BS: Informal HOW COLD WAS IT Survey

Subject: BS: Informal HOW COLD WAS IT Survey
From: wysiwyg
Date: 03 Mar 14 - 07:52 AM

Informal HOW COLD WAS IT Survey

As we awake to a "balmy" 62 degrees in a house set to be at 68 in this cold spell-- we were well below zero outside overnight so that setting lets the drafty kitchen's sink pipes NOT freeze-- I'm recalling many cold weather spells that coincided with heating emergencies of various sorts as a child. Sleeping in a kitchen in front of an open oven is one memory that is vivid. Mom was pretty creative! 

So I'm curious-- how cold was it when you realized it REALLY wasn't warm enough, and what did you do about it?

Me? ....At least my thyroid levels are better today then they were a week ago, so for me we are not quite yet at the "emergency" level altho I know if it gets much colder the pipes would freeze tonight so we will call the landlord. 

~Susan

But a friend of mine has her winter heat permanently capped at 55, unless she has an overnight guest in which case she will luxuriate around 60 if requested. Not cuz she's warm enough but because it's part of a vow of poverty.

And I'm curious how these experiences may vary by race-- what have I NOT had to endure, that friends endure now or recall enduring?

Subject: RE: BS: Informal HOW COLD WAS IT Survey
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 03 Mar 14 - 08:27 AM

I keep my central heating at 23 (centigrade).

Subject: RE: BS: Informal HOW COLD WAS IT Survey
From: Rapparee
Date: 03 Mar 14 - 09:29 AM

Thermostats are variable: 62F at night, 68F during the day in the winter and 68 and 72 during the air conditioning months.

But you asked how cold it was. Not so bad around here, but up in the hills the elk hunters had their bullets freeze in midair the moment they left the gun. No elk were shot, but it's gonna be a might dangerous for a while when the weather warms up.

Subject: RE: BS: Informal HOW COLD WAS IT Survey
From: GUEST,Eliza
Date: 03 Mar 14 - 09:36 AM

Mine is at 70 Fahrenheit from 6am until 10pm, but I often put it up to 80F if we feel a bit chilly in the evening. Luckily our bungalow is tiny and well-insulated, and in my view the heating (oil) isn't too expensive, although it's still about £600 for the winter. (Our Winter Fuel Payment covers some of that) My husband's race (as you may know) is African, and he feels the cold. Anything less than about 70F and like me he's shivering. But in W Africa, we're both quite at ease in 40 Centigrade with high humidity. We ought to go and live there really, but the endemic diseases would finish me off. I cannot sit in temperatures less than 65F. I shrivel up, tremble and get sleepy. Some of my friends' houses are so cool I keep my coat on. Our neighbours sweat like pigs when they visit us. It's interesting isn't it, how people need such a range of ambient temps in their homes?

Subject: RE: BS: Informal HOW COLD WAS IT Survey
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 03 Mar 14 - 09:40 AM

We do not have adequate heat, due to electrical problems. Need a good electrician but not until spring when we need to rip out half the first floor to get rid of powder mill beetles, hopefully before I fall through the floor.

If I had my druthers, the indoor temp would be about 70 but as cold as it has been in Montreal this winter - a lot warmer than it would have been 40 years ago - I have the oven door open almost all the time. A little "cube" heater in the cellar is keeping the pipes from freezing again but that means I cannot use another one on the first floor. So one small heater and the oven and a heating pad in the bed, which I move to the LR to keep my feet warm when reading. On a warm day, it gets up to 68, sometimes.

Subject: RE: BS: Informal HOW COLD WAS IT Survey
From: GUEST,Eliza
Date: 03 Mar 14 - 09:41 AM

This year our winter (eastern UK) wasn't terribly cold at all. But if (as in 2010) the temp outside goes down to well below freezing (minus 10C at times) we put the electric fire on as well. I remember as a child just after the War, we had no central heating at all, just a small coal fire. The pipes froze, the windows had ice patterns inside and we all got chilblains.

