# Polar Vortex Plunge to Bring 'Brutally Cold' Air to Midwest With 'Life Threatening Wind Chills



## MULTIZ321 (Jan 27, 2019)

Poloar Vortex Plunge to Bring 'Brutally Cold' Air to Midwest With 'Life Threatening Wind Chills'
By Travis Fedschun/ Fox News/ Weather/ foxnews.com

"A surge of arctic air is about to bring parts of the Midwest the coldest temperatures in years by the middle of this week, as part of the polar vortex is set to blast the region with dangerously cold temperatures.

The National Weather Service said in its forecast discussion that a "potentially record breaking push" of Arctic air will inundate the Northern Plains and Great Lakes by Wednesday, bringing wind chills as low as -40 degrees in many locations.

"There's no mild way of saying it. Brutal cold is coming," the NWS' Chicago office said on Twitter...."





The low temperatures forecast for Wednesday across the Midwest.


Richard


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## T-Dot-Traveller (Jan 27, 2019)

In Duluth they call that winter 

In Winnipeg the call that a nice day


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## DrQ (Jan 27, 2019)

When they say -40 degrees is it Celsius or Fahrenheit?


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## bbodb1 (Jan 27, 2019)

You wascally wabbit, Doc!


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## CanuckTravlr (Jan 27, 2019)

bbodb1 said:


> You wascally wabbit, Doc!



Yeah.  The classic trick question by DrQ.  

And at 6:30 pm (EST) the sun is down in Toronto and the outside temperature is already reading -14C!!  The cold snap has already started here again.


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## DrQ (Jan 27, 2019)

The closest I've been to that has been -33 degrees  F in Austin MN.


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## dmbrand (Jan 27, 2019)

We shall see how accurate the weather folk are....lately, not so much. We are in the -23 F temperature band; but those are the night temps.  We should be a balmy -9 during the day.   When the sun is shining, it is just beautiful outside looking at the snow covered landscape.  My mission is to keep the bird bath full of water and feeders full; the birds seem the most vulnerable.


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## T_R_Oglodyte (Jan 27, 2019)

DrQ said:


> When they say -40 degrees is it Celsius or Fahrenheit?


Kelvin


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## moonstone (Jan 28, 2019)

DrQ said:


> When they say -40 degrees is it Celsius or Fahrenheit?



At  -40  Celsius & Fahrenheit are equal. So it doesn't matter if you say C or F - Darned cold either way you look at it!

~Diane


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## moonstone (Jan 28, 2019)

We are even experiencing a cold front down here in Belize. Within an hour this afternoon, during a short lived crazy wind and rain storm, the temperature dropped by 20*F.  It is down to 17C /62F (@11pm) and the locals are wearing all the clothes they own. Us tough Canadians will need a sheet over us tonight! I love these temps!


~Diane


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## T_R_Oglodyte (Jan 28, 2019)

DrQ said:


> When they say -40 degrees is it Celsius or Fahrenheit?





bbodb1 said:


> You wascally wabbit, Doc!



Not wascally at all.  The only possible answer is Fahrenheit, because Celsius is not expressed in degrees.  It can be -40 deg F, or -40 C.  But it can't be -40 deg C.


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## Pompey Family (Jan 28, 2019)

T_R_Oglodyte said:


> Not wascally at all.  The only possible answer is Fahrenheit, because Celsius is not expressed in degrees.  It can be -40 deg F, or -40 C.  But it can't be -40 deg C.



Of course celsius is expressed in degrees. How else would you say -40°c?


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## gnorth16 (Jan 28, 2019)

T-Dot-Traveller said:


> In Duluth they call that winter
> 
> In Winnipeg the call that a nice day



Tomorrow’s daytime high in Winnipeg is -29C or -20F and that’s without the windchill! But at least it will be sunny!


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## Conan (Jan 28, 2019)

Hang on--the long range models say that after the upcoming 5 days of brutal cold over the Midwest-East, indications are a quick turn around in temperatures. Much above normal to develop across the South-East during the first week of February.
https://twitter.com/MJVentrice


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## SandyPGravel (Jan 28, 2019)

Supposed to be -26 F on Wednesday and 39 F by the weekend.  65 degree temperature swing in south central Wisconsin.  If we didn't have all this snow we have gotten in the last 10 days or so it would be even warmer on the weekend.  At least the roads will clear off with the nicer temps.


