The 2019 Polar Vortex continues to have an icy grip on most of the Midwest into Thursday, with temperatures not expected to warm up considerably until the weekend. At least eight deaths have been attributed to the record-breaking temperatures, and that number will likely only rise as the city begins to thaw out.
Governors in both Wisconsin and Michigan declared states of emergency, ordering all state government offices closed. Likewise, many schools and colleges canceled classes, and the United States Postal Service disrupted mail delivery on Wednesday in parts of at least 10 states out of concerns for the safety of employees.
Chicago, in particular, which saw lows of 50 degrees below zero on Wednesday, has been given the nickname “Chiberia” due in part because the plunging temperatures temporary rendered the city literally colder than Siberia and Antarctica. In fact, it got so cold in Chicago that it even caused Lake Michigan to completely freeze over, which people have been sharing in photos and videos on Twitter that look like something straight out of Game of Thrones.
It would be quite the marketing stunt on HBO’s part, one could argue, for the series that returns for its final season in April. You can almost picture White Walkers strolling around in some of the images, as one user pointed out.
My brother was on one of the few flights into Chicago this morning. He took this photo of frozen Lake Michigan from the plane. pic.twitter.com/cS8XRCTPQV
— Dave Funk (@DavidPFunk) January 30, 2019
https://twitter.com/CrazyCatMommy9/status/1090413692745908224
Not not convinced that some white walkers are gathering on Lake Michigan pic.twitter.com/RV1jQIjkLP
— AWR (@AvgWhiteRighty) January 30, 2019
Look at this amazing #sunrise over #lakeMichican and the #Chicago skyline on a historically cold day. #Chiberia #Chicagoweather #PolarVortex @accuweather @breakingweather pic.twitter.com/1LE1OrUUCI
— Jonathan Petramala (@jpetramala) January 30, 2019
Layer of ice sits atop Lake Michigan and nearby St. Joseph River as brutally cold and extremely dangerous below-zero wind chills paralyze the Midwest. https://t.co/cQHZMHXRCW pic.twitter.com/I12eY9tXMP
— ABC News (@ABC) January 31, 2019
https://twitter.com/TinaRJensen/status/1090365637719982083
It is -20 in Chicago, this is Lake Michigan pic.twitter.com/IGX4namZEV
— Whoa City (@WhoaCity) January 30, 2019
https://twitter.com/John_W_Gordon/status/1090738476708974593
Others are comparing the frozen landscape as resembling scenes from the 2004 film, The Day After Tomorrow:
https://twitter.com/AmandaJanalis/status/1090816348853293056
Remember that scene in “The Day After Tomorrow” when the #PolarVortex froze everything solid and the survivors sought refuge in Mexico? Good thing there’s no wall! 😉 pic.twitter.com/YBTOQ1GpEV
— Susan Ruggles (@ruggless1) January 30, 2019
Some real Day After Tomorrow shit… pic.twitter.com/yIZAP7aJKq
— Eric Thorvaldsson (@SkolSithLord) January 30, 2019
Didn't you watch Day After Tomorrow? It's literally its plot lmao pic.twitter.com/67QmNaCseW
— León el Perrito mamón (@LeonPerritoM) January 30, 2019
When you notice how cold it’s been and watch The Day After Tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/OTG6K677RN
— pooʍʎɐɥ uɐᴉ (@IanHaywood2) January 29, 2019
jake gyllenhaal looking at us complain about extreme temperatures even tho we were warned in the day after tomorrow (2004) pic.twitter.com/hpafH4AR7L
— monica 🤠 (@waystarroyhoe) January 29, 2019
We have indeed been warned, yet many stubbornly refuse to take climate change seriously, despite the fact that we’re clearly already experiencing its effects.