Source: Wojtek Zagorski / Getty
The polar vortex has been quite offensive these past couple of days. As of Thursday, it’s already taken over a number of states in the U.S. with the Midwest being hit the hardest.
According to ABC 6, some states in this area are experiencing temperatures in the negative 30s, and if you add wind chills to the mix, states like Illinois have experienced weather that feels like negative 57 degrees.
According to The New York Times, eight weather-related deaths have already been recorded in the Midwest while the east coast isn’t that much safer with cities like New York experiencing single digit temperatures.
But despite all this, folks will still find a way to capture the madness on camera.
You can blame it on snowed-in boredom or you can blame it on plain curiosity. But whatever the reasoning, people are playing in the snow in the most bizarre and hilarious ways.
First, a few people are putting their dogs on the line to test the weather. Some pet owners have been letting their canines out into the cold just to find out if they’d be thrilled for a walk. For many, the answer was a hard no.
Just let Twitter user @IamNPaterson and her dog tell it…
Then, there were people who put their scientist hat on to discover the shocking effects of freezing temperatures.
One Twitter user posted a video of herself soaking a T-shirt then sticking it outside in the cold. The results were a clothing item that could stand on its own after just a little over an hour outside.
It’s no joke out here.
One of the most viral videos, however, is a challenge that carried over from previous years. People have been boiling water and throwing it into the freezing air, creating a snow-making affect. Peep the slow motion spectacle below.
According to Wired, because the water is so hot, it has enough energy to transition from liquid to gas quickly. When the hot water is projected into the cold air, a few things happen. First, the hot water is making water vapor thanks to evaporation. Second, the water is breaking into smaller blobs of water as it moves through the air. Both the evaporation and smaller blobs cause the water to cool off quickly. In addition to this, the cold air can’t hold a lot of water vapor (which is why the air is much drier in the winter), so the water vapor doesn’t stay in the air, but it condenses out.
Viola. Instant snow.
People across social media have been trying their luck at the phenomenon whether it be -10 degrees temperatures or -20 degrees outside.
Whatever the case might be, make sure to stay warm and stay safe. The polar vortex will still disrespect you and your entire video.
Follow @‘magicbaltimore’Uum…Okay: Polar Vortex Video Challenges Have People Experimenting In Freezing Weather was originally published on globalgrind.com
