Harrisburg, PA – As Pennsylvania braces for the first snow of the season, especially along I-81, state officials are urging drivers to prepare for slick highways and freezing morning commutes. 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 described his case as “nothing short of miraculous.” 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 sustain life.
When rescuers reached him, he was emaciated and barely conscious, wrapped in a sleeping bag with only cigarettes and comic books nearby. Doctors at Umea University Hospital confirmed he suffered from severe hypothermia and malnourishment—yet somehow survived.
With early snow hitting before Thanksgiving, Pennsylvania emergency officials urge all drivers to carry cold-weather kits that include blankets, food, and water in their vehicles. As the Keystone State begins another long winter, one question remains: Could you survive stuck on I-81 for two months like he did?