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## PcflEZFlng (Jan 28, 2019)

DrQ said:


> The closest I've been to that has been -33 degrees  F in Austin MN.


Yup. For me, -34 F in Minneapolis.


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## PcflEZFlng (Jan 28, 2019)

gnorth16 said:


> Tomorrow’s daytime high in Winnipeg is -29C or -20F and that’s without the windchill! But at least it will be sunny!


Ouch. Winnipeg is one of the few places that get weather respect from Minnesotans.


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## bbodb1 (Jan 28, 2019)

PcflEZFlng said:


> Yup. For me, -34 F in Minneapolis.


We still lived in the Twin Cities doe the winter of '96 - '97 when it made a run to -50 degrees F in the area.  
A bit brisk for me.  
They were also exploding water up on the Iron Range...


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## Sandy VDH (Jan 28, 2019)

I worked in Regina Saskatchewan one winter.  I do not recommend that for any southern.  

I also worked in March in Edmonton, Alberta, I think that was the coldest I was ever.  I could not get warm, period.


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## Talent312 (Jan 28, 2019)

From "How Cold Is It?" In Fahrenheit...
0.0 degrees - Alaska and Colorado residents put on T-shirts.
-10 degrees - German cars don't start. Eyes freeze shut when you step outside.
-15 degrees - Arkansas residents stick tongues on metal objects. 
-20 degrees - Cat sleeps in pajamas with you. Minnesotans shovel snow off roof.
-25 degrees - Japanese cars don't start. You need jumper cables to get the driver going.
-30 degrees - Swedish cars don't start. You plan a two week hot bath. 
-40 degrees - Minnesotans button top button. Canadians put on sweaters.
... Your cat helps plan your trip to Mexico.
-50 degrees - Congressional hot air freezes. Alaskans close the bathroom window.
-80 degrees - Polar bears move South. Green Bay Packers & Buffalo Bills fans order hot cocoa.


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## DavidnRobin (Jan 28, 2019)

68F Today in the South Bay...



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## PcflEZFlng (Jan 29, 2019)

Talent312 said:


> From "How Cold Is It?" In Fahrenheit...
> 0.0 degrees - Alaska and Colorado residents put on T-shirts.
> -10 degrees - German cars don't start. Eyes freeze shut when you step outside.
> -15 degrees - Arkansas residents stick tongues on metal objects.
> ...


Har har! Similar to the above, here's a condensed version of the Official Minnesota Thermometer:
0 deg F - Hotter than Hades. Everybody stays indoors and runs the AC
-20 deg - Minnesotans stop having cookouts
-40 deg - Minnesotans stop driving with the top down
-60 deg - Minnesota Girl Scouts stop selling cookies door-to-door
-460 deg - 0 degrees Kelvin. All molecular activity ceases. Hell freezes over and the Minnesota Vikings win the Super Bowl


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## dayooper (Jan 29, 2019)

PcflEZFlng said:


> Har har! Similar to the above, here's a condensed version of the Official Minnesota Thermometer:
> 0 deg F - Hotter than Hades. Everybody stays indoors and runs the AC
> -20 deg - Minnesotans stop having cookouts
> -40 deg - Minnesotans stop driving with the top down
> ...



Hell can freeze over and the Detroit Lions will still never have even been in the Super Bowl. 

Lived in the UP of Michigan for 5 years, we get the Minnesota cold with several feet of Lake Superior lake effect snow.


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## SandyPGravel (Jan 29, 2019)

I heard on the radio this morning something good may come from this extremely cold weather.  An invasive species, the emerald ash borer, may be significantly killed off by these temperatures.  According to the news report the EAB cannot survive below -20.  The extended period of cold might kill off these awful bugs.  I hope it takes some of the other invasive species with it.  Asian beetle, stink bugs, earwigs etc.  Although it will only be temporary I suppose.  The ones surviving in neighboring states will move on in.


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## rapmarks (Jan 29, 2019)

I cancelled golf here today, temperature was 42 when I called, but it is quite pleasant and sunny now.


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## x3 skier (Jan 29, 2019)

Here in Steamboat Springs when it gets below zero in town, it’s usually 10-15 degrees warmer up on the mountain because of the temperature inversion caused by the valley.  Scares off the tourists so it’s less crowded up top.

Edit. Today, -9 downtown, +13 mid mountain. 

