Snow I don't mind, but when mother nature sends extreme arctic air to make brass monkeys take notice, it becomes an issue.
We've been experiencing extreme cold for the last five days with a possible end in sight in three days. If your modern car hasn't got a immersion heater (block heater ) in the engine you haven't a chance of having the car start. Square tires, ultra stiff steering, hard brakes and dead batteries, along with heaters that can barely cope are the order of the day. The roads are supper slick with compacted polished snow on them that road grit and salt have no effect on. Intersections become extremely hazardous such that you can't get traction to start from a stand still or get enough to stop.
Oh, and the temperature? Approaching minus 40 C or 40 below zero F/ !!!
Solution is to stay home dress warmly and enjoy hot tea etc.
Early in my career I did some cold room testing in Helsinki and I remember vividly the odd sensation of moist air freezing inside your nostrils at -40C. Here it's a relatively modest 5C, but for now I'm sticking to indoor pursuits. There's always something to do, indoors or out...
A few years ago I was in Minnesota in the winter and was given a mug of boiling water to throw up into the air. As I did so, it immediately evaporated and then froze, giving a delightful image of glinting frozen water vapour slowly descending to the ground. I recall it was -25C at the time. Bracing...
It is odd though, that there, winters are bone dry and you don't realize immediately how cold it actually is. You just dont want to fall asleep in it, that wouldn't end well...
I always think of Jack London's tale "To Light a Fire" when it gets really cold. The guesstimate for temperatures was spitting...if it crackles as it lands it's -50 (F), if it crackles before it lands it's -75.
The compounding of errors and unseen hazards in a seemingly simple job ended in death...
14-01-2024, 09:21 PM (This post was last modified: 14-01-2024, 09:22 PM by Tony Griffiths.)
Record lows in Canada. https://www.sookenewsmirror.com/news/rec...ze-7296242
It sounds great fun to be out and about in that. I know that, in the past, some cars intended for Canada had a system that allowed them to tick over all night when it was really cold. Is this still the same - or are engine heaters now fitted as standard instead?
15-01-2024, 11:16 AM (This post was last modified: 15-01-2024, 07:06 PM by Tony Griffiths.)
I take a counterpoint of view and find that being out and about in bad weather is, providing one wearing the correct kit, entertaining and even exhilarating. The only occasion when I'd choose not to be lashed with freezing rain or snow, knocked about by strong gusts of wind and enveloped in a thick mist is in a light aircraft - that's the time for tea, cake, and reminiscing.
