"It's So Cold . . ." Winter Storm Quick Hits: Making Outdoor Ice Cream, Rejecting Dasani, and "Watch Out for Ice"
As expected, a massive winter storm plowed through a wide swath of America over the weekend, and it was . . . and STILL IS . . . freezing almost EVERYWHERE.
Here are a few interesting winter storm-related stories that emerged online:
1. It's so cold in Canada, that some people are whipping up ICE CREAM . . . outside in the snow. You just need a bowl, salt, cream, vanilla, powdered sugar, a whisk, toppings, and a cone or a bowl. (Here's one video, and another.)
2. It's so cold in America, that 5% of people say they're SCREWED.
A new poll asked nearly 10,000 Americans, "How prepared are you for major storms in the winter?" 29% said "very prepared," 49% said "somewhat prepared," 12% said "not very prepared," and 5% said "not at all prepared." Younger adults were more likely to admit to NOT being prepared.
3. Airlines canceled more than 11,000 U.S. flights yesterday. That's apparently the most for a single day since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and more than double the number of flights that were canceled Saturday.
4. Someone online posted a photo of a local store CLEANED OUT of bottled water . . . except Dasani. The caption said, "Even during an ice storm, no one touches Dasani." Someone else commented, "They've officially wiped out the Dasani at my store, they are now 'Dasani Desperate.'"
(There are several alleged photos of people buying everything but Dasani, so it's becoming a meme.)
5. It's so cold . . . that someone's vodka froze.
6. A crash involving semitrucks in the St. Louis area on Saturday shut down multiple lanes on a bridge. One of the trucks appeared to be carrying YOGURT, which was spilled all over the roadway.
A reporter joked that it was very quickly becoming FROZEN YOGURT.
7. DoorDash is being slammed for posting a "distasteful" warning about getting "snowed-in with a hookup."
Their official X account Tweeted, "Ladies: If Saturday comes, and you get snowed in with THAT man, there is nothing we can deliver to help. Please, be choosy."
8. Icy roads were a MAJOR threat over the weekend . . . but the chaos surrounding ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) made the messaging tricky. Especially after an ICE agent killed a protester in Minnesota.
Homeland Security officials urged disaster response staff at FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) to avoid using the word "ice" in public messaging about the winter storm.
Officials told staff they worry that certain phrasing on electronic signs . . . like "WATCH OUT FOR ICE" could be misinterpreted or "invite memes." So instead, FEMA staff were encouraged to use terms like "freezing rain" in their public messaging.
9. More sad news: The cold has already been blamed for the deaths of at least seven people . . . three in Tennessee, two in Caddo Parish, Louisiana, one in Austin, Texas, and one in Emporia, Kansas. And over a MILLION households lost power, especially in Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas.
Originally posted on January 26th, 2026