
President Trump has issued a comment on the arctic blast that's bringing negative temperatures to several states across the northern US - saying that maybe those states would actually benefit from global warming.

'In the East, it could be the COLDEST New Year's Eve on record,' he tweeted from Mar-a-Lago Thursday night, where it is currently a balmy 78 degrees Fahrenheit.

'Perhaps we could use a little bit of that good old Global Warming that our Country, but not other countries, was going to pay TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS to protect against. Bundle up!'

He was referring to his decision that the United States will pull out of the Paris Climate Accord, making America the only country in the world not to sign it. The Accord was designed to attempt to curb global greenhouse gas emissions and limit global warming to within two degrees Celsius. His administration also dropped climate change from the list of national security threats.

It is clear the president is trying to make a joke, by saying that because it is supposed to be so cold this winter global warming couldn't possibly be real.

However, climate scientists agree that extreme weather, such as record low temperatures, are caused by climate change, and that climate change is caused by the gradual warming of global temperatures.

Forecasters this weekend are warning those who want to step outdoors to bundle up in layers to protect against hypothermia and frostbite that could happen as a result of exposure to the bitter arctic. The chill has forced people indoors, stranded motorists with dead car batteries and complicated firefighting duties.

This month's cold wave caps a year that saw ferocious hurricanes, heat waves, floods and wildfires wreak global havoc.

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President Trump has issued a comment on the arctic blast that's bringing negative temperatures to several states across the northern US - saying that maybe those states would actually benefit from global warming. 'In the East, it could be the COLDEST New Year's Eve on record,' he Tweeted from Mar-a-Lago Thursday night, where it is currently a balmy 78 degrees Fahrenheit

Forecasters this weekend are warning those who want to step outdoors to bundle up in layers to protect against hypothermia and frostbite that could happen as a result of exposure to the bitter arctic

A young woman bundles up against the brutally cold temperatures as she walks in Times Square, Manhattan on Thursday. Trump wrote on Twitter that the record temperatures are a sign that global warming isn't real, a fact most climate scientists vehemently disagree with

An Ohio road was closed on Wednesday as temperatures dropped into the low single digits, bringing arctic wind chill and light snowfall in many parts of the state

The arctic blast that's bringing negative temperatures to several states across the northern U.S. is causing waterfalls to freeze, windows to crack and people to suffer life-threatening frostbite with just 30 minutes of exposure outside. Above the frozen Minnehaha Falls in Minneapolis, Minnesota are pictured on Thursday

The popular attraction has completely frozen over due to the super cold single-digit temperatures that have gripped the state over the past few days

The Minnehaha Creek flows from Lake Minnetonka, which is the biggest lake in the Twin Cities, to the Mississippi River. The falls are just a few miles from where the creek enters the Mississippi River

Bitter cold weather has taken hold of much of the northern United States and is expected to stay put for days to come into the New Year. A far-reaching arctic blast is going to make the temperatures drop even more

The cold weather is going to dominate for days into New Year's Eve as it is predicted to feel like negative 8 degrees in Chicago, negative five degrees in New York and a freezing negative 35 degrees in Bangor, Maine

Trump's tweet was quickly met with a barrage of responses - many with people calling him out on his misunderstanding of climate change and global warming.

'This shows that Trump has a fundamental misunderstanding of Global Warming. Read a book, Jeez!!,' Twitte ruser Brian Krassenstein wrote, before going into a simple explanation of global warming and climate change.

'You see Donald, Global warming causes EXTREME WEATHER. Record cold weather is EXEME (sic). therefore it is possible, if not likely that this week's record cold is related to global warming.

'It's an absolute embarrassment that we have you representing us to the world. They are Laughing. One of the main causes of record weather is GLOBAL WARMING!'

'The worst part is knowing he's insanely proud of this tweet and has probably sent it to multiple people,' Brandy Jensen wrote, commenting on Trump's joking tone.

