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1884d ago / 5:38 PM UTC

Mushers finish longest dog race in lower 48 states despite feel-like temps of minus 50

Mushers in the the longest dog sled race in the lower 48 states completed the three-day marathon Tuesday and Wednesday despite temperatures dipping 20 below zero. 

Mushers and their dogs in the John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon trekked 300 miles from Duluth, Minnesota, to Grand Portage, Minnesota, which is about six miles south of the Canadian border. The low temperature in Duluth was minus 21 degrees Tuesday, and wind chills throughout the race made it feel like 50 below zero.

Still, "mushers, race officials and volunteers said that they weren’t stopping," said a statement from the John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon organization. "We’re made for this weather” stated one official, according to the statement.

Twelve people and their dogs competed in the race, and more than 500 people were set to volunteer, according to the race website. 

The race began Sunday, and by Wednesday, all of the mushers and their dogs were "resting comfortably."

While the humans may have had a difficult time in the cold and "snow drifts that were waist-high in some areas," the dogs thrive in chillier weather, and veterinarians monitoring the race would have been more concerned if temperatures were above 10 degrees, the statement said.

Blake Freking and his wife, Jennifer Freking, took the first and second spots in the race, respectively. 

1882d ago / 10:00 PM UTC

Stay warm!

Thanks for following along with our live updates. We will be continuing our coverage in articles outside of this blog, so please keep reading NBCNews.com. 

1883d ago / 8:17 PM UTC

Good Samaritan offers to pay for hotel rooms for 70 homeless people in Chicago

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While residents in Chicago hunker down indoors during the Polar Vortex, one good Samaritan offered to help shelter 70 homeless people after the Chicago Fire Department had to confiscate nearly 100 propane tanks that were donated to the group to keep them warm.

Officials with the fire department said the tanks had to be taken away after one exploded.

The Salvation Army Metropolitan Division in Illinois was contacted by the fire department about the group and were in the process of making arrangements for them to go to a warming center when the fire department told them that someone had offered to help by paying for hotel rooms. 

Jacqueline Rachev, a spokeswoman for the organization, said she is not sure of the person’s identity.

The anonymous good Samaritan isn’t the only person trying to help the homeless during the deep freeze. Khloe Thompson, an 11-year-old girl in California, started a GoFundMe account Tuesday to raise money for Chicago’s Salvation Army, according to the Chicago Sun Times.

As of Thursday afternoon, the GoFundMe had raised more than $48,000. 

“I’ve watched the news about the polar vortex and I’ve seen how cold it’s getting across the country, especially in Chicago,” Thompson said in the GoFundMe. “The homeless population needs our help."  

 

1883d ago / 7:18 PM UTC

More than 1,700 flights canceled Thursday at Chicago’s main airports

More than 1,700 flights were canceled Thursday at Chicago's main airports. 

At least 1,479 cancellations and 90 delays were reported at Chicago O'Hare International Airport as of 1:45 p.m., according to the Chicago Department of Aviation. There were 258 cancellations at Chicago Midway International Airport. Delays at both airports were less than 15 minutes for flights still operating, the Chicago Department of Aviation reported. 

1883d ago / 6:46 PM UTC

Relief is coming: Temperatures to rise drastically

Relief is coming. 

Some regions affected by the polar vortex are going to feel downright balmy in just a few days. 

"There‘s going to be a 60 degree temperature rise" in some areas of the Midwest, said Greg Carbin, chief of forecast operations for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's weather predictions center. "It is pretty remarkable," he said. 

  • Chicago, where the mercury fell to minus 22 Wednesday, can expect temperatures in the 50s on Monday.
  • In Minneapolis, the low temperature was minus 28 on Wednesday, but by Sunday the high is forecast to be 45 degrees. 
  • Bismarck, North Dakota, suffered through a minus 33 low on Wednesday. On Friday, the temperature is expected to rise to 37 degrees. 
  • Detroit saw a low temperature of minus 12 on Wednesday, but Saturday could bring a high of 37.
  • Des Moines, Iowa, dipped to minus 20 degrees on Wednesday and is forecast to see a high of 45 degrees on Saturday. 

Carbin said that following this "pretty dramatic turnaround," temperatures are expected to fall again later in the week. But don't worry. "It’s not going to be quite as cold," Carbin said. 

  

1883d ago / 6:43 PM UTC

Two children, 3 and 5, left outside their Illinois apartment in the cold

Two young children in Illinois were found walking alone outside of their apartment building in the freezing temperatures, a spokesperson for the Cook County Sheriff’s Office said Thursday.

