Is Winter Coming Early This Year? Gale Warning Issued In New York, Michigan, New Jersey, Illinois, Virginia, Maine [PICTURES]

Although winter will take about a week to officially arrive in the U.S., most parts of the country are already witnessing dangerously cold temperatures. The Upper Midwest and the Northeast areas have particularly been witnessing sharp fall in the temperatures.

On Thursday, National Weather Service (NWS) issued gale warnings for parts of Michigan, New York, Northern Indiana, New Jersey, Illinois, Virginia, Washington, D.C. and Maine. The warning will remain in effect in some parts of the states till Friday.

Chicago, which is third largest city in the U.S., will witness temperatures dropping to well below zero. Number of schools in the city will remain closed Thursday.

The cold weather claimed the life of a 34-year-old woman, who died of hypothermia in St. Paul, Minnesota, Monday, the Associated Press reported. The area recorded temperatures below zero and wind chills were minus 19, the report added.

On Tuesday, a 12-year-old boy died and another was hospitalized after being trapped for hours in a snowbank in Greenwich, New York, according to local officials. Joshua Demarest died when a huge snow mound he was playing on collapsed, trapping him.

Cold weather will continue in the northern Mid-Atlantic and Northeast for the next couple of days, according to NWS.

Blizzard-like conditions occurred in parts of New York with social media users sharing pictures and videos that showed a thick layer of snow on streets.