Snow, life-threatening cold forecast for Midwest and New England

Jan. 28 (UPI) -- Another 6 to 8 inches of snow were expected in Chicago Monday, after which life-threatening cold will chill other parts of the upper Midwest, forecasters said.

Temperatures could dip below zero for more than 80 straight hour for many upper Midwestern cities in Wisconsin, Minnesota and North Dakota as a major winter storm makes its way across the country.

Many schools in the Midwest are already closed as the region deals with heavy snow. Nearly 500 flights in and out of Chicago's O'Hare International Airport had been canceled by Monday morning. Another 200 were scrapped at Chicago's Midway airport.

Forecasters said Chicago will see 60 hours of frigid cold, with a high Wednesday of minus 8 degrees, which would rank as one of the coldest days in the city's history. By Tuesday night, the storm will have reached New England, where temperatures could plummet to 20 below zero.

Meteorologists said wind chill alerts could affect nearly 20 million people across 14 states, and some areas of the Midwest could see the mercury fall as low as 60 below zero.

Some southern states will also see colder temperatures. Winter storm warnings have been issued for Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia and western North Carolina.

Blizzard conditions were seen in North Dakota Sunday, where visibility was reduced to 500 feet or less Sunday afternoon. Portions of North and South Dakota were under a no-travel advisory.