Eight dead as polar vortex clenches US

At least eight people have died in the US Midwest as the region shivers in the grip of its worst cold snap in decades. An Iowa student found dead outside a college building is among victims of the deadly freeze. Hospitals have been treating patients reporting frostbite as life across a swathe of the nation […]

At least eight people have died in the US Midwest as the region shivers in the grip of its worst cold snap in decades. An Iowa student found dead outside a college building is among victims of the deadly freeze. Hospitals have been treating patients reporting frostbite as life across a swathe of the nation grinds to a halt.

The iciest blasts may still come yesterday. 90 people – a third of the US – have seen temperatures of -17C (0F) or below. Some 250 million Americans overall have experienced the “polar vortex” conditions, but southern states such as Florida have escaped the brutal chill.