It Is So Cold In The Midwest That Boiling Water Is Immediately Turning To Icy Vapor
Midwesterners may be stuck inside this week, but if Twitter is any indication, some are finding ways to have an (Arctic) blast.
On Wednesday, a few videos popped up on the social media platform that feature people venturing outside (or to their front doors) and throwing pots, pans and cups of boiling water into the frigid, below-zero air. In every video, the boiling water immediately turns into an icy vapor.
The classic brutal sub-zero weather experiment at my Minneapolis home - boiling water freezes in seconds @wcco has the latest on this polar vortex plunge - stay warm and stay safe ! pic.twitter.com/gQJglgAG0f
— esme murphy (@esmemurphy) January 29, 2019
This is what happens when you throw boiling water in the air in Minneapolis (it’s -3). #SuperBowl pic.twitter.com/YG6DCEphrR
— Patrick (@pmc1423) February 4, 2018
My sister in Minneapolis braved the -29 degree cold to throw boiling water in the air. It froze before it hit the ground! CRAZY! Minnesota is 50 degrees colder this morning than here in Winston-Salem! #WSNC #WSSU @WXIIMeredith pic.twitter.com/byKzJsq9Sj
— Jaime Hunt (@JaimeHuntIMC) January 30, 2019
Yeah, it’s cold! This is what happens to hot water when it’s -30 #staywarm #PolarVortex2019 #Minneapolis pic.twitter.com/6zbiQl1t2o
— Mike MacIsaac (@MikeMacIsaac) January 30, 2019
My Minneapolis tourist video of throwing boiling water in the air at -13 degrees Fahrenheit... pic.twitter.com/BrbLQesPkX
— Thomas Duff (@duffbert) December 30, 2017
Heat VS Cold in Minneapolis -44 degree air @kare11 pic.twitter.com/guK8Z21ACn
— Craig Norkus (@CraigNorkus) January 30, 2019
.@EvaPilgrim demonstrating how water turns into ice/snow in Minneapolis.
FULL STORY: https://t.co/QzTXGQBOBi pic.twitter.com/0koBHpJrrI— Good Morning America (@GMA) January 30, 2019
Full pot of water completely vaporizing in air. -52° Minneapolis pic.twitter.com/hXhIMEIqit
— Ⱬ (@zfaiar) January 30, 2019
The science teacher in me couldn’t resist:
Near-boiling water is close to becoming steam, so when thrown into -14 degree air and -35 wind chill it will condense into a cloud immediately. #Minneapolis #MinnesotaCold pic.twitter.com/57Wfgj8Dz7— Christian A. Ledesma (@MrCLedesma) December 30, 2017
The #PolarVortex is real. How cold is it on our deck today? This cold. #LNK pic.twitter.com/1zJhqDlyHl
— Social Assurance (@SocialAssurance) January 30, 2019
“This is what people in Minnesota do,” a woman says in one of the videos.
If you try this trick, however, do it with caution. The LA Times reports that at least 50 people on social media reported burning themselves or their friends while attempting the stunt this week.
Although the trick looks pretty cool, the situation in the Midwest is anything but. The brutal weather is downright dangerous.
According to CNN, Chicago will be colder than some parts of Antarctica this week thanks to the polar vortex, which has caused temperatures to plunge far below zero. Chunks of ice have formed in the Chicago River, and train tracks in the city have been set ablaze while transit workers try to keep the steel from freezing.
Ten states will not receive mail on Wednesday; schools and businesses have closed; thousands of people are losing power; and the National Weather service in Des Moines told residents to “avoid taking deep breaths” and “minimize talking” to protect their lungs, per CBS Chicago.
“This could possibly be history-making,” Ricky Castro, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Romeoville, Illinois, told Reuters.
So, stay inside this week, Midwesterners (and East Coasters). And stay safe.
This story has been updated to include a warning about the possibility of injury from throwing hot water in the air.
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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.