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It Is So Cold In The Midwest That Boiling Water Is Immediately Turning To Icy Vapour

The polar vortex has prompted a flurry of fun videos on Twitter featuring the cool trick.

Midwesterners may be stuck inside this week, but if Twitter is any indication, some are finding ways to have an (Arctic) blast.

On Wednesday, a few videos popped up on the social media platform that feature people venturing outside (or to their front doors) and throwing pots, pans and cups of boiling water into the frigid, below-zero air. In every video, the boiling water immediately turns into an icy vapor.

“This is what people in Minnesota do,” a woman says in one of the videos.

If you try this trick, however, do it with caution. The LA Times reports that at least 50 people on social media reported burning themselves or their friends while attempting the stunt this week.

Although the trick looks pretty cool, the situation in the Midwest is anything but. The brutal weather is downright dangerous.

According to CNN, Chicago will be colder than some parts of Antarctica this week thanks to the polar vortex, which has caused temperatures to plunge far below zero. Chunks of ice have formed in the Chicago River, and train tracks in the city have been set ablaze while transit workers try to keep the steel from freezing.

Ten states will not receive mail on Wednesday; schools and businesses have closed; thousands of people are losing power; and the National Weather service in Des Moines told residents to “avoid taking deep breaths” and “minimize talking” to protect their lungs, per CBS Chicago.

“This could possibly be history-making,” Ricky Castro, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Romeoville, Illinois, told Reuters.

So, stay inside this week, Midwesterners (and East Coasters). And stay safe.

This story has been updated to include a warning about the possibility of injury from throwing hot water in the air.

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