Subject: RE: BS: Informal HOW COLD WAS IT Survey
From: Rapparee
Date: 03 Mar 14 - 10:19 AM

It was so cold out here that cops were Tasering themselves just to keep warm. Cows were throwing themselves on the electric fences. And we had to empty the freezer and move in that because it was warmer.

Subject: RE: BS: Informal HOW COLD WAS IT Survey
From: Pete Jennings
Date: 03 Mar 14 - 11:21 AM

Rap, hahahahahahahaha!

Not been very cold here in Staffordshire. Only had about 4 frosts all winter and they were gone by 10am. We've got ladybirds in the garden.

Subject: RE: BS: Informal HOW COLD WAS IT Survey
From: frogprince
Date: 03 Mar 14 - 11:39 AM

For week after week here, SE Michigan, it's been cold enough to freeze the nipples off a brass witch. It was minus 14 or 15f last night; I don't remember it going that low in the 30 years I've lived here.

I grew up on a farm in southern Minnesota (Thank God, not NORTHERN Minnesota). Just because it was minus 30f with some wind, that didn't mean that you didn't have to bundle up and do outdoor chores.

At my age now, if it gets below zero at all with some wind, I'm hard put to believe that we did what we did back then and survived.

Subject: RE: BS: Informal HOW COLD WAS IT Survey
From: wysiwyg
Date: 03 Mar 14 - 11:57 AM

Thanks folks. How cold do you reckon it would have to be, in your place, before you'd call for help? What would you do in the meantime?

When power is NOT out here, we run 2 oil rads and turn on all the lights... even CFLs create a fair amount of heat. We have an electric blanket and electric lap robe we can cover with down comforters. Also run the shower or set a pot to simmer. When it is out we hse a gas heater. The rads can be moved near pipes... but the gas heater can only affect kitchen and adjoining laundry.

I'm pretty sure a lot of that is white privilege.


♥♡♥

Subject: RE: BS: Informal HOW COLD WAS IT Survey
From: GUEST,Eliza
Date: 03 Mar 14 - 12:03 PM

I think it is indeed age-connected, frogprince. I remember sledging down hills in Scotland on a teatray, in the middle of the night, and it was minus 20F. Didn't mind it at all. Now, I can't bear even to walk to the village shop for my paper (5mins walk) if it isn't nice and warm outside. Must be our circulation (or lack of it!) My husband has very thin arms, legs and long fingers. They lose heat like anything, which is good in Africa. His short nose is like that to let in lots of air in hot climates, but lets in freezing cold air here, so he coughs badly. Our longer noses warm the air before it reaches our lungs. Clever really.

Subject: RE: BS: Informal HOW COLD WAS IT Survey
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 03 Mar 14 - 12:14 PM

Moved the thermostat up to 23C (73.5 F) as it hit -30 C (-22F) two nights ago; 27 below last night. That keeps the house at about 69F (about 21 C).

We also have portable electric heaters to keep bedrooms at a nice 76 F.

Subject: RE: BS: Informal HOW COLD WAS IT Survey
From: Bill D
Date: 03 Mar 14 - 12:22 PM

We can't afford to keep the house heated to 70F+, so it's just plenty clothes in daytime.... and an oil heater in the 'office' to keep fingers on the keyboard. I also have a tiny space heater for the tiny downstairs toilet which I run ONLY overnight (or when guests are here) to make the place tolerable.

But at night, the real solution is the microwave! Old socks filled with beans (or even better, rice) zapped for 2-3 minutes can be tucked anywhere to make the bed cozy. Sometimes I even heat one and tuck it in a pocket of a fleece jacket. It can also make a quick run to the store easier when slipped under a coat in the car.

If you have never used these, just get an old sock (better yet, two.. one inside the other to ensure against leaks) and partially fill it ...2/3 is good... with cheap rice, and tie a knot in the end. Pop in in the MW for a couple minutes.... ahhhhhh......

