Photo of the Day

I had to miss work today as my car wouldn't start due to the extreme cold currently being experienced throughout the Midwest.

In some areas last night, wind-chill temperatures plummeted to 58 below zero. That's colder than Antarctica!

According to the Star Tribune, the official air temperature this morning was 28 below, a couple of degrees short of the record for this date, 30 below in 1887.

Not surprising, then, that starting my (un-garaged) car this morning was a no-go. I even tried jump-starting it, but to no avail. And even if I had managed to get it started, I still would not have been able to drive it as the gear shift is locked frozen. A colleague has kindly offered to pick me up and take me to work tomorrow, and hopefully by tomorrow afternoon or Friday my car will have thawed out enough to start.

I feel bad for the homeless and those living in substandard housing, and hope that all my find shelter and warmth tonight.


Related Off-site Links:
"Off the Chart": Deep Freeze Grips Minnesota – MPR News Staff (MPR News, January 30, 2019).
Extreme Cold Paralyzes Midwest – The Weather Channel (January 30, 2019).
Four Midwesterners and Zebra Die Amid Cold Snap – Associated Press via MPR News (January 30, 2019).
Zebra Dies in Carroll County After Being Left Out in the Cold – Fox59.com (January 30,2019).
Polar Vortex Triggering Coldest Arctic Outbreak in at Least Two Decades in Parts of the Midwest – Weather.com (January 30, 2019).
77 Below Zero? Polar Vortex Yields Deadly Cold as Thousands Endure Power Cuts and Travel Issues Mount in Midwest – Brian Lada and Amanda Schmidt (AccuWeather.com, January 30, 2019).
Deep Freeze Still On, But Signs of Life Emerging – Paul Walsh and Mary Lynn Smith (Star Tribune, January 30, 2019).
If the Earth Is Warming, Why Is It So Cold Outside? – The New York Times (January 29, 2019).
Why the Midwest’s Deep Freeze May Be a Consequence of Climate Change – PBS Newshour (January 30, 2019).

UPDATES: Polar Vortex Death Toll Rises as Arctic Blast Keeps the Midwest in a Deep Freeze – Katie Mettler, Amy Wang, Angela Fritz, Alex Horton, and Cleve Wootson (The Washington Post via MSN News, January 30, 2019).
National Media's Polar Vortex Coverage Neglects Minnesota – Adam Uren (Bring Me the News, January 31, 2019).
Winter Storm Jayden, the Polar Vortex, and Climate Change: 3 Factors That Matter – Brenda Ekwurzel (Common Dreams, January 31, 2019).
Meet the Chicago Woman Who Rented Hotel Rooms for the Homeless During Deep Freeze – Doug Delony (WUSA9.com, February 1, 2019).


See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
• Winter . . . Within and Beyond
• Winter of Content
• In Wintry Minnesota, An Australian Afternoon Tea
• Winter Storm
• Photo of the Day – January 26, 2017
• Photo of the Day – January 6, 2015
• Photo of the Day – December 10, 2013
• Photo of the Day – February 1, 2013

Image: Michael J. Bayly.