How Cold Is It?

( February 5, 2007 6:30am, Milwaukee, WI, Temperature -13 degrees)

The wind chill factor is in the area of -30 degrees. On a beautiful sunny day, we will cancel school, because children walking to school could experience frost bite. For anyone who has not experienced this kind of cold let me give you some idea of what it's like. Any warm air from a chimney, exhaust pipe or just breathing will freeze on contact with the air. Frost coats every thing and won't melt even when exposed to direct sunlight. Moisture of any kind from a spilled cup of coffee to spitting on the sidewalk will freeze on contact. Exposed skin is vulnerable to freezing in minutes. Walking, even from the front door to the car, is painful. You have to dress in many layers and dare not forget to cover yourself. whatever you don't protect you will know immediately. Even the dog seems to hurry through her business. Walking her? Forget it.

Cars with weak batteries won't start. Batteries will actually freeze if they aren't able to hold a charge. Because of advances in computerized starting systems, most cars will start if the battery is in good shape, but it will not operate normally. The suspension is stiff, the brakes are soft and the transmission seems like it's stuck in mud.

The macabre thing about weather like this is the window view. Aside from any frost that might be on the surface from moisture on the inside of the window, you would think the weather was great. When we get extreme cold like this it's because of intense high pressure, which means clear skies and dry air. The sun rises early with no hazy or fog. It sets late on a razor sharp horizon. But alas the heat generated is unable to have much if any effect on the weather except solar heating of the rooms of their house that get the sun and some minimal heating of the inside of your car if it's parked in the sun.
It can fool you, but if your a veteran of this climate you just know better than to run to the garbage can in your tee shirt just because the sun is shinning. I know you've seen pictures of over served young men at Green Bay Packer football games baring their chest in this type of weather, but let me assure you it is not this cold when they do this or if it is their exposure is brief or their life is short.

Fortunately, this kind of weather doesn't stay long. By the end of this week, our temperatures are due to move up to the low twenties for a high and above 0 for a low. That may not sound like much relief if your living in Florida or California, but the difference in living conditions is huge. We might even open the schools.