FARGO N.D.- An arctic blast spread painful cold across the Midwest on Friday, closing schools, opening warming centers and even intimidating ice fishermen with a taste of the even more dangerous weather expected next week.

Forecasters called it a replay of the “polar vortex” that bludgeoned the U.S. in 2014 — and maybe even colder, with wind chills by midweek as much as 45 below in Chicago.

Freezing temperatures are expected to continue into Kent this week, with temperatures dropping to single digits and negatives, according to The Weather Channel. This week’s forecast shows a Tuesday high of 22 degrees and low of minus 3, Wednesday high of zero and low of minus 10, Thursday high of 9 and low of three and Friday high of 20 and low of 12.

“We’re going to be feeling it big time,” Jeff Masters, meteorology director at the private Weather Underground, said. “It’s going to be the coldest air in five years.”

For much of middle America, the leading edge was bad enough. Cold weather advisories were in effect Friday from North Dakota to Ohio, with dangerously cold wind chills that could dip to as low as 45 below zero (negative 42 Celsius) in northern Wisconsin and Minnesota and to 35 below (negative 37 Celsius) in parts of northern Illinois and Iowa.

When the polar vortex plunges into the U.S., it will be warmer in parts of the Arctic — Greenland, northern Canada and Alaska — than in Chicago and Minneapolis, meteorologists said.

Schools in Milwaukee canceled classes Friday, when the expected high was just 2 (minus 16.7 Celsius). So did schools in western Michigan, eastern Iowa and northern Illinois. In northern Michigan, residents of islands in the river connecting Lake Superior and Lake Huron were warned to stock up on supplies in case ferry service was cut off. In Chicago, warming centers opened.

It’s a system some forecasters have dubbed “Barney” because computer forecast models show the cold air as chubby purple blobs, said Ryan Maue, a meteorologist with the private forecasting company weather.us.

The polar vortex rarely plunges as far south as the U.S., maybe every few years or more, Maue said. The last big plunge was Jan. 6, 2014, when Chicago’s temperature dipped to minus-16.

The deep freeze caused organizers of the Winter Carnival in Minnesota to cancel several events, including Thursday night’s parade through downtown St. Paul.

The low temperatures also forced the cancellation of events in the Fargo Frostival, a celebration of winter activities in North Dakota’s largest city. Organizer Charley Johnson joked that the Undie Run will go on Saturday as scheduled, but that long underwear was encouraged.

“We’re going to persevere no matter what with most of these events,” Johnson said. “We know they’ll be smart about it. The people will bundle up and not stay outside too long.”

The icy blast isn’t expected to linger in Ohio as Kent temperatures are expected to warm up to 30s and 40s starting Saturday with temperatures reaching a peak high of 47 degrees Sunday. 

Seth Borenstein, David Runk, Gretchen Ehlke and Nelson Lampe contributed to this report.