HARD WINTER ?

[Straight Shooter]

Every year, around this time October/November , there are always reports or talk of a hard bad winter......I recently posted about one thing I read about some where …..about a hard winter this year and as bad as 1963 (which I remember well) that was real bad !....if indeed it does come to pass we will need to get ourselves ready and prepared ! NOBODY will be going anywhere.....the local (red&white bus company)as known back then would leave the buses ticking over all night to ensure they would not freeze …..and even cut ventilated windows into the gable walls at the top of the apex of the garage, even then the service (where that was possible) was nearly none existent , people were on foot to get to work, crops froze in the fields along with livestock....food was in short supply where trucks could not deliver to the local shops (no super markets back then except the co'op ) .

On the up side most all households had fire places ….and coal to burn...for a while at least , but firewood was also available and plenty of it here in the south wales valleys if you walked to go get it .

Power outages were regular and pleas were made to reduce your usage as much as possible to reduce the dwindling coal supply at the power stations ….mother even spread newspaper in between the blankets to keep us warm.....under the stairs was cwt sack of potatoes , onions hanging on a hook off one of the stair treads , swede and parsnips and carrots in a wicker trunk …..pickled onions , chutney, pickled cabbage , leg of ham , and some bacon hanging from another stair tread......the coal cot was always well stocked along with the firewood shed , we even had a gallon of lamp oil and loads of candles.....the milk girls from the local farm only missed one day .

SO SS what the point of the thread ? …...today I ran into Ted ...about the same age as me ……"have you heard about this coming winter ...as bad as 63 " ……..yes I did read that somewhere …."aye and my big toe can confirm it to pal " AND old Sam down the allotments says its going to be a hard one this year.....so there then ! are you still drinking that cider in that hideaway down that allotments Ted ? I ask ...No butty I been a diebrexit for the past 3 years ….don't do cider or anything else these days , so based on that data ...and toe tech of the first kind …..I think it would be most prudent to pay close attention to Sam and Teds big toe in particular, so as preppers we are all pretty much up to speed already ….but it would not hurt to stash a bit more by this year …..just in case ……..if is as bad as 1963 you will need to be fully cocked believe me.....most all rely on a three day turn around in the modern world ….this will NOT be the case at ALL if 63 comes around again ….trust me …..if anyone on here can remember 63 take a few minutes to tell us .

[Pete Grey]

Oh yes winter 1963, i was a 20 year old apprentice working in a steel works, it was a struggle to get to work but when i did...........oh f**k........

The furnaces were all fired with Heavy Fuel Oil B, which had to be kept above 50C, at ordinary temperatures it was like jelly, you could float a house brick on it. The oil storage tanks were heated with steam and all the oil pipe work had a steam line running with it inside insulation to keep the fuel flowing.

............at the worst of this time i was working permanent nights and we were working outside, in 18 inches of snow, where the oil pipes ran from the oil tanks to the furnace shop, blasting extra steam from steam lances on the oil pipes to keep the oil running.

I’ve never been so cold as i was then, after work i spent most of my time in bed, the only way i could get warm.

[Mortblanc]

Different climate zones, different perspectives.

Where CH and I live we have your "worst winter" every winter!

The one that is coming will be bad, just like every other winter.

However, if I could afford it I would be spending the season in Arizona, Florida or perhaps Honduras.

[CharlesHarris]

(25 October 2019, 15:40)Mortblanc Wrote: Different climate zones, different perspectives.

Where CH and I live we have your "worst winter" every winter! The one that is coming will be bad, just like every other winter. However, if I could afford it I would be spending the season in Arizona, Florida or perhaps Honduras...

In the central Appalachians both the National Weather Service and the Old Farmer's Almanac agree in predicting a stormy winter slightly warmer than average, but much wetter than average, which means they both expect what they call a repetition of "wintry mix" being wet snow, sleet and icing conditions, with potential for widespread power outages and hazardous driving conditions, but not much snow accumulation.
I'd much rather have a metre of snow and well below zero F temps where the snow squeaks under your feet. Good for the skiing industry and fewer drink drivers sliding off the black ice and having to replace your mailbox so frequently.

[Pete Grey]

In the UK our winter weather, wet and not particularly cold unlike your (US) winters we think something like -7C or -8C is extremely cold, we also (unlike you) normally get very little snow.

Our winters are cold and wet, you need good clothing, layered for insulation and a good waterproof outer shell.

Having a good solid fuel stove and two tons of coal, and a few bottles single malt comes in handy.

[Mortblanc]

One thing is certain no matter what the climate one habitats.

A bunch of fools will forget that winter comes each year and it will be an absolute shock to them that it is occurring.

And it is naturally the governments fault and they should do something about it!

[Straight Shooter]

Very true MB …..and that makes them dangerous fools who become desperate in very short order !.

[Skean Dhude]

I can see it being cold, for the UK, this winter. I'm certainly going to be OK for preps as I have plenty of clothing, blankets and fuel. Although I may have to bring the gas bottles indoors when I want to use them. I was told, but didn't see, gas bottles freezing last winter.

Just have to make sure that the car is kept covered and doesn't freeze so it is available for an emergency.

[Straight Shooter]

SD if your lpg is propane (red bottle ) you should be ok …..if (Blue bottle ) butane you will indeed have to keep them inside ...they do not function in low temps ….but they kick out more heat when they do operate in warmer temps , to play safe get some propane and a regulator and a few mtrs of gas line and that will work your (heater or cooker or flame thrower) the only difference is the flame burn colour ……..most caravaner's / motorhome 's will change to propane in winter .

[Pete Grey]

We changed from butane to propane quite a few years ago for that reason. They work at different pressures so that’s why the regulators are a different fitting, you can’t make a mistake.

In very cold weather you can see people using propane and the bottle can be covered in ice to the level of the fuel but it works fine.

Liquid propane boils at -42C, -44F. Liquid butane boils at -1C, -30F. Never any problem with propane.

In the past i’ve bought disposable gas cartridges with 90% butane 10% propane for winter camping, i don’t know if they’re still available.