R. R. Branstrom | Daily Press Hockey players take advantage of the below-freezing temperatures on the ice of the yacht harbor in Escanaba on Sunday. Bitter cold is expected to linger in the area through Tuesday.

ESCANABA — Most of the current cold snap, which swept in a few days ago, should have passed, but temperatures remain dangerously low. Experts anticipated that today (Tuesday) and last night would be the coldest of the spell, with some relief expected Wednesday. People should continue to use caution, limit time outdoors, and take preventative measures to avoid frostbite and hypothermia.

“It is a polar vortex. We have arctic air that is dropping down into the area,” said Meteorologist Tara Dudzik at the National Weather Service station in Negaunee, speaking with the Press on Monday afternoon. “This has been a persistent pattern for the last (five) days.”

Temperatures have been below zero across the region. On Monday morning, the temperature was -10 degrees Fahrenheit at Delta County Airport in Escanaba with a wind chill of -29, and Sunday night was forecasted to be a few degrees colder.

Some of the U.P.’s lowest wind chills Monday morning were recorded in Ironwood, where it felt like -42 with a real air temp of -19; and Marquette, where the temperature was -18 with a wind chill of -34.

As of Sunday afternoon, an “Extreme Cold Warning” was in effect for most of the Upper Peninsula from Monday night until 1 p.m. on Tuesday.

Local schools were closed as a result of the cold weather both Monday and Tuesday.

Today’s predicted high temperature in Escanaba is -1, with wind chills between -20 and -30. West winds are expected to be 10 to 15 mph with gusts up to 20 mph.

Dudzik advised that people carry a winter car survival kit, limit time outdoors and give similar considerations to pets.

Temperatures Wednesday are expected to reach into the teens, with the possibility of snow showers early in the day. High temperatures are in the 20s for the rest of the week.