As terrible as it can be to get caught in a snowstorm, sometimes the bad weather has a special way of bringing out the best in people. Some people take it upon themselves to lend a hand in shoveling their neighbor's drive or clearing the paths down their road, others go out on the streets and ensure that those who don't have a place to stay will have some shelter for the night, and some - well, one guy in particular - dress as Disney Princesses in order to do a good deed.

Jason Triplett, a 37-year-old attorney, was caught in the blizzard that hit Boston on Tuesday night when he spotted a police wagon that had become stuck in a snowbank. At the time of the incident, he happened to be wearing an Elsa costume (as you do), and felt compelled to help out in some way.

So this ended up happening:

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"My friends got a real laugh out of it," said Triplett, who was cheered on by people watching from a nearby bar. He added that he didn't mind that nobody else helped him move the van, and was just happy that "people were really getting a kick out of it."

Triplett claimed that he'd bought the costume last year, and had been waiting for a snowstorm like this so that he could make an appearance as the ice queen. And, while he might not have intended to go viral for his helpful actions as a macho princess, he's certainly happy that he was able to put a smile on people's faces.

 

[caption id="attachment_4916" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Credit - Twitter @ElijahPorterMom[/caption] Extreme weather conditions have been the cause of quite a few scary news stories recently - the tragedy of the recent Australian bushfires, for instance. On the other side of the world, Canada is dealing with the exact opposite problem as Newfoundland and Labrador have been hit by the worst blizzard in half a century. But, while global warming is no laughing matter, the situation in Canada is slightly less devastating than the one in Australia. So, being a good-humored people, the Canadians have taken to the internet to share pictures of the ridiculous weather conditions they're having to put up with. A lot of them demonstrate that good humor in the face of such a bizarre situation, while others are spookily beautiful. So let's see if we can put the scarier, sadder side of global warming to the back of our minds for once and enjoy these photos that show the lighter side of it. [post_page_title]#1 Snowman[/post_page_title] Get used to pictures of massive snowbanks that have built up outside the door, by the way. There are a LOT of them. [caption id="attachment_4917" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Credit - Twitter @Mk2995[/caption] It's a bit of luck they had the exact props they needed to make this snowman already lying around the house because they wouldn't have been able to pop out for them. [post_page_title]#2 Fingerprints[/post_page_title] Another "snowbank outside my door" photo. A little less creative than the first, but still impressive. [caption id="attachment_4918" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Credit - Twitter @Jason_Sheppard_[/caption] I'm a big fan of the handprints on this one, which seems to suggest that somebody patted the snow ineffectually before realizing that wasn't going to do any good. [post_page_title]#3 Snowfall Meter[/post_page_title] It must be a terrible feeling to realize that, as the blizzard settles in, you've got nothing to do but sit back and watch it. Luckily, this person found a way to pass the time. [caption id="attachment_4919" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Credit - Twitter @BCbaydoll[/caption] Let's hope they didn't use a permanent marker, as it'd be a shame for your window to become a constant reminder of that boring morning you spent watching the snowfall. [post_page_title]#4 Blanketed House[/post_page_title] This house has been so perfectly blanketed that it looks like a blank, factory-reset model of a house that you'd buy before painting it whatever colors you wanted. [caption id="attachment_4920" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Credit - Twitter @kevinru70846539[/caption] There are no footsteps anywhere, so presumably, the person who took this photo didn't actually come FROM the house. I wonder if they knocked to check that everyone was ok? [post_page_title]#5 Dinosaur Attack[/post_page_title] As with the snowman, if you're stuck in your house, you've got to make your own fun with whatever you have to hand. Looks like these guys had a dinosaur head just lying around. [caption id="attachment_4921" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Credit - Twitter @videogirlprod[/caption] Either that or this is an actual photo of a real dinosaur attack happening in the middle of a blizzard. Let's hope for the former. [post_page_title]#6 Snow Canyon[/post_page_title] There are two possible explanations for this picture, as well. One is that a monumental clearing effort has gone into getting the snow off this road. [caption id="attachment_4922" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Credit - Twitter @artcgreen[/caption] The other is that there was some sort of giant snake or worm sleeping here when the snow fell, which has now slithered off. I know which explanation I prefer. [post_page_title]#7 Confused Dog[/post_page_title] This poor dog is probably used to this fence being considerably taller than it is here, and is struggling to work out why it now seems to be so much smaller than him. [caption id="attachment_4924" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Credit - Twitter @Laing90125[/caption] Poor guy must have very cold feet, as well. [post_page_title]#8 Romantic Snow Dinner[/post_page_title] A romantic dinner for two by candlelight surrounded by snow. The perfect date! Very romantic and atmospheric, and the perfect excuse for lots of cuddling if it gets too cold. [caption id="attachment_4925" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Credit - Twitter @musicschooldean[/caption] It would be tricky for the food to stay warm for very long, though, so I hope they eat quickly. [post_page_title]#9 One Headlamp Exposed[/post_page_title] It looks like this picture was taken after quite a lot of work with how deep the snowdrift is and how much seems to have been dug out of it. [caption id="attachment_4926" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Credit - Twitter @JodyJFoss[/caption] It must be particularly frustrating, then, to have only exposed one of the car's lights after all that effort. Back to work! [post_page_title]#10 Open Sunroof[/post_page_title] This guy accidentally left his sunroof open just before the blizzard hit, which has left him with a much larger clean-up job than everybody else. [caption id="attachment_4927" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Credit - Twitter @StephenGorman13[/caption] I hope he clears it out before it melts, or the upholstery is going to be ruined! [post_page_title]#11 Car Iceberg[/post_page_title] The sheer shard of snow pointing out on the right there is a scary thing. I'd be very wary of walking anywhere near it in case it all collapsed. [caption id="attachment_4928" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Credit - Twitter @HasanHaiNL[/caption] But I suppose the priority is digging the car out, so any potential avalanches can be dealt with later. [post_page_title]#12 Light At The End Of The Tunnel[/post_page_title] This one's pretty spooky. Whether that light is a car headlight, the moon, or something altogether more supernatural I don't know, but it makes for an atmospheric photo. [caption id="attachment_4929" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Credit - Imgur @GameOfThors[/caption] I guess if you saw this and heard mysterious voices calling for you to walk towards the light, then you'd know for sure that something weird was going on. I'll just hope it's a car headlight. [post_page_title]#13 Roadsign[/post_page_title] I like to imagine that this woman has walked past this roadsign every day cursing it for being taller than her, and hoping that one day she'll get to put it in its place. [caption id="attachment_4930" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Credit - Twitter @carriecomerfor1[/caption] After the blizzard, she finally gets her wish and can make that roadsign feel pretty silly for having been so tall all this time. [post_page_title]#14 A Perfectly Preserved Door[/post_page_title] Again, not quite as creative as our friend the snowman earlier on, but full marks for having preserved such a perfect impression of their front door in the snow. [caption id="attachment_4932" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Credit - Reddit @WillOfTheLand[/caption] Now if they ever wanted to clone their front door, they've got a perfect cast to base it off! [post_page_title]#15 Cold Dog[/post_page_title] I hope very much that this family dug a small hole and then encouraged their dog to sit in it for the photo. Because the alternative is that this dog got buried in snow and had to be dug out. [caption id="attachment_4916" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Credit - Twitter @ElijahPorterMom[/caption] He looks such an adorable guy that I wouldn't wish that fate on him so I sure hope this was just a cute photo opp. [post_page_title]#16 Tall Man[/post_page_title] As with the dog previously, it's hard to tell if this guy has dug a gap big enough for him to stand in, or if he was encased in snow, hands in the air, for hours and has only just been freed. [caption id="attachment_4933" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Credit - Twitter @Garthero[/caption] If it's the second, his arms must be very tired and I hope he gets the chance to go and relax somewhere. [post_page_title]#17 Windows[/post_page_title] All I can think about is how scared I'd be of the glass smashing and snow just pouring into my home. I hope they held out for long enough. [caption id="attachment_4934" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Credit - Twitter @ElijahPorterMom[/caption] I also think the plastic sheet they've got on the table is a little strange, but I guess there are more important things to