At least 12 people have died since Friday as a result of the cold wave that hits several regions of the United States.
However, the weather phenomenon that has affected more than 95 million people with temperatures of -35 and -50 degrees Celsius has also left incredible images of frozen lakes and unusual atmospheric effects.
According to the US National Weather Service, the Arctic cold wave is leaving dangerously cold temperatures in the central and eastern United States.
There are power outages, more than 2,000 flights canceled so far this week, and in areas like Michigan and other areas of the northwest the lakes have frozen; while in New Jersey the flooding that occurred last week has now turned into “ice rinks.”
The Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), a scientific instrument launched in Earth orbit by NASA in 1999, has captured impressive color images of frozen lakes in the United States, especially in the area between Wisconsin and Michigan, whose great lake appears smoking when frigid air temperatures hit relatively warmer water.
Lakes Monona, Pewaukee and Delavan froze completely between last Sunday and Monday. Others such as Mendota, Green and Geneva are so deep that they did not freeze completely, however, it is likely that they will finish freezing for the rest of the week.
According to experts, something unique is happening in the United States. Temperatures have already been below 0 ºC for more than a week and recently reached values of -25 ºC which are causing lakes to freeze.
Several people also play with the low temperatures, a mother and her daughter have innovated their hairstyles by showing off hair that defies gravity.
The New York stadium allowed fans of the American football teams to cool their beer in the stands, which were completely covered by snow.
“Snow tornadoes” have also been seen in ski areas: one such “Snownado” was seen at the Breckenridge ski resort in Colorado over the weekend.
According to the forecast, more snow is on the way.
