Here's what it's like in one of the coldest cities in the US, where the wind chill is in the -50s
- The midwest is being hit particularly hard during the polar vortex, with temperatures dropping to below temperatures recorded at the North Pole.
- Minneapolis, in Minnesota, was hit particularly hard. Temperatures dropped to -50 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the National Weather Service.
- People are sharing photos on social media that show just how extreme the cold is.
As the polar vortex swirls over America, temperatures across the midwest have dropped to the coldest in a generation.
One of the hardest-hit cities is Minneapolis, Minnesota, where the National Weather Service said the temperature dropped to -50 degrees Farenheit with wind chill factored in. Other meteorologists said the temperature could reach as low as -70 degrees. Much of the midwest is colder than the northern Arctic right now, and Minneapolis at one point was even colder than Anarctica. Across the midwest, the weather is reportedly responsible for at least six deaths.
On Twitter and Instagram, people are sharing photos of their experiences living through the extreme cold.
Here's what it's like.
Crystal-like webs of ice are naturally appearing on people's windows
#Minneapolis wind chill hasn’t hit -50 yet but my storm windows are soon going to look like a scene from Dr. Zhivago. pic.twitter.com/VEqrPuI1zS
— Darren Carroll (@darrendcarroll) January 29, 2019
...and covering them in frost.
People are making sculptures from clothes freezing solid in the weather.
At the same time, Minnesotans are committed to soldiering through the cold.
Credit where credit’s due: our @StarTribune was delivered at the same time it is every morning, despite the extreme weather. It was still too late to read at breakfast, but that’s normal. #polarvortex2019 pic.twitter.com/UNo5hggk4f
— Tane Danger (@TaneDanger) January 30, 2019
Coldest I had ever braved a #PolarVotex ride here in MN was -12 until yesterday(-17.)
— Comotrekker (@comotrekker) January 30, 2019
The ride in today was short & all the cold weather riding lessons I have had to learn up until now truly paid off. (Actually overdressed. Yes, it’s possible.)
Be safe. Know your limits.
-27 pic.twitter.com/e7lVq5qDOP
During the extreme cold, Minnesota's weather watchers embrace their temp gig and wouldn't trade places with anyone, @stribrooks writes. https://t.co/qKyniLb6I7 pic.twitter.com/GvD2hnkz0c
— Star Tribune (@StarTribune) January 30, 2019
Emergency responders are still doing their jobs.
Remember to drive carefully as weather conditions have made the roads slick. We just had a crash at Pilot Knob/Yankee Doodle and it was cold! BRRRRRRR ???? pic.twitter.com/Ry7DR7K6TH
— Eagan Police (@EaganPolice) January 29, 2019
On Instagram, people are using the winter wonderland as an excuse to show off their photography chops.
...Many of them were taken through windows, since people didn't want to step outside.
And, of course, there are memes.
But despite the extreme weather, one college student wore shorts anyway.
Current temp in Minneapolis: -12˚F, feels like: -35˚ F
— Talya Minsberg (@tminsberg) January 29, 2019
"Miles, a University of Minnesota student who declined to give his last name because he said his mom would be mad at him for how he was dressed ... " https://t.co/P9EyxIeblZ pic.twitter.com/lV7L9azWj4
There's always that one guy.
Read more:
- The frigid 'polar vortex' cold snap engulfing the US is so bad it can give people frostbite in 5 minutes
- Parts of the US are colder than Antarctica as a frigid polar vortex brings temperatures of -30 degrees
- A polar vortex is engulfing the US. Here's what that really means, and why these events might be getting more common.
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