The United States freezes at 40 degrees below zero due to an ‘arctic explosion’

by time news

A man removes snow left by the storm that affected much of the United States in December 2022 / EFE

The storm will be brief and will affect, above all, the north of the country, where they could withstand a thermal sensation below -70º

Winter does not seem to let up in the United States, especially in the north of the country, which this weekend will endure extreme cold due to the advance of an air current from the Arctic that will cause the thermometer to drop below -40º. Wind chill could even drop below 70 degrees below zero at certain times and in certain areas, a temperature that will push millions of Americans to their limits. From the National Meteorological Service, in fact, they recommend that you do not stay more than five minutes exposed to the open air since the skin could suffer injuries as a result of strong blizzards and even frostbite. Alerts for the harshness of this “Arctic explosion” that threatens to break historical records in mercury are activated in different states, mainly in the New England region and in New York, which will bear the brunt of this icy episode that will be short but “fierce”.

The “epic” Arctic outbreak – as American meteorologists have described it – that will hit the United States in the next few hours will make this Saturday the coldest day in recent years in the mid-Atlantic area. The mercury will mark values ​​between -30º and -40º, about 15 degrees less than usual for the time, which is already a notable difference, but the thermal sensation due to gusts of wind, among other factors, will be even less. At the top of Mount Washington, for example, they are expected to shiver at -73º (about -100º in the Fahrenheit system). Experts warn of the “potential mortality” of these records by touching the maximum resistance capacity of the human body at low temperatures. Without adequate protection, they could end up in hypothermia and the difficulties in transport -by road and also by air- due to weather conditions make it impossible to guarantee immediate health care.

The authorities have advised leaving home only if it is essential, since the combination of strong winds and accumulated snow on the asphalt will make it impossible to see and travel will be extremely dangerous. They have also recommended stocking the pantry with non-perishable foods. Two tips that have made more than one relive what happened a little over a month ago with storm Elliot. The United States then faced the coldest Christmas in decades and now, when it had not yet recovered from that snowfall that left dozens dead, it is facing an “Arctic explosion.”

historical values

The alarms are going off with more intensity in the north of the country, but in other corners they will not be saved from this extreme cold either. In Boston, for example, they will also reach 30 degrees below zero, a record that has not occurred there since 2016. The storm will travel along the US east coast and in many points it will also end abruptly with the unusually warm that they enjoyed throughout January, a situation -that sudden clash between hot and cold seasons- that experts associate with the climate crisis.

The vortex of cold that this episode will generate, yes, will have a short journey. It is expected that on Sunday the intensity of the storm will be reduced and that on Monday at noon there will be more normal temperatures for this time of year. The proof is that, once this episode is over, the forecast places the mercury above 15 degrees until the middle of next week.

And despite the temperature drop that will be experienced this weekend in the United States, this situation has little or nothing to do with the freezing environment that surrounds Siberia, the coldest region in the world. This was recalled by the American meteorologist William J. Karins through a social network: «Temperatures of minus 30 degrees in northern Maine will make it one of the coldest places on the planet, but still far behind northern Siberia , which will be close to minus 50 degrees.” In this Russian town they have come to register up to 71.2 degrees below zero, a world record for a populated place.

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