Reply The coldest day in Michigan history was in 1934 when the temperature dropped 51 degrees below zero. (Shutterstock) WAYNE COUNTY, MI — The weather gurus warned the polar vortex, teaming with a wicked wind, would make it miserable across Wayne County. They weren't wrong. We'd ask "how cold is it in your town?" if a) it weren't such a tired joke and b) if we thought it was possible for you to manage the answer through your chattering teeth. Fortunately, we don't have to. Subscribe The National Weather Service has invoked frightful words and phrases such as "polar vortex" and "life-threatening cold" to describe the arctic air that settled over the Upper Midwest, including Michigan, last weekend.