freezing temperatures news stories on Newser

6 Dead as Snow, Big Chill Shut Down Midwest

Matt Cantor — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 05:53:53 CST

Temperatures have plummeted across the upper Midwest after a storm pounded the region with snow and strong winds this weekend, the AP reports. Six weather-related deaths were reported as the storm closed major highways in some states, canceled some 1,600 flights in Chicago, and collapsed the inflatable roof of...

Poland Deep Freeze Kills 30

Fri, 03 Dec 2010 08:49:05 CST

The death toll from a deep freeze in Poland has increased to 30 with a dozen more deaths occurring overnight, while some of the worst floods in a century devastated parts of the Balkans. Many of those who died in Poland are drunks or homeless people, and police canvassed the...

Artists, Hipsters Go Without Winter Heat

Harry Kimball — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 12:42:00 CST

Living with the heat off—if they even have heat—is a way of life for some Northerners who get through the winter on a combination of ingenuity and insulation. Their motives are often curious. Take the New York artist who appreciates the acoustics of his loft so much he...

1.6M Chinese in Deep Freeze

Rob Quinn — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 02:40:58 CST

Some of the worst winter weather ever recorded has left thousands of people homeless in northern China. Close to 1.6 million people have been affected by blizzards and record-low temperatures, AP reports. More than 100,000 homes have been destroyed or damaged in Xinjiang, and 100,000 head of...

Florida Oranges Freeze Solid

Nick McMaster — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 16:36:00 CST

Florida citrus growers stayed up last night spraying their crop with water, and taking other measures to prevent freezing, as arctic air threatened to inflict significant damage on the orange crop. Losses to the citrus crop may hit 10% as the state sees its worst freeze since 1989. "There'll be...

Why You Can't 'Freeze to Death'

Nick McMaster — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 18:08:55 CST

The phrase may be a common one, but it's not that easy to "freeze to death," explains LiveScience . In fact, it's a bit of a misnomer: Hypothermia will almost certainly get you before the body freezes. For the record, the body has two helpful reactions when the temperature drops: Blood...

Arctic Blasts Drop US Big Chill to -37

Mary Papenfuss — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 04:14:00 CST

A large chunk of the US was in the deep freeze yesterday, with temperatures plunging below freezing to as low as -37 in Minnesota's hapless International Falls, the town's coldest day since 1911. Temperatures dove from the Plains, Midwest and Northeast to Florida, giving citrus growers the shivers. Jacksonville was...

Cold Spell Sets Record Lows

Kevin Spak — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 14:41:06 CST

The cold spell sweeping across the nation has been breaking records everywhere from the Midwest to the Great Lakes to New England. “We basically have an anomalous high-pressure system that came out of Canada and brought some really cold air with it,” a National Weather Service meteorologist tells USA Today...

Snow, Cold Paralyze Europe

Jen Paton — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 02:56:02 CST

Blizzards and plunging temperatures have killed at least 19 people in Europe, and snarled air, rail, and road transportation, stranding thousands. At least 15 people froze to death in Poland, while others have died in car accidents caused by icy roads. Some 40% of flights out of Paris have been...