'Colder Than Moscow:' Arctic Temps Spread South

More than 200 million Americans from Montana to Alabama are bundling up Tuesday as they face dangerously cold temperatures.
 
This arctic blast is not just another winter storm - for many areas it's the coldest in 20 years.
    
"I'm wearing long underwear. I feel like I'm going skiing. But I'm not. I'm going to work," one resident said.

What exactly is a polar vortex? Weatherbell's Joe Bastardi explains this and more, on CBN Newswatch, Jan. 7. 
 
In Minneapolis, where the wind chill is taking temps to 60 below zero, officials issued a rare warning. They say the life-threatening cold poses a "particularly dangerous situation" and residents should just stay inside. 
    
The historically low temperatures are being caused by a polar vortex, which is basically like a cold weather cyclone. They form in the North Pole and rarely come this far south.
 
The deep freeze is even reaching the southern parts of the nation. Temperatures in Nashville, Tenn., are colder than in Anchorage, Alaska. And Atlanta is seeing temperatures colder than Moscow.
 
"It's really cold; I'm not used to the cold weather," one southern resident said.
    
Meteorologists say that in some parts of the South and East, record low temperatures set as far back as the 1800s are being broken.
    
Meanwhile, school systems and day cares remain closed.
    
In some areas, the cold temperatures are bringing winter storms with snow, ice and wind proving to be a major problem for travelers. JetBlue canceled all flights at four major East Coast airports until later Tuesday.
 
"My frustration level is here in case you want to know," complained one airline passenger.
    
But the end is in sight.
    
Forecasters say Wednesday's temperatures will begin creeping back towards normal, and by Thursday most of the country will see some relief from the cold.