I'm awed and impressed with all of you who know how to cope with (-40) Celsius. Stay warm and safe.
I don't live in the coldest parts of Norway, right here it's not so bad. We should have around -15ºc now, but it's more like 0 to +7ºc...
Talked to people of all ages, this weather is completely unheard of. My closest neighbour has lived here all her life and never even heard talk of such mild weather in January.
There's a big variation on average temperatures caused by various combinations of varied topography, cold air from the north pole, sometimes air from Siberia, and the gulf stream is always there along the coast. So there's lots of different "zones" for various weather types.
Coldest measured weather I've been out & about in is about -37.6ºc. It wasn't too bad really, dry air, no wind, no problem.
Coldest experience I've ever had was in the coastal city of Ålesund, where I come from. "Only" -15ºc, I went outside, high air humidity and heavy wind, walked about 60 meters before giving up and going back in.
According to my wife, +6ºc in Ålesund on a windy new years eve feels just as cold as a day of windstill -20ºc in the Skedsmo area (just north of Oslo). I sort of understand her perspective, but it's not really compareable. Sometimes +6c can feel very nice and balmy (like on that very new years eve in 2008), other times it's f*****' cold.
I don't really have any experience with extreme cold, but you can get all sorts of weird issues with your car from -20ºc and lower.
If you look at the south and north of the planet as far as temperature is concerned it is a totally different story. St Paul and Amsterdam island suggest the climate of Britain if the planet had symetrical climate. The islands are more like Iceland. The obvious factors are the clear area south of Africa and America plus Europe has the Gulf Stream. Ironically global warming could cause Europe to become colder if the Gulf Stream dilutes and switches off. I could imagine Spain would be ideal if so. South of England might be 15C on a good day. Iceland might be saved by it's geothermal heating. If you ever see a TV show from Iceland the houses seem like Britain. I can only assume heating is so cheap as to make heavy insulation unnecessary.
A friend said that the science of global warming is nonsense because the south has been less affected or not at all. I reminded him it's rock not ocean below and very high up. Even so I commend his scepticism.
A friend said that the science of global warming is nonsense because the south has been less affected or not at all. I reminded him it's rock not ocean below and very high up. Even so I commend his scepticism.
I have family there. Brrrr, that's cold. My aunt and uncle sometimes disappear to Florida to avoid those temps. I'm not sure if they have this year.
Just been looking at the effects of blizzards and huge snowfall in Newfoundland.
How to lose a car - Astonishing Images of Canadian Blizzard Show Piles of Snow as High as 5 Foot 8"
How to lose a car - Astonishing Images of Canadian Blizzard Show Piles of Snow as High as 5 Foot 8"
I have ridden about 25 miles on a bike when it was about -20F on two occasions.
You just need a good mix of clothing for that,
I did quite a bit of commuting for a winter between Denver, CO and Boulder when my truck died.
My grandmother bought me a nice pair of studded tires for bad days at least.
You just need a good mix of clothing for that,
I did quite a bit of commuting for a winter between Denver, CO and Boulder when my truck died.
My grandmother bought me a nice pair of studded tires for bad days at least.
Watch out! Falling Iguanas!
"...don’t be surprised if you see Iguanas falling from the trees tonight as lows drop into the 30s and 40s. Brrrr!” the National Weather Service's Miami bureau tweeted tonight
Icy with a chance of falling iguanas, Florida's odd forecast reads / Boing Boing
NWS Miami on Twitter: "Jan 21 - This isn't something we usually forecast, but don't be surprised if you see Iguanas falling from the trees tonight as lows drop into the 30s and 40s. Brrrr! #flwx #miami… https://t.co/6e1uRlXwDQ"
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It is 13F (-10C) here, really gotta get the new furnace up and running. But two 1,500 watt electric heaters keep my house at 65F.
