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posted by martyb on Friday February 01 2019, @05:52AM   Printer-friendly
from the cold-comfort dept.

Minus-56 degrees and more: Brutal cold-air outbreak is smashing records in the Midwest; here are some reports:

Temperatures dove more than 30 degrees below zero Thursday morning in the Midwest in this polar vortex outbreak’s last gasp, driving wind chills to dangerous levels and clobbering long-standing records.

Conditions in northern Minnesota took a nosedive in the early morning hours. The unincorporated community of Cotton measured an actual temperature — not wind chill — of minus-56 degrees. It was four degrees short of Minnesota’s all-time lowest temperature.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2019/01/31/brutal-cold-outbreak-is-breaking-records-midwest-thursday-morning/

Central Pennsylvania weather: Record cold, wind chills from -10 to 5:

SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY, Pa. —

Sunshine is expected in central Pennsylvania's Susquehanna Valley this afternoon, but it's still bitterly cold.

A record cold high temperature could be set this afternoon. The record of 20 degrees was set in 1966, and the WGAL Storm Team is forecasting 16.

https://www.wgal.com/article/central-pennsylvania-weather-record-cold-today/26096618

Ann Arbor breaks 108-year-old cold temperature record:

A century-old record was broken in Ann Arbor on Wednesday.

As a polar vortex drove Arctic air into the Midwest, temperatures plummeted to a record daily low of 13 degrees below zero, and still dropping, by 7 p.m. on Jan. 30 in Ann Arbor, according to the National Weather Service.

The previous daily record, 11 degrees below zero, was set in 1911, according to University of Michigan records.

https://www.mlive.com/news/2019/01/ann-arbor-passes-108-year-old-mark-for-the-coldest-jan-30-on-record.html

Madison sets record cold high temperature Wednesday:

While everyone knows we keep records for high and low temperatures, we also keep record for other extremes. One of those is record cold high temperatures in which Madison set a new one on Wednesday. The high temperature only made it to minus 10 degrees and that broke the old record cold high of minus 1 degree set back in 1951!

https://www.nbc15.com/content/news/Madison-sets-record-cold-high-temperature-Wednesday-505106971.html

Record cold stresses furnaces into breakdowns:

INDIANAPOLIS (WTHR) – As temperatures plunged below zero outside, some people found the temperature in their homes dropping as well. The dangerous cold puts your furnace under a stress test.

Even with a gas fireplace running and four dogs with fur coats, the Underwoods felt a little chilly Wednesday morning in their home in Sycamore Springs on the northeast side of Indianapolis.

https://www.wthr.com/article/record-cold-stresses-furnaces-breakdowns

Homeless Face Record-Breaking Cold In Parts Of The Nation:

Rachel Martin talks to Debra Gonzalez, founder of the nonprofit organization in Wisconsin, Feeding His Flock Street Ministry, about searching the streets to find homeless people in need of shelter.

https://www.npr.org/2019/01/31/690230681/homeless-face-record-breaking-cold-in-large-parts-of-the-nation

Chicago Weather Forecast: More Record-Setting Cold Ahead Of Snow Thursday Night

CHICAGO (CBS) — It’s another day of record-setting cold for Chicago, as Thursday immediately started as the coldest Jan. 31 ever at O’Hare, and kept getting colder.

The temperature was already -18°F when Thursday started, and by shortly before 4 a.m., it was down to -21°F, the coldest it’s ever been on this date. The previous record was -12°F on Jan. 31, 1985.

Thursday also has tied for 10th coldest ever in Chicago, following a day that tied for 5th coldest ever, when temperatures hit -23° on Wednesday.

https://chicago.cbslocal.com/2019/01/31/extreme-cold-record-setting-temperatures-deep-freeze-chicago-weather-snow/


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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 01 2019, @06:14AM (10 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 01 2019, @06:14AM (#794897)

    Americans are the only idiots who worry about wind chill. Russia is colder, but they probably don't even have an expression for it.

