A large swathe of the United States was gripped by brutal cold and wind chills yesterday as record-low temperatures caused by a blast of Arctic air moved across the midwest and into eastern states, prompting residents to stay indoors.

Temperatures in parts of the northern plains and Great Lakes plunged to as low as -41C in Park Rapids, Minnesota, and -35C in Fargo, North Dakota, according to the National Weather Service.

Andrew Orrison, a meteorologist with the service, said the some of the coldest wind chills were recorded in International Falls, Minnesota, at -48C. That’s significantly more frigid than an expected low of -33C with wind chill in Antarctica.

“Really today is going to be the absolute coldest across the northern plains and across the midwest… stretching down into the Ohio Valley as well,” Mr Orrison said.

“Moving forward here, we are going to see a decent amount of this cold air move through the east coast.”

The bitter cold is being carried by the polar vortex, a stream of air that spins around the stratosphere over the North Pole, but whose current has been disrupted and is now pushing south.

With officials in the midwest and northern states advising residents to stay indoors, dashcam footage from one trucker taken outside Grand Rapids, Michigan, gave a snapshot of hair-raising driving conditions.

“I about just got caught in a giant wreck; cars are into other pick-ups, there’s people hurt. I gotta let you go,” Jason Coffelt is heard saying in an Instagram post, as his truck is forced off the highway and pulls up just before a multi-vehicle accident.

At least five deaths relating to cold weather have been reported since Saturday in Iowa, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota, local media reports said.

More than 2,000 flights were cancelled early yesterday, largely out of Chicago O’Hare and Chicago Midway international airports.

Train service Amtrak said it would cancel all trains in and out of Chicago yesterday.

Most federal government offices in Washington DC opened three hours late yesterday due to the frigid weather already having an impact on the area.

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