Des Moines, IA – As Iowa braces for the first snow of the season, particularly along I-80, transportation officials are warning drivers to expect slick roads and early winter hazards. 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 car became buried after a snowstorm on December 19, and he lived on snow alone as temperatures plunged to -30°C (-22°F).
Experts called his survival “incredible.” Some suggested 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 keep him alive.
When rescuers reached him, he was emaciated and barely conscious, wrapped in a sleeping bag with only cigarettes and comic books inside. Doctors at Umea University Hospital confirmed he was suffering from severe hypothermia and malnourishment—but miraculously survived.
With early snow expected before Thanksgiving, Iowa emergency officials are reminding drivers to carry winter survival kits with blankets, food, and water in their vehicles. As the Hawkeye State enters another cold season, one chilling question remains: Could you survive stuck on I-80 for two months like he did?
