Broke Freezing: NW Weather Crisis

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the recent extreme cold weather experienced in various regions, particularly in the Northwest and other parts of North America. Participants share personal experiences with freezing temperatures, icy conditions, and the impact on daily life, including concerns about property damage from frozen pipes. The conversation touches on the challenges of navigating icy roads and the sudden shift from warmer weather to freezing conditions.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants describe experiencing temperatures at or below 10 degrees F, with concerns about broken water pipes due to freezing conditions.
  • Others mention the challenges of navigating icy roads, with one participant noting the danger of getting stuck due to a combination of snow and ice.
  • A participant shares their experience of walking dogs on icy surfaces, highlighting the difficulty of finding safe paths.
  • Some participants reflect on the abrupt transition from unseasonably warm weather to extreme cold, noting the shock of the temperature drop.
  • One participant describes extreme cold conditions in Canada, with temperatures reaching -32C and wind chill making it feel even colder.
  • Another participant humorously suggests that Canadians should migrate south for the winter, while acknowledging the pride in enduring harsh winter conditions.
  • There are light-hearted exchanges about the perception of cold temperatures, with some participants joking about their experiences and the varying definitions of "cold" based on geographic location.
  • One participant from Minnesota shares their experience of cold temperatures, comparing it to previous winters and noting it has been bearable.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a range of experiences with cold weather, but there is no consensus on the severity or implications of the weather conditions. Some participants find humor in the situation, while others express genuine concern about the impact of the cold.

Contextual Notes

Participants reference varying definitions of cold based on their geographic locations, which may influence their perceptions and reactions to the weather. The discussion includes anecdotal evidence and personal experiences rather than established facts.

Who May Find This Useful

Individuals interested in personal accounts of extreme weather experiences, those living in regions affected by similar weather patterns, or anyone curious about the social dynamics of discussing weather-related challenges.

Ivan Seeking
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I don't know what the weather has been around the nation and world this week, but here in the great NW we have been freezing our buns off! All week we [at our house] were at or below 10 degrees F at night, with daytime highs well below freezing. Today we finally hit 33 degrees with freezing rain and the roads are a sheet of ice. This morning I saw three cars in a ditch between our house and town.

I worry most about broken water pipes. Earlier I was talking with a gent whose boss had a water pipe break on the second floor of her home while she was out of town. She came home to find $80,000 in damage.
 
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Ivan Seeking said:
I don't know what the weather has been around the nation and world this week, but here in the great NW we have been freezing our buns off! All week we [at our house] were at or below 10 degrees F at night, with daytime highs well below freezing. Today we finally hit 33 degrees with freezing rain and the roads are a sheet of ice. This morning I saw three cars in a ditch between our house and town.

I worry most about broken water pipes. Earlier I was talking with a gent whose boss had a water pipe break on the second floor of her home while she was out of town. She came home to find $80,000 in damage.
Yikes! I was lucky, my frozen water pipe only flooded the basement.

How are you and Tsu getting up that hill of yours? Or down?
 
Evo said:
Yikes! I was lucky, my frozen water pipe only flooded the basement.

How are you and Tsu getting up that hill of yours? Or down?

Last night disaster struck: Little Tyke was out of food and I couldn't get into town!

It had been dry until now so there was no ice. As is common for us, the problems arise during the transistion from cold to moderate temps. However, the main reason we opted not to pave the drive coming down the hill is so that we could get traction on the gravel. The only time we are completely stuck is when we get a lot of snow on top of ice, or just tons of ice. I could have gotten out last night using snow cables but I knew the roads would be very dangerous.
 
I took Riki and Meja for their morning walk this morning on an ice skating rink. Even the dogs were slipping. I tried to move from lawn to lawn as grass was the only safe place to walk. Even gravel and mulch beds were covered with a layer of ice and slippery. The temp finally broke freezing at around 11am or 12noon. It is now back to normal wet and chilly.
 
We had a couple very cold days here too, but it mostly felt shocking because we'd been having such a long period of unseasonably warm weather leading up to it that it was a very sudden change (and VERY WINDY...we had wind advisories for two days and I thought I was going to blow away walking to my car). This time of year, it's not too unusual for us to have a few days here and there dropping below freezing, along with light ice and snow, though our norm is around 40. Actually, as I left our Christmas party yesterday, we were commenting that it was weird to leave and not have to drive home in snow. Every year since I've been here, it's snowed on the night of the Christmas party, and been bitter cold.
 
