Here in the American Midwest we are in the middle of a polar vortex which has brought freezing temperatures. It is currently colder where I live than in Antarctica. At the time I am writing this post the actual temperature is -21 degrees with a wind chill factor of -54 degrees.
Last night I woke up three times in the middle of the night hearing loud thuds outside. I got up to look out the windows to see what was happening outside or to see if the windows cracked but saw nothing. This morning the TV weatherman explained that we were all hearing frost quakes which is a seismic event.
Here is how a frost quake occurs. While water naturally freezes underground, when the weather is in a deep freeze the water goes deeper underground. This forces the soil upward which releases kinetic energy. The release of the energy makes a loud sound that is called a frost quake.
Here is a photo of a frost quake in nearby Milwaukee, WI showing that it's much more than a loud sound. This is scary.
I guess if you lived in Antarctica this would be common knowledge for you. Now it's common knowledge for those of us in the Chicagoland area. The quakes are still occurring this morning. It is going to get a little warmer today and by that I mean -13 but I don't know at what temperatures the quakes stop. We had a -17 degree day 2 years ago and we didn't have frost quakes then.
With three polar vortexes now under my belt I should be accustomed to their challenges. No one ever said anything before about a frost quake. Now I am worried about the ground opening up near my highrise apartment. We have never seen the train tracks set on fire before either.
The steel tracks get pulled apart into pieces during extreme cold and after being set on fire they can be molded back into one piece that the trains can run on tomorrow. I don't really trust those train tracks. They just don't seem safe.
Polar Vortex 2019 has been the toughest and it's not over yet.
Last night I woke up three times in the middle of the night hearing loud thuds outside. I got up to look out the windows to see what was happening outside or to see if the windows cracked but saw nothing. This morning the TV weatherman explained that we were all hearing frost quakes which is a seismic event.
Here is how a frost quake occurs. While water naturally freezes underground, when the weather is in a deep freeze the water goes deeper underground. This forces the soil upward which releases kinetic energy. The release of the energy makes a loud sound that is called a frost quake.
Here is a photo of a frost quake in nearby Milwaukee, WI showing that it's much more than a loud sound. This is scary.
I guess if you lived in Antarctica this would be common knowledge for you. Now it's common knowledge for those of us in the Chicagoland area. The quakes are still occurring this morning. It is going to get a little warmer today and by that I mean -13 but I don't know at what temperatures the quakes stop. We had a -17 degree day 2 years ago and we didn't have frost quakes then.
With three polar vortexes now under my belt I should be accustomed to their challenges. No one ever said anything before about a frost quake. Now I am worried about the ground opening up near my highrise apartment. We have never seen the train tracks set on fire before either.
Polar Vortex 2019 has been the toughest and it's not over yet.
