America’s Midwest is colder than Antarctica right now. A polar vortex has caused extremely cold winds to sweep across the country creating life-threateningly cold conditions and seeing thousands of flights cancelled.
Yesterday, Antarctica’s Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station hit -31.7 degrees Celsius, a warmer temperature reading than Fargo, North Dakota where it was a bone-chilling -35 Celsius and Minneapolis’ -32 degrees Celsius.
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has deemed the conditions “a public health risk”.
Image: Sky News
“They are life-threatening conditions and temperatures.”
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel
He is advising all residents to stay indoors and if they have to go out, to dress in multiple layers and cover their nose and mouth to protect their lungs from the cold.
The situation is so serious that experts who have worked in the Arctic and Antarctic are actaully giving advice to Midwesterners on how to stay warm.
Chicago’s two airport terminals, O’Hare Airport and Midway Airport, have reported more than 1,800 flights have now been cancelled.
Due to extreme cold weather in #Chicago air carriers at ORD have cancelled approx 1,480 flights and are reporting minimal delays. Check flight status with carrier. Stay safe and warm friends.
— O'Hare Intl. Airport (@fly2ohare) January 30, 2019
O’Hare Airport’s Twitter feed advised travellers: “Check flight status with carrier. Stay safe and warm friends.”
Let’s hope your clients in the Midwest are rugged up with somewhere warm to stay today.
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