Dangerously cold weather had much of the United States in its grip early Monday morning, with no relief in sight for the rest of the week. In Minneapolis, Minnesota, the temperature was -3 degrees as Monday began, and with the wind chill, it felt like -17 degrees, according to CNN affiliate KARE. By Thursday, the high is forecast to be only 4 degrees. While the upper Midwest is accustomed to frigid weather, freezing temperatures can come as a shock in Florida. The Panhandle and much of northern Florida is under a hard freeze warning, the National Weather Service says. The warning extended almost down to Tampa Bay along the Gulf Coast. Florida officials have been urging residents, visitors and agricultural interests to prepare for temperatures near or below the freezing mark this week, CNN affiliate WESH reports. Along with the dangerously cold temperatures, residents in Montana have been warned by the Weather Service to brace for blizzard conditions with snowfall of 12 to 20 inches possible across parts of the state. In Chicago, Illinois, residents bundled up on another bitterly cold day and many stayed indoors, CNN affiliate WLS reports. In the Northeast, the Weather Service warned that a large storm off the New England coast would continue to bring heavy snow to much of central New York state.
