North Dakota will be colder than the North Pole tonight – here's why

The polar vortex returned to the United States, bringing "historical" shivers and cold wind into an area covering much of the Upper Midwest and Dakota. Temperatures near minus 30 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 34 degrees Celsius) are possible in the Twin Cities region today (January 29) and tomorrow (January 30), according to the National Weather Service. This is comparable to the winter conditions at the North Pole and a little warmer than current forecasts at the South Pole, where temperatures of about minus 20 F (minus 29 C) are expected for the next few days.

Neighboring cities like Chicago are not much better off, with temperatures below minus 20 degrees Celsius expected on Jan. 30. And Grand Forks, North Dakota, can reach a temperature of minus 30 degrees Celsius (night). This is close to the point where metric and imperial temperature scales converge and fall below expected temperatures at the North Pole. [In Images: Tracking a Retreating Glacier]

So what's going on?

"I'm sure everyone knows the polar vortex," said Tyler Hasenstein, a weather forecaster at the National Weather Service's forecast office in the Twin Cities region of Minnesota.

The maximum temperatures recorded today in Canada and the US Upper Midwest have not reached Mars. pic.twitter.com/Zg0REwm8PI

– Weather Mars (@MarsWxReport) January 28, 2019

Hasenstein refers to the body of supracellular air that, under normal circumstances, remains locked in the Arctic, constantly turning around the North Pole.

But last weekend, a low-pressure storm system that crossed the Great Lakes region opened the vortex lane to escape to the south, Hasenstein told Live Science. And the icy air will be blocked for the next few days thanks to the "very powerful high pressure system" located to the north and west of the Arctic air mbad, he said.

The particularly intense cold in a vast area around Minneapolis is tied to the particular shape of the jet stream right now, says Hasenstein, who provides even more cold air in this area. Worse still, the high-pressure mbad interacts with the Arctic air to produce strong winds that further exacerbate the already extremely low temperatures for people outside, he said.

Shivers as low as minus 60 F (minus 51 C) have already been reported in North Dakota, according to the local NWS.

Broken the -60F chill barrier at Grand Forks Airport. -25F actual temperature with -61F wind chill and a burst at 44 mph #NDWX #MNWX #ArcticOutbreak

– NWS Grand Forks (@NWSGrandForks) January 29, 2019

Being outdoors on a day of minus 30 F with an additional wind chill factor of minus 30F is not quite the same as being out of real time by minus 60 F, Hasenstein noted. But it's pretty similar and extremely dangerous because the wind removes the natural insulating heat layer on the outside of the human body.

"For frostbite, if you're out at 25 ° C with no wind, you can get frostbite in about 5 to 10 minutes, probably closer to the end of 5 minutes," he said. "But if you're at minus 25 degrees with 25 degrees of extra wind chill, you can expect frostbite in less than 5 minutes."

Hasenstein also said that people should know that their cars that were not functioning normally could break down by this time.

"It can be quite dangerous for vehicles that have stayed at home," he said. "Especially if they are not properly maintained or they are about to undergo their next oil change or something like that."

Engines can fail, tire pressure can drop and other problems can occur and leave drivers stuck in extreme cold.

"The most important thing for people to know is that if you absolutely have to be outside, keep it as short as possible and try not to have exposed skin." And that includes especially the nose and ears, as well as the extremities, [such as] your fingers and toes, "he said.

As scientist Michael Mann had already written in an editorial for Live Science, more and more evidence suggests that such events will multiply, as climate change makes the jet stream more wandering.

Originally published on Science live.