Sunday's NFL playoff in Minnesota was one of the coldest in NFL history, as a bone-chilling winter weather system brought snow, rain and even a destructive tornado to the eastern half of the nation.
The temperature was 6 degrees below zero just before the 10:05 a.m. (1:05 p.m. ET) kickoff, making the game the third coldest playoff in NFL history.
The wildcard game, between the Minnesota Vikings and Seattle Seahawks was, however, the coldest in Vikings history, the NFL said in a statement.
It was so cold that Minnesota's famous horn, called the Gjallarhorn, shattered, the statement said.
Even though the wind chill factor could make temperatures feel like 25 degrees below zero, Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson warmed up for the game without gloves, the NFL said.
The frigid temperatures came as the Midwest braced for up to one foot of lake effect snow and the Northeast prepared for lashing rain and gusting winds, according to the Weather Channel.
In Oklahoma, six people were killed when a minivan driver lost control on a wet road, causing the vehicle to a cross a median and plow into tractor trailer, the Weather Channel reported, while in Missouri, one person died during a car accident on an icy road.
In Florida, residents were clearing up after a twister packing winds of 111-135 mph uprooted palm trees and power lines, tossed cars and tore roofs from homes in Cape Coral, south of Tampa. The National Weather Service gave the tornado a rating of EF2, but there were no early reports of casualties.
“It’s all part of the same wider system,” said Weather Channel lead forecaster Michael Palmer. “A super cell down in Florida caused some significant damage, and further up the East Coast it is expected to bring heavy rain during Sunday.
“New York City and Boston will see heavy rain and thunder, and on the back side of that, towards Michigan and down into Ohio there will be snow,” he added.
On Sunday, tens of thousands of people across the Midwest and New England were without power, the Weather Channel reported, with more 30,000 of them in Maine.
Across the Midwest, a quick pulse of snow on Sunday is set to be followed by heavy lake effect snow that could last into Tuesday, Palmer said - bringing “pretty significant” accumulations of up to one foot in places.
In Florida, more than 100 personnel from fire departments were checking for injuries early Sunday after the Cape Coral tornado struck late on Saturday, according to NBC station WBBF.
