Polar vortex: Woman's hair freezes as she steps outside into sub-zero US weather

'Is Iowa really THAT cold?'

(Twitter: taylor_scallon

A woman’s wet hair has frozen solid after stepping outside into sub-zero temperatures.

The polar vortex in the US has continued to inflict severe conditions across the country, with temperatures reaching minus -40C (-40F) in some parts.

The icy conditions have caused a number of bizarre scenarios for citizens which they have been sharing on social media, from exploding toilet tanks to people throwing boiling water into the air to show just how cold it really is.

But, perhaps the most extraordinary incident yet has to be the moment an Iowa woman’s wet hair froze, standing up straight on her head.

In a short video posted on Twitter, Taylor Scallon can be seen laughing as she walks inside a house as her long brown stands tall above her head.

Clutching on to two blankets, she looks up at her hair and cannot help but laugh, causing a flood of condensation from her breath.

“Is Iowa really THAT cold?” Scallon captioned the clip.

The video has since gone viral, receiving more than 1m views, 41,000 likes and 12, 000 retweets.

The post has also been flooded with hundreds of comments from people expressing their shock at the effect the sub-zero temperatures had on Scallon’s hair.

“Omg my hair would break off!” one person wrote.

Another added: “She’s a real live troll”.

Others compared Scallon’s unique look to a number of famous film characters including Syndrome from The Incredibles, Cindy Lou Who from The Grinch and the famous “hair gel” scene from There’s Something About Mary.

A weather phenomenon that occurs in the winter, the polar vortex is a low-pressure area comprised of cold air that sits above the Earth’s north and south poles.

The area of cold air is present throughout the year but is typically kept in place in the arctic regions by winds moving in a counter-clockwise direction at the north pole and clockwise at the south pole.

However, during the winter months, the polar vortex above the north pole can expand into the northern hemisphere - bringing freezing cold temperatures with it.

The last polar vortex occurred in January 2014, according to the NWS, and before that in 1977, 1982, 1985 and 1989.