Polar Vortex 2019: Winter storm freezing everything from clothes to train tracks
Texans will likely be complaining when that summer heat rolls around, but for now, we're counting our lucky stars we live in the Lone Star State.
Other parts of the country are dealing with some nasty wicked weather, thanks to an arctic deep freeze with record-breaking temperatures.
To get an idea of just how cold it is, the Chisago County Sheriff's Office in Center City, Minnesota, shared photos of a frozen deputy uniform that is standing on its own.
Users have shared similar images online, like the one below of frozen jeans, which was apparently a sight to see for the family's dog.
Meanwhile, the place with the coldest wind chill in the nation right now is Ely, Minnesota, where it hit -70 degrees.
But the below freezing temperatures are also causing polar problems with travel right down to getting the mail.
The extreme conditions are challenging that popular saying, "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of
their appointed rounds."
The U.S. Postal Service temporarily suspended delivery service in certain locations for the safety of its workers.
Normally, you wouldn't want to intentionally set anything on fire, but it was necessary in Chicago.
Crews set the tracks on fire to stop them from separating in sub-zero temperatures. Burning them also keeps them from freezing over.
In Des Moines, Iowa, some employees at a storage facility said they felt warmer working inside their freezer than going outside early Wednesday, when it felt like -17 degrees.
But you really have to feel for the Warrensburg Police Department in Warrensburg, Missouri. It's so chilly there, the department asked the public, "Can you keep the criminalling to a minimum?... Be nice to each other, watch reruns of Say Yes to the Dress (we hear from the fire fighters that it's a really good show). Mmmmkay, thanks!"
Maybe everyone can do them a solid and listen?
The cold is attributed to a sudden warming far above the North Pole. A blast of warm air from misplaced Moroccan heat last month made the normally super chilly air temperatures above the North Pole rapidly increase. That split the polar vortex into pieces, which then started to wander, said Judah Cohen, a winter storm expert for Atmospheric Environmental Research.
One of those polar vortex pieces is responsible for the subzero temperatures across the Midwest this week.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