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 01 2019, @02:52PM (9 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 01 2019, @02:52PM (#795033)

    I swear, Canada is 10x worse than the US when it comes to windchill.
    The media knows that reporting a windchill of -40C will be much more dramatic than reporting the ambient temperature -25C so they go with the windchill. Then everyone runs around screaming 'It's -40C outside'. Then when you try to explain to the younglings that it's not really -40C outside they reply with "yes it is, the TV told me so. They wouldn't report it if it wasn't true."

    Same with humidex. I think it was invented by Canadians so when visitors in July say "It's only 23C today..summers are cool in Canada" Canadians can reply with "It's not cool, the humidex is 30C".
    In July the ambient temperature will be 31C, humidex will be 42C, and the media will be reporting that 'It's hotter than Dubai today, it's hotter than Death Valley today." and Canadians will start running around saying the same thing.

    • (Score: 4, Informative) by hendrikboom on Friday February 01 2019, @03:26PM (8 children)

      by hendrikboom (1125) Subscriber Badge on Friday February 01 2019, @03:26PM (#795046) Homepage Journal

      That said, wind chill is likely a better predictor for frostbite than temperature.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 01 2019, @03:43PM (5 children)

        by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 01 2019, @03:43PM (#795050)

        For those going outside naked.

        • (Score: 2) by bob_super on Friday February 01 2019, @06:21PM (3 children)

          by bob_super (1357) on Friday February 01 2019, @06:21PM (#795112)

          i spent enough winters in Chicago to know that, while the exact number can be debated, the 10MPH wind is what transforms an uncomfortable temperature into a scared-for-your-toes EL platform wait...

          • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 01 2019, @07:44PM (2 children)

            by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 01 2019, @07:44PM (#795150)

            Have we Americans forgotten that boots, scarves, gloves, hats and coats exist for a reason?

            • (Score: 4, Informative) by bob_super on Friday February 01 2019, @07:56PM (1 child)

              by bob_super (1357) on Friday February 01 2019, @07:56PM (#795160)

              Oh, someone who didn't experience it !
              We're talking about temperatures at which the question is whether you can change your clothes when you get to work, because to stand outside waiting for a train/bus, you need at least two layers of pants (preferably ski ones), and some seriously padded shoes and socks, yet you'll still feel the cold because of the breeze. The usual gloves (driving-friendly ones) also need an upgrade if you need to operate anything for more than a few seconds.

              Don't think "cold". Think "polar gear".
              Even Chicagoans, because they are used to the cold, typically don't have much sub-zero gear.

              • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 02 2019, @02:50AM

                by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 02 2019, @02:50AM (#795285)

                Au contraire. I live in an affected area, and while I can't stand the cold, appropriate clothing made it ok. This weather is not that unusual, as someone else said, about once every three years we get weather like this.
                I admit that I don't need to wear skimpy clothes to work.

        • (Score: 2) by hendrikboom on Wednesday February 06 2019, @01:54AM

          by hendrikboom (1125) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday February 06 2019, @01:54AM (#797007) Homepage Journal

          Some part of you are usually naked, if you want to see where you're going.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 01 2019, @08:26PM (1 child)

        by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 01 2019, @08:26PM (#795168)

        Maybe for prisoners or army grunts who can't choose what to wear. And if you're riding a bike or scooter, the airspeed has little to do with the wind.

        • (Score: 2) by acid andy on Friday February 01 2019, @11:07PM

          by acid andy (1683) on Friday February 01 2019, @11:07PM (#795233) Homepage Journal

          And if you're riding a bike or scooter, the airspeed has little to do with the wind.

          It has quite a lot to do with it. The effective wind created by your motion will soon make you colder in cold temperatures and if you're riding into the wind it will certainly make it even worse.

          --
          If a cat has kittens, does a rat have rittens, a bat bittens and a mat mittens?