-26

[Mortblanc]

Yep minus 26 when I woke this morning and due to unusual circumstance I must be out and about today.

At noon it is still only -18.

Normally I do not get out in this type weather except for brief runs to the hen house or to deal with some quick fix around the place.

Since we only have two or three days of this frozen crap per year I am not equipped for these true artic temps. I have plenty in the way of parkas and extreme cold trousers but my foot wear is deficient, mostly due to changes in my feet due to age. I have some good boots, just can't wear them.

I am down to a single pair of 200g thinsilite, Gortex hiking boots.

I sure hope they work!

[Devonian]

Must admit I've never had to experience that level of temperature, the coldest temperatures I've ever experienced have been down to about -12 C and then it was only for a few days and it was dry cold, no snow and not a lot of ice either.

This year I've had to scrape a thin ice of the windscreen of the car 'once'!

It's currently +8.5 C here, but I'm well kitted out with plenty of cold weather clothing, but it rarely ever gets used!

I'm pretty sure you had similar conditions last year, so it's about time you sorted out a few new pairs of insulated boots and some decent merino wool socks.

How are the mains water and electrical services holding up with the sheer volume of snow and cold temps?

[Geordie_Rob]

The coldest I seen here Dev was -16.5C in the cold winter 2009/2010. Glad we don't get that weather very often.

[T-oddity]

Have spent a little time out in temps of -20 C and below, worst of those occasion was on a military exercise in the top end of Germany possibly hit -30 with wind chill and not properly equipped for the weather, was an unusual cold snap even for the time of year, the thing that struck me most is how much the cold effected peoples mentality, people became slower to react to situations and their ability to think and problem solve was affected, day to day discipline was effected such as care of weapons and machinery and personal hygiene, People started to suffer from dehydration and did not eat properly and it was all down to an individuals mental fortitude and if you were able to make yourself eat, drink and maintain your kit despite the cold, I thought that I was coping pretty well until after one occasion of being sat for 30 min in a shallow trench that I realized that I was well and truly hallucinating, certainly a steep learning curve.

[Barneyboy]

i worked in a cold store when I was 20 ,it got down to -26 that was bloody cold. 2 hours in 10 mins out .your eyes would start to ice up ,and you nose would crystallise inside .that cold is no joke be careful MB pal

[Mortblanc]

(19 February 2015, 19:59)Devonian Wrote: I'm pretty sure you had similar conditions last year, so it's about time you sorted out a few new pairs of insulated boots and some decent merino wool socks.

How are the mains water and electrical services holding up with the sheer volume of snow and cold temps?

Yep, I am pretty well set up for staying inside and ignoring the snowfall.

The fleece lined trousers I bought after last year have worked exceptionally well.

The 200g Thinsilite boots did nicely when matched with sine good wool socks.

My down parka is one I have had for some time and does a fine job. If it ever wears out on me I will buy another immediately. I would recommend everyone have one if their temps stay around freezing for any great part of the year.

The water lines are doing fine. The mains are deeply buried and never give a problem. My private water lines are also staying clear.

My greatest problem is my sewer lines. The main 3" pipe is fine but when I ran my drain from the kitchen sink I "eyeballed it" rather than laying a level against the pipe and I have a problem with that line draining completely. It is my own fault and not the pipe, nature or the water. you let water stand when the temps are -30 and it will freeze. Those are the rules!

Ice builds up, then more and finally the pipe filled with ice. I thought I had cured the problem, but was mistaken and now have a kitchen sink that will not drain until the thaw.

When the temps once again climb above the limit for PVC clue to work I will get under the house and solve that problem for good.

[Midnitemo]

its no secret I prefer cold to hot but -26 is a tad cooler than I like , I have in the past done some extreme winter motorcycle rallies which were more akin to a sado masichists endurance trial (ellefantreffen/chrystal/dragon and primus rallies)people have died of exposure on these rallies , I've had to rug up the bike and build snow walls around it to keeps the wind off then light a fire under the sump before starting to get the oil back to a liquid state....I found this a real chore but doable for 5 to 7 days but I can't imagine putting up with it for months on end! no wonder scandanavia has such a high suicide rate.....heated clothing/visor makes it bearable but put an incredible extra strain on the already struggling battery

[Mortblanc]

a virtual heat wave this afternoon, +1c !!!!

Never fear, that is as warm as it will get for th4 next week. Things are predicted to be back down to -15 tomorrow and colder for the remainder of the week.

I went out and cleared the vehicles of a foot of snow thus morning. After a rest I intend to head out for some fried chicken this evening.

Right now I will fort up, warm up and watch the Daytona 500 NASCAR race. 2 1/2 hours of 47 cars going round and round at 200 mph. It would be incredibly boring except for the wrecks. Usually they crash half the field.

[Tartar Horde]

Well it's a beautiful day here, Sunshine and Blue sky, I think I'll go to archery and have a play in the Woods.

[Mortblanc]

Beautiful day here too!

Very bright sunshine and not a cloud in the sky.

Combined with 12" of snow cover and -10c w/15mph winds!!

Coping with the extremes. I love it!