A severe Arctic blast brought record low temperatures, causing life-threatening conditions, to the northeastern United States and Canada over the weekend.
Temperatures dropped to 10 to 30 degrees below average, with wind chills reaching up to -108 degrees Fahrenheit on Mount Washington in New Hampshire, breaking the previous record of -102.7 degrees recorded in the US. The cold weather, described by the National Weather Service as a once-in-a-generation event, prompted emergency orders and warnings in multiple states, advising people to remain indoors.
The Independent reported the wind chill on Mount Washington was -108 degrees Fahrenheit, while The Al Jazeera and Gulf News said it was -78 and -108 degrees Celsius, respectively.
The Gulf News mentioned the temperature dropped to -43 Celsius with winds gusting over 177 kilometers per hour, while The Independent noted wind chills on Saturday dropped to -50 Fahrenheit in many areas.
The Al Jazeera also provided an explanation for the cold weather, stating that frigid air collected over the snow-covered ground in the Arctic and was pushed down into Canada and the US by the jet stream.
The Guardian highlighted how millions of people were under wind chill warnings, and cities and states issued emergency warnings.
In Boston, the mayor declared a cold emergency.
The National Weather Service warned that wind gusts could potentially reach up to 40-55mph, while temperatures would remain dangerously low throughout the weekend.
The cold weather has caused at least one death, with high winds blamed for the death of an infant in Massachusetts.