If it finally feels like winter has arrived, well, that's because it has. We are, in fact, in the "dead of winter" now, NPR reports. But at least you're not in Langdon, North Dakota, where it felt like minus-51 degrees Fahrenheit yesterday thanks to wind chill. The rest of the northern states are seeing similar wind chills, and even in places that are usually fairly warm, the next few days will feel pretty close to zero.
According to Weather Underground, an Arctic air blast yesterday brought some of the lowest temperatures seen in almost two years to the Midwest. And whether you live in the upper Plains, New England, or the mid-Atlantic, you can expect to see the deep freeze continue for the rest of the week, NPR notes. Pretty much everyone is in agreement: The Weather Channel says millions of us will need our warm clothes this week to ward off the season's coldest air, and a National Weather Service meteorologist tells the Buffalo News that conditions will "last for a while." (More severe weather stories.)