Pictures of brutal US winter

A blast of freezing air has moved across much of the United States, sending temperatures far below zero in some places, and setting numerous records. Roads are covered in snow and ice, crops are freezing and many people are stuck indoors. Here is a gallery of wintry conditions around the country, accompanied by temperature readings on Friday afternoon from the National Weather Service.

—By Robert Ferris, CNBC.com
Posted 20 Feb. 2015

A police officer in Quincy rescues a stranded motorist in whiteout conditions. Temperature: 10, wind chill: -9

Blizzard conditions Feb. 1 in Chicago. Temperature: 11, wind chill: -8

A roadside sign advertising "free snow" in Denville. Temperature: 10, wind chill: -5

A nearly buried street sign in Arundel, photographed on Feb. 15. Current temperature: 10, wind chill: -9

A view above Niagara Falls, which has frozen over. Temperature: 0, wind chill: -19

Wind picking up in Times Square. Temperature: 11, wind chill: -2

The frozen fountain at Bryant Park in Manhattan, February 13.

The White House has pretty nice snow removal equipment. Temperature: 19, wind chill: 2

Even Florida was struck by frigid temperatures, threatening much of its robust agricultural sector. Many farmers spray their crops with water, forming a layer of ice that locks out cold air, as with this strawberry plant in Plant City. Temperature: 52, wind chill: 49

The coldest temperatures in the United States on Thursday were in Cotton, Minnesota, at minus 43, but St. Paul is pictured here. Temperature (St. Paul): 16, wind chill: 4

A snowball fight in Washington, D.C.'s Meridian Park.