A deadly arctic deep freeze enveloped the Midwest with record-breaking low temperatures on Wednesday, prompting the US Postal Service to take the rare step of suspending mail delivery to nine states in the region.
“Due to the extreme weather conditions caused by Winter Storm Jaden, we have temporarily suspended delivery service in certain locations to ensure the safety and well-being of our employees,” a tweet from the official USPS account posted late on Tuesday read.
USPS said it would suspend mail delivery on Wednesday in parts or all of North and South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Virginia and Michigan, as the National Weather Service forecast plunging temperatures from one of the coldest air masses in years. The latest update on USPS service disruption was posted at 8am Eastern.
The USPS motto states: “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.”
'Due to the extreme weather conditions caused by Winter Storm Jaden, we have temporarily suspended delivery service in certain locations to ensure the safety and well-being of our employees,' a tweet from the official USPS account posted late on Tuesday read
But the motto doesn't say anything about extreme cold, and the weather forecast including record low temperatures in eight states shut down postal operations on Wednesday.
“Weather forecasters are warning of dangerously cold conditions in parts of the nation. Some places could see wind chill readings as low as 60 below zero,” the service alert from USPS said.
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