The Midwest is facing record-breaking cold. Blame the polar vortex.

It’s going to get very, very, very cold for millions of people across the Midwestern United States this week.

Fargo, North Dakota, for example, is expected to hit an overnight low of minus 33 degrees Fahrenheit on Wednesday. At that temperature, vodka freezes solid. The daytime high is forecast to be a frigid -18°F. Chicago, which is home to 2.7 million people, might hit a low of -22°F on Wednesday as well.

The windchill — a measure of frostbite risk that combines wind speed and air temperature — is expected to drop even lower across the region, into the negative 60s. At that windchill, frostbite sets in on exposed skin in just five minutes. It’s a dangerous situation; cold temperatures can be deadly.

“Dangerous, potentially life-threatening extreme cold and wind chills are expected,” the Des Moines office of the National Weather Service warns. “This is the coldest air many of us will have ever experienced.”

The forecast continues: “This is not a case of ‘meh, it`s Iowa during winter and this cold happens.’ These are record-breaking cold air temperatures, with wind chill values not seen in the 21st century in Iowa.”

The coldest air is expected to push through the region from Tuesday to Thursday, and it is likely to break records across the region. Overall, the Washington Post reports, the cold outbreak will hit 87 million Americans over the next few days.

Resource