Thursday, January 15, 2009

Hunkering Down in the Coldest Weather Since 1994


This is the first time I can honestly say I remember telling folks that layers, hats, and gloves will not be enough in this weather. Basically you will have to limit your exposure outdoors and if you do not have to go outside do not do so. You see a picture above showing how you can make your own clouds in this cold, arctic air mass. I did this last F
ebruary when temperatures were near zero in the picture above. Take a cup of boiling water and throw it into the air. It never reaches the ground but instead vaporizes into a cloud. Now that is how you know it is cold outside. Just in case you need another reminder, frostbite is possible in the 10 minute range and I am relieved to find out my kids do have a snow day today. Although it could get interesting with all of us cooped up inside. It is too cold to take them sledding. I will see to it that they don't get cabin fever! It will be a good test for me. I better get to bed a little earlier tonight. :)

Make sure not to just protect the kids, but your pets and pipes. Bring in the dogs and cats and make sure the farm animals have dry bedding and good ventilation. Mary Anne Best sent in a great story and picture of her new baby Charlie. Charlie wanted to make sure we remember the pets in this cold outbreak. Mary Anne shares another wonderful story for us here on the blog!

Mike..this is our new "baby" looking out the window yesterday afternoon. The window faces south (see the creek in background) and he loves sitting there to watch birds--AND snowflakes! He tries to catch them through the window! He is VERY glad he is inside tonight! We adopted him from the animal shelter in Lafayette Dec 20th. He is 4 months old and is a delight.

Thanks again Mary Anne! I can tell you my dog BJ actually ran from me last night when I asked him if he wanted to go outside. He does like looking outside our window as well in a makeshift bed we made him so he can guard his house or should I say igloo. How I will get him to go outside for just a short time in this weather so he can do his business will be interesting. He may need Charlie's litter box. :)


Now while you are inside with your pets today make sure to check out all the closings and delays on our web-site. This really is of course not a snow day but a "cold day" for many kids that are out of school. After all, it is the coldest day of the 21st Century and officially our first sub-zero daytime temperatures since January 15, 1994.

Weather Blog Question of the Day:

Do you remember how cold we were on January 15, 1994 and how low our wind chills dipped
? Think about it and I will tell you how this cold outbreak compares.

I can tell you our wind chills went below zero yesterday at 5 p.m. and will stay below zero until Saturday morning. This will be an amazing 62 hours of sub-zero wind chills and it looks like we will have actual air temperatures that could be sub-zero for more than 30 hours!


The core of this cold air is actually going to be over us tonight with the area of high pressure you see above. I actually told folks last night on the air that it might as well stand for "harsh" because we could very well challenge a record low of -20 set back in 1972. It depends on wind speed and cloud cover. The other amazing story developing and I do hope we hear from our Alaska blogger friends is that we were almost 30 degrees colder than Fairbanks, Alaska this morning in January! This may be unprecedented and I will let you
know more about how this is possible here on the blog and on the air tonight.


For now though I leave you with a warm picture I took while in Jacksonville, Florida just a few days ago. See it could always be worse! At least you are not going through a temperature swing ranging from 80 degrees to feeling like -30 degrees. This 110 degree temperature swing in the same week is something I will never forget. Stay safe and warm and I had better get a little shut-eye before the big "cold day"!!

I

47 comments:

Joey said...

I find it interesting that if you're in k-12 it's too cold to go outside. However, once you hit college, bah, you can walk 15 minutes to class in subzero temps.
Brilliant.

And don't say it's because we're smart enough to know how to dress. I'll guarantee there will be people without hats on today- don't want to mess the hair up and all.

Anonymous said...

Mike, I have relatives living in Alaska and there are times when we are colder than they are. It seems when it gets really cold here it is warming up there. It seems like their cold air has come south. We even kid them and say we might as well move to Alaska because it's warmer there. So it does happen and more often than one might think.

Anonymous said...

In Tipton as of 7:40 AM...we are at -8 degrees air temperature.

Chris in Tipton

Anonymous said...

Talking about it being to cold to be out. How about the sanitation workers? Let's give them a hand. i see way to many trash containers pushed to the curb and left in or behind a snow pile. The pick up people have to wrestle the container through the snow to the truck. Please clear a path around your container for them.

Anonymous said...

Children have a harder time retaining their heat than adults do. Think about that.

Anonymous said...

Awww, Mary Anne what an adorable picture of your Charlie baby!

Glad for the school closings! I have been watching wild birds in a tree huddle close together trying to keep warm! Poor things!

I could not imagine kids being out in this, when even wild life are struggling to keep from freezing!

Teri

Anonymous said...

Why is it when someone post a comment on here is it that there is someone who takes it negatively. (Reference helping the sanitation workers) Has nothing to do with children. If I missed understood the response and it had nothing to do with that post I apologize. Let's have fun here.

Anonymous said...

I agree with the poster about the sanitation workers! Hats off to them! Also our mail couriers ect. many take for granted!

What tough jobs they have! Be safe all!

Anonymous said...