The children, a 3-year-old boy and 5-year-old girl, were found just after 2 p.m. Wednesday in the village of Arlington Heights. One child wasn’t properly dressed for the weather, the sheriff’s department said in a press release.

Temperatures Wednesday afternoon dropped to around minus 12, according to the National Weather Service.

Both children were crying and “had some skin redness” when they were found. They were taken to a local hospital to be treated for weather-related injuries.

“They appear to be OK,” a spokesperson said.

The sheriff’s office said it is investigating why the children were left out in the cold. So far, no arrests have been made. 

 

 

1883d ago / 6:08 PM UTC

Kansas mother arrested for allegedly leaving toddlers in car with no heat

A 26-year-old mother in Lawrence, Kansas, was arrested early Wednesday morning for allegedly leaving her children, ages 2 and 3, in a car with no heat, the Lawrence Police Department said in a tweet.

The woman, whose name was not released, was allegedly kicked out of the Playerz Sports Bar around 1:40 a.m., the department said in a press release. 

Police were called when the woman tried to get back into the bar.

By the time police arrived, the woman had left the bar in her car but officers later found her. She was arrested on charges of aggravated endangering a child and operating a vehicle under the influence.

Authorities said the children, who were not injured, were left in the cold car "for a substantial amount of time." Temperatures in that area Wednesday morning was around 5 degrees, according to the National Weather Service

"We can’t stress enough how dangerous this cold is. Please take proper precautions, and use common sense," the police department said in a tweet

1883d ago / 6:04 PM UTC

Amazon closes some buildings, including fulfillment centers across the Midwest

Amazon said it closed some buildings, including fulfillment centers across the Midwest.

“We work hard to deliver on our fast, free shipping promise, but weather conditions are out of our control,” Amazon said in a statement. “Customer service is available to work with any customer who is experiencing an issue.”

1883d ago / 4:17 PM UTC

The temperatures in the Midwest and Northeast as of 11:15 a.m. ET

The deep freeze isn't over just yet. Here's the latest in cities across the Midwest and Northeast as of 10:15 a.m CST (11:15 a.m.): 

1883d ago / 2:15 PM UTC

Polar vortex sticks in Midwest, spreads to Northeast: Here are the temps at 9 a.m. ET

The cold weather didn't let up Thursday morning as the misery polar vortex spread to the Northeast. 

Here's how cold it was as people commuted to work at 8 a.m. CST (9 a.m. EST) Thursday.

1883d ago / 1:50 PM UTC

From Hoth to heat wave?

The COLD continues to ravage the middle and northeastern portions of the country Thursday, with more records falling this morning. 

A new all-time record of minus 29 was set in Moline, Illinois, and it’s minus 33 in Aurora, Illinois, (just outside Chicago) Thursday morning. The state record of minus 36F is now within reach. Another 90 daily cold records could be set today!

Right now, 120 million people across 27 states are under wind chill warnings or wind chill advisories, stretching from the Upper Midwest over to Maine and down to part of North Carolina. 

Wind chills will not be quite as cold as Wednesday, but are still absolutely brutal across the Midwest and Northeast. Chicago’s wind chill is back down into the minus 40s this morning.

NYC is hovering around 15 below zero. 

Chicago once again won’t rise above zero for their high Thursday. They’ve now been below zero for 48 hours. The forecast for Thursday is minus 4. Over in the Northeast, highs will be in the teens.

Thursday’s high with wind chills

NYC: 17/below zero or near zero

Boston: 16/below zero maybe even into the sub-zero teens

DC: 10/minus 3

Minneapolis: minus 23/minus 23

Chicago: minus 20/minus 37

Friday's high with wind chills

Minneapolis: 20/single digits

Chicago: 23/teens

NYC: 20s/teens

Boston: 20/10

RELIEF IS IN SIGHT!

A potentially record-setting rebound is about to play out across the Midwest and even part of the Northeast, where temps will jump 40-70 degrees between Wednesday and Sunday.

1883d ago / 1:07 PM UTC

U.S. Postal Service suspends delivery for another day in some areas

The following locations, broken down by the three-digit zip codes, will not receive mail deliveries on Thursday. 

  • Michigan: 486-491, 493-499
  • Indiana: 460-469, 472-475, 478, 479
  • Chicago: 606-608
  • Lakeland: 530-532, 534, 535, 537-539, 541-545, 549, 600, 602, 601, 611
  • Detroit: 480-485, 492
  • Illinois: 601, 603-605, 609, 613, 614, 616, 617, 618, 627
  • Northern Ohio (Toledo area): 436
  • Western Pennsylvania (Erie, Bradford areas): 164, 165, 167

Source of locations: USPS