Cold north and heat south: extreme temperatures punish the world

Lake Michigan has become a huge ice rink. -28 ° C this week, with a thermal sensation of -50 °, they froze Chicago, one of the most affected cities in the United States by the extreme polar wave that punishes the north of the planet.

The bubbles literally turn into ice in 30 seconds. Polar winds in the Arctic only complicate the situation. As reported The countrySome 1,300 flights departing from Chicago's O-Hare airport have been canceled and authorities have set up reception centers for 16,000 homeless people. Schools and universities have been temporarily closed. The icy wind hurts those who do not have protection on their skin. Experts recommend breathing as little as possible outdoors. Wednesday, in fact, it was colder than in Antarctica.

At the southern end of the planet, at the same time, the weather is hot. In recent days, in Australia, it was 47 °. As reported The New York Times in one of his articles, the high temperatures triggered by fires and by the collapse of some power grids. Tuesday in Buenos Aires, the thermal sensation exceeded the 45 ° and thousands of users were also deprived of electricity.

Each year, the planet deepens its extremes. Scientists are trying to decipher the role of climate change at certain times of the year. Until now, the signs are clearer in phenomena such as rains, drought, heat waves and forest fires. But when it's cold waves, the answers are not so solid: "I would say that science is still incomplete.We have no proof for now that this is the only reason," said Ben Kirtman, professor at the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences. University of Miami.

Tuesday in Buenos Aires, breathing was difficult because of the intense heat. In the north of the United States, the same thing happens, but because of the cold. The temperatures are so low that water freezes before touching the ground. This was shown by an Argentinean living in Chicago, who sent a video to TN and La Gente, where you can see something unusual: the man throws warm water in the air and, in less than a second, turns into ice.

Another one of the videos that had a big impact is a bubble freezing in 20 seconds. Tuesday in Buenos Aires, the water took a few minutes to evaporate under the effect of heat. Extreme differences.