What's wrong in Winnipeg? [Archive]

spiritedenergy

Feb 5, 2007, 4:44 AM

its been -39 for 3 nights in a row now...we might as well get below 40 dammit.

i blame the voyageurs....damn rivers.

summers are wonderful though...i mean of course the 3 weeks between the melt and the first mosquitoes....2 weeks if the rivers flood.

don't be so negative!:D

last summer (the only one i experienced) was amazing though, simply amazing, i still have that light and that air in my heart.

The Jabroni

Feb 5, 2007, 4:45 AM

drew

Feb 5, 2007, 4:48 AM

Nothing's wrong here. It's just the usual dead of winter cold snap.
Don't be fooled from last year's mild winter...
global warming has never heard of Winnipeg in January and February.

At least the Festival snow sculptures aren't melting...

spiritedenergy

Feb 5, 2007, 4:49 AM

What are you guys talking about? It's so friggin hot outside you know! I'm telling you, 5 Ice Caps today, and still sweating. I'm not going to sleep well tonight...

...yeah I know, it's still 6 months away, but you gotta dream, am I right? We're going to be fine. We've been through this before, so this shouldn't be too much of a problem. If the temp reaches below -50, then I begin to worry.

i've never been through this before, i never ever could ever imagined i may have to experienced this... i know i have some karma to expiate, i know God has a plan for me:D

SpongeG

Feb 5, 2007, 4:55 AM

is it your first winter?

spiritedenergy

Feb 5, 2007, 4:56 AM

is it your first winter?

yep, i'm 1 year old:D

vid

Feb 5, 2007, 4:57 AM

It's a balmy -27 in Tundra Bay!

We really are like a Tundra - cold, very dry (15% of monthly precip for 8 months running now!) and windy. This stuff won't let up until Friday at the earliest, either, and a lot of places are forecasting for a repeat starting on the 18th.

We're going to have one hell of a forest fire season, and once again the blueberry crops will be nil.

Smron

Feb 5, 2007, 4:57 AM

My favourite is taking the current temperatures during January and February and converting it to fahrenheit and impressing any Americans I know with them. And then I tell 'em "I've been in worse..."

Coldrsx

Feb 5, 2007, 4:58 AM

ouch

SpongeG

Feb 5, 2007, 5:05 AM

yep, i'm 1 year old:D

I mena in winterpeg :whip:

spiritedenergy

Feb 5, 2007, 5:08 AM

I mena in winterpeg :whip:

yes, and probably last:D

SpongeG

Feb 5, 2007, 5:14 AM

haha

i grew up up north and there was one week i remember the last winter i was there - it did not go above -35 for over 7 days

never again

Hardhatdan

Feb 5, 2007, 5:24 AM

My nipples are hard just reading this thread.

The Jabroni

Feb 5, 2007, 5:27 AM

My nipples are hard just reading this thread.

I'm way ahead of you on that! :banana:

Canadian Mind

Feb 5, 2007, 5:28 AM

Just be glad you're not living in the larger Siberian cities - where it gets to -50 to -60 C with no wind.

Just be glad.

That's all I can really say.

I'm jelous, we lose bragging rights to those buggers.

BTW - was 10C here today. :tup:

Greco Roman

Feb 5, 2007, 5:29 AM

Seriously; why are you guys hogging all the cold? Don't be so damn selfish and pass it on out west here. :cool:

Why can't E-town get some cold nights for a change? I'm growing tired of Alberta's pseudo-winters :hell:

IT'S NOT FAIR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Honestly, it would do wonders for the mountain pine beetle epidemic.

Xelebes

Feb 5, 2007, 5:33 AM

I'm jelous, we lose bragging rights to those buggers.

BTW - was 10C here today. :tup:

I once dated a girl who came to Canada from her Siberian city of Omsk - her comments were on how the air was so dry that it didn't feel cold. Of course, there is colder cities like Atlan, Irkhutsk and Okhotsk.

m0nkyman

Feb 5, 2007, 5:35 AM

Talk to a night club doorman about cold. Nothing says macho like standing in a mostly open doorway between where it's +40º and -40º for six hours at a time.

I did it in Ottawa for fifteen years... I still laugh in the face of anything above about -25º. And windchill is for people who don't know how to dress in the cold.

vid

Feb 5, 2007, 6:52 AM

I once dated a girl who came to Canada from her Siberian city of Omsk - her comments were on how the air was so dry that it didn't feel cold. Of course, there is colder cities like Atlan, Irkhutsk and Okhotsk.

