Much of Nation in Icy Grip of Old Man Winter

Millions of Americans are facing record snowfalls and record-low temperatures with dangerous wind chills Wednesday.

The winter weather is forcing schools to close from Chicago to Minneapolis and the Dakotas, with Arctic air even in the Deep South.

“When I wake up, it's snowing. Fall asleep, it's snowing. The worst part I think is probably driving in it,” Muskegon, Michigan, resident Paige Strohm said.

Ice and snow wreaked havoc on roads from the Midwest to the East Coast, leading to dangerous pile-ups.

Law enforcement even shut down an interstate in central Indiana because of so many accidents. In Minnesota, stalled, spun-out cars crashed into medians and highway shoulders.

In the nation's capital, there was almost a white out at the White House. And school buses slid off streets in Virginia.

"The bus never showed up because we're at the top of a hill," Fairfax County, Virginia, resident Virginie Banerji said.

Dozens of school districts across the Midwest are closed because of dangerous temperatures, with wind chills expected to plunge as low as 50 below zero in some areas.

"The kind of north stars that guide us -- health and safety of the children and enough planning time for the parents to make the adjustments if they're needed," Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel said.

Those that do have to venture outside, pile on the layers.

"My fingers were a little frozen after the first five minutes," one resident said.

In Fargo, North Dakota, construction workers who have to work outside are concerned about sweating.

For me fighting the sweat is the biggest issue because that freezes,” construction worker Justin Childres said. “I'll spray my feet and such with antiperspirant so it doesn't sweat as much.”

It's so cold in some areas, the road salt is having no effect on the icy highways. In Chicago, they've used fire to warm up train tracks.