The weakest wind chill ever recorded in the United States

The weakest wind chill measured so far with the current calculation method (which was introduced in 2001) in the United States was also on Mount Washington. In 2004, a wind chill temperature of -74.8 degrees Celsius was measured there.

Lowest wind chill in the Netherlands

For comparison: in the Netherlands, the weakest wind chill of this millennium was measured in Lelystad. There was the wind chill on February 7, 2012 according to the KNMI -28.6 degrees Celsius.

“Visible temperatures measured on Mount Washington are life-threatening,” says meteorologist Leander de Wit of Buienradar. “Without protection, you may see your limbs freeze in seconds, and after a few minutes they may start to die.”

This video from NWS Cleveland shows just how intense the weather on Mount Washington was yesterday:

Mount Washington, almost 2000 meters high, is known for its extreme weather conditions, but it has also become terribly cold in lower areas. In Boston, the temperature dropped to -23 degrees, the lowest temperature recorded in the city since 1957, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). The wind chill there was below -34 degrees. In New York, the mercury fell to -16 degrees.

Frost Quakes

So-called earthquakes have been reported in the state of Maine. They are created when water in the ground freezes and cracks the rock. This leads to a deep rumble and sometimes even shocks like an earthquake.

The NWS warns that the cold will continue today. After that, temperatures will rise rapidly, up to around 6 degrees tomorrow.