This Video Showing How Eggs Freeze In Minnesota During The Polar Vortex Is Totally Mesmerizing
Just how cold did it get during last week's polar vortex?
If you answered "Cold enough to freeze an egg," then you are correct.
The YouTube user behind the channel Minnesota Cold––which is about exactly what it sounds like––decided to show his audience what happens when you crack an egg in temperatures colder than a witch's tit.
"It is -27 degrees Fahrenheit today, and I'm going to show you what happens with eggs at that temperature," he says before doing just that.
You know how it can get so hot in Arizona that you can fry an egg on the sidewalk?
Fry an Egg on the Sidewalk! June 2016 Gilbert AZwww.youtube.com
Now imagine that in reverse. It's something to behold:
Freezing Eggs in Minnesota - Minnesota Cold (Part 24)www.youtube.com
That's... crazy. And pretty cool (no pun intended). And also somewhat scary to look at. (Freezing to death––or even just being cold?––is not my idea of a good time.)
Others thought so, too.
Some suggested the frozen egg looked like a piece of modern art and to be honest... we totally get it.
We'll pass, though.
According to the National Weather Service Twin Cities Twitter account, temperatures of 30 degrees below zero are "not very" common (parts of Minnesota fell to between 50 and 65 degrees below zero last Tuesday).
So how common is it to get an air temperature of -30 or colder? Not very, especially since the 1980s! Here are gr… https://t.co/4xXip7jru9— NWS Twin Cities (@NWS Twin Cities) 1548799516.0
Better poor Humpty than us, right?
Anonymous Good Samaritan Pays To Put 70 Of Chicago's Homeless Population Up In A Hotel During Extreme Cold
In the United States' Midwest, a massive polar vortex has plunged the temperatures into record cold. It's so bad, the high in Chicago yesterday was still in the negative double digits.
With such unbridled cold, the homeless population in these cities is in grave danger. Luckily an anonymous donor has paid for hotel rooms for some.
A group of about 70 people had been using donated propane tanks to keep warm. With the windchill bringing the temperature even lower, some way of maintaining heat was sorely needed.
The Polar Vortex is making things really bad out there.
I take back what I said about being jealous of the winter blast. I’d love to have some snow, but I don’t want anyon… https://t.co/R9LqIjROBc— elizabeth sanders lafleur (@elizabeth sanders lafleur) 1548845605.0
I'm crying as I read. We can do better! ‘I’m Cold and I’m Afraid’: Across Midwest, Homeless Await Deep Freeze https://t.co/OoWJkU2iQE— Mary Cahalane (@Mary Cahalane) 1548814344.0
No one should be in this kind of danger in America. Citizens will freeze to death outside. It's easy to understand… https://t.co/I5PeVslJQe— (((B.L. Ochman))) (@(((B.L. Ochman)))) 1548874682.0
People are dying, from weather. And poverty. But also, extreme weather. https://t.co/mtaCIrHqWB— Annie Heckenberger (@Annie Heckenberger) 1548853453.0
However, one of the propane tanks the group was using to keep warm exploded Wednesday afternoon. No one was injured, but when police and fire got to the camp, they found about 100 more donated propane tanks.
Walter Schroeder, the Chicago Fire Department Chief said,
"When we got there, the fire was extinguished and they found all these propane cylinders. That's when we escalated it to a Level I Hazmat."
With the danger they felt all the propane tanks together could pose, they confiscated them, leaving little the group could do to stay warm. The Salvation Army started making plans to try and transport the group to a warming center.
About an hour into planning, the city contacted the Salvation Army. An anonymous good Samaritan had offered to pay for a hotel for the rest of the week for the group.
They can rest a little easier for at least a few days.
@chicagotribune God bless the kind and compassionate person that helped those people. So much love for that person omg!💕💞— Megan kelly🌹 (@Megan kelly🌹) 1548964493.0
@chicagotribune https://t.co/hiY95OXiSd— LaTonya Bloodsaw⛄❄ (@LaTonya Bloodsaw⛄❄) 1548960212.0
So much THIS! Be the change you hope to see in the world. LOVE. https://t.co/L60DLyQUHb— Ricky Gunn (@Ricky Gunn) 1548979667.0
Take note of this story about a generous anonymous donor who paid for hotel rooms for homeless residents of Chicago… https://t.co/OXOhxNyafE— Judy Olian (@Judy Olian) 1548988568.0
This was unprecedented. While these cities frequently experience intense cold—enough that several hundred people die from hypothermia every year—this polar vortex has been so much worse.
People have taken to social media to demonstrate the effect of the polar vortex in fun ways, such as throwing boiling water in the air and watching it come down as snow or watching eggs freeze. However, this belies the severity for those without shelter. In only a few minutes, exposed skin can suffer severe frostbite in this weather.
And without better and permanent solutions, things will go back to bad for our homeless population.
@joyouswarrior @chicagotribune @HowardSchultz— Katrina (@Katrina) 1548978779.0
@wideopeninc @chicagotribune Because politicians are all the same. If it doesnt fit their specific agenda they don't care— Stanley_Capitals (@Stanley_Capitals) 1548955173.0
@chicagotribune #TaxTheRich and put it into #affordablehousing for all. Charity is nice but it is inconsistent. H… https://t.co/a3AFphPEvp— Seattle Lorax-Trees+Density+Transit =healthyEarth (@Seattle Lorax-Trees+Density+Transit =healthyEarth) 1548962193.0
@chicagotribune Not a feel good story. It's an American failure— Prince Jellyfist (@Prince Jellyfist) 1548993091.0
@skyemat @chicagotribune Churches don’t pay tax, it would be a real opportunity to pay it forward by helping out in emergencies like this.— bc (@bc) 1548991580.0
At the same time I'm tweeting about the homeless encampment in Chicago that had an explosion due to propane tanks r… https://t.co/HgPfTfIIpB— Tracey Ryniec (@Tracey Ryniec) 1548969997.0
It's great that someone was able to help this group have warm shelter for a few days, and other cities, such as New York, are putting their resources into protecting their citizens as well. Buses have been enlisted as mobile warming centers, and the city has temporarily increased capacity for shelters.
However, it's what happens afterwards that is worrisome.
Douglas Schenkelberg, executive director of the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless had this to say,
"We'll have this really bad weather through Thursday and then it will warm up some, and the scaled-up capacity will disappear, and you'll see people back on the streets, and those people need housing.
"That sense of urgency completely disappears when the crisis goes away."