New York: The eastern United States and Canada shivered under record-breaking low temperatures Saturday as Arctic blasts followed a deadly winter storm that left airports struggling to cope with the backlog of flights.
In Canada, temperatures approaching minus 50 degrees Celsius (minus 58 degrees Fahrenheit) were forecast in northern Ontario and Quebec.
Arctic air and dangerously cold wind chills could bring temperatures that feel as low as minus 45 Fahrenheit across much of the eastern two-thirds of the United States, with the risk of frostbite to exposed skin within 10 minutes, authorities warned.
The big chill follows a winter storm, dubbed a "bomb cyclone" by forecasters, which has been blamed for at least 19 deaths in the United States, from Texas to Wisconsin, US media reported.
The storm raked the East Coast with heavy snowfall, glacial temperatures and high winds, forcing the cancellation of thousands of flights and causing thousands more delays.
On Saturday, more than 2,250 flights within, into or out of the United States were delayed, with New York´s John F. Kennedy airport and the international airport in South Carolina´s Charleston most affected.
Although most flights have resumed after the storm´s passage, passengers on Air China 989 from Beijing were forced to wait seven hours to deplane at JFK, flight tracking site Flightradar24 tweeted.
Passengers complained of being stranded on the tarmac for hours and then facing lengthy delays in baggage claim that made traveling, particularly with babies or the elderly, a misery.
"Been stuck on tarmac for over 3 hours at JFK Alitalia flight 8604. Multiple passengers seeking medical attention. Staff not communicating," tweeted passenger Chris Mendez overnight. "Babies literally crying from hunger and people calling police from the plane."
At least two flights bound for New York -- OS87 from Vienna and LH400 from Frankfurt -- had to turn back over Britain and Ireland due to "capacity limit at JFK," Flightradar24 said.