Polar vortex: frost throwers, freezing urine, cracking trampolines

Ice forms on the shore of the East River due to unusually low temperatures caused by a polar vortex in New York

All 50 US states are below freezing as the polar vortex sworls around North America, shattering temperature records and causing a collective shudder across the continent.

It’s so cold that polar bears and penguins were kept inside in Chicago, dubbed ‘Chiberia’ on social media, as the weather dropped to a record low of -26C, cold enough to freeze oil.

Despite the perishing cold, many shivering citizens found ways to make the frigid weather fun.

This guy from Iowa, for example, shows us how much fun it is to jump on a frozen trampoline. Hypnotic.

A video of a meteorologist Eric Holthaus went viral when he demonstrated how quickly boiling water turned to snow in temperatures of -21 in Viroqua, Wisconsin

A foolhardy chap from Minnesota decided to attempt this dangerous experiment of seeing what would happen if he urinated in -27C. The hot urine hitting the cold air creates a kind of frozen steam, as the droplets freeze. If exposed for long enough, flesh can freeze at this temperature.

(Warning: some viewers may might this language offensive)

TV anchors covering the cold weather are showing viewers just how frigid it is outside by freezing a wet T-shirt in two minutes flat.

This towel has also frozen..

Perhaps the most creative of these weather daredevils made his very own ‘frost thrower’ by filling a watergun with hot water and then firing it into the frigid air