And Media Matters for America reporter Simon Maloy noted that many scientists agree that global warming had an impact on the severity of Hurricane Irma, which ripped through his Mar-a-Lago estate earlier this year.

'The buoy that commemorates the spot where Mar-a-Lago used to be should be emblazoned with this tweet,' Maloy wrote.

The Washington Post's Capital Weather Gang had also tweeted earlier in the evening: 'US to be coldest region in world relative to normal over next week.'

'Please note rest of world will be much warmer than normal lest anyone try to claim pocket of cold in US debunks global warming, which they will invariably and irresponsibly do,' the weather reporters said.

Trump's tweet was quickly met with a barrage of responses - many with people calling him out on his misunderstanding of climate change and global warming

And Media Matters for America reporter Simon Maloy noted that many scientists agree that global warming had an impact on the severity of Hurricane Irma, which ripped through his Mar-a-Lago estate earlier this year

But, as always, there were a handful of Twitter users quick to praise the president's bombastic language and 'America First' policies.

'The Paris Climate Accord was a deal designed for other countries to rip the American tax payer off. Leaving was one of Trumps best decisions,' avid Donald fan account The Trump Train tweeted enthusiastically in response to the president.

'Thank you for standing up against the global hoax that is global warming... FAKE NEWS of the highest order!!,' Joey Mannarino responded, using one of Trump's signature phrases.

'People hang their hat on this fake science. I just got in from the cold and I would love some global warming mysef! Turn the heaters on, Al Gore!!! PLEASE! The science is simply NOT there!!! It's a liberal money making scheme.'

It's not clear what Mannarino means by this, or who is making the money in the alleged 'scheme.'

But, as always, there were a handful of Twitter users quick to praise the president's bombastic language and 'America First' policies

'Thank you for standing up against the global hoax that is global warming... FAKE NEWS of the highest order!!,' Joey Mannarino responded, using one of Trump's signature phrases

The icy cold weather has already turned the Minnehaha Falls in Minneapolis, Minnesota into a beautiful frozen wonderland. The popular attraction has completely frozen over due to the super cold single-digit temperatures that have gripped the state over the past few days.

The Minnehaha Creek flows from Lake Minnetonka, which is the biggest lake in the Twin Cities, to the Mississippi River. The falls are just a few miles from where the creek enters the Mississippi River.

The National Weather Service reported International Falls, Minnesota, the self-proclaimed Icebox of the Nation, plunged to 37 degrees below zero, breaking the old record of 32 below set in 1924.

Hibbing, Minnesota, bottomed out at 28 below, breaking the old record of 27 below set in 1964.

'Bitterly cold arctic air will settle in across a large swath of the U.S. as we turn the calendar from 2017 to 2018,' said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dan Pydynowski.

With temperatures in the single digits, Ray Levesque, mate of the crab/lobster boat Bradbill, makes his way across the deck covered in ice to tie off, after arriving in New Bedford, Massachusetts harbor on Thursday from a one day fishing voyage

A woman braves temperatures in the teens as she makes her way to the National Museum of African American History and Culture on the National Mall in DC on Thursday

Karlee Winter, left, 11, and her brother Samuel Espinoza, 8, shovel snow from their neighbor's sidewalk in Dubuque, Iowa, on Thursday

Forecasters predict freezing temperatures for much of the Northeast and Midwest into the New Year

New Year's Eve temperatures are predicted to be to be around 12 degrees in the Big Apple, but it will feel dramatically colder due to the wind chill

The Great Lakes may get 1-3 inches of snow creating slippery travel in the Interstate 70, 80 and 90 corridors of the Plains and Midwest

Meteorologists are also cautioning a possible snow threat for the Northeast region over New Year's weekend

If two storms merge, Philadelphia to New York City to Boston and Portland, Maine will see snow Friday to Saturday

There is an ice threat for coastal cities in Georgia and South Carolina on Thursday to early Friday

It's so cold officials in New Jersey canceled a New Year's Day 'polar bear plunge' in which swimmers dash into the Atlantic Ocean

'People will really need to bundle up if they are heading out Sunday night for New Year's Eve celebrations in places like Chicago, for example, where the high will be 15 F on Sunday, around 15 degrees below normal.'

