The wildest wintry facts about the incoming polar vortex

Extreme cold hits Chicago.
(Image credit: Scott Olson/Getty Images)

A major winter storm is already sliding into the Midwest, making it downright dangerous to even step outside. Here's what to expect from the oncoming polar vortex.

Temperatures colder than Antarctica: Weather stations around the South Pole showed temperatures around 20-30 degrees Fahrenheit on Tuesday, seeing as it's summer down south, per Accuweather. Chicago can expect a potentially record-setting temperature of 15 degrees below zero on Wednesday. Wisconsin's and Minnesota's temperatures are likely to be even lower. Those temperatures, worsened to as low as 50 degrees below zero by intense wind chills, are cold enough to give you hypothermia in less than five minutes, CBS News says. It's all prompted states of emergencies in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Illinois.

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Kathryn Krawczyk

Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.