Unseasonably cold weather is gripping large parts of the U.S., from the Rocky Mountains to the Midwest. 

Temperatures have dropped so low that nearly 90 records have been shattered since Friday.

The freezing temperatures swept across several western and midwestern states over the weekend.  In Chicago, temperatures dipped into the mid-20s.  And in Denver, Colorado, temperatures fell to a record low of 17 degrees on Saturday.
    
Icy roads from Minnesota to South Dakota left many residents stranded on the roads and in need of rescue.

"They think it's ok, because they don't see accumulation on the roadways...so they think they're going to be alright," said Mike Murphy of the Colorado Department of Transportation.

"But it doesn't take very long before they hit a curve or a bridge or an overpass at the wrong speed and they lose control and cause an accident," he said.

Forecasters are blaming the low temperatures on an unusual north-to-south jet-stream plunge, which sent frigid Arctic air straight into the Central Plains.