(There are pretty commercial versions of these, but I have an infinite supply of old socks)

Subject: RE: BS: Informal HOW COLD WAS IT Survey
From: GUEST,Eliza
Date: 03 Mar 14 - 02:20 PM

I'm quite hot in bed. (Now, stop that sniggering at the back!) our duvet is 15 tog goose down. You could sleep outside under that. And our tiny bungalow keeps the heat in most of the night anyway, fortunately. We have cavity wall insulation, loft insulation and nice British bricks too for the walls. Our windows are double-glazed, so all round we're very snug.

Subject: RE: BS: Informal HOW COLD WAS IT Survey
From: Rapparee
Date: 03 Mar 14 - 05:46 PM

Wood burning fireplaces upstairs and down. And quilts... MANY quilts.

Subject: RE: BS: Informal HOW COLD WAS IT Survey
From: Bill D
Date: 03 Mar 14 - 06:48 PM

You BURN wood? Oh, the tragedy!

Subject: RE: BS: Informal HOW COLD WAS IT Survey
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 03 Mar 14 - 07:00 PM

We have a house built 60 years ago, when fireplaces were included in the plans.
Them we were told how polluting fireplaces were, so we use them to house decorations and blocked them off.

Haven't burnt wood in 40 or more years.

Subject: RE: BS: Informal HOW COLD WAS IT Survey
From: GUEST,Ed T
Date: 03 Mar 14 - 08:10 PM

It is to be -15 C tonight, which is normally as cold as it ever gets. March is normally a much warmer month???

Our two story house is very well insulated, with newer windows. As it is energy efficient, we use less heat to keep it warm. We have a mini split heat pump (with summer AC) in the lower level, and an oil fired, forced-air, furnace as our main heat source. Our windows are located to maximize winter sunshine (when it is cold, quite often the sky is clear), and our heating benefits from that.

The furnace is set for 62F nights (we like it cooler for sleeping) and 68F daytime. The mini split, for the most part, heats the house (it is set 81F winter 71F summer and is operating most of the time. The furnace kicks in once and awhile, if it is windy and really cold outside and also at 6 am in the morning, to give a blast of heat before we arise.

The basement is fairly warm, so,we overwinter outdoor plants under fluorescent lighting (they do well and reward us with abundant flowers).

In case the electricity goes out, I purchased a 6500 watt generator five years ago at Costco, as a back up to power the mini spilt. It is still unused in the box, as the power has not gone out since I bought it. I also have an indoor propane heater as a second back up, but never used it yet.

Subject: RE: BS: Informal HOW COLD WAS IT Survey
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 03 Mar 14 - 09:01 PM

Bill, I love your warm sock idea.

After our last big power outage, we bought a kerosene heater and some kerosene. It's been in the box several years now. Apparently the weather demons figure it's pointless to hit us with more ice if we've figured out a way to keep warm.

Here in Kansas City it was -6 last night, and I don't mean Centigrade. That is very cold for early March, which I would expect to be 30F. School was cancelled because if a bus was delayed by ice or snow, a child would be waiting in a wind chill of -21.

I wish school officials had been smart enough to think of stuff like that when I was a kid....

Subject: RE: BS: Informal HOW COLD WAS IT Survey
From: Rapparee
Date: 03 Mar 14 - 10:21 PM

I said we have two wood-burning fireplaces. We haven't used them since we moved in eleven years ago. We still have the small pile of wood that came with the house.

Quilts...many, many quilts. Old ones, new ones, unfinished ones...AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

Subject: RE: BS: Informal HOW COLD WAS IT Survey
From: Ebbie
Date: 04 Mar 14 - 02:44 AM

Two thoughts come to mind:

* Setting each faucet to dripping overnight will usually avoid the risk of freezing pipes. In fact, in an apartment house water dripping in an upper apartment will usually keep the lines open down below. (If they don't- oh, woe betide us!)

