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Omaha in the US state of Nebraska: It's not as romantic as it seems here.
Weather warnings apply to around 180 million people in the United States.
The north and midwest of the country are particularly affected, but also the south of the USA.
According to the authorities, temperatures in some areas are likely to drop to as low as minus 50 degrees Celsius.
Photo Credit: IMAGO/Steven Branscombe / IMAGO/ZUMA Wire
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Frosty prospects: At a press conference in Austin, Texas, a weather map shows what the country can expect.
The storm low will bring extreme cold, heavy snowfall and ice wind.
Photo: IMAGO/Jay Janner/IMAGO/USA TODAY Network
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Zipper closed, hat on, hood over it: If you have to go out, you would do well to pack up properly.
Values of around minus 45 degrees Celsius have already been measured in the states of Montana, South Dakota and Wyoming.
Sometimes it gets so cold that there is a risk of frostbite within minutes, the authorities warned.
Photo: KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI / AFP
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Strong winds, rain and ice also affect traffic.
Here in Chicago, pedestrians, cyclists and drivers take on the harsh conditions.
Photo: Charles Rex Arbogast/AP
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This is likely to be difficult for many people who want to travel to their families over Christmas.
This man at least clears the way to Union Station in Chicago.
Photo: KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI / AFP
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So with the plane to your loved ones?
Not a good idea either.
More than 2,200 flights had to be canceled nationwide.
Photo: JENNIFER GAUTHIER / REUTERS
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The storm also blows temperatures down to minus 40 degrees Celsius through winter-tested Canada – here a suburb of Montreal.
Photo: ANDREJ IVANOV / AFP
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The end of the line for these trucks too: the highway is closed in Silverstone, Colorado.
Photo: JASON CONNOLLY / AFP
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This driver uses the waiting time to put on snow chains.
Photo: JASON CONNOLLY / AFP
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Here, a firefighter tackles a fire at an apartment building in Philadelphia.
The extinguishing water froze within a few minutes and numerous icicles formed on the cables.
Photo: Matt Rourke / dpa
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Silent City, Freezing City: Downtown Kansas City just before Christmas.
Photo: Charlie Riedel/AP
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A man shovels snow in downtown Kansas.
Photo: Charlie Riedel/AP
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In El Paso, on the border between Mexico and the USA, migrants are freezing.
Photo: PATRICK T. FALLON / AFP
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Winter parade with a difference: Three snow plows try to clear the streets of Bismarck, North Dakota.
The line behind them is long.
And yet: for drivers there is hardly a safer route than to drive behind a clearing vehicle.
Photo: Tom Stromme/AP
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Of course, it would be better to leave the car behind, like these residents in Denver, Colorado.
Photo: David Zalubowski/AP
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Here in Bettendorf, Iowa, even the Mississippi River is covered in ice.
Photo: Nikos Frazier/AP
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