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Bitter Cold Grips Eastern US


Two yellow roses covered in ice protrude from a frost cloth cover at Dewars Nurseries in Apopka, Fla., where the temperatures have been below freezing, Dec 14, 2010
Two yellow roses covered in ice protrude from a frost cloth cover at Dewars Nurseries in Apopka, Fla., where the temperatures have been below freezing, Dec 14, 2010

The winter storm that slammed the central United States has brought bitter cold to the eastern United States as far south as Florida.

The center of the storm has moved north into Canada, but heavy snowfall still threatens parts of the states of Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. Cold temperatures and high winds are prevalent throughout the east.

The National Weather Service issued hard freeze warnings for much of north and central Florida for late Tuesday and early Wednesday, as the temperatures are expected to fall to minus six degrees Celsius. The cold weather is raising concerns about Florida's citrus crop.

The storm brought strong winds and significant snowfall to parts of the upper central and eastern United States.

The severe weather Sunday forced the cancellation of nearly 1,400 flights at Chicago's O'Hare airport and closed major highways across a wide area in several states - Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin.

In Minnesota, the weight of the snow collapsed the Teflon-coated fiberglass roof of the Minneapolis Metrodome sports arena. A National Football League game was postponed and moved to Detroit because of the collapse.

Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.

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