* Ovens were mentioned above. I hope they are not ELECTRIC ovens.

Subject: RE: BS: Informal HOW COLD WAS IT Survey
From: Joe Offer
Date: 04 Mar 14 - 03:54 AM

We heat with wood (insert in the fireplace), so it's usually very comfortable in the living room. We do cheat with electric base heaters and electric blankets in some places. It got very cold this year, below 20 degrees F. I've been here 12 years, and this is the first time we've had pipes freeze. The main pipe at the well for drinking water froze solid and split. We cut the pipe and heated it in boiling water, and a footlong cylinder of ice slid right out.
We also had to replace two pipes in our irrigation system, which takes water from a ditch.
So, yeah, it was colder than we were prepared for here in the California Sierra Foothills.
-Joe, Applegate, California-

Subject: RE: BS: Informal HOW COLD WAS IT Survey
From: GUEST, topsie
Date: 04 Mar 14 - 04:20 AM

Warming socks in a microwave sounds a great idea, provided the electricity isn't off.

Subject: RE: BS: Informal HOW COLD WAS IT Survey
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 04 Mar 14 - 06:54 PM

20 degrees F would be a pleasant day here. It is warming up a bit here, 6 F this afternoon which is a lot better than the 20-30 below of the last few days.

Subject: RE: BS: Informal HOW COLD WAS IT Survey
From: gnu
Date: 04 Mar 14 - 07:31 PM

Environment Canada issued a warning last night...

Extreme Windchill Warning. Frostbite may occur within ten minutes before you go out.

Subject: RE: BS: Informal HOW COLD WAS IT Survey
From: Bill D
Date: 04 Mar 14 - 09:22 PM

"Warming socks in a microwave sounds a great idea, provided the electricity isn't off."

Oh, right.. if that happens we have to hand crank the microwave.... just the effort is warming.... ;>) (this replaces the gerbils on a wheel I used to use when we had Windows 3.1)

Subject: RE: BS: Informal HOW COLD WAS IT Survey
From: ragdall
Date: 04 Mar 14 - 09:34 PM

gnu, LOL! @ "Frostbite may occur within ten minutes before you go out."

We've had a very chilly February. March isn't looking much better, the Prediction for tonight is -28C. Fortunately it usually warms somewhat during the day. Today it was -12C and sunny. I was comfortable out on my deck in the sun for about ten minutes, soaking up some Vitamin D on my bare arms, while I was taking some photos.

The programmable thermostat is set to 19C from 11 pm to 5 pm. If we are at home and awake during the day, we usually will increase to 20C. At 5 pm it warms the main floor of the house to 21C. The house is very well insulated, windows are all double paned During a sunny day, the large south facing windows will provide ample heat that the furnace doesn't come on while the sun is up in the south, unless the outdoor cold is extreme. We pay close to a total of $1000 for natural gas (this includes many surcharges and taxes) for the six snow months from November to April. About $180 of that would be for heating water (and surcharges and taxes).   

I've made a supply of cotton bags, each filled with 2 pounds of organic wheat. These can be heated in the microwave. Several of these are used daily in winter, in the bed and for warming up after being out shoveling snow, etc.. The rest are available for use by house guests. It's amazing how quickly grandchildren will settle and fall asleep with a warm bag to snuggle.   

Susan, you asked:
How cold do you reckon it would have to be, in your place, before you'd call for help? What would you do in the meantime?
I don't know how or whom we could call for help? We have no family here. I'm assuming if there were a power outage everyone else would be in the same predicament as us, no help there.

If the problem was ours only, such as when our furnace motor stopped running in January, as soon as we noticed that we had no heat (it was about 18C in the house), we called the plumbing company who sent a repair person within 30 minutes.

