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8 Jan 2014 - 9:00 AM  UPDATED 8 Jan 2014 - 1:24 PM

Residents in dozens of North American cities have been forced to bundle up against a severe cold snap.  Scientists say the unusually cold weather is caused by a polar vortex, a circular wind system that has drifted southwards from the Arctic.

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01 / 13
People brave the cold during their morning commute on 5th Avenue in New York. (AAP)
02 / 13
Steam rises off the water along the icy shore of Lake Michigan as temperatures remain in the negative digits in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Getty Images)
03 / 13
A pedestrian braves the cold on January 7, 2014 in New York City. (Getty Images)
04 / 13
Cecil Donaby waits for a bus on Second Avenue in Detroit, Michigan. (AAP)
05 / 13
A woman bundled against the cold walks past a homeless man in Washington, DC. Authorities in many US cities made special efforts to help the homeless stay warm during the cold snap. (Getty Images)
06 / 13
Pedestrians bundled against the cold walk past a warning board in Washington. (AAP)
07 / 13
Commuters make their way across the Chicago River during a sub-zero trek to their offices. (Getty Images)
08 / 13
A man and his dog contend with blowing snow in Brooklyn following a snow storm that left up to 8 inches of snow on January 3, 2014 in New York. (Getty Images)
09 / 13
A woman navigates around several inches of snow and steam as the area deals with record breaking freezing weather in Detroit, Michigan. (Getty Images)
10 / 13
People walk through a cold and snow covered Manhattan. (Getty Images)
11 / 13
Detroit resident Alison Mueller skies to work through several inches of snow. (Getty Images)
12 / 13
Workers clear snow from a sidewalk in Detroit, Michigan. (Getty Images)
13 / 13
Steam rises off the water along the icy shore of Lake Michigan as temperatures remain in the negative digits in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Getty Images)
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