Shocks caused by cold. In the United States, cryoseisms were recorded this week in the northeast of the country, currently affected by freezing cold. An unusual weather phenomenon, called a “frost quake” in English, that occurs during a sudden drop in temperature.
“We are reporting tremors in the region. These are cryoisms. Like earthquakes, they generate tremors and an impression of thunder,” NWS Caribou, the national weather service for this Maine city, says on Twitter.
Sounds similar to those of an earthquake were also heard in the north of this neighboring Canadian state. These sounds were accompanied by the sensation of tremors and sometimes cracks appearing in the ice-covered ground.
A sudden drop in temperature
This unusual weather phenomenon is associated with “extreme cold spells,” according to the AccuWeather website.
“Cryoseisms occur when saturated soil quickly freezes after a period of mild or slightly above freezing temperatures,” the US Weather Institute continues.
“The result causes the ground and rocks to crack,” NBC News said, adding that these types of events usually occur in the northern United States or Canada.
Up to -31°C
Temperatures in the state of Maine have dropped sharply in recent days, reaching a level not seen in the region for decades, according to the press herald.
The thermometer dropped to around minus 25°C overnight in Portland, Maine, close to the minus 26°C record set in 1957, according to the local newspaper. It was -27°C in Augusta and -31°C in Greenville, two other locations in this state.
“It’s one of the worst colds we’ve ever had,” said meteorologist Nathaniel Clark in Caribou, where the mercury dipped to minus 29 degrees Celsius, with a feeling of minus 46 degrees Celsius due to the wind.
The eastern United States and Canada have been affected for several days by a historic polar cold from the Arctic. New England is particularly affected.
Source: BFM TV
