Sub-Zero Temps from Midwest to Mid-Atlantic

Bitter cold is affecting millions of people in the eastern half of the country Thursday, and it's only expected to get worse. The nation is bracing for another deep freeze Thursday and Friday.

This latest dose of polar vortex is bringing a surge of Siberian air that will hit 24 states from the Midwest to western mid-Atlantic and unleash record-breaking cold.

Forecasters are looking at lows of minus-20 in states like Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, and Virginia.

The cold, plus snow and ice, has created dangerous driving conditions in many states.

In Tennessee, officials have declared a state of emergency. Winter weather encrusted a plane in Nashville and turned streets into virtual skating rinks. Schools are closed in many places for the rest of the week.

Farmers in southern states are covering up their crops to protect them from freezing.

In Philadelphia, the Coast Guard is using special ice breakers to keep the Delaware River flowing and commercial traffic moving.

In hard-hit Boston, heavy snow has caused more than 80 roofs to collapse, and at a skating rink, snow slid off the roof and buried five people.

"One you could tell was hurt -- his neck, and the lady looked very hurt, too," Massachusetts plow operator Angelo Cirardello said.

In Virginia Beach, Virginia, another dramatic rescue took place when a neighbor came to the aid of two brothers who fell through the ice and into a pond. Both, thankfully, are okay.

Over the next few days, expect wind chill advisories in 24 states, including Florida, and a few scenic sights, like the icy spectacle of Niagara Falls which is now frozen solid.

Meanwhile, Operation Blessing is working in Hampton Roads, Virginia, to remove snow for those in need. The organization received many calls for help from elderly people and others who needed to get to cancer or dialysis treatments or to get to a pharmacy for crucial prescriptions.

"I stayed in the house because I didn't want to drive," cancer patient Jackie Williams said. "I'm taking radiation and yesterday they called and said they were okay with me staying home, but I felt like today I really needed to get there."

"It's a God-send, it truly is," Williams said. "I'm just so thankful that ya'll were able to come and do this for me because I really feel like I need to get my treatment today."

Operation Blessing teams made it possible for people like Williams to get where they needed to go.