Cheers


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## rapmarks (Jan 29, 2019)

Christmas Mountain Village has closed the ski hills for next two days


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## Sugarcubesea (Jan 29, 2019)

I just closed our office for Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday this week. I’ve got my team working from home.

We got 7 inches of snow at our office from Monday into Tuesday. It’s been brutal in the Midwest.


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## bnoble (Jan 29, 2019)

I've worked at the University of Michigan for 21 years. In that time, we've closed a total of two days for weather. At the end of Thursday, that will double to four days.


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## davidvel (Jan 29, 2019)

bnoble said:


> I've worked at the University of Michigan for 21 years. In that time, we've closed a total of two days for weather. At the end of Thursday, that will double to four days.


Yeah, people are softer than they used to be. Same weather.


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## T_R_Oglodyte (Jan 29, 2019)

davidvel said:


> Yeah, people are softer than they used to be. Same weather.


Yep.  They now close schools in Minnesota during conditions that didn't shut when I was growing up in Mpls in the 1960s.

******

I was a rink-rat hockey player in winter.  I loved days when the temps were between 0 and 20 °F.  I had a personal thermometer.  On my the top half of my body I had helmet, gloves, and elbow pads.  If the temp was above 25 °F I wore a t-shirt.  And the sweat would come off. In rink-rat hockey, you're never off the ice, so there's never time to stand around, when the sweat might freeze. 

When temps were between 15 and 25 °F, I would wear a 3/4 sleeve football jersey on top of my t-shirt. 

When temps were between 5 and 15 °F, I would add a cotton sweatshirt on top of the jersey.

When temps were between -10 and 5 °F, I would add a cotton jacket on top of the sweatshirt.

I didn't skate much below -10 °F, not because it was too cold, but because below -10 you needed to have really sharp skate blades or the ice would get sticky.  And I didn't get enough allowance moneyto keep my blades that sharp all of the time.

**********

My mother was the daughter of a sharecropper in the North Dakota prairies.  She was born in an actual sod farmhouse that the owner of the land included in the rent.  She was born in early February, and they knew there was a storm coming and a midwife might not be available.  So the midwife came before the storm, just in case, and while the storm was raging my grandmother went into labor.  My grandfather strung a rope from the house to the barn, as a guide to reach the barn during the storm; otherwise if you tried to reach the barn to tend to the animals and milk the cows, you might go astray and never return..  (Those precautions were not uncommon).  

Two days after my Mom was born, and five days after the midwife arrived, the midwife was able to return to her family. 

*****

I wonder about weather records.  There are no weather records from that area and time in North Dakota. So when we talk now about this being a "record-setting" cold, that means it's only record setting based on the available records.  That doesn't mean it would be record-setting if we could compare it to the records we don't have.


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## T_R_Oglodyte (Jan 29, 2019)

Pompey Family said:


> Of course celsius is expressed in degrees. How else would you say -40°c?


Thank you for an educational post!

I made my comment because one time time I submitted a report where I reported a temp figure in °C. I was upbraided by a reviewer, who said that °C was a Centigrade temperature measurement, and that when the SI measurement system converted to Celsius from Centrigrade, degree annotations were not needed because Celsius did not use degrees.  So ever since that time I have not used degrees annotations with Celsius temperature measurements.

After your post, however, I did some Googling and realized that use of degrees is common, not just in vernacular, but in many science references.   So thank you for unshackling me.


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## PcflEZFlng (Jan 29, 2019)

T_R_Oglodyte said:


> Yep.  They now close schools in Minnesota during conditions that didn't shut when I was growing up in Mpls in the 1960s.
> *****
> I wonder about weather records.  There are no weather records from that area and time in North Dakota. So when we talk now about this being a "record-setting" cold, that means it's only record setting based on the available records.  That doesn't mean it would be record-setting if we could compare it to the records we don't have.


Very true about the snow days. I also grew up in Mpls in the 60s and early 70s, and we had only one snow day during the entire time I was there.
As far as weather records go, they go back as far as the 1850s in Minneapolis (Fort Snelling). But nowhere near that far back out on the prairie in the small towns.


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## Talent312 (Jan 29, 2019)

What is snow? <ducking>...


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## geist1223 (Jan 29, 2019)

Yeap when I was a kid I had to walk 5 miles through 15 foot snow drifts to get to school and it was uphill. Then at the end of the day I had to walk 5 miles through 17 foot snow drifts to get home and it was uphill. This was on Oahu and in LA.


