The polar vortex has broken records, halted travel and taken at least eight lives in the US. Mail deliveries have been suspended, flights grounded and schools closed.
According to Flightaware, by midday on Thursday, airlines had already cancelled more than 2,200 flights in the United States, and on Wednesday, cancellations topped 2,700. Here are 9 chilling images from the Polar Vortex: 1. A man walks with a suitcase during a snow storm in Buffalo, New York

2. A harbor light is covered by snow and ice on Lake Michigan

3. Commuters waiting for a train on Jan. 28 in Chicago

4. People walking along North Avenue Beach in – 20 degree temperatures

5. Gas-fired switch heaters on the railway tracks keep the ice and snow off the switches near a train station in Chicago

6. Ice forms on the eyelashes of Aubreyanne Edwards, of Rock Island, Ill., in minus 27 degrees weather

7. A couple skates during a blizzard at the ice rink outside City Hall in Toronto

8. Pigeons huddle together in the snow in Buffalo, New York

9. A woman braves the freezing temperatures in Chicago
