Deep freeze grips Upper Midwest; more bitter cold to come

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — An arctic wave has wrapped the Upper Midwest in numbing cold. But the worst may be yet to come.

Wind chill advisories were issued for a broad swath of the Upper Midwest, where wind chill factors could dip to 40 to 50 degrees below zero (40 to 45 below zero, Celsius) in parts of Wisconsin and Minnesota and to 30 to 35 below (34 to 37 below, Celsius) in the Dakotas.

The deep freeze caused organizers of the Winter Carnival in Minnesota to cancel several events, including Thursday night’s parade through downtown St. Paul.

Sioux Falls, South Dakota, has closed its six outdoor skating rinks because of the cold weather.

Forecasters say the frigid weather is expected to linger into next week, with even colder temperatures midweek.