The Defining Photo Of Chicago's Frozen Week

This photo from Getty Images showing a wall of ice built up around Lake Michigan does a great job of summing up the intense cold that earned Chicago the nickname "Chiberia":

Chicago Chiberia freeze

Scott Olson/Getty Images

Ice builds up along Lake Michigan at North Avenue Beach as temperatures dipped well below zero on Jan. 6, 2014 in Chicago, Ill.

Record-breaking cold hit the Midwest this week and temperatures plunged as low as 59 degrees below zero with windchill in some places. Schools in Chicago shut down for two days.

The cold blast was caused by a "polar vortex," which pushed cold air down from the Arctic to the continental U.S.

Here's the photo of Chicago from another angle:

Chicago Lake Michigan frozen

Scott Olson/Getty Images

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