A dangerous combination of record low temperatures and strong winds has hit the northeastern United States.
On Saturday, Mount Washington in New Hampshire recorded a wind chill, a measure of the feeling of the combined effect of air and wind on the skin, of -78 Celsius (-108 Fahrenheit), which appeared to be the lowest ever recorded in the United States.
Air temperatures peaked at -44C (-47F), with wind gusts near 160 km/h (100 mph), according to the Mount Washington Observatory.
In Boston, where officials closed the public school system on Friday because of the impending freeze, the low temperature reached -23C (-10F), breaking the daily record set more than a century ago, the National Weather Service (NWS) said. .
In Providence, Rhode Island, the mercury fell to -23C (-9F), well below the previous all-time low of -19C (-2F), set in 1918.
An Arctic blast flowing into the US from eastern Canada also brought record lows to Albany, New York; Augusta, Maine; Rochester, New York; and Worcester, Massachusetts, among other places, the NWS said.
Several cities have taken emergency measures to help residents, including opening warming centers and implementing activities to ensure the homeless are protected from the bitter cold.
The cold weather is expected to be short-lived, and temperatures will be significantly higher on Sunday. The high temperature in Boston on Sunday will approach 8C (47F), the NWS said.