Baby, it’s cold outside.
Very cold.
The Icebox of the Nation is living up to its name again this week as arctic air continues to blast Borderland and the rest of the state.
The second day of the new year greeted International Falls residents Thursday with a bitter, record-breaking temperature of 42 degrees below zero. Officials of area schools canceled classes for the day giving students and staff a bonus day of winter vacation.
Kevin Huyck, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Duluth, said while a brief break from subzero temperatures is predicted to move through the area this weekend, the freeze will be back on Sunday – and temps could get colder.
“The end of January and early part of February is typically the coldest part of the year,” he said.
The weather service tweeted Thursday: “One of the coldest days since 1996 is expected on Monday.”
That’s coming after the second coldest December on record in the Falls.
The NWS reported December 2013’s average temperature of -4.1 degrees locked it in as the second coldest on record behind the coldest in 1983 with an average temperature of -4.3 degrees. In addition, a record of eight days with a temperature of less than -30 degrees was recorded at the Falls International Airport during December, breaking the old record of seven days. The coldest temperature was 37 degrees below zero on the morning of the Dec. 30, and the high temperature for the month was just three days earlier on Dec. 27 with 34 degrees.
Huyck said the snowstorm that dropped more than 16 inches of snow on the ground in the early part of December has acted as an insulating blanket for the ground, preventing any warm air from escaping.
“A prerequisite for cold like this is an abundance of snow cover,” he said. “Ever since that snowstorm, there has been a northwesterly flow of this cold air.”
But, he encouraged residents to hang in there.
“Warmer air will get here,” he said. “We just need to be extremely patient.”
Winter effects
With little activity going on outdoors during the cold snap, the moods of many could be impacted by the weather.
Feeling the winter blues in Borderland during a severe winter is a normal reaction to short days and cold temperatures.
According to local psychiatrist Jeff Hardwig, seasonal affective disorder, known as SAD, is a recurring mood disorder that comes and goes on a seasonal basis.
“The condition occurs more in northern latitudes where winters are darker,” he said.
Typically, SAD affects people with a family history of mood disorders. It becomes clear a person is suffering from SAD, he said, when depression repeatedly hits a person in the fall or winter and clears up in the spring and summer.
“A standard psychiatric textbook estimates the prevalence of SAD among the general public is between 4-9 percent,” Hardwig said. “Women (are) affected four times as often as men. Many people experience a drop in their mood in the winter which does not reach clinical proportions.”
All SAD cases are depression or bipolar disorder, but, the reverse is not true, Hardwig said. Not all depression or bipolar disorder recurs on a seasonal basis.
A specific treatment for SAD, he said, is phototherapy.
“White light, like that from a fluorescent light of sufficient tensity indirectly in the eyes can clear up depression withing days to a couple weeks,” he said. “The same result can be obtained by taking a stroll outdoors in the brightest part of the day. Even on a somewhat overcast day, there is a lot of light coming off the snow in the winter and it can help. Dress warmly and get out there.”
On that note, Hardwig echoed Huyck’s comments and encourages people to stay hopeful.
“Days will become longer, the leaves will return and the birds will someday sing again,” he said. “Color will return to our world, so, keeping this in mind can help us look forward to better days.”
