Dang, it's cold outside - Winter ramblings

[Pacu]

Today it was 60 degrees F outside. It's supposed to get down to 9 degrees with wind chill feels like negative degrees on Monday. East Texans are not used to weather like this. A little freezing rain and power's gonna go out. 

[David Bowen]

Yeah it's going to drop quite a bit, some crazy polar vortex type stuff. It'll be 50s during the days next week with lows in the 20s here in Georgia

Sent from my SM-G996U using Tapatalk

[AzteCypher]

Wind chill is 29°F right here in Central Texas.  We're supposed to have a high of 26°F and a low of 20°F tomorrow.  Good thing I like cold weather.

[Grant Lamontagne]

I used to get a kick out of folks complaining about freezing temps down south when they are what we consider "a bit nippy."

Then I was told by a friend in California that the problem isn't so much the cold it's the lack of proper insulation and furnaces in a place that never needed either before.

Up here in the northern part of the Northern Hemisphere we talk about how the cold isn't a big deal, but that's because we have remote car starters, heated seats, fireplaces, furnaces, wood stoves, efficient electric heaters and so on.

In fact, it's not odd to have multiple heat sources in Canada- I have an oil fired furnace in 2/3's of my home and an electric thermal storage unit.

My father has electric baseboard heaters, a super efficient fireplace and a propane furnace, which is good as they are experiencing extremely cold temperatures (even for that area!) also at the moment.

We can say up here that the cold doesn't bother us all we like, but the fact is, that's only true because we have the ability to get warm whenever we want!

Oddly enough, it is unseasonably warm here right now, with temperatures around 32-35F and we are glad to have it!  It was quite nice out when I took down my Christmas lights yesterday, although I could have done without the rain storm and high winds last night. 

Def

[MadPlumbarian]

I was going to post a weather subject because of what we’re going through, it’s freaking nasty here, the last two days has been ugly, it’s snowed a few inches but it’s freaking kept dropping in temp, it’s suppose to stay low till like Tues, then start raising,, here you can see what it looks like, I did have the sidewalks and driveway cleaned off but with the nasty winds it’s recovered about half of it. It’s also our new dogs first snowstorm, she was shocked, she also didn’t like how cold it was so I put a sweater on her!
JR

[SteveC]

It was -10 with a windchill of -26° F here this morning.

[SteveC]

Currently

[nate j]

We can say up here that the cold doesn't bother us all we like, but the fact is, that's only true because we have the ability to get warm whenever we want!

Pretty much.

It is also because in places where the temperature routinely drops below freezing in the winter, facilities like power plants, water and sewer treatment facilities, etc. are designed and built to take that into account, and to continue operating when the temperature falls.  In places where it is very rare to see below freezing conditions, operation in those conditions is not always taken into account/may not be possible, and those services may be lost until the weather warms up.

[AzteCypher]

Electric baseboard heaters?! What electrickery is this?! That's pretty neat.

I had a buddy from Wisconsin giving me grief because we Texans can't handle freezing temps without shutting down.  I reminded him that we don't have the infrastructure to deal with it. No snow plows around here that I'm aware of

I tip my hat off to y'all for handling it so well. I used to think all snow was pretty until I had to work in Boston for a week. When the plane was landing, I was wondering what the brown stuff piled up next to roads was. As we got closer, I realized it was the dirty snow. Nasty.

This is good fire place weather for sure.

[D-Eg]

0 and snowing in T-Town. Don't get that very often - couple days ago it was 60 degrees

[Grant Lamontagne]

My first reaction was "yeah, electric baseboards.  Haven't you ever seen one?"

They are so common here that I forget that many places don't have a need to heat homes.

In fact, I remember being quite annoyed by one of those house flipping shows a whole back where the renovation team installed a furnace onto a house that never had one before, talking about how it would be "a nice value added feature" when it's an absolute necessity here.  The idea of a house without a furnace is quite alien to me.

Snow can be pretty, but it is also dangerous.  Today is my ankleversary- on this day in 2016 I fell while shoveling snow, breaking my ankle in three places and getting two new screws inserted into my anatomy.

https://forum.multitool.org/index.php/topic,64110.0.html

And, the polar vortex we had last year almost killed my hydrangea, since it blooms on old wood- but it was so cold the wood split open and almost destroyed it.  My bush is the envy of the neighborhood usually, but barely had one blossom this year because of it.

Def

[D-Eg]

Well, our house is a 2004 model, so it does have central heat and Air; but we rarely run the furnace in the winter or at least very much. It is almost always completely off every night, seldom on.

[D-Eg]

Snow can be pretty, but it is also dangerous.  Today is my ankleversary- on this day in 2016 I fell while shoveling snow, breaking my ankle in three places and getting two new screws inserted into my anatomy.

https://forum.multitool.org/index.php/topic,64110.0.html

Def

Did you already have screws in the ankle you broke?

[Alan K.]

It's 70 degrees F here in my part of south Florida, but it was 68 degrees a couple of hours ago.  It's supposed to hit 79 tomorrow.  I don't know what all that white stuff is all over the ground and everything in everybody's pictures, but it frightens and confuses me.

[Vidar]

Meanwhile in Kautokeino Norway the kindergarden kids are sent out to play in -46.3F. As Grant says, the difference is that the infrastructure and insulation levels are prepared for these temperatures. As for the kids the logic is they need to get used to the cold and dressing properly.

For those not used to snow I'll share some wisdom from my own kindergarden days: "Don't eat the yellow snow" and  "Don't eat the green snow either".  Some of the best advice I ever heard from a 4 year old who seemed to be in the know. 

