CHICAGO — The forecast high for many cities across the Midwest is perfect for polar bears, not so for everyone else.
Dangerous, even life-threatening, arctic air is pouring into the U.S. in the wake of a major winter storm. In Chicago, a high of 11 degrees below zero Wednesday would make the city one of the coldest places on the planet.
How cold? Although not quite on the level of Antarctic cold, wind chill readings (the "feels like" temperature) could drop to minus 45 degrees or worse and bring on symptoms of frostbite in 10 minutes or less.
That's cold.
Other U.S. hotspots -- coldspots? -- will be just as bitterly frigid: 14 below in Minneapolis, 8 below in Des Moines, Iowa, and 2 below in Indianapolis. One might expect Barrow, Alaska, and the base camp at Mount Everest to be colder, but nope, not Wednesday.
Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, Antarctica: Minus 29 degrees (Monday high)
Denali (Mount McKinley), Alaska: Minus 40 degrees
Dome Fuji, Antarctica: Minus 25 degrees (Monday high)
Helsinki, Finland: 31 degrees
Mount Everest Base Camp, Khumjung, Nepal: 11 degrees
Oslo, Norway: 20 degrees
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada: 8 degrees
Oymyakon, Russia: Minus 36 degrees
Snag, Yukon, Canada: 13 degrees
Stockholm, Sweeden: 21 degrees
Upernavik, Greenland: 0 degrees
Utqiagvik (Barrow), Alaska: Minus 6 degrees
Verkhoyansk, Russia: Minus 39 degrees
If Chicago hits a high temperature of minus 11 degrees, it would tie the coldest high temperature ever recorded, twice: Dec. 24, 1983, and Jan. 18, 1994.
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