The Midwest is bracing for a Polar Vortex that will bring a wave of cold air that normally spins in the atmosphere over the North Pole down into the Great Lakes, blanketing approximately one quarter of the country in sub-zero temperatures. With a projected high of 12 degrees below zero on Wednesday, Chicago is looking at one of the coldest days on record.
To put into perspective just how cold that is, however, Chicago’s CBS 2 News points out that this week’s temperatures will make places like Siberia, Mount Everest, and even Antarctica seem balmy compared to the Windy City.
For example the South Pole is expected to reach a high temperature of 4 below zero on Wednesday. Barrow, Alaska, the northernmost point in the United States, located above the Arctic Circle, will be 7 below zero. Zackenberg Station, Greenland, which is also north of the Arctic Circle, will be 11 below.
While there is no weather station on the summit of Mount Everest, you would certainly expect even the base camp would be colder than Chicago, given it’s at an elevation of more than 17,000 feet above sea level. No such luck. They’re expecting a high of 30 on Wednesday.
Weather experts are warning people in the affected areas not to underestimate the cold.
“I cannot stress how dangerously cold it will be,” said AccuWeather meteorologist Mike Doll on Monday. “An entire generation has gone by without experiencing this type of cold.”
The National Weather Service in Des Moines said that the Polar Vortex will bring “the coldest air many of us will have ever experienced,” cautioning for people to “avoid taking deep breaths, and minimize talking,” while outdoors.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump is predictably tweeting blatant falsehoods ahead of the cold snap, asking “What the hell is going on with Global Waming? [sic]”
In the beautiful Midwest, windchill temperatures are reaching minus 60 degrees, the coldest ever recorded. In coming days, expected to get even colder. People can’t last outside even for minutes. What the hell is going on with Global Waming? Please come back fast, we need you!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 29, 2019
Thankfully, others such as Ice Age Ecologist and University of Maine Professor Dr. Jacquelyn Gill jumped in to correct the president (or just dunk on him in general):
Funny story about that. There’s growing evidence that a warming Arctic drives the polar vortex. The jet stream is powered in part by the difference between Arctic and mid-latitude temperatures. Warm Arctic = less difference = less power = stuck jet pulling cold air south = BRRRR. https://t.co/ubYKCmFwfT
— Dr. Jacquelyn Gill (@JacquelynGill) January 29, 2019
https://twitter.com/tomtomorrow/status/1090075034440355840
Amazing to think America was once a scientific leader.
— Jemaine Clement (@AJemaineClement) January 29, 2019
Here in the beautiful Midwest, we see the president using us as a prop for his ignorant joke. We'll take it from here: Fellow Midwesterners, stay safe & check in on the homebound. If schools close, please help if you can those parents scrambling for childcare. It's potluck time. https://t.co/B4nl9dDBoB
— Connie Schultz (@ConnieSchultz) January 29, 2019
https://twitter.com/JonKasdan/status/1090117115732910080
This is a NASA article for kids: https://t.co/eurMEUCBMD https://t.co/Njs7UAYzvQ
— Chris Cillizza (@ChrisCillizza) January 29, 2019
Will future historians think he was the stupidest man in the world? https://t.co/Gr3TOnmTHX
— Lawrence O'Donnell (@Lawrence) January 29, 2019
Here’s an article in @NatGeo explaining this well-documented phenomenon, as well as the difference between climate & weather. Perhaps you can have someone to read it to you. https://t.co/eCZKl99DRI
— David Slack (@slack2thefuture) January 29, 2019
Everything about this jackass makes my head hurt. https://t.co/IDJVksHWpF
— Cheryl Strayed (@CherylStrayed) January 29, 2019
If Chicago does indeed see a high of 12 below zero on Wednesday, it would make it the coldest high temperature in recorded history. Previously, the city saw a high of 11 degrees below zero just two times before on January 18, 1994, and December 24, 1983.