How one US city tracked a lower temperature than the coldest place on Earth
Mt. Washington, the tallest peak in the Northeast, made this chilly mark on history due to a polar vortex, a persistent area of arctic air that is usually contained around the polar region.
Mt. Washington, NH records coldest U.S. wind chill ever at 108 degrees below zero
Meteorologist Francis Tarasiewicz described the conditions in Mount Washington as they set a national wind chill record of 108 degrees below zero on Saturday.
On Saturday, the coldest city on the planet, Oymyakon in eastern Russia, had nothing on tiny-but-mighty New Hampshire.
The Granite State experienced incredibly cold conditions on Mt. Washington, where the U.S. wind chill record was broken at -108 degrees. The previous record was held by Howard Pass, Alaska, and measured at -105 degrees.
Wind speed, along with record lows and wind chill temperature at Mt. Washington, New Hampshire on February 4, 2023. (FOX Forecast Center / FOX Weather)
Mt. Washington, the tallest peak in the Northeast, made this chilly mark on history due to a polar vortex, a persistent area of arctic air that is usually contained around the polar region.
POLAR VORTEX INVADES NORTHEAST WITH COLDEST AIR IN OVER 5 YEARS, BITTER WIND CHILLS
A portion of this polar vortex dipped down into the U.S. on Saturday and caused temperatures for many Americans to dip below zero – and break records.
As Mt. Washington broke the American wind chill record, it rivaled the wind chill of the coldest city on the planet that day.
Wind speed, along with lows and wind chill temperature in Oymayakon, Russian, on February 4, 2023. (FOX Forecast Center / FOX Weather)
Oymyakon, a Siberian settlement located in eastern Russia, had a relatively balmy wind chill of only -82 degrees on Saturday.
Wind speeds at Oymyakon clocked in at 5 mph, while wind speeds at Mt. Washington reached 90 mph at their peak, according to the FOX Forecast Center.
NEW HAMPSHIRE SETS COLDEST US WIND CHILL RECORD AT -108 DEGREES
Wind aside, Oymyakon did have Mt. Washington beat in terms of actual low temperatures. Mt. Washington registered lows of -47 degrees, while Oymyakon had lows of -62 degrees.