Big Black River, Maine, Records the 50 Below Zero Temperatures as Arctic Blasts Covers Much of Eastern, Southern United States

When I moved to Atlanta from New York City nearly 10 years ago, I thought we wouldn't have to contend with the cold weather anymore, but we were wrong. It does get cold here, down to the teens. One bright spot is that the cold weather is usually not continuous. It usually warms up after a few days. But this winter, the temperature has been breaking historic records. For example, bone-chilling cold bludgeoned the entire state of Maine. Unofficial temperatures dipped to minus 40s and even 50 below zero in Big Black River in the northwest corner of the state, and as low as 56 below in the St. John Valley.

Rich Norton, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service Office in Caribou, said Friday afternoon that if certified, the unofficial temperature in Big Black River would be a new record low temperature for Maine. Wow, that's COLD. Maine’s all-time record low was minus 48 in Van Buren on Jan. 19, 1925, according to Victor Nouhan of the NWS.

Gov. John Baldacci on Friday signed a state of emergency proclamation to facilitate heating fuel deliveries. The proclamation essentially allows the federal Transportation Department to waive rules so heating fuel delivery drivers can stay on the road longer to make sure homes and businesses stay warm.

Cold gripped much of the rest of the eastern U.S. as well, with temperatures of minus 10 in Cleveland, minus 6 in Detroit and minus 11 in Chicago on Friday morning. In upstate New York, areas near Lake Erie received up to 2 inches of snow per hour.

The cold weather has claimed at least six lives and contributed to dozens of traffic accidents. One death involved a man in a wheelchair who was found in subzero temperatures stuck in the snow, a shovel in his hand, outside his home in Des Moines, Iowa. He died at a hospital.

Here's a twist: Alabama is colder than Alaska, right now.