Tony Clausen was late to class Monday morning when his car wouldn't start because of arctic temperatures, which dipped to 6 degrees below zero by 10 a.m.
After the criminal justice junior jump-started his car, he rushed to class, missing only a portion of it.
Because of the weather, Clausen said he now drives to his classes three to five times a week, as opposed to walking.
The extreme cold throughout Mid-Michigan is causing trouble for students, police and some local officials.
Last weekend, East Lansing and Lansing residents braved winds up to 37 mph and temperatures that reached 7 degrees below zero Sunday, according to the National Weather Service station in Grand Rapids.
Although the weather remains severe with a chilling outlook, David Beachler, a meteorologist at the Grand Rapids station, said Lansing's climate hasn't been as bad as other areas of the state.
"We're not setting records by any means," Beachler said. "(Severe weather) is one of those things that happens every few years in Michigan."
Around campus, students are forced to take extra precautions to cope with the extreme cold.
Alicia Lawson said she doubles up on socks, wears a thick coat and keeps her face covered to stay warm.
"It hasn't been this cold in a while," the kinesiology senior said. "It's so cold, I don't want to go snowboarding anymore."
Biking to class has become problematic for Cody Gilkey because some sidewalks are covered in ice and snow.
"The days when it's terrible (to ride) is when it just snows," the finance junior said. He added that he dresses for the cold weather, wearing a thick coat and gloves.
With snow and wind obscuring roadways, local police were expecting traffic accidents.
In East Lansing, 22 traffic accidents occurred last weekend, said Lt. Kevin Daley of the East Lansing Police Department. The weather most likely contributed to the accidents, but the numbers are only slightly higher than normal, he added.
"This was pretty much an average weekend for this time of year with the conditions we have," Daley said.
And relief won't be coming any time soon.
Temperatures are expected to increase slightly, reaching the teens toward the middle of the week, but there is no indication of a drastic change, Beachler said.
"We probably won't even get to 30 degrees for a long time," he said.
Throughout the Great Lakes region, temperatures were below normal, forcing many schools to close, The Associated Press reported. In Embarrass, Minn., temperatures dropped to 42 degrees below zero Monday morning. Some residents in upstate New York received up to 2 feet of snow.
In an emergency meeting Friday, Lansing city officials and members of the American Red Cross discussed establishing an emergency warming shelter. The shelter, located at Union Missionary Baptist Church, 500 S. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., provided accommodations for people seeking refuge from the cold.
"We had homeless people, but we also had people that just needed a place to regroup and reassess what their needs were," said Kathy Faber, programs and services manager for the American Red Cross.
During the weekend, the shelter housed an average of 10 to 12 people per night, Faber said. Officials closed the shelter Monday afternoon after deciding public facilities, such as the City Rescue Mission and Family Center in Lansing, would be able to meet the needs of the community.
Bundling up is key to remaining safe in extreme weather conditions, Beachler said.
"If you have any skin exposure, it's not going to take long to get frostbite," he said.
University physician Dr. Beth Alexander said she didn't know if any students were treated for frostbite at Olin Health Center. It's helpful to wear three layers of clothing, appropriate shoes and a hat, Alexander said.
"Unless (students) have some other medical condition that puts them at risk, if they dress appropriately and they wear layers, they're fine," she said.
