> Global ***-Warming - Bone-chilling temperatures settle over East

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Bone-chilling temperatures settle over East

MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) - Winter-hardened Northeasterners were socked
with the same subzero temperatures and biting winds that have turned
the Northern Plains, Midwest and Great Lakes into a teeth-chattering
misery for much of the week.

Maine residents braced Thursday for readings down to 40 below zero.
And in the Midwest, Iowans were warned that temperatures could drop as
far as 27 below zero, matching a Jan. 15 record set in 1972.

The deep freeze was part of a snow and arctic system that stretched
from Montana to northern New England and dipped as far south as North
Carolina.

Forecasters issued lake-effect snow warnings Thursday for Indiana,
Michigan, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Wind chill warnings were
posted for those states as well as Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Missouri,
the Dakotas, Wisconsin and Minneapolis.

In Michigan, the community of Pellston, in the northern Lower
Peninsula, and Big Rapids, in the central Lower Peninsula, were
Michigan's cold spots at 6 a.m. Thursday, with temperatures of minus
21 degrees.

The air temperature was 29 degrees below zero in Glenwood, Minn., on
Thursday morning, with the wind chill making it a staggering 54
degrees below zero. It was 20 degrees below zero at the
Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, but the wind chill made it
feel like 37 below zero.

In southwest Ohio, Butler County reopened its former jail as an
emergency shelter, with room for about 40 people to have a blanket,
meal and shower, said Lt. Nick Fischer of the sheriff's office.
Fischer said the county will make room for more if needed.

Around Ohio, blowing snow grounded at least two medical helicopters
called to transport accident victims. At the site of a wreck on
Interstate 75 near Bowling Green, an ambulance had to drive two people
to hospitals in Toledo.

The mercury hovering around zero Wednesday didn't faze truck driver
Gary Jacobs, 49, of Barre, Vt., bundled in five layers - T-shirt, a
long-sleeved shirt, sweat shirt, hooded sweat shirt and coat, in
addition to snowpants, boots and a knit cap.

"People in Arizona say 'It's a dry heat.' This is a fresh cold,"
Jacobs said.

In New York, where light snow fell overnight, temperatures early
Thursday morning ranged from 7 above in Buffalo to 21 below in Massena
in northern New York. Lows of 18 below to 26 below are forecast for
the Adirondacks Thursday night and Friday.

The frigid conditions caused complications for highway managers
because road salt doesn't melt ice in subzero temperatures.

"Once we get into minus 10, minus 20, in some cases we have to go to
just straight sand, a light dusting of sand, on the highway to get
some grit, provide some traction," said Mike Flick a transportation
worker in Pamelia, N.Y.

The National Weather Service warned that temperatures could plummet to
10 to 15 below zero across northern Illinois. With winds gusts of
around 30 mph, it could feel as low as 40 below.

Scores of public and private schools throughout the Chicago area
announced in advance that they would be closed or have delayed starts
Thursday because of the bitter cold.

As the snow ended Wednesday afternoon cancelations reduced to around
250 at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, down from more than 300
several hours earlier. Delays at O'Hare averaged up to 60 minutes.
There were only a few cancelations at Midway International Airport.

The Indiana State Police banned some large trucks from the Indiana
Toll Road due to hazardous weather conditions. Forecasters expect 2 to
5 inches of snow could fall Thursday in southern New England, making
commutes messy and dangerous.

Even northern Georgia and Kentucky could see single-digit lows by
Friday, with zero possible at Lexington, Ky., the weather service
warned. Kentucky hasn't been that cold since December 2004.

Snowy conditions Wednesday led to at least two fatal highway crashes
in Ohio and two more in Indiana. A day earlier, a Wisconsin man died
of exposure after wandering from his home.

Vermont's Bolton Valley ski resort canceled night skiing through
Friday night for fear that skiers could freeze if they were marooned
on a malfunctioning ski lift.

In Cleveland, where it was snowing and 10 degrees at lunchtime
Wednesday, Terry Gill, 23, was bundled up with four layers of clothes.
He had a secret for staying warm.

"I just try not to think about it," Gill said while waiting for a bus
in a shelter surrounded by piles of snow from nearly 17 inches that
have fallen in one week. "I mean, it's cold. That's Cleveland
weather."

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