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## T_R_Oglodyte (Jan 30, 2019)

PcflEZFlng said:


> Very true about the snow days. I also grew up in Mpls in the 60s and early 70s, and we had only one snow day during the entire time I was there.
> As far as weather records go, they go back as far as the 1850s in Minneapolis (Fort Snelling). But nowhere near that far back out on the prairie in the small towns.


I recall some snow days.  But when I visit MN in the winter now, I hear schools declaring snow days in conditions that weren't considered when I was growing up.

But I don't  remember school ever being called on account of cold.


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## bnoble (Jan 30, 2019)

davidvel said:


> Yeah, people are softer than they used to be. Same weather.


Not quite. Today is the coldest it has been in Ann Arbor since 1994, so before I started working here. Closing today was entirely justified; exposed skin can suffer frostbite in 7-10 minutes, but it can take that long just to walk between classes.

I did not intend my post to be a "kids these days are soft" screed. Instead, it was "I'm glad the U did the right thing." If we miss a lecture or two this term, it won't be the end of the world.


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## dayooper (Jan 30, 2019)

davidvel said:


> Yeah, people are softer than they used to be. Same weather.



Schools used to give mercury to kids to play with in science class. If something were to happen to a child, a kids gets locked out of a house coming home from school, a bus gets into an accident, breaks down in this weather and gets stranded, and a kid is seriously hurt or killed, the least of any school district’s problems would be a massive lawsuit. 

No this isn’t the same weather. I haven’t seen cold and windchills in Michigan like this in 25 years. I lived in the UP and we saw -80 degree windchills. -40 degree windchills isn’t normal for our area.


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## x3 skier (Jan 30, 2019)

In the 50’s and 60’s in Cincinnati I recall one day each of canceled school in High School and University.  I made it to high school the day it closed and played pickup basketball all day. Didn’t make it to the University the day it closed. 

Cheers


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## PcflEZFlng (Jan 30, 2019)

T_R_Oglodyte said:


> I recall some snow days.  But when I visit MN in the winter now, I hear schools declaring snow days in conditions that weren't considered when I was growing up.
> 
> But I don't  remember school ever being called on account of cold.


For some reason, the school district I was in stayed open when others closed. There were a number of times when I would listen to the radio in the morning before school and they would announce which districts were closed. Was always disappointed when we weren't on the list!
I also don't recall closures due to cold. I still remember clearly when Mpls tied its all-time record low of -34 and the high that day was -15. Still went to school that day. But also recall that day being calm, so the wind chill was about the same as the temperature. For comparison, I looked at the NWS forecast page for Mpls last night - the temperature was -25 with wind gusts of 28 mph and a wind chill of -55. Holy cow.


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## PigsDad (Jan 30, 2019)

T_R_Oglodyte said:


> But I don't  remember school ever being called on account of cold.


I grew up in Northern MN (close to Fargo, ND), and that was my experience as well.  Snow or blowing snow / blizzard: yes, school could be called.  Too cold?  Never.  And I know we had days well below -30F;  it seemed like we usually hit -40F at least once every winter.

Kurt


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## Talent312 (Jan 30, 2019)

geist1223 said:


> Yeap when I was a kid, I had to walk...



When I was a kid, I had to walk 10 miles in the snow to school.
It was uphill, both ways... And that was in Miami!
-- _The peep on our tour bus in Barbados thought that was hysterical.
._


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## MULTIZ321 (Jan 30, 2019)

Almost 2,000 Flights Have Been Cancelled in the Wake of Midwest Polar Vortex
By Erik Sherman/ Briefing/ Airports/ Fortune/ fortune.com

"If you’re traveling by air almost anywhere in the United States over the next few days, check with your airline and airport because cold is hammering travel.

According to the airline flight tracing site FlightAware, there are 1,971 flightswithin, leaving, or entering the U.S. that are cancelled today. The total of delays as of Wednesday morning at 9 a.m. ET was 611.

The biggest problem Wednesday morning, according to the FAA, is Chicago’s O’Hare airport. There is a ground stop due to airline request. That means the airport has slowed or halted inbound traffic. Given the airport’s importance for connecting flights, thousands of travelers will likely feel the effect and the delays ripple out through the air traffic system.

