Have you heard the recent weather addressed as “a deep freeze”? You may be familiar with a deep freezer or a refrigerator in which food can be quickly frozen and kept for long periods at a very low temperature. The Urban dictionary has a meteorological definition of a deep freeze as “Extreme cold temps due to the rapid movement of Arctic air. Associated with the polar vortex weather system.” The International Institute of Refrigeration recommends a minimum 0 °F, or -18 °C for maintaining frozen foods – the best compromise between food preservation and energy savings. Our recent air temperatures in the subzero range definitely qualify as being in the “Deep Freeze”.
Mary Knapp, Weather Data Library
mknapp@ksu.edu