The cold wave in the Arctic in the United States: in Chicago, it will be colder than in Everest and Antarctica

Millions of people are expected to experience sub-zero temperatures. The authorities warn that it is possible to freeze in less than 10 minutes if the product is used on the outside.

Americans will suffer this week
the most intense cold wave "for a generation", according to forecasters.

These extreme conditions, caused by a mbad of rotated frozen air called polar vortex, could bring temperatures down to -53 ° C.

It is expected that tens of millions of people will experience subzero temperatures. The states of Wisconsin, Michigan, and Illinois in the Midwest, as well as those in Alabama and Mississippi, in the south, usually warmer, declared an emergency.

Authorities in the state of Iowa asked people "to avoid deep breathing and minimize conversations" if they went out.

Forecasters predict that in Chicago, in the state of Illinois, you will feel colder than on Everest and Antarctica.

According to the authorities, this city could experience a minimum of -32ºC, with icy winds that would give a thermal sensation of -45ºC.

"I would say that the intensity of this cold air is unique in this latest generation," said John Gagan, expert of the US Meteorological Service (NWS).

The NWS warns that a person can freeze in less than 10 minutes if they go outside in such extreme circumstances. It is expected that colder temperatures will be recorded between Tuesday and Thursday.

Global warming?

Donald Trump, President of the United States, questions the existence of climate change and took advantage of the polar wave Monday to remember it.

"In the beautiful Midwest, the temperature of the wind drops to -60 ° C, the highest cold recorded.In the coming days, we expect that (the thermometers) will fall again, people can not stay outside even a few minutes.What is happening with global warming? Please, come back quickly, we need you! "tweeted the president.

But the US government, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA, for its acronym in English), has published what was widely interpreted as a refutation of the leader.

"Winter storms do not prove that global warming is not happening," NOAA tweeted on Tuesday.

Meteorologists attribute this cold current to a sudden warming of the North Pole, caused by a blast of warm air from Morocco in December. This climate system has divided the polar vortex and brought it to move south, said Judah Cohen, expert in winter storms at the Environmental Atmospheric Research organization.

"The fact that the cold air of the Arctic moves to the United States does not mean that the planet is warming as a whole," said Derek Arndt, NOAA's climate monitoring officer. North Carolina.

In fact, the polar vortex "is a local event and the west-central United States occupies a very small part of the planet," he added.

"As we live this cold season in parts of the United States and Canada, the rest of the planet is hot and if you do the average, you will see that the planet continues to heat up," Arndt said.

The world's leading scientists say that climate change is mainly due to humans and can lead to harsher winters.

What is the impact of this cold season?

More than 1,100 flights to or from the United States were canceled Tuesday, including Atlanta, Georgia, where the Super Bowl will be held Sunday. In the Midwest, thousands of schools and businesses have been closed, along with several government agencies.

Dozens of hostels have opened in some US cities.