When the mercury drops, winter can bring us varying degrees of interesting facts. The temperature causes all kinds of unusual things to occur both close to home and in faraway places.
7.2°C: When we can begin to see our breath when we exhale. No, we aren’t fog breathing dragons, the cooler weather causes the water vapour in our breath to convert from a gas to tiny water droplets.
0°C: When our tongue will stick to a metal pole. The conductivity of the metal pole draws the heat from our tongue causing it to freeze to the pole.
-1°C: When Wood Frogs can freeze alive and still survive. Wood Frogs will freeze solid and can thaw without any damage to their internal systems. Frog-sickles anyone?
-23°C: When soap bubbles can freeze. The three layers of water in a soap bubble freeze at varying temperatures creating a soapy crystalline bubble.
-30°C: When boiling water either turns to snow when thrown in air or results in a trip to the emergency room with third-degree burns.
-50°C: The temperature at which outdoor livestock can be frozen to the ground they’re standing on. The cold temperature causes the bonds between the animal and the ground to adhere and freeze solid.
-97.8°C: The coldest temperature ever recorded on earth, recorded in 2018 in the depths of Antarctica. Brrrrr.
