We were at -26C (ish) with the wind today. BRR!! I wore my fleece jacket, down vest and thermal long johns - in the office! Went out in the afternoon and tossed a fresh cup of boiling water into the wind (20-35 km/hr) just to see... it turn into vapour right away. Very cool science project for the kiddos but freaking cold!

I decided to go for a hike today anyway. Started on the bluffs in the bush, walked down the walkway beside the train tracks, and ended up on the beach for some hot chocolate before I turned around. It's freakin cold out there, but really beautiful!











Canadian drift wood, eh!


I found a little horseshoe fungus on the way too!


Here's a little video, for a more authentic feeling of the cold: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztzOlbHbI2E

Stay warm, dry and safe, and get out there an enjoy!

I think it's actually above zero today here. Balmy.

was -4 (F) when i got in the truck to drive to town this morning. BPJ, be careful with the boiling water thing with the kiddos, several kiddos in my area got second degree burns from trying this with the last cold spell. Should probably try to get out in this but I just can't seem to take the cold like I used to. You were right with your comment from another thread, getting old sucks ... but it sure beats the alternative

Wood that be similar to "Acadian Driftwood"?
Robbie Robertson and the Band, eh!

Hang in there. You folks in the East have been hit awfully hard this last while.

We in the West had our worst blasts prior to Christmas, and now it's very mild and extremely icy. Mild enough that ice dams form lovely puddles that penetrate roofs; and enough to worry that my fruit trees might be fooled into waking up (serious winter kill potential).

Thing is, we know it's going to pull the old switcheroo in due course. Plenty of winter left, and in a yo-yo year like this anything is possible (and in fact likely).

By the way, nice composition on those photos.

We're dealing with sweltering 40 F degree temps today! I actually stopped at the carwash and washed my truck after work. Lots of road salt, gotta hit the undercarriage periodically.

We were under a red flag warning yesterday. The furnace never kicked in last night. We could use a bit of chill and some moisture. The hillside near my house hasn't burned in ten years, so it is due....

BPJ, next time you take a walk under those conditions; tie one end of a long Bungi cord (really, really long!) to your desk and the other end to your waist. Then if you get too cold, just snap back to reality!

Here today on the west coast of Canada, it is currently 13C (56F.) Great weather for this time of year but the lack of winter cold and snow pack will come to haunt us in the summer and fall.

Tomorrow (Monday 1/27) night it will be about -20F (-29C) in the Chicago area.

Wind chill will be -40F (which coincidentally is also -40C).

I hope the cars start, but am planning ahead if they don't.

Temps like that around the Great Lakes must be nasty; we get the cold but with lower humidity, which lessens the bite (a little).

Below -25C, vehicles get a little grouchy. Strong batteries are critical. If you have a winter weight oil (or synthetic oil) and can run the block heater/frost plug for an hour or two, starting will be easier and the wear-and-tear much less.

BTW, on the Canadian Prairies we're headed back into the basement, dropping from +7C/44F to -27C/-17F over a mere 36 hours. Aargh! The only difference (this time) is that there isn't a massive snow dump during the transition.

I'm REALLY glad I am out of those temps. :-)

Pete

The forecast is for temps down under -13 again tomorrow. This is really putting a crimp in my plans for a winter camping trip...

Phaedrus,

You need to read "Paradise Below Zero". Then you will look forward to camping at only -13.

Respectfully,

Jerry

p.s. I love it and miss the opportunity.

thumbs up for the below zero book,you don't hear much about Carl Rutstrum these days but he was full of great camping tricks,some old school but worth knowing.making up a huge pan of stew and putting it outside to firm up a bit and then cutting it in meal size blocks is one of his best.
Carl and i had wood lots that backed up to each other in the 70's.i lived in my cabin and he traveled around and was not at his much.the few times i got to talk to him he was getting old and wanted to talk about the world going to hell and not his books.
14F below in Minneapolis and it's getting so that the house is turning into a cold sink.the walls and basement are holding the cold and running the furnace just seems to warm up the air but things like stair railings are cold.we have a good house it's just below zero too long...i tried to work in the basement but quit because even with heat runs the carpet covered floor is like ice!

While down south you all have been shivering in unusual cold weather, up here in Alaska we have had a severe heat wave.

Alaska Just Suffered a Major, Avalanche-Filled Heat Wave

The abnormal spate of warmness....snip.........forced the cancellation of skiing events, with one organizer saying, "We just don't have the snow and way too much water in the hills to put together a quality race." It also led to the 2014 Yukon Quest Sled Dog Race being launched in downtown Fairbanks, rather than its historical starting line on a frozen river, because the river ice was so thin spectators would've fallen through it. [/quote] Midwinter thaws are not that unusual in Alaska. But this thaw has been one for the record books, both in how warm it has been, and how long it has lasted. Avalanches closing the Richardson Highway are also common, but this series of slides has been unprecidented in size.