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Detroit's Homeless Struggle To Survive Outside In Record-Tying Cold

DETROIT (WWJ/AP) - Detroit's low of 11 degrees Tuesday tied a record set in 1880.

While most of us can warm up in a home during these frigid temperatures, for the homeless it can be a different story.

James, who didn't provide his last name, has been living in a "tent village" with about a dozen other people off Jefferson Ave., just a couple of blocks east of the Renaissance Center.

"The main thing is it's hard to be outside when you're in the tents.  There's been so much kindness that's been shown to us as far as blankets, so we can, you know, layer down with blankets and we can stay warm that way," he told WWJ Newsradio 950's Stephanie Davis.

James is a street musician who says he's been homeless for years.

"We do whatever we can to hustle up money, and just being out in it makes it difficult," he said. "The section we're in is technically private property, and as long as we keep everything clean, you know, everything's OK."

Jean, originally from Pontiac — who has been James' neighbor for nearly three months — said living out in the frigid weather is "like pulling teeth out of a live dinosaur."

"I have like two layers: a coat, two pair of socks, obviously a hoodie," he said, adding that he's not in a shelter because "they're all full."

A pre-winter cold weather system with gale-force winds broke some temperature records and dumped more than 1 and-a-half feet of snow on the state so far.

The National Weather Service reported a record low high temperature of 16 degrees at its office in Marquette County's Negaunee Township near Marquette.

The weather service said temperatures statewide ranged from zero to the teens Tuesday evening; and the outlook for Wednesday is just as cold.

Meantime, 18 inches of fresh snow was reported Tuesday in upper Michigan's Houghton and Gogebic counties will more expected to fall both Up North and in southeast Michigan.

"We've got another system coming our way, with a large area of snow about 10 or 11 o'clock (a.m.) that will be in our backyard, bringing us about one to two inches of snow Wednesday," CBS 62 Chief Meteorologist Jim Madaus said.

Know before you go: Keep it tuned to WWJ Newsradio 950 for the latest during traffic and weather, every 10 minutes on the 8s. See the live, local radar and check the forecast now at this link.

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TM and © Copyright 2014 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2014 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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