worry about. [post_page_title]#18 Snow Arch[/post_page_title] Whether this happened naturally or has been dug out this way, I don't know, but it looks an awful lot of fun. I'd probably start off by daring friends to run underneath it without it collapsing on them. [caption id="attachment_4935" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Credit - Twitter @JCFPC[/caption] Then if that got too boring, I'd start daring people to climb up and walk across it. Might end in tears, though. [post_page_title]#19 Nature's Fridge[/post_page_title] Here we find someone who's really turning the blizzard to their own advantage by turning a snowdrift into a natural fridge. [caption id="attachment_4936" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Credit - Twitter @SouWesterSoul[/caption] There's still plenty of room for a few more bottles as well, or maybe to freeze some leftovers and have them again later in the week. [post_page_title]#20 Scared Dog[/post_page_title] I don't know if this dog has ever seen snow before, but whether he has or not, his body language seems to suggest that he doesn't trust it one little bit. [caption id="attachment_4937" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Credit - Imgur @GameOfThors[/caption] I hope he wasn't told that he has to go out into it and was allowed to spend the evening sitting around in his pyjamas if that's what he wanted. [post_page_title]#21 Car Trenches[/post_page_title] People seem to have put a lot of effort into digging trenches so they can get to their cars, though I don't know why. It doesn't look like they'll be able to get very far in them even when they have dug them out. [caption id="attachment_4938" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Credit - Twitter @BairdTom[/caption] But I guess on a snow day you've got to fill your time somehow, right? [post_page_title]#22 Digging Out The Door[/post_page_title] Not content to just take a photo of the snowbank that has built up outside his door, this guy has decided to take action and dig his way to freedom. [caption id="attachment_4940" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Credit - Twitter @barhaven[/caption] Unfortunately, it looks like his bath isn't quite big enough to hold it all, so maybe he'll have to wait a little longer. [post_page_title]#23 Snow Bales[/post_page_title] I can't believe that this little kid dug out all those snow bales! That pile is absolutely enormous! He must have had help from somebody. Or is this the hardest-working kid of all time? [caption id="attachment_4941" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Credit - Twitter @JoFennelly[/caption] Either way, good on him. He looks very proud of himself, and he should be, he's done a great job and also kept things very neat. [post_page_title]#24 Under The Bonnet[/post_page_title] After hours digging out trenches to get to your car, it must be very frustrating to realize that you can't go anywhere in it yet until you've also dug out all the snow inside the thing. [caption id="attachment_4942" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Credit - Twitter @Chantel76576879[/caption] I also don't know enough about cars to know which bit you should focus on digging out first. Maybe calling the AA out was the best thing to do all along. [post_page_title]#25 Door Selfie[/post_page_title] This guy is so impressed with the snowbank outside his door that he's decided to take a photo of himself next to it, looking very proud indeed. [caption id="attachment_4943" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Credit - Twitter @art_colored[/caption] Does anybody want to tell him that there are about seven other pictures of doors like this in this article alone? I don't have the heart. [post_page_title]#26 Car Stepping Stones[/post_page_title] I wonder if you could leap from one car rooftop to the other without any run-up? It looks pretty far, but I reckon a proper athlete could do it. [caption id="attachment_4944" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Credit - Twitter @UntamedBeauti[/caption] Yeah, it might not be the most entertaining game ever, but like I said, you've got to create your own fun in a blizzard. [post_page_title]#27 Trenches Again[/post_page_title] People digging out trenches in order to get at their cars again, this time taken from an angle that makes it look like a game of Tetris or Frogger or something. [caption id="attachment_4945" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Credit - Twitter @PeterCBC[/caption] I do feel bad for these guys and all the trouble they're having to go to in order to dig for freedom, but all this picture's done is make me want to play an old-fashioned computer game. [post_page_title]#28 One More Door[/post_page_title] And, yes, we've seen a lot of these now, but they're the bread-and-butter of this story, so let's have one last picture of a big snowdrift that's built up outside a door. [caption id="attachment_4946" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Credit - Imgur @GameOfThor[/caption] Think I've seen enough of those pictures to get me through all of 2020, now.

