CHICAGO — The arctic air mass that froze water pipes in Minnesota and lead Chicago officials to ask residents to check on neighbors this weekend is sticking around in some parts of the upper Midwest.
Due to El Nino, winter got off to a mild start. But the blast of dangerous cold moved east across the Northern Plains and Great Lakes on Sunday, when temperatures bottomed out at 36 degrees below in Fosston in northwest Minnesota. It was so cold in western Minnesota that traffic lights went dark Sunday morning in Montevideo when a transformer blew. One homeowner’s bid to thaw pipes in West Duluth caused a fire that led to $37,000 in damage, WDIO-TV reported.
Meanwhile, parts of Illinois were in the single digits Monday, the second day with such frigid air.
Many cities sought to ensure no one succumbed to the cold. The Indianapolis Star reported that the state Department of Homeland Security would send anyone needing shelter from the weather Sunday and Monday to a Salvation Army facility. But in Wisconsin, authorities said a 21-year-old woman likely died of exposure in Milwaukee; she had reportedly left a house party and was found outside by a passer-by.