Charleston, WV – As West Virginia sees the first snow of the season, especially along I-79, state officials are warning drivers to prepare for slick highways and dropping temperatures. 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 fell to -30°C (-22°F).
Experts called his survival “astonishing.” Some theorized 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 beside him. Doctors at Umea University Hospital confirmed he suffered from severe hypothermia and malnourishment—but survived.
With early snow arriving before Thanksgiving, West Virginia emergency officials are urging drivers to carry winter survival kits with blankets, snacks, and water in their vehicles. As the Mountain State enters the start of its snowy season, one chilling question remains: Could you survive stuck on I-79 for two months like he did?
