How Dangerous Winter Weather Brought Out the Best in People During the Polar Vortex of 2019

In 2019, extreme winter weather hit the Midwest like the fury of Frozen’s Elsa. If Elsa had had a complete mental breakdown and was also a psychopath. The Midwest polar vortex dropped temperatures across states well below zero and sent people indoors for days upon days. But it wasn’t all bad.

Because sometimes, the best in humanity comes out under the worst circumstances…

The Polar Vortex

Although the name itself sounds intimidating, a “polar vortex” isn’t actually anything out of the ordinary. It’s a mass of cold, low-pressure air that circulates over the Arctic. And it’s there all the time.

Once in a While

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Some winters, the vortex, which generally stays above the North Pole, weakens, forcing the air to dip down into the United States. The result is a stretch of frigid temperatures that hits the Midwest and, sometimes, the East Coast.

Not Uncommon

Before 2019, the last polar vortex to hit the Midwest happened in 2014, when temperatures dipped down in states like Minnesota to minus 37 degrees.

In 2019, however, temperatures hit their lowest in decades, with areas in Wisconsin hitting minus 43 degrees, beating records dating back to 1903.

The Kindness of Strangers

While freezing temperatures forced many to retreat into their homes, it also managed to bring out the best in others. And the acts of good samaritans throughout the Midwest in the winter of 2019 were nothing short of astounding.