[MadPlumbarian]

Me 2yrs ago, first time I ever went for a trip, we also have one of those oil baseboards but use a fake electric fireplace, ever since before the Mrs has came down with her seizures ever thing is cold for her, she’ll be outside in 80f with a sweater, or in the house with that heater cranked and even up to 85f still with socks, sweats and still a blanket, it’s crazy.. but here enjoy a laugh..
JR

https://youtu.be/SeP_4kpA40Y?si=F310xdFRc0auM8xt

[AzteCypher]

Holy smokes Grant!  You went through the wringer!  Ten screws... my respects to you sir.  Glad you were able to recover.

Vidar, my wife's cousin lives in Sweden.  When they facetimed a few weeks ago, it was -9°F outside and they were going to the park.  I think her kids might be tougher than me.   

[Vidar]

Snow with ice under can be deceptive for sure!

Once you done your share of falling you might aspire to turn sliding into your advantage:

[Vidar]

Vidar, my wife's cousin lives in Sweden.  When they facetimed a few weeks ago, it was -9°F outside and they were going to the park.  I think her kids might be tougher than me.   

Northern parts of Sweden can be biting cold for sure. Personally I wimp out at about -22F - anything colder than that my skin starts getting painful, and I would need very good reasons to go outside.

[Grant Lamontagne]

Did you already have screws in the ankle you broke?

I had eight screws and a plate in the other ankle already.  I was just trying to even it up a bit by adding screws in the other ankle. I used to walk in left handed circles, but since I only got two screws in the right ankle I now walk in slightly larger left hand circles!   

Meanwhile in Kautokeino Norway the kindergarden kids are sent out to play in -46.3F. As Grant says, the difference is that the infrastructure and insulation levels are prepared for these temperatures. As for the kids the logic is they need to get used to the cold and dressing properly.

For those not used to snow I'll share some wisdom from my own kindergarden days: "Don't eat the yellow snow" and  "Don't eat the green snow either".  Some of the best advice I ever heard from a 4 year old who seemed to be in the know. 

Where I grew up in Manitoba, it goes from -40C in the middle of winter to +40C in the middle of summer.  The first Europeans in Canada stated that it was "a land of extremes."

Def

[Antti Lammi]

Luckily here did get bit warmer than other week (-30 celsius) now its only -11 celsius here, even tho i like cold weathers but that was bit too much, i would prefer cold stay between -15 to -25 celsius. Or if its warmer i like if there doesnt bliw wind or rain snow or both.


Only Tools Matters

[D-Eg]

I had eight screws and a plate in the other ankle already.  I was just trying to even it up a bit by adding screws in the other ankle. I used to walk in left handed circles, but since I only got two screws in the right ankle I now walk in slightly larger left hand circles!   

Where I grew up in Manitoba, it goes from -40C in the middle of winter to +40C in the middle of summer.  The first Europeans in Canada stated that it was "a land of extremes."

Def

Too funny - well you are getting a bit more of a straight-line walk going.

Do you know where Pointe Du Bois Manitoba is - I have made many a trip up there fishing. 

[Grant Lamontagne]

That's a little far from where I was, as I was in Portage La Prairie, on the other side of Winnipeg.

I don't know if it's the same as it was in the mid 80's when we left, but it was always good fishing pretty well anywhere you went!

Def

[Vidar]

Where I grew up in Manitoba, it goes from -40C in the middle of winter to +40C in the middle of summer.  The first Europeans in Canada stated that it was "a land of extremes."

Too extreme for me! Here, by the coast, it mostly stays between -15C to 25C or so. With a few outliers in both directions. The sea helps keep it stable.

[GearedForwards]

Dropping into the -1 territory here and the first dustings of snow. The wind and general humidity is the killer in the UK, chills you to your bones and has a nasty habit of soaking a beard, should you have one. Delivering Amazon packages on the unsheltered Welsh hills in the dark was a treat today, investing in decent quality thermal undershirt was one of my better decisions.

[Grant Lamontagne]

Too extreme for me! Here, by the coast, it mostly stays between -15C to 25C or so. With a few outliers in both directions. The sea helps keep it stable.

I live in a city that is a peninsula, Ina province that is a peninsula.  I can see the ocean from my house, it's about 100-150m from my front door.  You are right, the weather is more stable here as we rarely go below -20C here, but the humidity makes even -5 to -10 much less comfortable than the -40C inland.

A tip for everyone about to experience epic cold (and I hope I'm not too late!):

Leave your taps running just a little bit.  The moving water is much less likely to freeze!

It might cost you a few extra gallons of water, but it will be worth it to not break any pipes.

Def

[Vidar]

...investing in decent quality thermal undershirt was one of my better decisions.

Totally agree. I invested in some double layer Brynje Arctic wool inner layer clothing years ago, and they are my first choice when really cold. (Similar products from other manufacturers, but they are all kind of an investment).

I sometimes see cotton thermals sold for cold weather, and that is kind of scary. To quote the Norwegian military: "Cotton kills".

[Vidar]

Leave your taps running just a little bit.  The moving water is much less likely to freeze!

That! Other cold preparations we do around here is taking a round looking for spray cans, chemicals, paints, batteries, and other stuff which might not take freezing temperatures well. Oh, and any water cooled welding machines as well. Each year I forget something, and the cost adds up over the years.

[AzteCypher]

We left our taps dripping the last two nights. So far so good.

[Alan K.]

My windows were open last several days, but yesterday was so warm I had to close the windows and turn the AC back on.