Ski areas across the Midwest of the US have announced they're closing, in most cases through to the Christmas weekend, ahead of "Winter Storm Elliot" which is currently crossing the continent from west to east.
Temperatures as low as -57C are possible by the end of the week in some locations according to The National Weather Service (NWS) with -50F (-45C) a more common low. Temperatures have already reached the -20s in the Rockies leading to hundreds of flight cancellations.
As the storm moves East through Friday, bringing strong winds with it, the "weather bomb" effect is expected to occur across the eastern half of the continent with blizzard conditions as heavy snowfall and strong winds combine.
Announcing a three day closure, Buck Hill in Minnesota posted, "Due to the forecasted weather, Buck Hill will be closed Thursday, December 22nd; Friday, December 23rd; and Saturday, December 24th. Operations will resume on Christmas Day at 2pm. As much as we'd like to stay open, the safety of our guests and staff is of highest priority. Take this extra time off and enjoy it with your close friends and family. We can't wait to see you again on Sunday! Stay safe out there Minnesota."
Western Canada has already been seeing temperatures dip as low as 30 degrees below freezing and a number of areas including Jasper's Marmot Basin ski area in Alberta have closed for several days as a safety measure as a result. Many other areas have partially closed, particularly ski lifts in more exposed locations. This is less unusual in the region however and temperatures are expected to rise for Christmas weekend.
The advice for those heading to the slopes are to cover all exposed skin if possible and to only be outdoors for brief periods. Skiers should also wear multiple layers and watch other skiers for signs of frostbite, which can begin within five minutes at very low temperatures. Another reason for closing lifts is to avoid the risk of mechanical failure and leaving people exposed to the elements on stationary chairs.
Cold weather is popular with climate change deniers who can't accept climate change exists is happening if it sometimes gets cold. Climate change scientists counter that increasingly violent weather extremes are to be expected as the planet warms.