Pensacola, FL – With first frosts on the horizon across the Florida Panhandle, forecasters say a burst of Arctic air will push temperatures into the low 30s later this week — a rare reminder that winter is near, even for the Gulf Coast. But imagine being trapped inside your car for two months, surviving only on handfuls of snow.
According to the Daily Mail, a 44-year-old Swedish man was discovered in February 2012 after surviving roughly 60 days snowed-in inside his car near the town of Umea in northern Sweden. Authorities said his vehicle became buried after a snowstorm on December 19, and he lived on snow alone as temperatures dropped to -30°C (-22°F).
Experts called his survival “astonishing.” Some believe his body entered a hibernation-like state, slowing his metabolism, while others credited the “igloo effect” of the snow-covered car, which trapped enough warmth to sustain him.
When rescuers found him, he was emaciated and barely conscious, wrapped in a sleeping bag with only cigarettes and comic books beside him. Doctors at Umea University Hospital confirmed he was suffering from severe hypothermia and malnourishment—but somehow survived.
With overnight frost warnings possible from Pensacola to Tallahassee, Florida emergency officials are reminding residents that even brief cold snaps can turn dangerous if unprepared. Drivers are urged to keep blankets, food, and water in their cars during cold weather events. As the Panhandle braces for its first real taste of winter, one chilling question remains: Could you survive stuck in freezing conditions like he did?
