Polar plunge brings frigid Christmas week

Hot on the heels of a nation-spanning storm that closed down the region for several days came a “polar plunge” last week, just in time for Christmas.

Travel once again became difficult as temperatures began to plunge and the new snow joined what was already on the ground to blow whiteouts across the roads. The strong, gusty winds continued until the end of the week, with the combination of fresh snow and wind resulting in blizzard-like conditions in some parts of the region.

The bigger problem for human fingers and toes, though, was the dangerously cold wind chills. These continued to d...