It was not just cold, but also really windy. With 40 MPH gusts, the hairs in your nose instantly froze and wind burn was rampant. Today we warmed up to 33 with sunshine, but the news said it was not going to last long.
 
The title of this thread almost sounds jubilant about it. :smile: Winter arrived here a week ago Friday, after the warmest, nicest November in about 100 years. Or so. Today began at -32C and is threatening to end at -38C. (That's -29 F and - 35F respectively.) It was -42 F and C today with the wind chill. Add a dash of blowing snow and you have a nasty, rotten day to help a friend move from a rural property into town. At least when we arrived back in the city there were windbreaks. Bleh.

But! I am Canadian. We take pride in being able to withstand this stuff. :biggrin: (You can see my cheek with the bulge firmly in it, right?)
 
I think you Canadians need to learn to migrate south for winter. :biggrin: At least you made my 19 F weather yesterday seem balmy.
 
GeorginaS said:
The title of this thread almost sounds jubilant about it. :smile:

I have two out-buildings with exposed pipes. Insulation is good to a point, but when it gets this cold I have to play games with running water and portable heaters, in order to prevent damage. We aren't really prepared for weather that cold...not for long. It gets to be a pain.

Winter arrived here a week ago Friday, after the warmest, nicest November in about 100 years. Or so. Today began at -32C and is threatening to end at -38C. (That's -29 F and - 35F respectively.) It was -42 F and C today with the wind chill. Add a dash of blowing snow and you have a nasty, rotten day to help a friend move from a rural property into town. At least when we arrived back in the city there were windbreaks. Bleh.

But! I am Canadian. We take pride in being able to withstand this stuff. :biggrin: (You can see my cheek with the bulge firmly in it, right?)

In Oregon we grow webbed feet, so I assume that in Canada you grow fur.
 
  • #10
Ivan Seeking said:
In Oregon we grow webbed feet, so I assume that in Canada you grow fur.

Who divulged our secret?

And on a serious note: whack me in the head for my lack of reading comprehension skills. You're pleased because your temperatures finally came up above freezing not because the temperature finally dipped below. It didn't make much sense to me anyone being pleased about temps dropped below freezing. I'll hush up now.
 
  • #11
It's been brutal in San Diego: down into the high 40's.
 
  • #12
Sorry, I'm gloating.
 
  • #13
zoobyshoe said:
Sorry, I'm gloating.

You don't look very sorry.
 
  • #14
GeorginaS said:
You don't look very sorry.

Hmmm...guess I can't fool you.
 
  • #15
Well here in Minnesota, it has gotten very cold (no surprise) as well. Past Thursday was really cold, I think it got down to -4 F or so. The weekend has been better 10-14F temps.

I guess it has not been such a bad winter compared to last year. I think it has been bearable, and this is coming from someone who grew up in the Caribbean, where we have only one season (summer).
 
  • #16
GeorginaS said:
Who divulged our secret?

And on a serious note: whack me in the head for my lack of reading comprehension skills. You're pleased because your temperatures finally came up above freezing not because the temperature finally dipped below. It didn't make much sense to me anyone being pleased about temps dropped below freezing. I'll hush up now.

I was fooled too. But you didn't miscomprehend; freezing is a one-way process: down. He should have said "broke melting at last". :wink:

Here it finally snowed. Prior to last weekend, we had not seen so much as a flake of snow this year. (Unlike just a mile to the North - praise be to the Lake Effect!)
 
  • #17
Cyclovenom said:
Well here in Minnesota, it has gotten very cold (no surprise) as well. Past Thursday was really cold, I think it got down to -4 F or so. The weekend has been better 10-14F temps.

I guess it has not been such a bad winter compared to last year. I think it has been bearable, and this is coming from someone who grew up in the Caribbean, where we have only one season (summer).

...eerrrrr, uuuhhh...cyclo, I hate to break it to you, but it's not winter yet...:-p
 
  • #18
lisab said:
...eerrrrr, uuuhhh...cyclo, I hate to break it to you, but it's not winter yet...:-p

:smile: He hasn't seen a lot of Januaries and Feburaries yet... :eek:
 
  • #19
lisab said:
...eerrrrr, uuuhhh...cyclo, I hate to break it to you, but it's not winter yet...:-p

What? :cry:
 
  • #20
zoobyshoe said:
Hmmm...guess I can't fool you.