When you're hit with a blizzard, or a 'bomb cyclone,' or an attack from Elsa, it's easy to get depressed. If the roads are too icy, or totally blanketed with snow, you can't go anywhere. And even if you can drive, you have to scrape the ice off your car windows, and let the engine warm up for ages. Just walking outside feels miserable. Nobody wants to build snowmen, or go sledding or make snow angels in record-breaking sub-zero temperature. Unless you're an Ice Zombie on Game of Thrones, extreme winter is nothing to get excited about. However, sometimes you can find beauty in the madness. Since New Year's Eve, America's been hit with an unprecedented cold front. There's been some expected, but depressing consequences, like massive pile-ups on icy roads, and a dumb Donald Trump tweet saying cold weather proves global warming is a sham. But there's also been some stunning effects, like glistening "ice balls" honeycombed on the shore of Lake Michigan, and the frozen splendor of Niagara Falls coated in ice. [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/Skstormchaser/status/946486963372154881]] Perhaps the most beautiful sight, though, is people blowing bubbles out in the cold, and watching them freeze. Snowflakes swirl around inside, creating a wobbly, ephemeral snow globe; then the flakes slowly expand, filling the crystal sphere with sun-dappled frosty whiteness. The visual is surprisingly hypnotic. On Twitter, everyone's posting their attempts at this fractal ice magic, with the trending hashtag #BubbleMadness. [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/Skstormchaser/status/946404283007746048]] And after you're done making the bubble, you can blow it away. Pretty cool, right? If you ever wanted to feel like a certain Snow Queen from Frozen, this is the perfect opportunity. So feel free to bust out your blue dress, sing "The cold never bothered me anyway!" and make friends with an annoying magical snowman. [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/ratzlaff/status/945733291772014593]] Want to make bubbles that don't immediately swell up and burst? One Twitter user offered some advice: If you combine the water and dish soap with salt and vinegar, the bubble stays intact, giving you more time to be mesmerized by the lovely frost patterns. (And, you know, not think about how cold you are standing out in this nightmare arctic tundra, when you could be at home, drinking hot chocolate, and watching BoJack Horseman on Netflix.) We're only a couple days into January, and have seen some pretty insane weather. The year 2018 is not off to a great start. But it's nice to see people are finding a silver lining with #BubbleMadness. I grew up in northern Minnesota, and always hated the winter (which is why I currently live in Los Angeles). But you know what? Now I'm starting to see the appeal. I think I'll move back to Minnesota and make some - nope, already changed my mind. I'm going to stay in California where it's warm and watch you guys make ice bubbles on Twitter. Have fun!  