In addition, the dangerously cold weather has caused windows in Canada to crack. Wind chill advisories or warnings were in effect for much of New England, northern Pennsylvania and New York.

Those places and states in the northern Plains and Great Lakes were projected to see highs in the teens or single digits and lows below zero for the rest of the week and into the new year.

The National Weather Service said wind chills in many areas Thursday could make temperatures feel below zero.

Prolonged, dangerous cold weather this week has sent advocates for the homeless scrambling to get people off the streets and to bring in extra beds for them.

A dog has been found frozen solid on an Ohio home's porch as a bitter cold snap grips much of the United States.

Toledo humane society cruelty investigator Megan Brown tells The Blade newspaper she doesn't know how long the dog was outside Thursday, when Toledo's high temperature was expected to be in the teens

A second dog was recovered shivering inside the home.

The dogs' owner says utilities had been shut off but he had been providing for the dogs while living elsewhere. He says he doesn't know how one dog got outside.

wo women take a selfie photo in front of a frozen fountain in New York City's Bryant Park on Thursday

People bundle up while walking through a frigid and super windy Manhattan on Thursday

A worker spreads de-icing granules on the walkway outside the New England Aquarium on Thursday

People walk past a blue lobster ice sculpture outside the New England Aquarium as the temperature hovers in the low teens on Thursday

The frigid weather isn't stopping the hustle and bustle in New York City. Above crowds walk through Times Square on Thursday

A delivery man in New York City (left) braved the cold temperatures outside by bundling up and covering his hands with bags while riding a bicycle. A woman wore a ski mask while putting on several layers to go outside in the chilly weather in New York City Thursday (right)

Ana Gonzalez of New Haven, Connecticut, right, helps her sister Alejandrina Gonzalez, left, put on another scarf as they brave temperatures in the teens on the National Mall in DC on Thursday

Visitors to the Washington Monument on the National Mall brave temperatures in the teens on Thursday in DC

A woman holds her face while braving the freezing temperatures in DC on Thursday

The jet-stream pattern responsible for the cold outbreak across the Plains, Rockies and Midwest, featuring the 'omega block' is surging northward from the Pacific Ocean into the Arctic Ocean, and the downstream nose-diving jet into the central U.S., according to The Weather Channel

A persistent northward bulge in the jet stream over the Southwest has led to an extended dry period for the region, according to The Weather Channel

New Year's Eve in Times Square, New York will feel like negative five degrees with 10 to 20mph winds on Sunday night

Frozen pipes and dead car batteries added to the misery across the Midwest and Northeast regions.

It's so cold, officials in New Jersey canceled a New Year's Day 'polar bear plunge' in which swimmers dash into the Atlantic Ocean.

People in Erie, Pennsylvania, continued to dig out from a storm that brought 34 inches of snow on Christmas Day, smashing the daily snowfall record for the Great Lakes city of 8 inches, and 26.5 more inches on Tuesday.

More than 65 inches total fell on the city in just a few days.

Strong westerly winds over Lake Erie picked up moisture, developed into snow and converged with opposing winds, dumping snow in a band along the shore from Ohio to New York, said Zach Sefcovic, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Cleveland.

Sabrina Ram drove into Erie on Christmas Eve to visit her parents just as the snow began to fall.

Ram, who lives in suburban Washington, D.C., and her father spent five hours on Christmas and two hours on Tuesday clearing the driveway.

'In D.C., we'd be out of commission for weeks,' Ram said. 'Things here are pretty much back to normal now.'

Matthew England, a climate scientist from the University of New South Wales, said: ‘Climate change is not overturned by a few unusually cold days in the US.’

