Philadelphia Weather: People Braving Cold Despite Deep Freeze

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PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- It's not a good day to be outside with the deep freeze gripping the Delaware Valley. Despite the bitter cold, people are braving the conditions in Philadelphia, as some drivers are struggling.

CBS3 ran into many people heading to work and students who had a half day at Philadelphia public schools.

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Today's brutally cold weather is part of a system that killed 11 people nationwide and trapped millions in a historic deep freeze.

The dangerous weather stretches from the upper Midwest to Maine.

Melissa Jones, who is from from Maine, says she is not so phased by the cold, but for safety reasons, she decided to change her route to work.

"Normally I bike to work, but I haven't been doing that lately. I've been taking a lot more public transportation, trying to bulk up on sweaters, and drink a lot of coffee," said Jones.

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Like Jones, many others in Center City near City Hall have been braving the cold. The temperatures were so cold that it froze a traffic light at Spring Garden and North 15th Streets.

"It reminds me when I was in boot camp in Lake Michigan," said University of Pennsylvania student Davel Ligol.

Ligol, who is in the Navy, was prepared for the cold.

"I have the vest on, I got the hoodie on and I got the little fleece, so I'm cool," said Ligol.

In South Philadelphia, great-grandmother Sheila Martin knows all too well about cold weather as her car stopped working last night.

"I almost panicked but then someone helped me out. As a matter of fact, the gentleman that owns the store right there, he gave me a ride home. I had to leave my car here," said Martin.

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Martin called AAA. Her call is among 800 calls in the five-county area that the company received for dead batteries. That's up 117 percent from this time last year.

Some tips to follow to deal with the brutal cold is to stay indoors and wear layers because you want to try to avoid dangerous health symptoms, like hypothermia and frostbite.

High temperatures in the Philadelphia area are likely to stay in the teens today, with a forecast high temperature of only 17 degrees.