zero frigid arctic air and dangerously cold wind chills. (Nancy Stone/Chicago Tribune via AP)

Jack Frost makes an appearance in Rochester, Minn., Monday, Dec. 25, 2017, Christmas day, as the mercury hovered near the zero degree mark. A cold week of more of the same is projected for the week ahead. (Elizabeth Nida Obert/The Rochester Post-Bulletin via AP)

Birds swim beneath the Rum River Dam, Tuesday, Dec. 26, 2017, in Anoka, Minn. Wind chill advisories or warnings are in effect for all of North Dakota and Wisconsin, as well as swaths of South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Michigan and Indiana. (David Joles/Star Tribune via AP)

A duck flies over small patches of ice and rising steam from the Mississippi River, Tuesday, Dec. 26, 2017, near Heim’s Mill in St. Cloud, Minn. Minnesota experienced its most frigid Christmas Day since 1996, with wind chills as cold as 35 degrees below zero, KSTP-TV reported. The National Weather Service warned that those whose skin was exposed in such conditions could get frostbite in as little as 15 minutes. (Dave Schwarz/St. Cloud Times via AP)

Geese float on small patches of open water on the Sauk River near Heim’s Mill Tuesday, Dec. 26, 2017, in St. Cloud, Minn. Minnesota experienced its most frigid Christmas Day since 1996, with wind chills as cold as 35 degrees below zero, KSTP-TV reported. The National Weather Service warned that those whose skin was exposed in such conditions could get frostbite in as little as 15 minutes. (Dave Schwarz/St. Cloud Times via AP)

Rochelle Carlotti, 28, shovels steps near her home after a record snowfall on Tuesday, Dec. 26, 2017, in Erie, Pa. The National Weather Service office in Cleveland says Monday’s storm brought 34 inches of snow, an all-time daily snowfall record for Erie. (Greg Wohlford/Erie Times-News via AP)

Annie Logan, 16, and Katy Church, 15, visit Tuesday, Dec. 26, 2017, at the Root Note in La Crosse, Wis. where condensation froze to the windows in a sign of the frigid temperatures outside. (Peter Thomson/La Crosse Tribune via AP)

A man clears snow on Tuesday, Dec. 26, 2017, in Erie, Pa. The National Weather Service office in Cleveland says Monday’s storm brought 34 inches of snow, an all-time daily snowfall record for Erie. Another 19 inches fell before dawn Tuesday, making the greatest two-day total in commonwealth history. (Greg Wohlford/Erie Times-News via AP)

With temperatures hovering around zero, a few hardy souls celebrated the season, and the fresh man made snow at Buck Hill in Burnsville, Minn., Tuesday, Dec. 26, 2017. (Brian Peterson/Star Tribune via AP)

People bundle up to walk down Wentworth Avenue on Tuesday, Dec. 26, 2017, in Chicago. Temperatures hovered around zero degrees in Chicago on Tuesday. Meteorologists warn of sub-zero frigid arctic air and dangerously cold wind chills.(Nancy Stone/Chicago Tribune via AP)

CHICAGO — A white Christmas for much of the Northeast and Midwest has given way to bitter cold until the New Year.

Residents should expect colder-than-normal temperatures for the rest of the week, according to Chicago-area National Weather Service meteorologist Amy Seeley. Temperatures hovered around zero degrees in Chicago on Tuesday.

A Christmas storm also dumped a record amount of snow on the Erie, Pennsylvania, area. And the National Weather Service said at least an additional 5 to 10 inches were expected through Wednesday. The storm brought 34 inches of snow on Christmas Day, an all-time daily snowfall record for Erie. Another 24.5 inches fell by Tuesday night, bringing the total since Dec. 23 to more than 62.9 inches.

The city issued a snow emergency, citing “dangerous and impassable” roads.

Forecasters warn of sub-zero frigid arctic air and dangerously cold wind chills in much of the U.S.

Wind chill advisories or warnings are in effect for all of North Dakota and Wisconsin, as well as swaths of South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Michigan and Indiana.

Wind chill advisories were also in effect for parts of Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire and New York. Meteorologists warn frostbite is possible with as little as 30 minutes of exposure.