Hey all I did have to go out for about 5 min just a few ago and as Brow would say it is nose hair freezing weather out!

We need to come up with some kind of nose warmer or something! :-)

My current temperature is at -3.5* degrees! As I woke up earlier this morning I was soooooooooooooooo cold! I will need to put another blanket on the bed tonight!

If you all can stay home do so!

Mary Anne Love ypour picture! It is like one you would find in an old magazine with your cat sitting and looking out the window! Also Now I see the creak! Now we all know what you are talking about when flooding hits!

HAY I just LOST POWER DONT KNOW HOW LONG I GOT !!!!!

All stay safe now!

Justin in COLD Lafayett

Anonymous said...

Ok we got power back now! Must have been a minor thing!

All is good! ;)

Justin.

Anonymous said...

We lost power last night for 2 hours at Lake Hideaway at Kingman.

Anonymous said...

To the poster of weather and delays in Minnesota. Have you checked all the school delays and closings for that state on line?? hundreds and hundreds of them! Check it out!

yep the students do survie for they do cancel school! Check out the curent cancellatios for Minnesota and other states in the upper mid west.

You should check out the real facts before you post!

Anonymous said...

I wonder if power outages will be more common tonight when we get the brunt of the cold?...

At 1PM the temp in Tipton has warmed up to a balmy, humid -4!

Chris in Tipton

Anonymous said...

I believe that the post about children vs. adults retaining their body heat was in reference to the first post, Joey's, not about sanitation workers.

Anonymous said...

Justin, glad your power is back on! We did not lose thank goodness!

Do you think our temps have reached its high and all is to fall though out the day and night?

I do!

Where I am located we have a temp of 2 above, Wow thats warm LOL!

I am home due to school closings!

How are your dogs doing in the cold wx? Mine are very quick to go out, I put socks and a baggies over their feet:), yet they still get very cold!

Teri

Anonymous said...

Teri I to have a current temperature of 2* degrees above and yes how warm! lol ;)

I do think this is just about as warm as it is going to get!

Dogs have a little T-shirt on to keep warm they where shaking!

I think we just had a bad fuse as to why our power went out for a min! Nothing big or major!

Justin.

Anonymous said...

Wow...you guys are ABOVE zero?? I am sitting here in Remington with a temp of -6* after an overnight low of -14*!!! Dummy me stepped out on the back deck to sweep the snow that fell after I swept yesterday with NO coat on, yeah, yeah, I know better, LOL. What a wakeup call! It is a fooler looking out the window with the bright blue skies, the sunshine leaving shadows on the snow--beautiful!

Thanks for compliments on Charlie. He hates for me to close the blinds at night. he LOVES that window position and has spent quite some time there today.

Goodness, it would not take long for pipes to freeze in a house or building w/o power! Glad it returned to Justin and the poster from Kingman.

One more night and the worst should be over for us until the next system comes in with surprises, LOL!

MA in REM

Anonymous said...

MIKE,

I do have a question for you. Both recent systems were so warned for blizzard conditions. With both storms the wind did not materialize--what happened? I am thankful the wind was not a factor but am curious as to why we had little wind.

MA in REM

Anonymous said...

Mary Anne, I was wondering the same. However the winds are picking up a bit in Laf. I am watching snow blow off or roof tops.

LOL about being outside and not wearing a coat, I did the same, went out to take pics.

Teri


Teri

Anonymous said...

Justin,

The power went off at my location outside of Remington for half an hour. We are good to go know. Gave the generator a chance to warm up as it has not been on since the ice storm. I wonder if we shall see any exploding trees from the temps tonight????

William in remington

Anonymous said...

Ya William We to have a generator Just to be safe in this wild weather we always seem to have! T-storm winter storms whatever!

Looking out the window it does seem to look nice until you steap out! However the snow is staying on the trees rather well! Looks nice!

Justin.

Anonymous said...

Just in case no one knows what I am talking about. The water inside the tree freezes just like your water pipes and pops open the bark on the tree. Somtimes it sounds like a gun going off. These wind chills tonight might be cold enough for that to happen.

William in remington

Anonymous said...

We have warmed up to -3 as of 2:20.

Chris in Tipton

Anonymous said...

Wish I had a generator:( My daughter and I just went out to make "snow clouds" they blew to the east!

William, appricate the web sites you have provied!

Did I read at one time that you were an EMT and a storm chaser? Maybe I am thinking of some one else.

Teri

Anonymous said...

WOW! Just in the few minutes it took to put groceries in my car I thought my face was going to burn off!

Anonymous said...

I have a temperature of -2* in West Lafayette currently. That's up from -10* early this morning.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the info about the exploding trees. I'd read about that before here on the blog. Last night I heard a thump sound every once in a while and I didn't know what it was. Snow slumping off the roof? There's a big tree outside my windows so I figured that's what was making the noise.

