Deep freeze

A man walks past a car partially covered in ice in Baltimore, on Jan. 8, 2014, where temperatures continued to remain well below freezing. An arctic blast eased its grip on much of the U.S., with winds calming and the weather warming slightly a day after temperature records, some more than a century-old, shattered up and down the Eastern Seaboard.

James Diers unhooks jumper cables after he was unable to jump start his car in Minneapolis on Jan. 7. A deadly blast of Arctic shattered decades-old records as it gripped the middle United States and moved eastward, canceling thousands of flights, paralyzing road travel, and closing schools and businesses.

A tugboat makes its way up the icy waters of the Mississippi River on Jan. 7 in St. Louis. It was the worst cold snap in nearly two decades for Missouri.

A man is framed by icicles as he walks along a beach in Chicago on Jan. 7.

Passengers heading into downtown wait on an "L" platform for the train to arrive in below zero temperatures on Jan. 7 in Chicago. Platforms were crowded and trains were delayed because doors on the trains kept freezing open.

A person takes a picture along the shore of Lake Michigan as temperatures remain in the negative digits on Jan. 7 in Milwaukee.

Elmwood Village residents walk down Elmwood Avenue after purchasing needed items from a grocery store in Buffalo, N.Y., on Jan. 7, 2014. A deadly blast of arctic air shattered decades-old temperature records as it enveloped the eastern United States on Tuesday, snarling air, road and rail travel, driving energy prices higher and overwhelming shelters for homeless people.

Ice forms on the shore of the East River due to unusually low temperatures caused by a Polar Vortex in New York on Jan. 7, 2014. A blast of bone-chilling cold snarled air travel, closed schools and prompted calls for people to stay inside in the United States and Canada, as temperatures plunged to lows not seen in two decades. Superlatives of cold-talk abounded, even in midwestern states used to chest-high snow and bitter cold, as the National Weather Service said the deep freeze was making its way east.

A woman braves the cold during her morning commute on Jan. 7 in New York.

A woman braves the cold during her morning commute on 5th Avenue on Jan. 7 in New York. A blast of bone-chilling cold snarled air travel, closed schools and prompted calls for people to stay inside in the United States and Canada, as temperatures plunged to lows not seen in two decades.

A man's breath can be seen as he walks on East 86th Street on the east side of Manhattan on Jan. 7 in New York.

A woman bundled against the cold walks past a homeless man in McPherson Square as temperatures dipped into the single digits Fahrenheit and minus degrees with the wind chill on Jan. 7 in Washington, D.C.

Chris Griesmeyer dons ski goggles and a mask to protect himself from the harsh wind chill as he walked in the sub-freezing temperatures on Jan. 6 in Arlington Heights, Ill.

Mist rises from Lake Michigan at North Avenue Beach as temperatures dipped well below zero on Jan. 6 in Chicago. Chicago hit a record low of --16 degrees Fahrenheit --as a polar air mass brought the coldest temperatures in about two decades into the city.

The Spirit of Detroit statue is shown covered in snow in Detroit on Jan. 6.

Farmer Randy Cree chops a hole in the ice while a cow waits to drink water from a pond near Big Springs, Kan., on Jan. 6.

Eli Esch, 13, right, enjoys a day off from school because of the bitter cold on Monday, Jan. 6 in Minneapolis. Eli and his dad Tom, left, built this snow fort and igloo over the last few weeks. Its relatively warm in the igloo and the two spent the night in it last week.

Ice builds up along Lake Michigan at North Avenue Beach as temperatures dipped well below zero on Jan. 6 in Chicago.

In an image made with a fisheye lens, Marguerite Johnston uncovers her car in Grosse Pointe, Mich., on Jan. 6.

Postal worker Chris Newberg works his route in -25 degrees Celsius weather in Minneapolis on Jan. 6.

Steam rises from the tops of buildings in the Chicago skyline on Jan. 6 as a whirlpool of frigid, dense air known as a "polar vortex" descended on the city.

Laurel O'Connor works to scrape ice off of her windshield before driving on Jan. 6 in Bowling Green, Ky.

Snow covers John Brower's eyelashes after running to work in the frigid weather on Jan. 6 in Minneapolis.

A commuter walks past warming lamps to an exit on Chicago's elevated train tracks with temperatures well below zero on Jan. 6 in Chicago.

Two people duck into the blowing snow as they leave the U City Loop next to the statue of Chuck Berry on Sunday morning, Jan. 5, in St Louis. Heavy snow combined with strong winds and bitter cold created a dangerous winter mix over much of Missouri.

Ron, a bison at the Brookfield Zoo, is covered in snow and doesn't seemed phased by the frigid temperatures or snow blowing through the Chicago area on Jan. 5. The zoo was closed on Jan . 6 due to the snowstorm and sub-zero temperatures. It was only the fourth time in Brookfield Zoo's history, which opened in 1934, that it has closed due to severe weather conditions.