Our winter contingency plan:
~ if there is electricity, move into a small room, close the door and use electric heaters.
~ if there is no electricity, move into the family room. Close the room doors. Use the wood fireplace for heat, light and cooking until the power comes back on. If the problem persists, turn a tap on a tiny bit to keep pipes from freezing.

rags

Subject: RE: BS: Informal HOW COLD WAS IT Survey
From: JennieG
Date: 05 Mar 14 - 07:44 PM

In early January we had the hottest day ever in this town, hottest day ever in my life......45.2 deg C. What is this 'cold' of which you speak?

Sorry folks, didn't mean to rub it in......

Rap, that what you get being married to a quilter!

Subject: RE: BS: Informal HOW COLD WAS IT Survey
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 05 Mar 14 - 11:35 PM

I had an extensive essay on the situation in my area, but unfortunately when I hit "submit" there was no mudcat to post it. While I did Back, Copy, and Paste it to a temporary .doc, the document was lost by a Win Explorer crash.

Consider yourselves lucky, just this once.

There are relatively few homes in "urban" areas here that use much of anything other than natural gas for heating. Nearly all the really habitable ones have central heating, gas furnace, forced air distribution. The incremental cost of nudging the thermostat to stay "comfortable" is not sufficient for most people to worry much about exotic methods of compensating for the cold, so we just "tweak" the setting as needed.

We do "zone" some areas that are less used by shutting off the air to places (garage, laundry, etc) that don't really need any heat, but invoking our privilege as "elderly and disabled" we generally set main living areas at about 76 - 78 F (24.4 - 25.6 C) with no adjustment needed for the usual low outside temps of around 10 F (-12 C). On one recent single day when a very rare OAT hit 0 F (-18C) I kicked it to 84 F (28.9 C) to compensate for a "cold spot" near the outside wall where my computer desk sits, but the few hours when a little extra was needed won't really show in the monthly heating bill.

Outside/beyond areas where natural gas is easily available, most "modern" homes (built after the mid 1940s?) generally use propane heat, which is significantly more expensive. Those people generally pay more attention to the weather, and are more cautious about "overheating."

Something of a "fad" produced a fair number of "all electric" homes built in the late 1960s and after. Promises of "high efficiency" weren't realized for most, and for those with simple all-electric heat the expense of tweaking the thermostat can be rather high. The ones who used good heat pump systems may be a little closer to average sensitivity, but probably still pay a significant premium for "being really modern."

I knew one fellow who designed his own heat pump system about two decades before the fad, who actually paid much less for his heat than for the average natural gas heated homes of comparable size. Unfortunately he chose not to discuss his maintenance costs for his rather exotic plumbing so a true comparison was never made.

John

Subject: RE: BS: Informal HOW COLD WAS IT Survey
From: GUEST,Eliza
Date: 06 Mar 14 - 03:50 AM

We all have water meters here, and dripping taps cost money. What sort of insulation is used for your homes 'over there'? There are new houses being built here with very high specification of heat-conserving. Once heated to an ambient temp they practically stay like that for days. (unless you open a window of course!) They also have solar panels on the roof, so if the sun should shine at all, some power is generated. Do you have triple glazing, cavity wall insulation, loft insulation to 30cms and porches in front of all outside doors? Woodburners are getting very popular here too. With one of those, the whole house could be warm, as the large chimney pipe goes up through the upstairs bedrooms and it's red hot! Spring is sprung here now, it was 13C yesterday and many trees have small leaves sprouting.

Subject: RE: BS: Informal HOW COLD WAS IT Survey
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 06 Mar 14 - 07:47 AM

In many towns in my area, a dripping water faucet in winter may actually decrease total annual water costs. Because of extravagant and wasteful use for maintaining "golf-green" lawns, spillage for "swimming pools" and the like, many places determine a "normal use rate" based on how much water is used during the winter months, then in summer any use in excess of the base monthly amount is billed at an "excess use rate" (per cu ft).

Generally the first 1,000 cu ft above the baseline may cost 10% or 20% more than the same quantity within the base amount, but in a few places the rate doubles or even triples for higher consumptions. A little drip kicks up your base usage rate, so that you can spill a little more next summer. (It would take a really big drip to have much real effect, but a few people think they gain something by "gaming" this system.)

