Coldest Weather I've been in

[GHT]

Much of the UK has had snow for the week following Christmas, we have missed it here where I live, close to the south coast. Not anymore, I've just been out to close the driveway gate, lucky the old MG hibernates in a heated garage.

 

[abone]

I flew into a remote diamond mine, Ekati BHP, in the NWT many times for work. I was in the heavy equipment business and the company I worked for had a contract for maintenance, plus we supplied the equipment. One trip it was -70C with wind chill, -50C without wind. I was looking out the window and saw an arctic fox scampering around. Unbelievable.
That is by far the coldest I have experienced and I've worked in northern Canada for many years.

 

[belfastboy]

I flew into a remote diamond mine, Ekati BHP, in the NWT many times for work. I was in the heavy equipment business and the company I worked for had a contract for maintenance, plus we supplied the equipment. One trip it was -70C with wind chill, -50C without wind. I was looking out the window and saw an arctic fox scampering around. Unbelievable.
That is by far the coldest I have experienced and I've worked in northern Canada for many years.

I too used to travel north for work but only to northern Alberta. My coldest was actually in Southern Alberta/Calgary where it hit minus 40 the week I was there and was officially the coldest place on earth that week.

 

[abone]

I too used to travel north for work but only to northern Alberta.

Ft Mac?

 

[Doctor Damage]

I flew into a remote diamond mine, Ekati BHP, in the NWT many times for work. I was in the heavy equipment business and the company I worked for had a contract for maintenance, plus we supplied the equipment. One trip it was -70C with wind chill, -50C without wind. I was looking out the window and saw an arctic fox scampering around. Unbelievable. That is by far the coldest I have experienced and I've worked in northern Canada for many years.

I too used to travel north for work but only to northern Alberta. My coldest was actually in Southern Alberta/Calgary where it hit minus 40 the week I was there and was officially the coldest place on earth that week.

My dad's first job out of engineering school was in Thompson, Manitoba. Similar stories to yours. Living in barracks for unmarried employees. Eventually got transferred to southern Ontario and stayed thank goodness or I might have been born up there!

 

[MrProper]

Snowboarding on a glacier at -36C. A temperature that I can do without very well.

 

[Peacoat]

It will get cold in this area, but it doesn't normally last long. The coldest I remember it being in Nashville was -17. On the same date it was -24 in Knoxville (higher elevation). Our normal low temps for the year are usually in the low teens or in single digits. The coldest it has ever been in Tennessee was -32 in Mountain City. Yep, its in the mountains.

 

[Doctor Damage]

Late last week a friend of mine in Calgary, Alberta, said it was -38C when he was heading to work in the morning.

How are our Fed Lounge members in Texas faring? Everyone ok?

 

[SilverKast]

Yep it was cold for a week or two here in Calgary but it’s warmer now - only -15 or so. Was a little colder just north of us in Edmonton though as they were about -43 to our -38.

Way too cold for most leather unless you have a giant shearling parka or something.

 

[earl]

Many years ago-as in the 70's-when I skied Montana it was -39 F. Now, I can't take it when it dips into the teens.

 

[Peacoat]

Late last week a friend of mine in Calgary, Alberta, said it was -38C when he was heading to work in the morning.

How are our Fed Lounge members in Texas faring? Everyone ok?

I checked on Fanch, who is in North Texas, and he hasn't signed in since Saturday. May have lost power. I sent him a PM. We'll see what he says.

 

[Cornelius]

We routinely get bad cold snaps during winters around Lake Michigan, but that's expected, our infrastructure is prepared for it, and we deal with the weather by wearing lots of layers [with as much merino wool as one can afford], good parkas, full-on Carhartt arctic overalls if you'll have to be working outside all day, etc. We try to keep our homes well-insulated, and everyone has a central heating system of some sort (I have old cast iron radiators in my brick home which work fantastically well). A few winters ago it was -30°F/-34°C and I had to keep a small fleet of diesel trucks on the road; that was not enjoyable, but I had the clothing to deal with it and a nice warm house to come home to.

