moving southward from Canada on Wednesday , bringing with it frigid temperatures . The temperature in Portland , Oregon , was 12 degrees , breaking the previous record of 15 degrees , set in 1972 , said Jonathan Wolfe , meteorologist with the weather service 's Portland bureau . By Wednesday afternoon the temperature in Minneapolis , Minnesota , was 9 degrees . It was minus 2 degrees in Denver , Colorado ; and 11 in Kansas City , Missouri . Forecasters warned that places such as North Dakota and Minnesota could get dangerous wind chill readings of 25 to 35 degrees below zero . Madison , Wisconsin , received more than 17 inches of snow , prompting the University of Wisconsin to cancel classes for the first time since 1990 . The campus police department estimated 3,000 students descended onto the school 's Bascom Hill Wednesday afternoon for a snowball fight , with a few minor injuries reported , according to the university 's Web site . Watch snow blow outside a hotel in Wisconsin Early Wednesday morning , students began forming a giant snowball about six blocks from the campus and rolled it to an intersection near the
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- As if the heavy snow , ice and high winds from a major winter storm were n't enough , temperatures plummeted in the upper Midwest and elsewhere Wednesday , the National Weather Service said . The storm brought blizzard conditions to some areas as gusty winds and blowing snow created whiteout conditions across much of the upper Midwest and Great Lakes regions . Winds of at least 35 mph and rain to the east caused hundreds of flights to be delayed or canceled , leaving travelers stranded . Parts of the Southeast received more than 6 inches of rain , causing flash flooding . A 28-year-old woman was killed in Omaha , Nebraska , Tuesday night when a truck plowing snow in a parking lot backed into her , police spokesman Jacob Bettin said . She was pronounced dead at the scene . In Nashville , Tennessee , early morning winds -- possibly up to 50 mph -- toppled the Christmas tree at the Tennessee State Capital , said CNN affiliate WKRN-TV . A facilities supervisor said the tree had been secured with hooks in concrete . An Arctic high pressure system or air mass began