The city of Chicago, Illinois has been hit with record low temperatures this week leading to schools being closed and flights being cancelled. Now, a video is going viral showing how Lake Michigan is faring in the freezing cold temperatures, and the impressive footage truly shows how bitterly cold the city was!

The video, which has been viewed over four million times, states that the body of water looks just like a “boiling cauldron.”

Meteorologist Tom Skilling said that although Lake Michigan has never completely frozen over, ice covered 90 to 95 percent of Lake Michigan in the winters of 1903-1904; 1976-1977; 1978-1979 and 2013-2014.

“Wave action and wind, combined with the vast reservoir of heat contained in the lake, have so far prevented complete freezing,” he said in 2017. “Ice formation on Lake Michigan usually begins in January and reaches its peak in late February or early March.”

This week, Skilling said that calling this cold weather “brutal” is a massive understatement.

“Lake Michigan took on the appearance of a boiling cauldron as air of minus-20 degrees and colder made contact with water sitting just above the freezing level,” Skilling said. “I’ve lived here 40 years and never until today have never seen a more spectacular display of ‘sea smoke.’ ”

This occurrence is not only happening on the lake. Another social media user showed how cold it is by throwing a mug of boiling water into the freezing cold air. Amazingly, the air is so cold that the water froze into crystals that swirled like snowy smoke before it faded away!

Throwing a cup of boiling water in the air, when it’s minus 27 degrees (celsius). #chicago #PolarVortex2019 pic.twitter.com/fgRZHnwVvo

— Adam Roberts (@ARobertsjourno) January 30, 2019

To everyone living in the Midwest during this polar vortex, be safe and stay warm!