This cold is extraterrestrial.
Mount Washington in New Hampshire felt more like Mars than planet Earth on Friday when wind chills dropped below minus 110 degrees, a new record for the worst wind chill ever measured in the United States.
The Mount Washington observatory reported that air temperatures dropped to minus 46 degrees and wind speeds averaged over 100 miles per hour with gusts over 125 miles per hour on Friday as the arctic air mass wreaked havoc.
On top of the mountain, visibility was less than one-sixteenth of a mile, or approximately 100 yards.
NASA reports that surface temperatures on Mars this week ranged from a high of 16 degrees to a low of -105 degrees. According to the space agency, temperatures on the red planet can range from minus 225 degrees to seventy degrees.
Friday afternoon footage captured from the observatory atop Mount Washington shows violent winds churning up snow in a landscape reminiscent to the Star Wars planet Hoth.
In 1934, the observatory reported the coldest air temperature ever recorded: -47 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.
The observatory is staffed 365 days a year, although employees have cautioned others of the hazardous conditions.
Mount Washington weather watcher Alexis George wrote, “I want to emphasize how dangerous this cold is.” “The risk of hypothermia and frostbite will increase exponentially in these brutally cold conditions.”
“These arctic temperatures will quickly sap your body heat, and frostbite could develop on exposed skin in less than a minute,” she continued. “Even minor errors can be fatal, as a simple slip or fogged eyewear can result in a potentially life-threatening situation. In this type of weather, it will be difficult for rescue services to respond effectively to any emergency.”
Even when they were hunkered down inside, the wind gusts created hazardous conditions for the weather observers.
Francis Tarasiewicz informed WGME that today’s 127 mph wind gust caused the door’s metal latch to break, resulting in the door swinging open. It took around three people to prop themselves up against it, and someone from the state park assisted in resecuring the door.
Tarasiewcz told NECN, “Half of me loves what is happening right now, while the other half is quite terrified, especially when the door fails.”
According to reports, Nimbus the cat, who lives in the observatory with the staff, was cozy and unfazed by the deadly storm, although being a touch irritable from taking flea medicine.
Tarasiewciz stated, “He is actually sleeping through the majority of this event.”
Mount Washington is at an elevation of 6,288 feet above sea level and is noted for its erratic weather, high winds, and deep snow. The average wind speed there in February, according to the observatory, is 45 miles per hour.
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