The snow is predicted to spread on Thursday causing slippery travel and possible flight delays in Chicago and Pittsburgh

Disruptive snow is predicted on Friday and into Friday night in the Midwest making travel delays even worse

There is also a hazardous ice threat in place for Savannah, Georgia and Charleston, South Carolina for Thursday night

There is a snow threat from Friday to Saturday with two storms that could possibly merge

Wind chill advisories or warnings are in effect for much of New England, northern Pennsylvania and New York along with several states in the Midwest

Much of the Northeast and Midwest are experiencing freezing temperatures Thursday morning

There are some rain showers in the Southern states of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama

Meanwhile, much of the Northern part of the country is covered in at least an inch of snow

Several north eastern states are under wind chill advisories or warnings. The hazardous winds will make temperatures feel like negative 10 to negative 40 degrees in some areas

The forecast highs are pictured above for New Year's Weekend across the Northern and Midwest parts of the U.S.

The forecast lows are pictured above for New Year's Weekend across the Northern and Midwest parts of the U.S.

In New York, communities near Lake Ontario's eastern end, including Redfield and Boylston, also saw around 5 feet of snow this week.

Listed above are the coldest New Year's Eve ball drops in New York City from 1917 up until 2008

Officials said the storm's timing was good, since people were off the streets and staying home for Christmas, giving plows more space to clear streets.

By Wednesday, Erie's roads were relatively clear, emergency calls were relatively slow and the big task was digging out, County Executive Kathy Dahlkemper said.

'We're used to a lot of snow here in Erie, but this is unprecedented, the amount we got,' Dahlkemper said.

The Department of Energy has projected energy fuel costs are going to track upward. That falls on the heels of two winters when costs were relatively low.

Elizabeth Parker, 88, of Sanford, Maine, said she lives in fear of running out of fuel and remains vigilant in monitoring the gauge outside her trailer, just in case, especially during cold weather.

She said she is allowed to request a fuel delivery thanks to federal aid - but only when her gauge dips to one-eighth of a tank.

'I couldn't get along without it,' said Parker, who lives with her 93-year-old husband, Robert, along with a cat, dog and four birds.

Mark Wolfe, an official with the National Energy Assistance Directors' Association, said the good news is that President Donald Trump has released 90 percent of the energy assistance funding which totals to nearly $3billion. Trump previously tried to eliminate the program altogether.

Forecasters warned of hypothermia and frostbite from arctic air settling in over the central U.S. and spreading east. Above people cross the street in downtown Boston on Thursday morning in freezing single-digit temperatures

The National Weather Service said there's the potential for record-breaking cold this week in New England. Above a man walks in the snow in downtown Boston on Thursday morning

The frigid temperatures in New York City aren't stopping people from going outside and braving the cold snap

New York City Police Officers are patrolling the streets of the city in the freezing temperatures

States in the northern Plains and Great Lakes were projected to see highs in the teens or single digits and lows below zero for the rest of the week and into the new year. Above a man walks along the Chicago River

But projected energy cost increases will effectively reduce the purchasing power by $330 million, making it imperative that the remaining funding be released, said Mark Wolfe, of the National Energy Assistance Directors' Association.

This winter, energy costs were projected to grow by 12 percent for natural gas, 17 percent for home heating oil, 18 percent for propane and 8 percent for electricity, according to U.S. Energy Information Administration.

But energy prices this winter may even be higher than those projections.

According to Wolfe, colder weather could lead to even higher levels of consumption, and resulting prices could push the cost of winter heating up to $1,800 this winter for those using heating oil, 45 percent more than last year's level.

'That's a scary situation for people who're really struggling to heat their homes,' said Barbara Crider, of Maine's York County Community Action Agency.

The cold air is lingering with more arctic air sweeping into the region, reaching as far south as Texas and the Florida Panhandle through the weekend.