Extreme Weather Is Already Breaking Records Around the World in 2019

Temperatures dipped to -38 degrees in Minnesota as Australia battled a heat wave that topped 115 degrees.

In just a few weeks’ time, extreme temperatures have smashed records around the world this year, with parts of the Midwestern U.S. seeing the mercury drop as low as minus 38 degrees Fahrenheit as Australia endures triple-digit high temperatures, reigniting concerns about a changing planet.

At Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, temperatures dipped to minus 23 degrees on Wednesday morning, breaking that day’s previous record low of minus 15, set in 1966.  The lowest wind chill recorded Wednesday in Chicago was 52 degrees below zero, according to the National Weather Service.

Thursday’s forecast is not expected to be any better, with meteorologists forecasting a low of 27 degrees below zero, which would match the Chicago’s all-time record low.

The arctic blast has canceled hundreds of flights, closed major Chicago attractions and schools, and triggered states of emergencies by governors in Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan.  The U.S. Postal Service also suspended mail service on Wednesday for parts or all of several Midwestern states, including North and South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Illinois.

Parts of Minnesota woke to some of the country’s coldest temperatures, with minus 38 degrees recorded in Melrose, Minnesota, on Wednesday morning.  The nation’s coldest wind chill factor, minus 70, was reported in Ely, Minnesota.

The National Weather Service office near Minneapolis and St. Paul has urged residents to stay indoors if at all possible.

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