As a massive winter storm hit Canada and parts of the US, Tesla owners have found themselves unable to get into their cars due to them being frozen shut.

Tesla is owned by Elon Musk, who has seemingly turned much of his attention to his newest acquisition of Twitter, as he comes under fire due to the fault leading to car owners being locked out of their own vehicles.

Rachel Modestino, a meteorologist from Ontario, attempted to get into her Tesla on December 23 as temperatures hit 5 degrees Fahrenheit, but the door latch would not budge.

Sharing the now-viral video to her Twitter, Modestino attempted to push the handle release button but to no avail, and the handle remained inside the door.

She captioned the video: "bet ya didn’t think of ice in the Tesla design," which was quickly met with critics jumping to defend both Tesla and Elon Musk.

However, it appears that there was a fix included in the design after all. Eventually, she conceded to those informing her about the car's built-in defrost system and was able to get inside of her vehicle.

Modestino said: "Only tweeted because I thought it was a silly flaw for the price. I learnt: unlatch capability, defrost longer, be less gentle with your 2nd baby & car covers. Ty for the help, be kind, Merry Christmas."

Another Tesla owner, Domenick Nati, also experienced problems with his car due to the weather conditions, leaving him stranded on Christmas Eve.

Speaking to Business Insider, Nati explained how he plugged his electric vehicle in to charge as his battery was on 40%, and the temperature outside was 19 degrees Fahrenheit.

"Two hours went by and not much changed," he said. "It was very slow and the numbers got lower as the temperature dropped. Eventually, it stopped charging altogether."

He later attempted to charge it again to no avail, before driving to another Tesla supercharger on Christmas Eve. Just as things looked promising, he was faced with more disappointment as his car's battery levels still didn't increase after an hour of charging.

After leaving his car charging for 15 hours without any luck, Nati was forced to cancel his Christmas plans as he wasn't able to arrange any other form of transport in the extreme weather conditions.

He attempted to contact Tesla customer support but received no response.

Featured image credit: Clarence Holmes Photography / Alamy

North America is pretty cold right now. Like, really, really cold. It's one of the biggest cold snaps the continent has ever been blasted with, and some pretty freaky sh*t is going down. Frozen sharks are being washed ashore, windows are breaking and electricity poles are snapping. The antifreeze stuff you put in your car is actually freezing for some people, and you can stop making those frostbite jokes now because you might actually get it if you're out for too long. But it's also pretty cool – if you'll pardon the pun – and not just because you can make snow angels or hurl large rocks at frozen ponds to see if you can crack them. Take the Niagara Falls, for example. The huge waterfall that sits on the Canadian side of the border next to the US is a stupidly beautiful winter wonderland right now. Thanks to temperatures staying well below freezing point every day of late, the park is covered in ice and snow and tourists visiting the Falls have been confronted by a massive, icy thing that looks out of this world. Temperatures are hovering between -7 and -16 degrees Celsius, and on Friday the mercury is only expected to wobble between the -17 and -21 marks. And with windchill, things can feel much, much colder. Holy smokes. But it seems to be worth it for the view. The breathtaking winterscape at the Falls is all white, with snow blanketing the ground and sitting atop the trees doubled over with heavy globs of ice on their branches. There are seriously dramatic icicles everywhere and frost licking every surface to make it appear as if everything is glittering and glowing in the winter sun. But I'll just go ahead and show the damn pictures now and cease my poetic ramblings about the beauty of winter. [[instagramwidget||https://www.instagram.com/p/BdNaPUXBqul/]] [[instagramwidget||https://www.instagram.com/p/BdNVd6fAMRS/]] [[instagramwidget||https://www.instagram.com/p/BdYE8qZh0hr/]] [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/BNphotographers/status/947448360222576640]] [[instagramwidget||https://www.instagram.com/p/BdYLOaqjxqa/?taken-at=215301181]] [[instagramwidget||https://www.instagram.com/p/BdYH9WDjOIh/]] [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/SharonCantillon/status/947477767897182209]] [[instagramwidget||https://www.instagram.com/p/BdY34ehjRlk/?taken-at=215301181]] [[instagramwidget||https://www.instagram.com/p/BdZ77oOnneR/?taken-at=215301181]] *Wipes tear* Despite the fact that it's so cold, the water still descends at its usual rapid pace into the river below it. More than 3,000 tons of water crash over the iconic shelf of the Niagara Falls every second, "It would take a lot more than a few days of cold weather to completely shut that off," The Washington Post’s Caitlin Dewey says. And while ~some~ pea-brained people think that this sordidly cold weather proves that global warming is completely bogus, scientists, data, ice caps that are literally melting, and most of the educated population of the world will remind you that climate and weather are not the same things and that global warming is actually part of the reason you're freezing your extremities off. [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/MikeFalzone/status/946727690006093824]] But judging by the images, I still think it'd be worth braving the sub-zero temperatures to get a glimpse of the Niagara Falls in all its wintery glory. And while some people (like me) may think it looks like something straight out of Frozen, others are convinced it's more similar to Game of Thrones and somewhere beyond the Wall. Well, each to their own, you can't deny it's jaw-dropping either way.