Extreme weather events are becoming more and more common, with records shattered down under during Australia’s recent heatwave, and now, at the opposite end of the spectrum, the ‘polar vortex’ turning Midwestern U.S. into a winter wonderland.
The polar vortex is a band of strong winds, high up in the atmosphere that keeps bitterly cold winter season air locked around the Arctic region. Sometimes, like this year, it can drift further south than usual and envelop highly populated areas of North America. Chigaco has been particularly hard hit, with its notoriously windy location on Lake Michigan bringing freezing temperatures down to record-breaking lows.
With much of the Midwest on lockdown and people urged to stay indoors, some people have been braving the winter landscapes to take incredible images of the effects that the extremely cold weather is having on their daily lives. From exploding toilets to icy hairstyles, this list compiled by Bored Panda will give you chills just from looking at it!
#1 How Cold Is It In The Midwest? Bubbles Are Freezing
Image source: BiologistDan
#2 My Brother Was On One Of The Few Flights Into Chicago This Morning. He Took This Photo Of Frozen Lake Michigan From The Plane
Image source: DavidPFunk
#3 After Two Days Of Freezing Rain, This Mold Came Out
Image source: sprgsmnt
#4 Meanwhile In Minnesota. The Tank Exploded
Image source: David Hildebrand
#5 My Sister Opened Her Car Door In Chicago
Image source: PerkyMooseTits
#6 A Firefighter After Working In The -40° Polar Vortex
Image source: crowntownfrown
#7 My God. We’ve Reached The Day After Tomorrow
Image source: Jacopo_della_Q
#8 Trying To Make The Most Of This -40 F Weather
Image source: Mapes
#9 Lunch In Chicago Today. I Like Mine Al Dente
Image source: supercatpuke
#10 “Is Iowa Really That Cold?”
Image source: taylor_scallon
#11 Current Level Of Snow In Madison: One Whole Mingo
Image source: ForwardMSNFC, ForwardMSNFC
#12 Pray For The Homeless During This Time! Give To Your Local Shelters. Most Are At Full Capacity
Image source: OMAROSA
#13 It’s So Cold In Chicago They Set Commuter Train Tracks On Fire To Warm Them
Image source: metrarail
#14 It’s So Cold In Iowa That We Froze Antifreeze
Image source: Stonedspidey
#15 Eye Lashes On Fleek! Is That A Thing? Is This The New Winter Running Fashion Statement?
Image source: mayrenaisamar
#16 What Happens When You Blow Bubbles In A Freezing Weather
Image source: cbotnyse
#17 Meanwhile In Wisconsin
Image source: atlastifoundit
#18 Freezing Our Pants Off In Minnesota
Image source: gregswan
#19 When These Are The Inside Doors… You Know We Are Polar Vortexing
Image source: HeidiMiler
#20 Cadillac Michigan The Light Poles Are Shivering. Science Mannn
Image source: GordonsWord
#21 Landlord Decided To Turn Down The Heat Today In My MN Apartment As It Reached -40°
The idiot must have forgotten he pays my electric and doesn’t realize that I value my comfort over safety or energy conservation.
Image source: JohannReddit
#22 Going To Daycare When It’s -30 Outside
Image source: Stweets19
#23 Frozen Chicken Eggs
Image source: afrwvus
#24 You Know It’s Cold When The Toilet Paper Is Frozen In The Outhouse
Image source: Linda Mooney
#25 The Detroit River, Frozen All The Way To Canada
Image source: Jay_Z_123
#26 Got So Cold Last Night That Our Vodka Froze! For Reference The Freezing Point For Vodka Is -16
Image source: KKrilanovichCRE
#27 We Had A House Fire South Of Cameron Today. Our Chief Mitch Hansen Thought It Was A Splash Park
Image source: Bimbo Gifford
#28 Minnesota’s Officers
Image source: chisagocountyso
#29 Letting My Car Heat Up During The Polar Vortex
Image source: ahhbeeli
#30 House Is Freezing From The Inside During The Coldest Day In A Decade
Image source: Nayb3n
#31 The Beauty The Cold Brings To South Dakota
Image source: chinho321
#32 This Flash-Frozen Fire Hydrant
Image source: kasprzee
#33 This Door At Work In Minnesota
Image source: rmcvey4051
#34 A Sheet Of Ice Formed Between The Glass Panes Of This Door
Image source: sadpinata
#35 Polar Vortex Lesson: Don’t Try To Hang Dry Your Clothes Outside
Image source: eharrisment
#36 Polar Vortex (Temp. 16 F /-9 C)
Image source: ahuewnyc
#37 My Parents Sent Me This Pic Of Our Peephole (From The Indoor Side)
Image source: imayoras
#38 My Neighbor’s Furnace Exhaust Is Creating An Interesting Icicle
Image source: nonnahinnor
#39 One Cold Rowdy Dog On The Bulkhead. Still Looking For Leftover Canteen Snacks
Image source: gorgonzolabee
#40 I Just Wanted To See How Long It Would Take For An Egg To Freeze Outside And Also What Would Become Of My Egg
Image source: Lauren Yapalater
#41 Cold Spell
Yes, that is ice on the inside of our house. It’s not the first time that ice has formed around our door. We’ve talked to our landlord and hope to get a new door and door frame in spring when we don’t have to worry about getting frostbite about people outside for five minutes. It would really help with our utility bill as well.
Image source: ferrari1996
#42 It Was So Cold In Chicago That The Paint Came Off My Car
Image source: imgur.com
#43 “No, Believe Me, ‘Tis Very Cold; The Wind Is Northerly”
Image source: ShakesPic
#44 Ice Is Freezing As Soon As It Comes Out Of Our Faucet Because It’s So Cold
Image source: mak_savi
#45 This Is My Buddy Jesse At The Arrowhead 135 In Mn Yesterday. Day Time Temp Was -26 °F
Image source: hivehivebuzzbuzz
#46 In A Matter Of 2 Minutes Walking Across Campus, My Glasses Started To Frost/Ice Over
Everyone’s been talking about how cold Chicago is right now. The upper Midwest (I’m talking Fargo area) had windchills up to -60 below zero, ten degrees colder than Chicago. In a matter of 2 minutes walking across campus, my glasses started to frost/ice over.
Image source: kmbell333
#47 My Wall Is Freezing In My Bedroom. There Are No Pipes Behind It. Chicago
Image source: creampuffyness
#48 So My Soap Is Frozen In My Shower
Image source: wowmartiean
#49 It’s So Cold Here In Iowa That There Is Now Frost On The Inside Of My Door Hinges
Image source: TheMadCatterFTW
#50 My Beard Froze While Waiting Bus. I Wish It Would Be Summer Already
Image source: Volus_dude
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