Bleeping Cold!
Due to some unfortunate circumstances the Polar Vortex has decided to bless us with its presence. I was talking to some people in the @adsactly Discord server the other day and @morkrock being from South Africa had some really great questions about how we survive when it is this cold out.
I thought this was going to be a really unique post, but I see several people on Steemit have already beat me to the punch talking about the amount of snow they got this past weekend or the -36 "feels like" temperature I saw someone post about.
I am going to go ahead with this post anyway, I have some cool pictures that I want to share after all. You can see in the first picture that our indicated temperature was -15 when @mrsbozz and I pulled in to work today. If kids didn't already have school off because of it being a teacher work day, we probably would have been closed.
As you can see from the screenshot above, the wind chill is going to put temperatures into the -25 Fahrenheit range. A chart I found online indicates that about 30 minutes of exposure at those temps can get your fairly well acquainted with frostbite.
Typically most schools districts in our area have a range of about -10 Fahrenheit to -20 that they will close the schools. It is just too cold for those kids that walk to school and heaven forbid a bus full of kids breaks down at these temps.
I walked in to my office today and realized I had forgotten my phone in the car. I still had my jacket on, but no gloves on. By the time I covered the twenty or thirty yards to get to the car, my hands were already aching from the cold. I quickly put them in my pockets until I got back to the safety of my office.
I have seen memes in the past where people lament in the middle of the Winter why they live somewhere where the "air hurts their face". It's days like this that I also question that decision sometimes.
There was a period a couple of years ago where we had close to a weeks worth of days like this. It was so cold one day that the Superintendent even told those of us that normally have to report to just stay home and we wouldn't be charged a PTO(personal time off day). Lucky for us, the temperature is supposed to rebound back up to the mid thirties by Wednesday.
This weekend @mrsbozz and I had to drive about 45 minutes South of where we live to watch our nephew play basketball. The weather report was only calling for a dusting of snow, but we decided to take my truck that has 4WD just in case.
Though not ideal, the roads weren't too bad on the way down. I had it the truck in 4WD auto mode and I was able to go about 60 MPH on the expressway. We were only in the basketball game for at most an hour, but the snow didn't let up the whole time we were in there and by the time we were heading back North, things were quite different.
According to Wazes, the area in the second shot above had about 5 accidents all within a one mile stretch. We were trying to get back home to watch our niece play basketball and it wasn't looking good because of the roads and the traffic.
After we got past the emergency vehicles traffic spread out more, but the roads were still pretty nasty. As we got closer to Bay City, MI there was a significant amount of lake effect snow coming off of the Saginaw Bay.
This presented us with some near white out conditions. We made it to the basket ball game and were only about five minutes late though. They lost the game, but by the time we left the sun was starting to come out. Sadly with the temperatures being so cold, the sun did little to help melt away the snow on the roads. Even the salt that the road crews put down has a hard time melting the snow when the mercury dips that low.
That's the funny thing about Michigan though, in six months we will probably be looking at temperatures in the 90 degree Fahrenheit range and we will be complaining about that as well. I love it though. I don't know as though I would trade the ability to experience each of the seasons (sometimes all in one week) even if I could.
If you have to deal with weather like this where you live, stay safe out there! If you don't, consider yourselves lucky!
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"I don't know as though I would trade the ability to experience each of the seasons (sometimes all in one week) even if I could."
With you there, buddy. Those crazy weeks don't happen often, but they are interesting. And it's great to stand on the porch for a minute looking at the blizzard before thinking "Stuff this for a game of soldiers" and calling the dogs back into the warm.
Trust me, I'm a doctor.
I think along with the cold temps and the slight warm up they are calling for rain by the middle of the week. It's pretty crazy! I actually got a little worried about my dog last night. She wouldn't come in and I was concerned about the cold. She was just having a good old time rolling around in the snow.
My brother had an epic conversation one winter night. We lived about 12 miles apart, but had a route we took the morning after a big storm. We checked about 60 miles of rural highways to see if anybody had been stuck. Anyway, we were planning our route and my power started flickering. He said "You know what I really wish I'd done? Get a job with the power company. That's so cushy, especially on a day like today." We had a cousin that did that very thing. I can't even imagine.
I'm all done with 4 seasons. Sometimes I honestly think that 3 is too many :) But when I was young, I was all in.
