Sub-Zero Outside? Here’s Some Weird Cold-Weather Fun You Can Try

Since we're going to get hit over the next few days with some of the coldest weather we've seen in Northern Illinois for over 5 years, why not try to have a little fun with it if you can?

Temperatures across Northern Illinois are expected to drop to 16 degrees below zero tonight, which is why there's an Extreme Cold Warning in effect on Friday from 3am until noon with an expected daytime high temperature of five degrees below zero, along with wind chill readings of up to 35 below zero. Friday night's low going into Saturday is -11, and Saturday's high is 5 above zero. Sunday has 11 degrees as its high temp, and the overnight low going into Monday is seven below zero.

You've got to be very careful going out in this kind of weather, but if you keep it short, you can have some fun despite the dangerous cold temps.

If We Have To Deal With These Sub-Zero Temperatures, The Least The Weather Can Do Is Entertain Us

When Northern Illinois locks into an Extreme Cold Warning and the wind chills dip into the “I can't feel my face!” range, just getting through it becomes the main goal. But once you’ve layered up, checked on the pets, and accepted that your car may never truly forgive you for trying to start it, there’s something oddly fascinating about temperatures this extreme.

After doing some online research, here are a few strange, safe, and surprisingly fun things you can do (or at least observe) when the thermometer bottoms out like this in Northern Illinois.

Turn boiling water into instant snow
Yes, it’s real, and yes, it’s dramatic (check the photo at the top of the page). Toss a small amount of boiling water into the air (away from people, pets, and yourself), and it flashes into a cloud of ice crystals before it hits the ground. This one’s porch-friendly and quick, just don’t get reckless with it.

Freeze soap bubbles in real time
Regular bubbles are fun. Frozen bubbles are mesmerizing. Blow bubbles on a bitterly cold day and watch as frost patterns creep across the surface like tiny ice galaxies. It’s one of the coolest visuals winter has to offer, and it takes about 30 seconds.

Stop Shivering, There's More...

All you need for the first one here is pants (please don't use the ones you're wearing).

Do the “frozen jeans” test
Soak a pair of jeans, take them outside, and watch how fast they stiffen into denim board armor. In extreme cold, they can freeze solid in minutes. Science lesson and laundry experiment.

Listen to the cold
Extreme cold changes how sound travels. You may notice voices carry farther, footsteps crunch louder, and everything sounds sharper and more brittle. It’s subtle, but once you notice it, you can’t un-hear it.

Watch frost form instantly
Breathe on a window. Touch metal briefly. Look closely at railings, fences, or car mirrors. At these temperatures, frost forms almost instantly, creating patterns that vanish just as fast once you go back inside.