So far it has taken just under 100' of new plumbing and more than 30 elbows. Doesn't quite mount like anything before. I did find the air seperator as shown on the installation instructions. Not a real common part, meaning even McMaster Carr doesn't carry one! Also had to add a back flow preventer and pressure monitor three way fill valve.
I have managed to get the natural gas line in and pass a pressure test. Also have completely plumbed in the domestic hot water circuit and the new exhaust pipes. Just under half way through with the heating circuit.
I now understand why plumbers charge more than the furnace cost to install it. So far furnace was a bit more than $2K and the plumbing bits above half of that.
Good news is I found a penetrating oil that allowed me to disassemble the well rusted old heater. Actually looks like it can be repaired as a nice back-up.
Once the heat is back I will clean up my almost completely clogged cold water pipes. Very high mineral content here.
So far it has taken just under 100' of new plumbing and more than 30 elbows. Doesn't quite mount like anything before. I did find the air seperator as shown on the installation instructions. Not a real common part, meaning even McMaster Carr doesn't carry one! Also had to add a back flow preventer and pressure monitor three way fill valve.
I have managed to get the natural gas line in and pass a pressure test. Also have completely plumbed in the domestic hot water circuit and the new exhaust pipes. Just under half way through with the heating circuit.
I now understand why plumbers charge more than the furnace cost to install it. So far furnace was a bit more than $2K and the plumbing bits above half of that.
Good news is I found a penetrating oil that allowed me to disassemble the well rusted old heater. Actually looks like it can be repaired as a nice back-up.
Once the heat is back I will clean up my almost completely clogged cold water pipes. Very high mineral content here.
I woke up to 14F, went back to bed.
Iguana bombs are real....and having a 10 pound lizard land on the roof of your car will get your attention.
They are cold blooded creatures that will seek out warmth as the temperature drops. If it gets cold enough ( 30 to 40 F will do it) they seem to go into a "suspended state" and will resume normal behavior once warm. The kid across the street dragged a large semi frozen iguana into his garage. It thrashed the place once it thawed trying to get out.
If the temp drops into the 20's they will die. We had a hard freeze several times in the 62 years I lived in Florida. For the last 37 years I lived about a half mile from the edge of the Everglades swamp. There were plenty of lizards and other swamp creatures including an occasional gator in our neighborhood. Each time dropped into the low 20's most of the iguanas, other lizards, and snakes would die. It seems that the orange and brown iguanas, and the large monitor lizards were more hardy than the typical green iguana since they became the dominant lizards over time.
On a cold morning you can find them in warm corners, nestled on warm car engines, and often lying in the middle of the road since the asphalt road bed stays warm longer than the surrounding brush.
People who kept these lizards as pets used a warming device known as a "hot rock" or "hot plate." It is basically a resistor plugged into the wall outlet that is mounted on a metal plate or stone like material. Leave a hot one outside in south Florida on a cold night and you never know what you will find the next morning. Usually several lizards of varying sizes, but often a few snakes too.
One cold morning I found this 4 foot orange and brown lizard nestled against my metal garage door trying to keep warm. He also does a good job of hiding, as he is hard to notice.
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It actually got to -0.3 C officially here last night ,but has cooled to -11C today which is still better than the normal average high of -15C.
Too bad for those Iguanas etc if it gets too cold!
All the cold blooded snakes and frogs seem to survive the sometimes -40-50 C winter temps by going underground and hibernating.
Too bad for those Iguanas etc if it gets too cold!
All the cold blooded snakes and frogs seem to survive the sometimes -40-50 C winter temps by going underground and hibernating.
Another thing about those iguanas: they are mostly considered a pest/nuisance, they are an invasive species that usually come from pet owners tired of keeping them. and there's a few butcher's shops that speciallize in various alternative meats that pay good money for iguana meat. They usually pay someone to hunt iguanas, and some shops are hoping for an increase in availability courtesy of lower temperatures.
If you know where to sell it, and you know what to do...
I'd like to try iguana meat.
If you know where to sell it, and you know what to do...
I'd like to try iguana meat.