Other airports, even if not so heavily affected, might still have cancellations, especially if the flights are headed to areas with greater problems. For example, as of Wednesday morning, there were more than 50 cancellations, with more possible as conditions develop during the day. And Atlanta has already faced hundreds of delays as travelers try to arrive for the Super Bowl......"





An electronic board shows flight delays and cancellations at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Illinois.

Scott Olson—Getty Images




Richard


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## bbodb1 (Jan 30, 2019)

Talent312 said:


> What is snow? <ducking>...


A fresh canvas!


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## T_R_Oglodyte (Jan 30, 2019)

PigsDad said:


> And I know we had days well below -30F;  it seemed like we usually hit -40F at least once every winter.
> 
> Kurt


That matches my memory, though we were slightly warmer in Minneapolis.  I remember days where the high would be between -5 and -10 °F, with low temps (right about sunrise) at about -30.


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## Steve Fatula (Jan 30, 2019)

davidvel said:


> Yeah, people are softer than they used to be. Same weather.



Or maybe the system is softer. But, yes, we all heard the stories about how our parents (up north at least) walked 12 miles to school in feet of snow. I did walk 5 miles, and loved walking. In Cleveland Ohio, the old school superintendent, the legendary Paul Briggs, never once closed schools for cold, snow, ice, whatever in his 14 year term. He may have been a little too stingy though. Feet of snow, -15, didn't matter.

Here in rural southern Oklahoma, we had one day with a high in the 30's, no snow or rain, and they closed school. I think it's ridiculous. Worse than that, impractical these days with everyone working.


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## rboesl (Jan 30, 2019)

Live in the Buffalo, NY area. The City of Buffalo has issued a State of Emergency. The County of Erie has issues a State of Emergency. There are many travel bans in the suburbs. Temperature is currently 0 degrees F with wind chills expected to get as low as -35 degrees F. We are currently under official Blizzard conditions. They Greater Buffalo & Niagara Airport has closed. Sections of the I-90 and other major thorough fares are closed to traffic. One due to a 21 vehicle accident that includes a New York State Trooper.

And then on Sunday it's expected to 45 degrees F and rainy. What fun!


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## PigsDad (Jan 30, 2019)

T_R_Oglodyte said:


> That matches my memory, *though we were slightly warmer in Minneapolis*.  I remember days where the high would be between -5 and -10 °F, with low temps (right about sunrise) at about -30.


We used to call the Twin Cities and the Southern MN the "Balmy South". 

Kurt


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## Sugarcubesea (Jan 30, 2019)

I can not get my 2016 Ford Explorer to start. Ugh


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## PcflEZFlng (Jan 30, 2019)

PigsDad said:


> We used to call the Twin Cities and the Southern MN the "Balmy South".
> 
> Kurt


My parents grew up in Hibbing. They always said the Twin Cities was like Florida compared to the Iron Range.


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## bbodb1 (Jan 30, 2019)

PcflEZFlng said:


> My parents grew up in Hibbing. They always said the Twin Cities was like Florida compared to *the Iron Range*.



_....where water goes to explode!_


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## MULTIZ321 (Jan 30, 2019)

There's Cold - and Then There Was February 1899
By Christopher Klein/ News/ History/ history.com

"The “Great Arctic Outbreak” of February 1899 set temperature and snowfall records from Michigan to Florida that still stand today.

Snow weighed down the fronds of palm trees of Fort Myers, Florida, while an icy crust formed on the Mississippi River in New Orleans. Nearly three feet of snow buried the nation’s capital, and ice encased steamboats on Lake Michigan. There’s cold—and then there was the Great Arctic Outbreak of February 1899.

The polar vortex delivered an icy slap to every corner of the continental United States, making all other Snowmageddons to follow seem mild by comparison.

The bitter cold first hit the West Coast in the first days of February as temperatures reached lows of 33 degrees Fahrenheit in San Diego and 12 degrees in Seattle. The frigid air then barreled east with freezing temperatures reaching as far south as the Gulf Coast and Florida Panhandle.

On February 11, residents of Fort Logan, Montana, awoke to a temperature of -61 degrees. Wind chills in southern Texas were estimated at -25 to -40 degrees, downright balmy compared to the wind chills approaching -100 degrees on the northern Plains. Between February 11 and February 14, the Great Arctic Outbreak set record low temperatures that still stand in Grand Rapids (-24 degrees), Wichita (-22 degrees), Oklahoma City (-17 degrees), Atlanta (-9 degrees), Fort Worth (-8 degrees) and Baton Rouge (2 degrees)....."






