Arctic blast sends shivers across US

RECORD-SETTING COLD Chicago, Detroit, Buffalo, Memphis worst-hit cities

BUFFALO, US: Snow and cold records fell as an Arctic air mass that started in Siberia spilled over a big chunk of the eastern half of the US, including the normally mild South, on Tuesday.

The mid-autumn taste of winter brought record single-digit temperatures to Chicago and environs; set snowfall records in Buffalo and Detroit; dusted cars with snow in Memphis, Tennessee; and froze lakes in Minnesota weeks earlier than usual.

The roughly 10 inches of snow in Buffalo and Detroit by Tuesday morning was a record depth for the time of year, weather service records show. Areas of Vermont and Maine saw similar totals as a wintry mix also closed or delayed hundreds of schools in northern New England.

At least six cities in Kansas set new record lows Tuesday, led by Garden City, which dropped to minus 18 Celsius, breaking the record of minus 14 Celsius set just last year. Records also fell in Wichita, Salina, Russell, Dodge City and Medicine Lodge.

In St. Louis, the mercury dipped to 11 degrees, breaking a record for the date that had stood since 1911.

Warming shelters in Memphis offered relief from a reading of minus 6 Celsius, also a record low for the date. Schools and businesses as far south as the Gulf Coast opened late or closed on Tuesday because of the cold.

About 20 school systems delayed opening across north Alabama under the threat of wintry precipitation, including public schools around Huntsville.