Chi Town or Chiberia? America’s mid-west is now one of the coldest places on Earth.
Chicago is experiencing some of the coldest weather ever reported in the United States and it has dropped to a dangerous level. This has led to a state emergency being called by the Governor. With reports of temperatures droping to -46 celsius and wind chill factors making it feel like -60, there is a real cause for concern for the people of Chicago.
Right now, there is a polar vortex over Chicago, The polar vortex is part of a low-pressure system, and just like other lows this one spins as winds blow in toward the lower pressure at the center of the system.Temperatures have gotten so cold that Chicago’s famous Lake Michigan has frozen over, providing some incredible photos.
Photo Credit : Tina Jensen
People really began to fear that they were in the movie, “The Day after Tomorrow”, when they started hearing a series of loud booms. These loud booms came about from what’s known as a frost quake — more scientifically known as cryoseism. Chicago native, Melissa Eckhardt commented on the Facebook page of WGN-TV, saying “ “Heard two loud booms last night, thought my house was falling apart,”.
These booms happen when heavy snow and rain saturated. When a sudden drop in temperature follows, the moisture freezes and expands leading it to crack, which explains the loud booms under the ice.
This freezing cold weather has caused transport chaos with almost all flights in and out of Chicago’s O’Hare international airport. Cars have come to a standstill, with many being abandoned and railway tracks have been set on fire to try and help trains move along them.
There is a serious worry for Chicago’s homeless population as temperatures drop to a fatal level. The good Samaritans of Chicago have been helping as much as they can. Chicago business woman, Candice Payne, tried to help as much she could and picked up a hotel tab for homeless people.
Candice said “ “No one wanted them, but one hotel, the Amber Inn, was nice enough to allow me to buy the rooms,”
Ms Payne’s generosity was rewarded when she was invited by Ellen Degeneres to be a part of her upcoming show. Ellen did what she does best and rewarded Candice with fifty thousand dollars.
There is currently six ‘warm centers’ operating around the city, two of which are open 24 hour. Public buildings and buses are being used to give shelter to the homeless and an extra 500 beds have been added, spread around the shelters.
Residents have been told to check in on each other and no one will be left with no place to go. They have been told to call 311 if they are stuck, they will be picked up and brought to a safe place.
The city has created a map to help people locate sheltered areas, which include libraries, churches, community centers etc.
People have been warned to stay inside and only venture outside if completely necessary. Even breathing in the cold air for too long could cause people some serious health problems. Members of the public have said that their skin began to hurt after only being out in the cold for a matter of minutes.
While the cold is bad, it is not expected to last too long, 3 or 4 days at most. A new problem could then arise for the people of Chicago as the ice begins to thaw out, some flash floods could occur.
This extreme weather case was acknowledged by President Donald Trump, who tweeted, “ In the beautiful Midwest, windchill temperatures are reaching minus 60 degrees, the coldest ever recorded. In coming days, expected to get even colder. People can’t last outside even for minutes. What the hell is going on with Global Waming? Please come back fast, we need you!”
Yes, he misspelled ‘Warming’, but that is no where near the most worrying part of this tweet. You can see why people are trying to change the saying to Climate Change, instead of global warming, as it seems misleading for a few people. This polar vortex is most likely due to climate change, it should not be this cold in Chicago.
At the time of writing this, Australia was experiencing some of the hottest weather it’s ever recorded. Temperatures are reaching 50 degrees celcius. Australia is ONE HUNDRED TIMES hotter than Chicago right now, that’s worrying. While people in Chicago have been turning boiling water into snow, Australians are cooking streaks using the sun as an oven.
If you want more info on Climate Change, visit www.climate.nasa.gov
Key Words: Chicago, Donald Trump, Climate Change
TWEETS:
- Brace yourselves Chicago!! A Polar Vortex has arrived an temperatures are set to PLUMMET! #Chicago #Polar Vortex @AndrewChicagoNews
- As the temperatures drop, make sure you look out for your neighbors folks. We need to stick together in these times! #CommunitySpirit @ChicagoJoe
Tags:
- Climate Change
- Chicago
- Lake Michigan
- Polar Vortex
- Weather