John

Subject: RE: BS: Informal HOW COLD WAS IT Survey
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 06 Mar 14 - 01:12 PM

Here in Calgary, water and sewer pipes are set well below the frost line, but rarely water is cut off when there is a "broken water main or pipe" in the neighborhood. Problems are rare, but they do occur.

For heating, natural gas is almost at the 100 percent level here, and we haven't ever had a problem with supply, but an electricity cut-off a couple of times was a real problem since the heat is delivered to the rooms in the house by electric fans. In this case, the furnace works at a low setting, but heat doesn't get to some rooms, and sweaters and coats have to be worn for the few hours that electricity is off.

Our utilities are paid through the bank, and we get periodic statements of how much is taken out. We look at the pro forma bills and cuss, but can't do anything about it.

Subject: RE: BS: Informal HOW COLD WAS IT Survey
From: GUEST,Patsy
Date: 06 Mar 14 - 06:37 PM

It hasn't been very cold here at all in Bristol just very very wet storms from just before Christmas until about February. Luckily we have not experienced the flooding as other southern counties especially in the farming areas. We have not had any snow at all just the occasional burst of hail storms just to remind us that we were still in winter. But apart from that it has not been that shivery cold at all and I do feel the cold usually as soon as it hits September. Next week it is forecast to be springlike warm so fingers crossed we can get out the odd summery thing to wear to brighten us up a bit.

But I am not sure if I prefer a regular seasonal winter with snow or like it has been. The floods have certainly caused misery (and a few deaths) for a number of people in the UK. Which ever happens you can always bet that the UK will not be prepared for it! All joking apart such wet stormy weather had not been known in 250 years so I suppose no one could have envisaged what the impact it was going to have. However, hopefully there will be preparations in place if it should happen again.

Subject: RE: BS: Informal HOW COLD WAS IT Survey
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 07 Mar 14 - 01:08 AM

School was cancelled because if a bus was delayed by ice or snow, a child would be waiting in a wind chill of -21.

The wind chill is fairly well understood by many, and perhaps by most people. An object absorbs "heat" from the surrounding air and comes to the temperature of the air. IF THE OBJECT ITSELF generates "heat" it may be warmer than the surrounding air, but if the surrounding air is moving rapidly the warm boundary air is "swept away," resulting in a rate of cooling that is much more rapid than in "still air." The increased rate of heat loss makes the "warm body" feel like the air is cooler than its actual temperature. (But "Wind Chill" has NO EFFECT on an object that doesn't generate some heat of its own.)

There is another phenomenon in cold weather that most probably have never heard of. Even an "inert" object, one that generates no heat, will still "radiate" its heat energy at a rate depending on its "absolute temperature," and will receive radiation from any other object that it "sees" at a rate depending on the temperature of the other object. There will thus be a "heat exchange rate" that is largely independent of the air temperature in the vicinity. An object like a parked vehicle, exposed to a dark winter sky, radiates energy at a rate depending on its actual temperature, but receives energy at a rate depending on the "temperature" of the clear, dark, night sky. The "dark sky" temperature "seen by" the parked vehicle can have a physical temperature in the vicinity of a few degrees K. (In the vicinity of -270 C or -450F)

Even with only scant radiation from the object, but with nearly zero radiation received from the sky, the temperature of a parked vehicle, exposed to a clear night sky in reasonably still air, can reach an actual temperature as much as 30F or so lower than the adjacent air temp without benefit from "wind chill."

A school bus stalled in -10F weather, overnight with a clear sky and low wind speeds, could reach an actual temperature of -40F or so. (Stuffed full of warm little bodies sit might stay a little warmer - for a while?) A large wind chill, as implied by a wind chill equivalent temp of -21F would actually help to keep the bus warmer than if there was no wind at all.

