The frigid cold temperatures blanketing a good portion of the United States has gone beyond uncomfortable; the bitter icy cold air is painful on exposed skin as soon as the wind whips by. The freezing temps have turned Niagra Falls into an ice sculpture and it has done a job on marine life, as two sharks were found dead off the coast of Massachusetts.
The Arctic temperatures have sparked warnings of frostbite and hypothermia for anyone outside for any length of time. The water along the shoreline of Cape Cod became so cold that two thresher sharks died from the frigid cold. The Atlantic White Shark Conservancy said that the sharks were “likely stranded due to cold shock,” according to Fox News.
Participants in Sunday night’s New Year’s Eve celebrations from Maine to Memphis are warned of the “bone-chilling” night about to settle in over many of the areas with outdoor planned festivities. It is too cold for animals to be outside unattended.
Toledo authorities are investigating the death of a dog found frozen solid on the front porch of its owner’s home, which is described in a previous Inquisitr article. As far as people go, AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski said that in this bitter weather, “the extremities, such as fingers, toes, and ears, are at greatest risk [of frostbite].”
The Times Square celebration for New Year’s Eve is expected to see temperatures that will feel like minus five, with the wind chill temperatures. Back in 1907, which was the coldest New Year’s Eve celebration in Times Square, it went down to one degree. Many of the forecasters are predicting tonight’s celebration could be the second coldest on record.
According to CBS Boston News, the two frozen sharks washed ashore on Cape Cod on Wednesday. Officials believe the cold is to blame for the death of these sharks. One shark washed up in Wellfleet and the other in Orleans.
These weren’t small sharks, both were about 14-feet long, according to the conservancy’s program director, Michelle Wcisel. Officials from state laboratories assisted in the collection of tissue and organ samples for the investigation into their death.