How bad does the weather have to be to stop the Post Office’s deliveries? This bad. The polar vortex that shifted cold air over much of the northern US brought temperatures and wind chills so low that frostbite can form within five minutes or less of exposure. Just as the federal government shutdown comes to an end, everything up here is shutting down, including postal deliveries and pickups in ten different states — including right here in Minnesota.

It’s big news in Chicago, too:

Mail delivery has been suspended in parts of Minnesota, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska and Iowa. “Due to the extreme weather conditions caused by Winter Storm Jaden, we have temporarily suspended delivery service in certain locations to ensure the safety and well-being of our employees,” the U.S. Postal Service said in a Facebook post Tuesday night. In Chicago — where about 80,000 homeless people are facing life-threatening conditions — temperatures plunged to -22° F on Wednesday morning with a wind chills as low as -44° F. Some parts of Minnesota are expected to see temperatures as low as -40° F.

The local CBS affiliate provided this cheery weather report in the Twin Cities this morning. As I wrote this post, the outside temperature at my house had warmed up to -27 F.

Minnesotans endured Wednesday the coldest morning seen in decades, as a deep freeze settled over the state, with temperatures in the Twin Cities dipping to 30 below zero with wind chills as frigid as negative 50. The entire state, along with most of the Upper Midwest, is under a wind chill warning, according to the National Weather Service. With wind chills dipping down to 60 below in parts of Minnesota, frostbite can set in on expose skin in just minutes.

Spoiler alert: Yes, we did finally cross the -30 threshold for air temperature. The windchill in Ely hit -70, nearly another record. Our high today, with windchill, is projected to be -36 here in the Twin Cities. The high temperature.

My pal and hardy Minnesotan John Hinderaker wonders what happened to all the other hardy Midwesterners. I think his tongue is planted in his frost-bitten cheek, but he claims to be at work today at the offices of the Center of the American Experiment, so … maybe not. He also wonders how the climate-change alarmists plan to explain this phenomenon, especially after the Star Tribune ran this gem two weeks ago:

Sure, it’s going to be cold: the current forecast calls for a high temperature tomorrow of 17 below zero, and a low of 33 below. We are in the midst of a three-day stretch in which the temperature never gets to zero. Fahrenheit. And that is in the Minneapolis suburbs. So it is remarkable that just 13 days ago, the Minneapolis Star Tribune assured us that cold temperatures are a thing of the past, even in northern Minnesota: “We just don’t expect temperatures to be below 10 degrees Fahrenheit in Duluth anymore,” [Tracy] Twine said. Heh. Great prediction. Ms Twine is an “expert” on climate who testified before the Minnesota House Energy and Climate Committee on January 15. I ripped her testimony, which as usual was based entirely on models that are known to be wrong, here. Ms. Twine assured lawmakers that declining snowfalls in northern Minnesota are due to man-made global warming. Only she forgot to check the weather records: snowfall in northern Minnesota is increasing, not decreasing. And of course, those who said we would no longer be seeing cold weather in Duluth–150 miles north of the Twin Cities!–failed to foresee the current epic cold snap, which was just days away. Nevertheless, their models, which are programmed to produce politically-desired results, tell us with great confidence what the weather will be like in 100 years. Right. Fortunately, not many people are still buying the global warming scam.

Maybe Twine should have scheduled her testimony for June rather than January, eh? They have to be laughing in Duluth today over that prediction. They’re laughing indoors, however, because it’s -25 outside, with a wind chill of -50. The high today will get to a balmy -12, though. Perhaps Twine will take the opportunity for some strolling through Duluth’s downtown area, which she should have all to herself.

I’m at my office today, too. It’s located five steps away from my bedroom, and ten steps away from my kitchen. It’s a lovely 72 degrees Fahrenheit, a temperature from which I have no desire to deviate. Let the mail deliverers stay home — I’m sure as heck not going out to the mailbox, and don’t know why anyone else would want to go out there either. Not without a serious influx of global warming, at least.

Finally … who thought this was a good idea?

ATTENTION: Due to the EXTREME COLD weather, all criminal activity and acts of stupidity and foolishness has been… Posted by McLean Police Department on Tuesday, January 29, 2019

Let her go! An Illinois police department has placed Elsa — the Queen of Arendell from the Disney movie “Frozen” — under arrest Tuesday for bringing frigid cold temperatures to the Midwest. For the first time in forever, Elsa is being punished for her crimes. The McLean Police Department shared the arrest on its Facebook page, writing: “Due to the EXTREME COLD weather, all criminal activity and acts of stupidity and foolishness has been cancelled … Even Elsa has been placed under arrest with NO BOND until further notice.” An officer even used pink handcuffs.

In retrospect, nobody was really sure why Operation: Make Children Cry got greenlit. https://t.co/9beFduj9P4 — Julian Sanchez (@normative) January 30, 2019

I guess it’s better than arresting everyone else for offending Gaia. Marginally.