US Army Ordnance Corps buddies who were sent to Fairbanks Alaska** for "winter vehicle tests" ca 1966 reported that the trucks they parked in -20F temps at the end of the day typically had a "morning" temp of about -50F when they were sent back out to plant their butts in the seats and fire up for the next day of testing, even though the air temp was still very close to -20F. And they had the test logs to prove it.

(Sit carefully?)

** I was left at Yuma AZ to continue "desert summer tests" that were in progress that winter. There was significant difficulty because there were very few days that winter when Yuma had the +100F (38C) temps preferred for much of the testing.

John

Subject: RE: BS: Informal HOW COLD WAS IT Survey
From: Seamus Kennedy
Date: 07 Mar 14 - 01:58 AM

It was so cold I saw two politicians walking down the street with their hands in their OWN pockets.
It was so cold we were breaking dogs off fire hydrants all day.

Subject: RE: BS: Informal HOW COLD WAS IT Survey
From: GUEST,Black belt caterpillar wrestler
Date: 07 Mar 14 - 03:30 AM

I have a home weather station and it tells me that we have only gone below 0 centigrade on two nights since the end of November, and then only by about 1 degree. This is for 1100 feet of altitude in Lancashire, UK.
Last year we had a spell of over two weeks wher it did not get above 0 day or night.
We have an air source heater by Husky which has been a bit disappointing so far in its performance as the COP (measure of efficiency) has only been about 2.4 overall, where we should be expecting something like 3.2.
We have underfloor heating downstairs, which is a bit like having a 16 ton radiator to heat up, so we keep it set to 17degrees in the day and 18 at night, when the electricity is cheaper.
Having a wind turbine is another factor that made us decide on this system.

Subject: RE: BS: Informal HOW COLD WAS IT Survey
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 07 Mar 14 - 03:52 AM

I have, of course, explained to my kids that things are different now than back when I had to walk nine miles to and from school every day, barefoot over broken glass, in 20 degree (F) weather, uphill both ways, into the face of sleet driven by gale-force head winds (also both ways of course.)

Despite my teachings, they seem unable to fully comprehend the concept of "global warming," raising the morbid fear that they might have "Republican tendencies" that would be most undesirable; however they both have shown very real intellectual curiosity and competence on other subjects so that my unease probably is unwarranted.

John

Subject: RE: BS: Informal HOW COLD WAS IT Survey
From: GUEST
Date: 07 Mar 14 - 08:16 AM

In my youth I used to deliver morning newspapers to about 50 customers in this sort of weather. One learns early in life to dress for the conditions. I think we have forgot that the temperature does drop in winter, an unfortunate coincidence that occurs yearly. Frankly, it's not a big deal. It does however cut back on fashion statements. Chilly at 18 below to wear shorts, sandals and a t-shirt. Regardless, I dress thusly, have my morning smoke on the porch and feed Jimmy the Jay some peanuts.

Subject: RE: BS: Informal HOW COLD WAS IT Survey
From: Rapparee
Date: 07 Mar 14 - 01:38 PM

I used to have a morning smoke on the porch but too many people kept coming up to warm their hands, and then the environmental folks got after me for air pollution and, well, I just gave up smoking. Now I'm just hot.

Subject: RE: BS: Informal HOW COLD WAS IT Survey
From: GUEST
Date: 07 Mar 14 - 02:01 PM

LOL, Rapparee. It's a tough job but . . .

Subject: RE: BS: Informal HOW COLD WAS IT Survey
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 07 Mar 14 - 02:10 PM

My daughter maintains a small weather station in the Foothills (of the Rockies) c. 30 mi. west of Calgary at her acreage there. It makes me shiver just to look at the data.
www.wareabouts.ca and click on Weather Station. The lowest for the month was -35.4 C.

We are expecting a Chinook and rising temperatures, but sometimes are disappointed by a fresh push from the N or NE.

Subject: RE: BS: Informal HOW COLD WAS IT Survey
From: GUEST,crazy little woman
Date: 07 Mar 14 - 02:41 PM

It was so cold that the Canada geese had to drill their way through the air rather than just fly.

