Gerald Belz, an 18‑year‑old University of Iowa student, was found unresponsive by campus police outside of a campus building just before 3am, as an extreme arctic freeze grips the Midwest.
People.com reports that Belz, who was in his second semester at the university was transported to a hospital, where he later died.
The wind chill at the time university police found Belz outside was ‑10 degrees Celsius according to the National Weather Service.
A walkway in Chicago covered in ice on Lake Michigan [Photo: REUTERS]
The Midwest, from the Dakotas to Western New York, is experiencing some of the coldest temperatures to hit the region in more than two decades.
A woman in Iowa got a shock when she ventured outside with wet hair in freezing weather conditions brought to the US by the #PolarVortex.
— Sky News (@SkyNews) January 31, 2019
Read more about the big freeze in America's Midwest: https://t.co/hJ11rBVkMZ pic.twitter.com/eZhxowdQDS
This type of bone‑chilling cold can be life‑threatening.
As many as eight deaths have already been reported in the U.S. this morning, according to the New York Times.
More than 80,000 people are homeless in Chicago alone during the polar vortex — here's how to help those who are most vulnerable pic.twitter.com/Ftb13IKLKN
— NowThis (@nowthisnews) January 31, 2019
The National Weather Service in Iowa warned residents about the cold air, adding that anyone outside should “minimize talking.”
They have to make sure their mouth is covered to protect their lungs from severely cold air.
This is the coldest air many of the people have ever experienced.
The polar vortex has brought record-low temperatures to the midwest. Are you feeling the chill? pic.twitter.com/3o2Wfm6ekE
— The Guardian (@guardian) January 31, 2019
