But some countries felt the effects immediately, in bitterly cold weather.

ECONOMIST: Russia, Ukraine and gas

Although bitterly cold on Sunday, the weather is expected to be calmer then.

BBC: Snow and sleet forecast for Northern Ireland

But even in summer, at an altitude of more than 3, 000 metres, the winds are fierce and frequent, the weather is changeable, and the nights are bitterly cold.

BBC: Nomadic Kyrgyzstan

National Weather Service forecasters urged caution early Friday as they warned that "bitterly cold conditions" were expected to continue across much of the Midwest, Mid-Atlantic and Northeast into the weekend.

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It's also getting bitterly cold as we head north and we're piling on the layers after three months of bikini weather.

BBC: Braving the elements