Parts of the US Are Colder Than Antarctica Amid ‘Polar Vortex’

Chicago's El trains move along snow-covered tracks in Chicago, on Jan. 28, 2019. Kiichiro Sato/AP Photo

Temperatures as low as minus 30 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 34 degrees Celsius) were recorded in Wisconsin on Wednesday morning as part of the “polar vortex” deep freeze affecting much of the Midwest.

Only one temperature station in Antarctica recorded a temperature lower than minus 30 degrees Fahrenheit, according to AccuWeather.

At the same time, La Crosse, Wisconsin, had temperatures of minus 30 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 34 degrees Celsius) at 5.20 a.m. on Wednesday, said the National Weather Service.

“We have officially hit -30 here at the NWS La Crosse office as of 520 a.m. The wind chill is -54. Be sure to dress appropriately if you’re heading out for the day,” said the NWS La Crosse office on Twitter.

It added that it’s possibly the all-time coldest record for the office.

“Official records for the office go back to Jan. 1, 2000. The office opened in 1996, so it’s possible it may have been colder at some point. -25 had been the coldest on Jan. 6, 2014 & Jan. 29, 2019,” it tweeted.

Temperatures in Chicago, meanwhile, hit to about 22 degrees below zero in the morning, said weather forecasters.