You think I can't see you from here?

Cyclovenom said:
<snip> it has gotten very cold...as well. <snip> Past Thursday was really cold, I think it got down to -4 F or so.

Very cold...-4F :smile::smile:

Oh. Sorry. Yes, very cold. :biggrin:
 
Last edited:
  • #21
DaveC426913 said:
I was fooled too. But you didn't miscomprehend; freezing is a one-way process: down. He should have said "broke melting at last". :wink:

Ah, the melting temp, as opposed to the freezing temp. What was I thinking??! :biggrin:
 
  • #22
Ivan Seeking said:
Ah, the melting temp, as opposed to the freezing temp. What was I thinking??! :biggrin:

Yes, yes, yes, but you see, I'm a word geek. I am sadly literal about it more frequently than I'd like to be.
 
  • #23
GeorginaS said:
Yes, yes, yes, but you see, I'm a word geek. I am sadly literal about it more frequently than I'd like to be.

No no, the problem is that Canadians are easily confused when one mentions temperatures above 0C. There is no common frame of reference.

It reminds me a bit of the Canadian scientists who discovered an alloy that is superconductive at room temperature.
 
  • #24
GeorginaS said:
The title of this thread almost sounds jubilant about it. :smile: Winter arrived here a week ago Friday, after the warmest, nicest November in about 100 years. Or so. Today began at -32C and is threatening to end at -38C. (That's -29 F and - 35F respectively.) It was -42 F and C today with the wind chill. Add a dash of blowing snow and you have a nasty, rotten day to help a friend move from a rural property into town. At least when we arrived back in the city there were windbreaks. Bleh.

But! I am Canadian. We take pride in being able to withstand this stuff. :biggrin: (You can see my cheek with the bulge firmly in it, right?)

Wow, four days ago I was complianing when it was 42 degrees during the day and upper twenties at night. I think I would move if I saw a week below zero. I don't even think I own enough clothes to handle that.

Do yall do any of those fun things like poor out hot coffee only to see it freeze before hitting the ground? :-p
 
  • #25
Ivan Seeking said:
No no, the problem is that Canadians are easily confused when one mentions temperatures above 0C. There is no common frame of reference.
I'm surprised at you.

Physics 101 says that you cannot reach 0C, let alone exceed it. It is an invalid reference frame. You can only talk about what happens to observers as the temperature arbitrarily approaches 0C.




Ivan Seeking said:
It reminds me a bit of the Canadian scientists who discovered an alloy that is superconductive at room temperature.
:smile::smile::smile:
That belongs in the Science Jokes thread!
 
  • #26
DaveC426913 said:
I'm surprised at you.

Physics 101 says that you cannot reach 0C, let alone exceed it. It is an invalid reference frame. You can only talk about what happens to observers as the temperature arbitrarily approaches 0C.

Don't you mean K? :biggrin:


:smile::smile::smile:
That belongs in the Science Jokes thread!

I already posted it as an Alaska joke, which is how I first heard it. But in honor of Georgina and our friends to the north, it seemed appropriate.
 
  • #27
My hometown was recorded as the second coldest inhabited place in the world yesterday.

http://www.edmontonsun.com/news/edmonton/2009/12/13/12141366.html

Now that's cold!
 
  • #28
General_Sax said:
My hometown was recorded as the second coldest inhabited place in the world yesterday.

http://www.edmontonsun.com/news/edmonton/2009/12/13/12141366.html

Now that's cold!

It was about 130 degrees fahrenheit warmer than that where I am.
 
  • #29
It's approaching mid-day, and we just got up to 20 degrees. With the gusty West winds it feels much colder. Can't complain, though. The last two months have been unseasonably warm, and in this region warm=wet. The last two winters were mild temperature-wise with over 10 feet of snow per season, and no real thaw until spring. I don't want a repeat of those - I hate shoveling.

"Normal" winters here are very cold and relatively dry, with a pronounced thaw in January (usually) to harden up the snow. Haven't seen that pattern for a few years now.
 
  • #30
Ivan Seeking said:
Don't you mean K? :biggrin:
I just realized if you put all three together you get: KFC.

Which should be a springboard for chicken temperature humor. But I can't think of anything.
 

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