_A snowball fight on the steps of the Capitol in Tallahassee, Florida in 1899._

State Archives of Florida




Richard


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## Steve Fatula (Jan 31, 2019)

Wow, didn't know about 1899. That's amazing! -2 in Florida, snow in Tampa, ouch!

That's not to say it wasn't cold this time of course, though not here, our "cold" day was in the upper 40's.


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## MULTIZ321 (Feb 1, 2019)

SandyPGravel said:


> I heard on the radio this morning something good may come from this extremely cold weather.  An invasive species, the emerald ash borer, may be significantly killed off by these temperatures.  According to the news report the EAB cannot survive below -20.  The extended period of cold might kill off these awful bugs.  I hope it takes some of the other invasive species with it.  Asian beetle, stink bugs, earwigs etc.  Although it will only be temporary I suppose.  The ones surviving in neighboring states will move on in.


Hi Sandy,

Here's more info on what you reported.

Polar Vortex Could Knock Back Invasive Tree Killers - For a While
By April Reese/ Conservation/ Scientific American/ scientificamerican.com

"It’s been so cold in the upper Midwest this week that even a few minutes outside invites frostbite. But there is least one upside to the polar vortex deep freeze: The extreme cold is likely wiping out millions of invasive tree-killing insects across a broad swath of territory from South Dakota to Minnesota, offering hope for at least a temporary reprieve from their incessant spread into a steadily warming north.

A swelling army of invasive insects—including the gypsy moth, introduced to the U.S. from Asia in the late 1800s, and the emerald ash borer, which arrived in Michigan in 2009 (most likely on shipping palettes from China)—have killed millions of trees across the northern states. They continue to colonize new territory, aided by warming trends that are rendering more areas  hospitable to them. The consequences for forest ecosystems and cities alike have been swift and severe. The emerald ash borer has already wiped out 100 percent of ash trees in parts of Ohio and Indiana, says Robert Venette, a research biologist with the U.S. Forest Service’s (USFS) Northern Research Station. As infestations spread northward, the one-of-a-kind black ash swamps of northern Minnesota and Wisconsin could become treeless marshlands—leaving nearby areas more prone to flooding. Gypsy moths have defoliated millions of oak, birch, cottonwood and other tree species, causing millions of dollars’ worth of damage. The hemlock woolly adelgid, a sap-sucking native of eastern Asia that has decimated hemlock trees throughout the U.S. Northeast, is now encroaching into Midwest forests. “It’s a pretty big impact,” says Lee Frelich, director of the Center for Forest Ecology at the University of Minnesota, referring to all the region’s invading insects. “Hundreds of millions of trees have been killed.”

Although these insects are hardy enough to survive an involuntary trip across the world and thrive in unfamiliar territory, extreme cold is often their Achilles’ heel. The hemlock woolly adelgid cannot withstand temperatures below –4 degrees Fahrenheit, a 2008 USFS study found. Other invasive insects evolved in cold environments in their home countries and are equipped with impressive wintertime defenses—40 percent of the emerald ash borer’s body comprises an antifreeze-like substance, for example. And its larvae can tuck themselves under bark, where it can be as much as 5 degrees F warmer than the air. But even these cold-weather superstars are no match for the kind of temperatures now seizing much of the northern U.S......."





Emerald ash borer traces on a dead ash tree in Michigan. Credit: Getty Images





Emerald ash borer feeding on ash leaves. Credit: Getty Images



Richard


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## SandyPGravel (Feb 1, 2019)

rboesl said:


> Live in the Buffalo, NY area. The City of Buffalo has issued a State of Emergency. The County of Erie has issues a State of Emergency. There are many travel bans in the suburbs. Temperature is currently 0 degrees F with wind chills expected to get as low as -35 degrees F. We are currently under official Blizzard conditions. They Greater Buffalo & Niagara Airport has closed. Sections of the I-90 and other major thorough fares are closed to traffic. One due to a 21 vehicle accident that includes a New York State Trooper.



While reading this I anticipated the last sentence to be "But the schools are open!"


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## x3 skier (Feb 1, 2019)

Had to take out six 50’ ash trees in my yard the last two years. Shame the freeze didn’t come sooner.

