The wind chill at the time officers found Gerald Belz, 18, was minus 51 F (minus 46 C), according to the National Weather Service. The bitter cold was caused by the mass of air known as the polar vortex drifting south from its usual position over the North Pole. Homes and businesses used record amounts of natural gas to fight the cold, according to financial data provider Refinitiv. Heavy snow hitting Chicago off the Great Lakes was set to begin winding down on Thursday night, the weather service said. Cotton, Minnesota, had the lowest national temperature recorded early on Thursday at minus 56 F (minus 48 C), before the weather warmed up, the weather service reported.

Source: Manila Bulletin February 01, 2019 03:21 UTC