Is -41C Too Cold for a 20-Minute Walk to the Bus Stop?

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The discussion centers around the experiences of individuals dealing with extreme winter temperatures, particularly in Canada, where temperatures have dropped to -41C. Participants share anecdotes about the cold, including the risks of frozen pipes and the impact on water supply. Tim Hortons, a popular Canadian coffee chain, is mentioned as a local stop during a walk to the bus stop. The conversation also touches on the differences in temperature scales, with humor about the freezing point of alcohol. Comparisons are made with winter conditions in other regions, such as the UK and Australia, highlighting the varying preparedness for cold weather. The thread concludes with light-hearted remarks about real estate interests in warmer locations.
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Went for a 20-minute walk to the bus stop. The temperature was
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Seeing how the temperature display is not using Freedom units, I deduce you're in Canada. Which means, it's just a regular brisk winter morning, eh?
 
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Bandersnatch said:
Seeing how the temperature display is not using Freedom units, I deduce you're in Canada. Which means, it's just a regular brisk winter morning, eh?
Tim Hortons, often abbreviated to "Tims", is a chain of coffee shops popular in Canada. Actually, I walked to the Tims that is at the bus stop.

Tims Trek.jpg
 
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You need to be careful George. Alcohol starts to freeze at -40 so your blood was in danger.
 
Bandersnatch said:
I deduce you're in Canada. Which means, it's just a regular brisk winter morning, eh?
I never noticed before that you have a Canadian accent. :smile:
 
I am sorry, friend. But I don't know what you're talking aboot, buddy. I have to go now. My moose needs topping up with maple syrup.
 
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-40C or -40F? Which is worse?
 
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Vanadium 50 said:
-40C or -40F? Which is worse?
You'll notice I said
phinds said:
Alcohol starts to freeze at -40
and I didn't say F or C

But you knew that, huh?
 
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phinds said:
But you knew that, huh?
V50 has icewater in his veins. Oh wait...
 
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At the risk of connecting two threads that probably shouldn't be connected....

"Did you know that on the solstice, -40C is the same as -40F?"
 
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  • #12
George Jones said:
a chain of coffee shops popular in Canada
There are a few in the US. While a lot are near the border, you can find one in Wheeling, West Virginia and, of all places, suburban Houston.

(Trivia - Tim Horton's first name was not Tim)
 
  • #13
George Jones said:
Went for a 20-minute walk to the bus stop. The temperature was [-41C].
Mmmmm. I really, really want to feel sorry for you, but I'm sitting here in Sanctuary Cove where it's +25.4C with a mild sea breeze. :oldbiggrin: :oldtongue:

(Didn't you once live in the Virgin Islands, ISTR?)
 
  • #14
I think this is the coldest Nov and Dec that I have experienced; the (actual) temperature dropped to -20C (-4F) or lower on 16 days. We had a 4-day stretch this week during which low actual temps were -37.8 (-36F), -41.1 (-42F), -40.6 (-41.1F), -39.9 (-30.8F).

This resulted in a close call. Basement pipe burst yesterday. Cement floor with drain, so managed to turn off home's water before any damage. Found pipe's shutoff valve above suspended ceiling in basement washroom. No plumber required. Pipe fed a watering system that was non-functional even when we moved in.

strangerep said:
(Didn't you once live in the Virgin Islands, ISTR?)

Yes, I lived on St. Croix in the US Virgin Islands for two years. Missed the snow.
 
  • #15
George Jones said:
-39.9 (-30.8F)
-39.8F.

I'm glad I don't live there. Temperatures below freezing are something for which we never seem to be prepared here in the south of England.

We recently had a spell of 11 days averaging around or just below freezing, with low -6C, mostly sunny, then it then suddenly went back to a rainy +14C. Many places in this area suddenly had low water pressure or no water supply at all, mainly because of leakage caused by exposed pipes having frozen, burst and then thawed. (Water supply pipes to new buildings have been required to be internal and protected against freezing since the winter of 1962/63, which caused chaos across the UK, but obviously there must have been vulnerable places somewhere). IBM's Hursley site (my official work location) had to be closed for a couple of days due to lack of water, but I wasn't affected as I've been working at home for years (the nearest member of my current team is in Nova Scotia).
 
  • #16
George Jones said:
I think this is the coldest Nov and Dec that I have experienced; [...]
As news about the extreme cold in North America filters through to Australia, I feel a need to apologize for my flippancy in post #13. :redface:

I hope you and your family can stay safe. :oldsmile:
 
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strangerep said:
As news about the extreme cold in North America filters through to Australia, I feel a need to apologize for my flippancy in post #13. :redface:

I hope you and your family can stay safe. :oldsmile:
No need to apologize. We have had cold here, and we have had 15 - 20 cm of snow in the last 36 hours, but we haven't wind, and the only blizzard condition we have had here is my daughter's speed skating club, whose name is The Blizzard. Our temperature yo-yos in the winter; up to -1C (30.2F) now. We experience a competition between the Pineapple Express from the west and arctic outflows from the east.
 
  • #19
strangerep said:
but I'm sitting here in Sanctuary Cove
"I want to go to there [and buy a house]."

realestate.com.au
 
  • #20
StevieTNZ said:
"I want to go to there [and buy a house]."
Heh, good luck if you can afford it! My place is near the bottom of the SC market. :oldfrown:

If you really do want to come and check it out, send me a PM sometime. I can tell you quite a lot about the northern Gold Coast market.
 
  • #21
strangerep said:
If you really do want to come and check it out, send me a PM sometime. I can tell you quite a lot about the northern Gold Coast market.
Will keep that in mind!

Still got my eyes set on Updown Court in Surrey, UK. Hurry up and put it on the market, gosh!
 
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