That said, the most miserable winter I had was when I lived in New Orleans, working as a carpenter restoring destroyed houses in a historic district a few years after Katrina. I don't believe it ever dropped below freezing that year, but none of the vintage buildings in Louisiana are built to withstand cold weather - they're up on stilts a couple feet above the ground to avoid minor floods, built with a focus on ventilating the brutally humid summer heat, being constructed in an era well before air conditioning. Often have zero insulation. I was living in a 19th Century shotgun shack with, as is now typical, all the fireplaces/chimneys deactivated due to fire concerns [there had been a fireplace in every room]. I was working outdoors all day - which was fine, I was used to that - but I'd come home to a house where you could see your breath indoors. That, I was not used to. I'd moved down with some basic winterwear but not my heavy stuff, only expecting a "southern winter." The only heat sources in the entire home were a small pair of ridiculous unvented gas heaters - essentially just stove burners - attached to the wooden walls. They'd suck all the oxygen out of the room, give you a headache due to all the combustion exhaust, and only warmed up about a 3 foot radius. Still can't believe they were legal to use in Louisiana homes [totally illegal in Illinois, for multiple reasons]. On the coldest nights I ended up sleeping in long johns and a heavy wool double mackinaw, under the covers. Bought an oil-filled electric radiator and placed it in the bathroom on an outlet timer, so that it'd kick on one hour before my morning alarm and render the tiled room warm enough to shower.

So yeah, I feel for those in Texas right now. Everything there is built for warm weather, but our climate's no longer as predictable as it once was.

 

[Peacoat]

I checked on Fanch, who is in North Texas, and he hasn't signed in since Saturday. May have lost power. I sent him a PM. We'll see what he says.

Heard back from Fanch, and he gave me permission to share the following with you:

"Thus far due to the grace of God our household has been one of the few in the Dallas metroplex not to lose power! However, January and February have been challenging as my wife, daughter and I were all infected with COVID-19 the last week in December. Although my wife and daughter were able to handle the virus at home, I was admitted to Baylor Plano Hospital in acute respiratory failure due to COVID, where I spent the next 11 days receiving extensive treatment, followed by another 10 days at the Baylor Institute of Rehabilitation in Frisco trying to get back on my feet. I'm not there yet but am slowly getting my strength back and have been completely off oxygen for the past three weeks!"

So, let's hope his rehab goes well and he is able to get back home soon.

 

[Fanch]

Heard back from Fanch, and he gave me permission to share the following with you:

"Thus far due to the grace of God our household has been one of the few in the Dallas metroplex not to lose power! However, January and February have been challenging as my wife, daughter and I were all infected with COVID-19 the last week in December. Although my wife and daughter were able to handle the virus at home, I was admitted to Baylor Plano Hospital in acute respiratory failure due to COVID, where I spent the next 11 days receiving extensive treatment, followed by another 10 days at the Baylor Institute of Rehabilitation in Frisco trying to get back on my feet. I'm not there yet but am slowly getting my strength back and have been completely off oxygen for the past three weeks!"

So, let's hope his rehab goes well and he is able to get back home soon.

Thanks for the kind words Peacoat. Not losing power has definitely been a Godsend for our household, and I mean that in a literal sense! During the time in which I was sick, I lost weight from 187 lbs to 170. While some of the weight loss was muscle mass, I also lost most of the excess around my midsection. With exercises, including weights, I've regained most of the lost muscle mass but not the belly fat which I intend not to regain. I just tried on my two Sheenes that now fit much better post COVID than pre. So at least some good has come from my ordeal!

 

[roadking04]

Great to hear you are on the mend Fanch!

 

[MisterCairo]

Late last week a friend of mine in Calgary, Alberta, said it was -38C when he was heading to work in the morning.

How are our Fed Lounge members in Texas faring? Everyone ok?

Worst so far this winter is 20 below celsius. Worst I have ever endured is -25 C in Petawawa, last winter. It was colder overnight, but I was suggly warm in officers' quarters!

 

[belfastboy]

Ft Mac?

Not that far north....Edmonton and area.

 

[Trenchfriend]

We had sudden stop of winter, last monday. From -13°C to 0°C in hours! Now permanently over 5°C.

 

[Doctor Damage]

hopefully our members who live in Calgary are keeping warm...

 

[Cornelius]

hopefully our members who live in Calgary are keeping warm...

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Wow - wasn't Calgary just breaking heatwave records six months ago with temps hitting 96°F/36°C?