Children, Elderly Warned as Icy Cold Grips Midwest

Frigid arctic air invaded the nation from North Dakota to New York on Saturday as officials warned children and the elderly to stay out of the 40-below-zero temperatures and wind-chill factors of minus 98 degrees.

The cold Canadian blast, dubbed the Alberta Clipper, dropped temperatures into single digits as far south as Kentucky and below the freezing mark in Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas.

In Florida, the coldest temperatures were not expected until late today and early Monday, when forecasters predicted the mercury would hit the low 20s in the state’s citrus-growing midsection.

“We’re going to be on our knees praying,� said Harry Rixman, an official with the Florida Department of Citrus in Lakeland. “If it gets down into the low 20s, there’s not much of anything that you can do if it’s for a long duration.�

In South Dakota, the wind chill dropped to 90 below zero and meteorologist Alex Koscielski urged parents to keep their children indoors.

“I would say if you didn’t have a face mask or gloves on, within five minutes you would actually freeze your skin,� he said. “I recommend children don’t go out today unless they are supervised by their parents.�

At least three persons were treated in Minneapolis for exposure, including a 60-year-old man in critical condition after being found with his hands “solidly frozen,� said Dr. Brian Mahoney in the emergency room at Hennepin County Medical Center.

Duluth, Minn., recorded a low of 31 degrees below zero, breaking the old record of 30 below set in 1970. Embarrass, Minn., reported a low of 38 below.

In Peoria, Ill., a reading of 13 below zero equaled the record low for the date, and the temperature was still falling, the weather service said.

In Chicago, the wind chill hit 48 below--and both the temperature and the wind-chill factor were falling steadily.

The weather system dumped heavy snow around the Great Lakes on Saturday, with 15 inches reported at Holland, Mich., since Friday.

The same amount fell near Buffalo, N.Y., on Saturday, forcing the closing of the Greater Buffalo International Airport.