GM, Ford May Suspend Operations In Michigan Due To Polar Vortex

The extreme cold weather in the mid-western United States caused by a polar vortex has thrown industrial production and civilian life out of gear with car makers such as GM and Ford directed to suspend factory work.

The southward plunging of polar vortex brought down temperatures to minus 20 F from North Dakota to northern Illinois on Wednesday morning.

Car makers asked to suspend production

Michigan-based car companies have been asked to suspend their production. Consumers Energy, the power utility, urged General Motors to halt operations to enable it to handle the supply constraints created by the sinking temperatures, GM spokesperson Erin Davis revealed.

Aggravating the peril of sub-zero temperatures was a fire at Ray Township Natural Gas Compressor Station in Macomb County in Michigan. The fire affected the production of Cadillacs and Camaros at Lansing.

The GM canceled many shifts in Lansing Grand River Assembly, Lansing Regional Stamping, Lansing Delta Township Assembly, and Lansing Grand River Stamping Wednesday evening and a few shifts Thursday.

According to Davis, production work in Pontiac, Flint, and Orion have also been suspended. The utility also directed Ford and Chrysler plants to shut their work.

Consumers have been advised to cut down natural gas consumption due to the gutting of the natural gas compressor station.

Worst affected cities

Subzero temperatures are prevailing in cities such as Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Illinois. People have been warned against venturing outside as risk of frostbite and hypothermia is high.

In some places, temperatures dropped to minus 77 degrees Fahrenheit with wind chill colder than Antarctica sweeping, AccuWeather reported.

Communities are also hard hit. This is the harshest cold in many years as the polar vortex is tightening its hold.

The severe cold forced widespread closure of schools, with travel and mail service operations disrupted. Emergency orders have been issued in Wisconsin, Illinois, and Michigan due to the extreme cold. Many schools and businesses closed and are waiting for the frigid air to ease out. Minneapolis is likely to break the record of low-temperature of the 1800s.