A record breaking cold snap is descending on the Midwest after a powerful snowstorm blanketed the region.

The extreme cold has forced the closure of public schools in Minneapolis, Detroit and Chicago in anticipation of temperatures not seen in a quarter-century.

THEY DON’T EVEN HAVE A COLOR TO DESCRIBE HOW COLD IT’S GOING TO BE pic.twitter.com/p1aMriPMh5 — Patrick Fenelon 🌹 (@Patrick_Fenelon) January 28, 2019

"You’re talking about frostbite and hypothermia issues very quickly, like in a matter of minutes, maybe seconds," said meteorologist Brian Hurley with the Weather Prediction Center, who notes that forecasted temperatures will hit "40 degrees below normal."

Subzero temperatures will begin Tuesday, but Wednesday is expected to be the worst. Wind chills in northern Illinois could fall to negative 55 degrees (negative 48 degrees Celsius), which the National Weather Service called “possibly life threatening.” Minnesota temperatures could hit minus 30 degrees (negative 34 degrees Celsius) with a wind chill of negative 60 (negative 51 degrees Celsius). The potentially record-breaking low temperature forecast in Milwaukee is negative 28 degrees (negative 33 degrees Celsius), with a wind chill as low as negative 50 (negative 45 degrees Celsius). The current record of minus 26 degrees (negative 32 degrees Celsius) was set in 1996. -AP

President Trump tweeted on Tuesday: "In the beautiful Midwest, windchill temperatures are reaching minus 60 degrees, the coldest ever recorded. In coming days, expected to get even colder. People can’t last outside even for minutes. What the hell is going on with Global Waming? Please come back fast, we need you!"

In the beautiful Midwest, windchill temperatures are reaching minus 60 degrees, the coldest ever recorded. In coming days, expected to get even colder. People can’t last outside even for minutes. What the hell is going on with Global Waming? Please come back fast, we need you! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 29, 2019

The cold snap is being blamed on a polar vortex, after a blast of hot air from Morocco suddenly warmed the north pole, splitting the polar vortex into pieces which began to "wander" south, according to storm expert Judah Cohen.

Believe it or not, it's colder than Mars in some areas...

High temps today across Canada and the upper midwest of the US didn’t reach Mars last reported high. pic.twitter.com/Zg0REwm8PI — Mars Weather (@MarsWxReport) January 28, 2019

I'm taking the plunge on the telly this evening using a graphic to show Sudden Stratospheric Warming and a split Polar Vortex!



This can sometimes have a big impact on our weather down the line!



Join me if you dare @bbcwalestoday 1830 with @JenVaughanJones :) pic.twitter.com/CSBUOo3f54 — Derek Brockway - weatherman (@DerekTheWeather) January 10, 2019

Chicago's Brookfield Zoo will be closed on Wednesday and Thursday - the fourth time in its 85-year history. Meanwhile, temperatures at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago are expected to top out oat negative 14 degrees, which would break a January 18, 1994 record.

Homeless shelters were also preparing for the onslaught of cold. The Milwaukee Rescue Mission’s call volume was “unusually high,” but officials said there should still be enough beds for those who need them. In Minneapolis, charitable groups that operate warming places and shelters were expanding hours and capacity “as they do whenever dangerous extreme temperature events occur,” said Hennepin County Emergency Management Director Eric Waage. He said ambulance crews were handling all outside response incidents as being potentially life-threatening. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel said city agencies are making sure homeless people are in shelters or offered space in warming buses. He also urged residents to check on their neighbors and take safety precautions. -AP

Chicago's El trains move along snow-covered tracks Monday, Jan. 28, 2019, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato)

The governors of Wisconsin and Michigan have declared states of emergency in advance of the cold snaps, while cold weather advisories remain in effect across a large region of the central US, from Ohio to North Dakota. Temperatures will fall as much as 20 degrees below average in the Upper Mississippi Valley and Upper Great Lakes region.