( CNN ) -- How cold is minus 20 degrees really ? Cold enough to freeze an egg sunny-side up . Funda Ray was making breakfast in Hibbing , Minnesota , when she got an idea to demonstrate just how dramatically the temperature had dropped outside . `` I sprayed the cookie pan with Pam and broke an egg on it , and in half an hour , I had a frozen egg , '' she said . Her husband held up the egg , which she photographed and posted to CNN 's iReport . The coldest weather so far this winter is creeping over the northern United States this week , the National Weather Service said , sending the temperature plunging below zero in Chicago for the first time in 711 days . Bitterly cold temperatures stretched from the Dakotas to New England , sweeping down into the Ohio Valley . Wind was a major issue in some places , with wind chill warnings and advisories in effect from North Dakota to West Virginia and on into parts of New England . Residents of Rugby , North Dakota , suffered through wind chills of 51 degrees below zero early Monday morning . The lowest temperatures were forecast to last into early Thursday . The cold snap triggered blinding snow in some areas Monday , spawning a number of traffic pileups in Ohio alone , including one fatal wreck involving 86 vehicles . One person died and 20 were taken to hospitals . Whiteout conditions caused by snow arriving off Lake Erie caused at least three more pileups -- one involving 52 cars , another with 25 vehicles , and a third , in which 23 motorists collided . No one died and no one sustained life-threatening injuries in these accidents , authorities said . More snow is predicted Tuesday for the eastern shores of Lake Michigan , Lake Erie and Lake Ontario as dry Arctic air absorbs water vapor off the lakes and dumps up to 3 feet of snow in places , forecasters warned , . The cold weather is n't only an annoyance , it can be dangerous . At 30 below zero Fahrenheit , frostbite can occur in as little as 10 minutes with the slightest winds , and in five minutes in a brisk breeze , the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns . Newborns , the elderly and the homeless can quickly fall victim to hypothermia . `` Cold weather puts an extra strain on the heart , '' the CDC said , also noting that overexertion can become even more dangerous to those with heart conditions in the Arctic cold . Locals may be accustomed to winter days when going outside feels like stepping into a deep freezer , but Minnesota resident Patrick -- in a comment on a CNN story -- says it 's good to be reminded of the potential dangers . `` This weather is deadly , '' he wrote , `` and last winter did n't even get close to this cold . '' His solution to the glacial conditions ? `` They should ship us all down to the tropics for the season . It 's the most fiscally responsible thing to do . '' CNN 's Christina Zdanowicz contributed to this report .
NEW : Wind chill falls to -51 F in Ohio , North Dakota . Freezing an egg at -20 F may be fun , but the bitter cold can be dangerous , too . 15 person is killed in North Dakota accident that involved 15 vehicles . Wind chill advisories and warnings are posted in parts of 86 states .