Washington: On Thursday,  Tens of millions of Americans braved Arctic-like temperatures as low as minus 56 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 49 Celsius) that paralyzed the US Midwest and were blamed for at least 21 deaths. Warmer-than-normal weather was on the way, but that offered little comfort to susceptible populations such as the homeless and elderly enduring cold that caused frostbite in minutes and made being outside potentially deadly.

Heavy snow hitting Chicago off the Great Lakes was set to begin winding down on Thursday night, the weather service said. More than 30 record lows were shattered across the Midwest. Cotton, Minnesota, had the lowest national temperature recorded early on Thursday at minus 56 F (minus 48 C), before the weather warmed up, the weather service reported.

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According to Stathis Poulakidas, a doctor at the city`s John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital report Officials across multiple states linked numerous deaths to the frigid air. The death toll rose from a previous 12 after at least nine more people in Chicago were reported to have died from cold-related injuries. The eighteen-year-old was found unresponsive on campus early Wednesday morning just a short walk from his dorm, according to university officials. Police told a local television station they believed the cold played a factor in his death.

Temperatures in the Upper Midwest will rebound to well above zero F (minus 18 C) on Friday, with highs making it into the teens and low 20s F. By Saturday, highs will be in the 30s and even low 40s F, while the central Plains will be in the low 60s F, nearly 20 to 25 degrees above normal, the weather service said.

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