The polar vortex: everyone’s talking about it. It’s a band of strong winds, high up in the atmosphere that keeps bitterly cold air locked around the Arctic region. Sometimes, like this year, it can drift further south than usual and envelop highly populated areas of North America. Chigaco has been particularly hard hit, with its notoriously windy location on Lake Michigan bringing wind-chill temperatures down to record-breaking lows.

With much of the Midwest on lockdown and people urged to stay indoors, some people have been braving the plunging temperatures to take incredible images of the effects that the vortex is having on their daily lives. From exploding toilets to icy hairstyles, this list will give you chills just from looking at it!

Scroll down to see all the images and be sure to upvote and comment on your favorites!