Watch: Boiling water freezes in air in Midwest US
If you are irritated with Delhi winters, then take a look at the US where people are throwing boiling water in the air to see it freeze. And you'd stop complaining. A phenomenon called polar vortex has brought down the temperature in Midwest US to the effect that officials had to set fire on train tracks to keep it free from ice. Woah!
The temperature in Midwest US has plummeted to around -29 degree Celsius forcing citizens to remain indoors. However, this hasn't dampened their spirits and they seem to have found fun ways to kill boredom. Twitter is getting flooded with videos of people in Chicago (one of the worst-hit areas) throwing boiling water in the air to watch it freeze, accompanied by the hashtag #Chiberia.
Boiling water freezes before it hits the ground. -22/-49 windchill in Chicago. #Chicago #Jaden #chiberia pic.twitter.com/UPYVjloGBk
— clay carroll (@Clay_Carroll) January 30, 2019
Boiling water droplets quickly freezing into ice crystals. -19 degree fun. Caution: boiling water will burn if not careful. pic.twitter.com/hJ3doP48nn
— Finley Math (@FinleyMath) January 30, 2019
Although the act, a phenomenon known as the Mpemba effect, looks pretty spectacular, it comes with side effects. People are sharing videos on Twitter showing how the challenge went wrong with many and instead of frosty vapors, people ended up with burns and blisters.
Boiling water gone BAD in #Chiberia pic.twitter.com/mSNHs0P9Sv
— CHRIS (@OHKAYCHRIS) January 30, 2019
Among the hardest-hit parts of the Midwest lies Iowa state. Another video showing effects of the polar vortex has gone viral on Twitter in which hair of a teenage girl from Iowa froze as she stood outside her house. The hair can be seen sticking up straight from her head, defying gravity and it slowly starts falling forward as the girl enters her house.
“Is Iowa really THAT cold?” pic.twitter.com/htxSZzy2QB
— Taylor Scallon (@taylor_scallon) January 31, 2019
According to Mark Chenard, National Weather Service meteorologist, polar vortex is "the upper-level jet stream which circulates around both the North and South Poles, thus keeping the coldest air there." He added that when that jet stream sometimes buckles and weakens, there's a disruption in weather patterns causing warmer air to flow in Alaska and cold winds to US Midwest and East Coast.
The bone-chilling cold has so far taken at least 24 lives in the region. However, according to forecasters, the cold is expected to convert into spring-like weather by the beginning of next week. Also, temperatures in some regions may rise to around 26 degree Celsius. But, experts say the rapid thaw might cause problems like bursting pipes, crumbling roads, and flooding rivers.
