At least eight deaths have been blamed on a record-breaking cold spell that still had its grip on much of the country Wednesday morning, NBC News reported.
More than 150 record-low temperatures were recorded from Texas to Maine, proving particularly punishing to areas that were enjoying relatively balmy temperatures in the days before.
The National Weather Service said the cold front brought a level of intensity that hasn't been seen for over 100 years, in 1911, when temperatures from the Plains to the East Coast plummeted to the teens and 20s shortly after those regions saw record-high temperatures near 80 degrees.