Anonymous said...

in regards to trees exploding. I am not sure it has anything to do with wind chill. Wind chill has no effect on inanimate objects that produce no significant heat. Because wind chill is based on removing heat from the human body, there is no wind chill for inanimate objects. However, there is a faster heat loss with increasing winds, so the amount of time for an object to cool to the actual air temperature is less. Regardless, the inanimate object cannot not cool below the actual air temperature. Thus, if the temperature outside is -5 degrees Fahrenheit and the wind chill temperature is -31 degrees Fahrenheit, then the tree will not drop lower than -5 degrees Fahrenheit. I have not heard of trees exploding at temps higher than -40 F so that should not be a concern for us tonight.

Anonymous said...

Not really a comment on the weather, but props to Mary Anne for giving a homeless pet a home!!! Good for you and what a lucky little cat. Enjoy her!

From: A fellow cat lover...

Anonymous said...

Sorry to bring up a sore topic:( I just wonder if schools will close for tomorrow?? It is to be colder than this morning???

I guess we shall all wait and worry again

Anonymous said...

Teri,

Yes I am an emt and chaser. My full time job is in computer technology.

William in remington

Anonymous said...

I doubt the school corps would let kids go out tomorrow...they may call a 2 hour delay tonight and see what the wind chill is in the morning...I went out to catch my dog earlier and had brain freeze!!! I thought that was only induced by eating ice cream very quickly!!

Anonymous said...

Tri-county is closed friday.

William in remington

Anonymous said...

This is scary!!! Read the last lines!
Issued by The National Weather Service
Indianapolis, IN
3:33 pm EST, Thu., Jan. 15, 2009

... WIND CHILL WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1 PM EST FRIDAY...

A WIND CHILL WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1 PM EST FRIDAY.

EXTREMELY COLD AIR WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE INTO INDIANA TONIGHT. HIGH PRESSURE MOVING IN WILL ALSO CONTINUE CLEAR SKIES AND LIGHT WINDS. THIS WILL ALLOW FOR GOOD RADIATIONAL COOLING.

WIND SPEEDS WILL DECREASE TO BETWEEN 5 AND 10 MPH TONIGHT HOWEVER AIR TEMPERATURES WILL BECOME VERY COLD AND WIND CHILL VALUES SHOULD REMAIN IN THE 20 TO 30 BELOW ZERO RANGE AT TIMES OVERNIGHT AND INTO EARLY FRIDAY MORNING. SOME IMPROVEMENT IS EXPECTED ON FRIDAY AS AIR TEMPERATURES FINALLY BEGIN TO WARM UP.

A WIND CHILL WARNING MEANS THE COMBINATION OF VERY COLD AIR AND STRONG WINDS WILL CREATE DANGEROUSLY LOW WIND CHILL VALUES. THIS WILL RESULT IN FROST BITE AND LEAD TO HYPOTHERMIA OR DEATH IF PRECAUTIONS ARE NOT TAKEN.

Anonymous said...

Thank you and after reading that, I will not send my children to school! Who cares what they say! My call, My kids!

Anonymous said...

Some of the schools at LSC have a half day tomorrow anyway, a two hour delay for them would be crazy, would not work, they would get to school at 10:00 then to be released at noon??? the only logical answer is to cancel!

Anonymous said...

WOW! TIPP SCHOOL CORP ALREADY CANCELED FOR FRIDAY! SMART MOVE..WAY TO GO! NOW LSC GET ON THE BALL, CALL IT SOON, DONT LEAVE US IN LIMBO!!!! YES THE DAYS WILL HAVE TO BE MADE UP WHO CARES!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Glad TSC cancelled early, 5 day weekend for my kids! Now they get to sleep in again, best thing to do in this frigid weather.

Anonymous said...

Tipton Schools also closed for tomorrow. When it is obvious that you are going to close...why not release that information as early as possible!!? It makes sense! NO ONE - especially kids...needs to be forced to go out in this...

Chris in Tipton

Anonymous said...

Yep, this is when that snot freezes. I told you didn't I?! :) Kinda feels funny doesn't it. lol.

Wow, I am gonna try the boiling water trick!

Stay warm!

Anonymous said...

Hey I'm from Michigan, and this is pretty cold even with that experience. I did have one thing in my favor though... I wore all my Detroit Lions gear. I figure its good for at least 0-16 degrees F!

Anonymous said...

Funny!

Anonymous said...

Why oh Why are the city schools not canceling?
The temp is negitive 6 degrees!

I wonder if its due to the fact that the wind chill warning is to be lifted at 1:00 tomorrow afternoon! 2 hours before school is releasd!

They would never let the students have 2 days in a row off, even if it is worse tomorrow!

Anonymous said...

I think that West Lafayette and Lafayette schools both need to make the decision to close early enough so that parents can prepare for tomorrow. It's ridiculous that TSC and other schools make a decision early, but others wait until the morning.

Anonymous said...

Did anyone else see the icebow in the west tonight?

william in remington

Anonymous said...

I saw the ice bow as I was driving home from work, I couldn't figure out what it was.

Anonymous said...

It amazes me how many complain about schools not calling a delay or closing. As a parent if I think it is to nasty outside I will not send my kids. Don't care if they close or not. It your kids, your choice. Keep them home if you fear their safety.