Arctic cold weather swept across the country on Wednesday and Thursday, locking the Midwest to the Northeast in a deep freeze.

The National Weather Service said states from Ohio to Maine are being slammed by the Arctic blast.

"I think the last couple of years we've been very fortunate to experience atypical winters, and now Mother Nature has reminded us that we're still here," Paul Silsby, from Portland, Maine, said.

People who live in areas still recovering from Super Storm Sandy are being hit especially hard. Parts of New York's Staten Island have been without heat since late October. Residents are trying to stay warm in tents set up by aid workers.

In New Hampshire, skies are clear, but single digit temperatures linger across the state. At Pat's Peak ski area in Henniker, skiers were on the slopes Thursday despite temperatures that plunged below zero.

Pat's Peak employees recommend that skiers take extra precautions, like using hand and foot warmers and coming in out of the chill more often to warm up.

The bitter cold is expected to continue into the weekend.