"An Arctic air mass is expected to plunge into the Central U.S. this week, with high confidence for widespread, record-breaking cold," NWS said in the forecast. "Through Friday [F

Severe weather alerts are issued as a polar vortex brings life-threatening cold to the Rockies and northern Plains.

BISMARCK, North Dakota — More than 95 million people in the United States were facing numbing cold on Tuesday as a polar vortex sent temperatures plunging to record levels, closing schools, bursting pipes and forcing communities to set up more temporary shelters for the homeless.

The polar vortex’s icy grip on much of America has Arctic Greenland seeming like a toasty vacation spot by comparison

The National Weather Service has issued extreme cold warnings for millions of Americans from the Canadian border to Texas. CBS News correspondent Nicole Valdes reports on the historic low temperatures.

An Arctic blast tied in part to the polar vortex is driving record frigid air south from the Northern Plains toward the Gulf Coast Wednesday in a cold snap that will last the entire week. Threat level: This event is setting daily record cold temperatures and is forecast to bring for the coldest temperatures on record for this late in the season.

Douglas McIntyre, Editor-in-Chief at Climate Crisis 24/7, reports that the polar vortex is plunging temperatures to record lows across the Midwest and East Coast, bringing heavy snowfall to unexpected regions.

Another arctic blast has sent temperatures plummeting across the United States, bringing “life-threatening” wind chills and dangerous cold to millions of Americans while yet another winter storm unleashes heavy snow across a wide swath of the country.