US Midwest, Northeast brace for record cold

[NEW YORK] Many parts of the US Midwest are bracing for a blast of Arctic air that could bring some of the coldest temperatures in two decades before advancing to the Northeast, where residents are still digging out from a deadly snowstorm.

Starting yesterday, the deep freeze will be felt in the northern US plains, including North and South Dakota, and through the Great Lakes region and Ohio Valley, according to the National Weather Service.

It will be some of the coldest weather to grip the region in two decades, with blizzard conditions expected in the Central Plains and Great Lakes regions, forecasters said. "The last really big Arctic outbreak was 1994," said Bob Oravec, a forecaster with the National Weather Service."Outbreaks like this don't occur every day."