Well, folks, it’s official: Hell has frozen over.

To be clear, we’re not talking about the fire-filled land of torment where idol worshipers, atheists, and slow walkers will spend most of their eternal lives. We’re talking about Hell, a town in Michigan, that has succumbed to heavy snowfall and intensely chilly weather in wake of the polar vortex intrusion that’s currently battering the Midwest. 

It’s going to be a very cold day in Hell, especially on February 1, when temperatures are expected to reach as low as -20°C before warming up slightly over the weekend.

Lakes have frozen over, businesses have shut, and the jokes are in no short supply.

"It's a brutal day in Hell. It's colder than Hell," Jerry Duffie, the self-proclaimed “groundskeeper of Hell,” told NBC News.

Go To Hell, a local tourism center, didn't miss an opportunity, writing on Facebook: "Though Hell has frozen over, it was a beautiful day! We will be open tomorrow, Friday, so you can go to Hell and see for yourself that it really did freeze over!"

As you’re no doubt aware, it’s damn cold in much of North America at the moment, especially across the Midwest where temperatures sunk to around the -40°C in many towns and cities. Residents in some parts of the US were warned not to take deep breathes to protect their lungs from severely cold air. The extreme chill has already been held responsible for at least 21 deaths and that number is expected to rise as the weather continues to sink its teeth in.

The freak weather is mostly down to changes in wind patterns across the northern polar regions. Typically, freezing winds are kept locked in the northern reaches of the Arctic Circle, however, an unusual low-pressure system has forced the Arctic air further southward than usual.  

This year’s winter weather is proving particularly harsh, but it’s not the first time Hell, Michigan has frozen over. In 2014, the small community was subjected to a similarly chilly fate, complete with some particularly good local news reporting.