Polarwirbel Unleashed: Cities Brace for Record Freeze and Power Outages

NEW YORK — A brutal polar vortex tightened its grip on the Northeast and Midwest this morning, freezing temperatures to near-record lows and triggering rolling power outages as demand for heating surged beyond what the grid can reliably handle.

In Chicago, wind chills plunged well below zero, and local utilities reported hundreds of thousands of customers briefly losing power as storms overloaded transmission lines. Crews labored through the night to restore service, but officials warned outages could continue in troubled neighborhoods as equipment cools and repair work continues in icy conditions. Similar scenes unfolded in Milwaukee and Cleveland, where schools closed early and warming centers opened their doors to residents without heat.

New York City activated emergency measures, opening several indoor warming locations and expanding shelter capacity for those displaced by outages. The weather also disrupted mass transit: subways ran with delays, and limited bus service persisted as crews checked signaling equipment and cleared ice from critical routes. Airports faced scattered delays as de-icing operations and cold-weather restrictions slowed departures.

Authorities urged residents to conserve energy, insulate pipes, run faucets to prevent freezing, and check on elderly or disabled neighbors. Forecasters warned the cold could persist into the weekend, with wind chills pushing felt temperatures far below actual readings and the risk of burst pipes increasing with each passing hour.

As the polar chill settles in, cities brace for renewed strain on power grids and essential services, while meteorologists track a stubborn pattern that may keep the freeze in place for several more days.

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