2014 is off to a frigid start, as the recent Polar Vortex has brought some of the coldest temperatures on record. On January 7th, the temperature in New York’s Central Park was 4 degrees Fahrenheit, beating a record for the date that had stood for 118 years. That’s actually warmer than the coldest day ever in Central Park, which was February 9, 1934, when the temperature was minus 15 Fahrenheit –almost 50 degrees below the freezing point of water, 32 degrees Fahrenheit. It was even colder than that this past week in the Midwest. Chicago set a January 6th record with a temperature of minus 16 Fahrenheit and Fargo, North Dakota was minus 24. But it could be worse. On January 6th, 1887 the temperature in Fargo was minus 43 Fahrenheit – the city's standing record for the date. And that’s still warmer than the coldest temperature ever in North Dakota, which hit minus 60 Fahrenheit in the town of Parhsall on February 15, 1936. The coldest temperature in U.S. history, minus 80 Fahrenheit, was recorded on January 23, 1971 in Prospect Creek, Alaska. Driving a car can be dangerous at that temperature, as the steering wheel and brakes could literally freeze up. But the day with the coldest officially recorded temperature in the world was July 21, 1983. In Antarctica that day, the temperature reached minus 128.6 degrees Fahrenheit. At that temperature, it hurts to breathe and the human lungs could freeze merely by inhaling the frigid air. When it’s winter in Antarctica, though, it’s summer in North America. The average high temperature in New York City in July is around 83 degrees – a whole 79 degrees warmer than it was this past January 7th.
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