ERIE: Bitter cold weather has taken hold of much of the northern United States and is expected to stay put for days to come as two Minnesota cities already have set record low temperatures and a city in Pennsylvania continues to dig out from a record snowfall.

But the respite for Erie, a city of about 100,000 in northwest Pennsylvania on the shores of Lake Erie, is expected to be short-lived, with a fresh round of winter storms coming on Thursday night predicted to bring as much as 10 inches more snow, forecasters said.

“This is a crippling snow event,” said Zach Sefcovic, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Cleveland.

“They are no strangers to snow in that part of the state, but this much snow in that short a time is just unprecedented,” he said in a telephone interview. Large parts of the United States were gripped by freezing weather, with an area stretching from Montana to Maine expected to see temperatures below -12.2°C early on Thursday, the National Weather Service said.

The winter blast in Erie was caused by cold Arctic air moving over the lake, which had relatively mild water temperatures, forecasters said.

Forecasters warned of hypothermia and frostbite from arctic air settling in over the central US and spreading east.

The National Weather Service reported International Falls, Minnesota, the self-proclaimed Icebox of the Nation, plunged to -37°C, breaking the old record of -32°C below set in 1924.

Hibbing, Minnesota, bottomed out at -28°C, breaking the old record of -27°C below set in 1964. Wind chill advisories or warnings were in effect for much of New England, northern Pennsylvania and New York.

Those places and states in the northern Plains and Great Lakes were projected to see highs in the teens or single digits and lows below zero for the rest of the week and into the new year.

The National Weather Service said wind chills in many areas on Thursday could make temperatures feel below zero.

People in Erie, Pennsylvania, continued to dig out from a storm that brought 100cm of snow on Christmas Day, smashing the daily snowfall record for the Great Lakes city of 24cm, and 80cm more inches on Tuesday. More than 200cm total fell on the city in just a few days.

Strong westerly winds over Lake Erie picked up moisture, developed into snow and converged with opposing winds, dumping snow in a band along the shore from Ohio to New York, said Zach Sefcovic, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Cleveland.

Sabrina Ram drove into Erie on Christmas Eve to visit her parents just as the snow began to fall. Ram, who lives in suburban Washington DC, and her father spent five hours on Christmas and two hours on Tuesday clearing the driveway.

“In DC, we’d be out of commission for weeks,” Ram said. “Things here are pretty much back to normal now.”

In New York, communities near Lake Ontario’s eastern end, including Redfield and Boylston, also saw around 15cm of snow this week.

Officials said the storm’s timing was good, since people were off the streets and staying home for Christmas, giving plows more space to clear streets.

By Wednesday, Erie’s roads were relatively clear, emergency calls were relatively slow and the big task was digging out, County Executive Kathy Dahlkemper said.

“We’re used to a lot of snow here in Erie, but this is unprecedented, the amount we got,” Dahlkemper said.

Erie County Executive Kathy Dahlkemper issued a temporary disaster emergency declaration that mobilized resources to help the area.

Pictures of residents on social media showed drifts reaching beyond window-levels in houses and people clearing paths through chest-high accumulations.

“Out of Doritos. Family is arguing. Dogs are getting ornery. It’s been 3 days since my last chicken wing. We are out of whiskey,” wrote Nicole Massari on her Instagram account @theworldaroundnikki, along with a video showing her Pennsylvania home surrounded by snow.

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf deployed 21 Pennsylvania National Guard troops along with some all-terrain military vehicles to the region on Tuesday to help residents dig out and transport emergency responders around the area.

Erie resident Brian Sheridan on Wednesday posted a photo on social media showing the top of his mail box peeking out underneath a mound of snow. In a caption, he wrote: “At this point, it just might be easier to put a hold on our mail until spring.”

Agencies