The bitterly cold temperatures are impacting those who work outside.
Ken Kowalski is retired but now works as a crossing guard on Milwaukee's south side. He's done the job for roughly one year.
"This cold weather's not agreeable with me," Kowalski joked.
Kowalski said he bundled up ahead of spending 45 minutes in the elements helping to guide children to and from school.
"I'm wearing sweatshirts, long underwear, anything I could find to keep me warm," Kowalski said. "You have to know which way to stand. Because that wind is the main thing that’s going to really get into your system."
Kowalski added the frigid conditions don't dampen his enthusiasm for the job.
"I enjoy being with people," Kowalski said. "Young people like this, they have to go to school."
But at National Bakery & Deli, near 16th Street and Oklahoma Avenue, the cold temperatures actually made for more pleasant working conditions.
The ovens that run in the kitchen, for 10 to 12 hours a day, top out at about 550 degrees Fahrenheit.
"In the summertime, the bakers are sweating," said Jeff Callen, one of the bakery's owners. "It gets so hot in there. So I think they like it better this time of the year."
Head baker Joe Blaine said that's definitely the case.
"It's a little chilly when we get in at first," Blaine said. "But once we get everything fired up - literally - it gets nice and toasty in here."
