People hoping that record-low winter temperatures will soon end won't be getting any relief — and some may even see more snow this weekend. As Southern states cope with the chill, those in the Midwest and Northeast are likely to see snow showers through Monday. On top of that, meteorologists say the "polar vortex" that's bringing the frigid air might be here for a while.
That news has lots of people struggling.
"The weather is harsh," said Sam Woo, 35, of Harding, N.J. "Once the wind starts picking up, that's when it gets brutal."
Woo, an executive producer of Hockey Unfiltered with Todd Lewis, is leaving ample time to get to hockey games. Rough road conditions last week turned his one-hour drive to a game into a four-hour debacle.
The cold snap is also stretching supplies of propane gas and causing transportation bottlenecks across a broad section of the United States, officials told the Associated Press. Everyone from rural educators to chicken farmers are in search of enough fuel to keep warm.
"I think the only answer is warmer weather," Marvin Childers, president of The Poultry Federation in Arkansas, Missouri and Oklahoma, told the AP.
On Twitter, people shared similar thoughts. Students complained about walking to class. Drivers described commutes thwarted by ice and snow. Others simply stated they hated winter. Unfortunately, they better get used to it.
"We're going to be stuck in this pattern through the end of January," said AccuWeather meteorologist Alex Sosnowski.
That pattern has been felt across the country. Parts of all 50 states -- even Hawaii -- saw below-freezing temperatures Friday, while below-zero wind-chill temperatures will be common across the North. Several cities, including Chicago, Detroit, Indianapolis and Cincinnati, have seen more snow than they typically get for the entire season.
And there's no end in sight.
Into next week, the center of the now well-known "polar vortex" will hover just north of the U.S. border, according to Sosnowski. The vortex will continue to hurl chunks of cold air roaring into the Midwest and much of the East through the end of the week.
Temperatures could remain below freezing in Minneapolis, Chicago, Milwaukee, Detroit and Cleveland through the end of the month, Sosnowski reports, with highs most days only in the teens.
In Boston, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, New York City and Indianapolis, temperatures may get above freezing only on one or two days through Jan. 31.
The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency Director Robert Latham told The Clarion-Ledger the state is seeing record cold air and that people should check on friends, family members and neighbors.
The paper reported that people posted pictures of rare snow flurries across Facebook.
"I swear to you I was just outside under the sky, not trees or anything, and it's either snowing a bit or sleeting," posted Michelle Furr Smith on Friday morning.
Anyone really fed up might think of heading to Alaska. Many parts of that state are seeing warmer weather than the Lower 48.
But, if you want to stick it out in your state, here's something to look forward to: Winter officially ends March 19.