Subject: RE: BS: Informal HOW COLD WAS IT Survey
From: GUEST,Eliza
Date: 07 Mar 14 - 03:02 PM

I'm like you, Patsy, I can't decide if I prefer a wet, windy winter with no snow, or a colder one with less rain. But watching those poor souls in the West Country up to their waists in floodwater, their houses and farms ruined, had me in tears more than once. Who knows if it will happen again?
I had a cousin who lived in Toronto many years ago, and she use to tell us you could breathe in and your lungs would freeze, because it sometimes went to 40 below! Is this true, Canucks?

Subject: RE: BS: Informal HOW COLD WAS IT Survey
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 07 Mar 14 - 03:47 PM

Records-
Toronto- -40.6 C the lowest (-41 F)
Calgary- -47 C. (-52.6 F)
Canada- -63 C lowest recorded.

Subject: RE: BS: Informal HOW COLD WAS IT Survey
From: GUEST,Eliza
Date: 07 Mar 14 - 04:32 PM

Good gracious! You'd die in about three minutes! I'm glad here in Norfolk it isn't anywhere near as cold!

Subject: RE: BS: Informal HOW COLD WAS IT Survey
From: GUEST
Date: 08 Mar 14 - 12:22 PM

I went out to get a Christmas tree when it was -55 C in the NWT (according to the temp gauge at the airport). I have never been in colder weather. The tree I chose--had about a 2" diameter bole at the base--broke off after one sharp tap with a small hatchet. (A friend was also gently pulling on the bole.)

Eliza, most of us put a scarf over our mouths and breathe through that. I have never heard of people freezing their lungs by breathing in cold weather. However, I wouldn't want to go jogging in it. And it is common wisdom that one learns to hold one's bladder until getting to someplace warmer than outside.

Subject: RE: BS: Informal HOW COLD WAS IT Survey
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 08 Mar 14 - 01:30 PM

The troops mentioned above who were sent for the winter to Fairbanks were advised to "hold their breath" when going from one warm building to another, any time the temp was below -20F. The rationale was that if your lungs were full of warm (and relatively moist) air, breathing in the colder air could cause icing in the lungs and/or freezing of lung tissue.

"Intake filters" (mufflers etc) were used for longer exposures to anything cold, with the same -20 being the "warning temp" when extra cautions were advised.

At least one person came back to Yuma with a diagnosis of "frostbitten lungs" and spent some time in the YPG Hospital "under observation." So far as is known he was returned to normal duties when they were satisfied that he was "properly thawed."

John

Subject: RE: BS: Informal HOW COLD WAS IT Survey
From: gnu
Date: 08 Mar 14 - 01:36 PM

Day before yesterday I was in a store and a clerk I know asked me if it was cold enough fer me. "I ain't even gonna take me sunglasses off in here b'y."

Today, I saw people in shorts and sandals. It's 6C! Me? Still in HD jeans with a thick sweatshirt on and a parka but the parka was unzipped. Sandals! Sandals? Kinda stunnedasmearse to taunt arthritis innit?

Subject: RE: BS: Informal HOW COLD WAS IT Survey
From: GUEST,Eliza
Date: 08 Mar 14 - 03:07 PM

Ah, JohnInKansas, it would seem my cousin was right after all. I visited London, Ontario in high summer 1967 to stay with her parents, my aunt and uncle. It was lovely and hot, but most people stayed below ground in basement-type rooms. I walked about the suburbs (no pavements) and once or twice a police car stopped to ask if I was alright. As soon as I opened my mouth they realised I was English. I was tanned mahogany, but the Canadians were pale as ghosts from staying underground. I wouldn't dare go there in winter, I'd die of hypothermia.

Subject: RE: BS: Informal HOW COLD WAS IT Survey
From: GUEST
Date: 08 Mar 14 - 03:13 PM

Good to know, JiK.