Little Rock, AR – With first frosts on the horizon across Arkansas, forecasters say colder nights will settle in this week, with some areas expected to see their first freeze of the season before Thanksgiving. 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 plunged 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 reached 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 suffered from severe hypothermia and malnourishment—but somehow survived.
As Arkansas’s first frosts approach, state emergency officials are reminding residents to check their vehicles and homes for cold-weather readiness, keeping blankets, food, and water available in case of emergencies. Even short exposure to freezing air can be dangerous if stranded. As the Natural State heads into its first taste of winter, one chilling question remains: Could you survive stuck in freezing conditions like he did?