That is pretty funny. I think they make some good money working holiday's and overtime when things like this happen. I have often said that if I wasn't doing what I was doing it might be interesting to be an HVAC technician. They are always in demand and I think they make pretty good money. I am sure eventually I will be fed up with all of the seasons as well. Cost of living is just so awesome in Michigan though :)
There is no doubt they make bank in times like that. But it is a miserable way to make bank. Our cousin retired after 35 years with WWP, a good retirement.
Used to see him once in a while in his pickup and think how cushy he had it. Until my brother figured it out :)
I looked into HVAC a little at one point, and have a step nephew that is part of that trade. It looks to me to be a good way to make a living.
It's all what you like, I guess. I had a good friend that made himself wealthy installing fire sprinkler systems. Started out as a pressure rated pipe fitter and ended up well.
I know I'm done with winter. I'm way past the curve for normal with the sort and amount of arthritis that I have, and no doubt in my mind that some of that is a result of moving to Arizona when I was 48.
I have a friend whose husband is the co-owner of a fire sprinkler company and he also does very well for himself. It is great business to be in. My friend was telling me the other day that she doesn't know why she is still working. She said that she makes less in one year working here than he gets just for his yearly bonus...
Horrible driving conditions! Those kinds of temperatures are not that unusual where I live in Scotland at this time of year - except this winter has been unusually mild. At least some of the mountains are getting snow now.
I have a fantastic balaclava that I wear on the mountains when it's very cold. Last winter it was so cold that I actually had to put it on in the city one evening. It is not a fashion accessory!
No, I can't imagine that it is. People might think you are going to rob a bank or something. I have one that I wear when I am clearing out our driveway. Beyond that I just try to stay inside where it is warm. The car was a little slow to start this morning even though it was in the garage all night.
That was exactly my worry - I was on my way to pick up some keys that had been left in the lobby of some flats, and I thought someone would think I was trying to break in! Definitley best to stay indoors in those conditions.
Wow.... Now, as an Ohioan displaced to GA, I have to admit, I miss winter more than I care to admit. It almost got down to freezing last night, and people down here were freakingout. It is sunny and warm out now.
I miss snow, but I have to say, I DONT miss the type of bitter cold you are having now... Yikes! So sorry! Stay warm, friend!
I agree with you. I like those nice weekends when the snow just doesn't stop falling, but they are able to get it cleared off the roads by Monday or Tuesday. The bitter cold temps though, I get sick of really fast. The ice fishermen love it though. :)
I feel for you! I remember those days well...
Ive never ice fished before, haha. Sounds cold...
I go ice fishing occasionally. It is a truly different experience!
We humans are pretty fickle with weather, too hot, too cold.... One thing I do promise our winters are simply bliss, best time of the year in Durban.
Thanks for taking us out on that drive, if I lived in those cold conditions perhaps I too would change my mind living in regions that freeze up.
Aside the freezing cold temperature, it is super pretty to see your snow @bozz
Thanks! Yes I much prefer the snow when I can sit in my living room and watch it fall. Us Michiganders though, we don't let that stop us when we need to go out and about. With the truck having 4WD, I don't really worry about my driving as much as I worry about the other idiots around me! :)
We don't need snow to have that many accidents either @bozz you literally learn to drive with eyes in the back of your head....
Yikes!
I like having proper seasons and in South Africa we rarely see this. Yes leaves falling off the tree signifying winter is coming but that is about it really. I can only imagine the local drivers driving in the snow though and maybe it is a blessing in disguise as rain is about their limit.
It's not a fun thing when drivers who aren't used to it first encounter it. Even the first snow of the year people tend to forget what to do. There was a point where we hit a pothole on the way to the one game and I lost control of the truck for a split second. Luckily the oncoming traffic was a ways down the road otherwise we would have gotten hit for sure.
Wow, that's a lot of snow! It just started snowing here too, but we've only got a couple of inches at the moment.
Let's hope that is all you get.
I am usually fascinated by extreme weather. Although I may later moan about it, too. But more of the first.
I agree. We haven't gotten a decent storm in the summer like we used to. Despite the cold temps, we don't really get the amount of snowfall we used to get when I was a kid either.
Yeah that's so sure. Can't experience it all (4 seasons) down here in South Texas that's for sure.
Thanks for sharing @bozz
I just did a post complaining about the cold, but you have it worse than us, so I should stop complaining
Stay safe and warm my friend
Thanks! You too! Only looking at -2 as I head to bed now 😁
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ITs warmed up to 11 here actual temp so that would be a heat wave to you, and slowly warming up after my extended time out this evening