Cheers


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## T-Dot-Traveller (Feb 1, 2019)

x3 skier said:


> Had to take out six 50’ ash trees in my yard the last two years. .
> 
> Cheers



Having one take down & removed  from our backyard in 2016 cost us over $ 3000 (C$)  . That was the best price - from an insured  tree removal company .
I had 2 or 3 higher $$ bids .


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## Krteczech (Feb 2, 2019)

DrQ said:


> When they say -40 degrees is it Celsius or Fahrenheit?


There is not much difference between -40 C and -40 F an I remember from my 35 years experience in Minnesota.


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## Krteczech (Feb 2, 2019)

T_R_Oglodyte said:


> I recall some snow days.  But when I visit MN in the winter now, I hear schools declaring snow days in conditions that weren't considered when I was growing up.
> 
> But I don't  remember school ever being called on account of cold.


I believe the reason for having Mpls schools closed during extremely cold weather is a safety concern. Possible school bus pickup delay, which is quite usual, results in prolonged exposure and frostbite.


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## CanuckTravlr (Feb 3, 2019)

x3 skier said:


> Had to take out six 50’ ash trees in my yard the last two years. Shame the freeze didn’t come sooner.



About three years ago we lost three 30'+ mature ash trees on the boulevard between the sidewalk and road in front of our home.  They had been planted when our home was new 20 years ago.  The emerald ash borer was the culprit and they took about 30 more trees on our large crescent over the next two years.

We had just started to have a beautiful, green canopy over the road in the summertime when we lost them.  Fortunately they were on city property, so the city paid to remove and replace them.  I offered to pay more to have more mature trees planted, but was told that they could not do that, for a number of reasons.  So now we have 2" to 3" saplings (none of them ash trees) in their place.  We will not live here long enough to see them mature again.  Very sad, but I guess a first-world problem!


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## T_R_Oglodyte (Feb 3, 2019)

In the 1960's in our Minneapolis suburb (Richfield) the City planted boulevard trees.  Like most cities Minneapolis had stately elm trees that provided full canopies over many streets, but the elms were being ravaged by Dutch elm disease.  

So the city planted ash trees, because they weren't vulnerable to any known diseases.  Now those ash trees are 40 years old and have become stately - and subject to disease.


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## Sugarcubesea (Feb 3, 2019)

Sugarcubesea said:


> I can not get my 2016 Ford Explorer to start. Ugh



Took it into the dealership and found out I had a defective battery. I got a new battery since the car was still under warranty


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## Sugarcubesea (Feb 3, 2019)

bnoble said:


> I've worked at the University of Michigan for 21 years. In that time, we've closed a total of two days for weather. At the end of Thursday, that will double to four days.



I just found out that we are due to have an ice storm on Wednesday. Dang, it’s been a brutal January


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## SandyPGravel (Feb 4, 2019)

Sugarcubesea said:


> I just found out that *we are due to have an ice storm on Wednesday*. Dang, it’s been a brutal January


Where are you?  I think we are getting some snow showers tomorrow in WI.


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## CalGalTraveler (Feb 8, 2019)

I was wondering, while this has made US national news, why haven't we heard much from our hardy Canadian neighbors to the north?

Answer: Because they knew better and flew south to enjoy their timeshares in Mexico and the Caribbean!  Cold? What cold...LoL


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## Nick66 (Feb 8, 2019)

CalGalTraveler said:


> I was wondering, while this has made US national news, why haven't we heard much from our hardy Canadian neighbors to the north?
> 
> Answer: Because they knew better and flew south to enjoy their timeshares in Mexico and the Caribbean!  Cold? What cold...LoL



And those of us who stayed home have too cold and stiff fingers to type.


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## moonstone (Feb 8, 2019)

CalGalTraveler said:


> I was wondering, while this has made US national news, why haven't we heard much from our hardy Canadian neighbors to the north?
> 
> Answer: Because they knew better and flew south to enjoy their timeshares in Mexico and the Caribbean!  Cold? What cold...LoL




We are not in a southern timeshare but rather a rented apartment in sunny hot Belize! We had enough of the cold Canadian winters 4 years ago. We still have to listen to family and friends complain nearly daily of the cold and quantity of snow as we wipe the sweat off our brow and have another cold one!  


~Diane


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## SandyPGravel (Feb 8, 2019)

Now we have Frost Quakes...

Sounds like a line drive hitting the side of your house.  Went on for several hours last night, some this morning too, but not as loud.


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