but this week's lows haven't been this brutal in decades breathing can be painful even dangerous and that's not only the case in america's third largest city six u.s. states have recorded temperatures colder than antarctica weather stations across large parts of canada and the u.s. have register temperatures at minus thirty degrees celsius or more factor in the wind chill and it's more than minus fifty the culprit for the cold chaos a massive subzero air called a polar vortex so named because it normally stays put around the north pole but this week it's humble people further south. this is the. scene in. three different layers on top of. it as prepared as. ever the need to get here what you're trying to newton's of the to get temperatures