Reminds me the story of the drunk Russian wandering in Siberia... Hocking loogies and naming villages along the way!

*okhotsk*

Habanero

Feb 5, 2007, 7:06 AM

Seriously; why are you guys hogging all the cold? Don't be so damn selfish and pass it on out west here. :cool:

Why can't E-town get some cold nights for a change? I'm growing tired of Alberta's pseudo-winters :hell:

IT'S NOT FAIR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just be glad you weren't in Calgary today. It was sunny and +7C. Pseudo winter hell!

Calgarian

Feb 5, 2007, 7:10 AM

Just be glad you weren't in Calgary today. It was sunny and +7C. Pseudo winter hell!

lol, it really was brutal here today.

bc2mb

Feb 5, 2007, 1:57 PM

a sunshiney -40 currently.

screw this, I am not leaving my apartment or my space heater.

wags_in_the_peg

Feb 5, 2007, 2:16 PM

i played sponge hockey saturday afternoon and it was -40 (with windchill)...dress for it boys...i was sweating!!!

driving to work this morning i saw people standing at bus stop with no gloves...it's minus 'friggin 40...what are you thinking????? give your head a shake!

Hed Kandi

Feb 5, 2007, 2:30 PM

I mean, it's -38°C!!!! How can exist on the surface of our mother earth such a temperature, and how can it be that i live in that place?
I'm afraid to go out, i may die instantly.:sly:

Edit: -49 with windchill.

Hahahahah !

Go outside and find a soccer pole, then do this :frog: to it and take lots of pictures, then come back here and report !

drew

Feb 5, 2007, 2:40 PM

What I find amazing is that the temperature at the airport is -40C this morning, but I just checked the temperature at the Forks, and it is a "balmy" -31C. It's crazy that there is a ten degree difference over a distance you could drive in about 15 minutes.

When I walked onto Portage Ave in Wolesley this morning, it looked like the apoclypse - orange sky, (furnace) smoke billowing over all the buildings of downtown, it was truly a site to see - right before my eyelids froze shut...

Hed Kandi

Feb 5, 2007, 2:44 PM

yep, i'm 1 year old:D

:babyeat:

freeweed

Feb 5, 2007, 3:25 PM

I mean, it's -38°C!!!! How can exist on the surface of our mother earth such a temperature, and how can it be that i live in that place?
I'm afraid to go out, i may die instantly.:sly:

Wimp. Back in the 90s we had 21 straight days where the mercury didn't go above -30 at all. Now THAT was fun. Any running cars at that point deserved a medal.

For the record, I'll take pseudo-winters over -30 any day. There's NOTHING that -30 makes better, other than an ex-Winnipegger's sense of ego. :haha:

trueviking

Feb 5, 2007, 3:50 PM

http://img244.imageshack.us/img244/4777/coldhh0.jpg

Brokenhead

Feb 5, 2007, 5:59 PM

This morning at my house: (kind of blurry)

http://img63.imageshack.us/img63/4241/resizeofdscf0198pn8.jpg

-50.0 C, figured out that that's the lowest reading it could display. The time is wrong, it was that around 9:00 am.

It's now around -38 C.

A hour north of Winnipeg sure makes a big difference. But even in Winnipeg the temperature can fluxuate like ten degrees.

My 50 post at -50.0 C. :haha:

I also posted that in the Winnipeg Construction thread. Didn't notice that one until later.

trueviking

Feb 5, 2007, 6:21 PM

-50!.....i think you should calibrate your thermometer.....its a wee bit off.

Brokenhead

Feb 5, 2007, 6:34 PM

-50!.....i think you should calibrate your thermometer.....its a wee bit off.

I think it is off a bit, but it was cold:P .

Also I must add I live in the middle of nowhere, and a hour north of Winnipeg adds the degrees.
Usually the city is warmer than here of course.

bomberguy

Feb 5, 2007, 6:34 PM

Donovanf

Feb 5, 2007, 6:51 PM

Any one live in west broadway and has jumper cables want to give me a boost tonight? Car wouldn't start this morning and had to walk to work. There is beer in it for you.

harls

Feb 5, 2007, 7:02 PM

I thought it was cold here this morning with my -33 windchill. Living out east sure makes one soft.

someone123

Feb 5, 2007, 7:16 PM

Kind of sad how it's "only" -7 in Iqaluit on that picture.

This is going to be our second day this year with temperatures not even getting up into the negative single digits. When I got up this morning my street was convered in an unmelted layer of compressed snow. One of the most depressing sights ever.

At least it's February and winter's on its way out.

Kevin_foster

Feb 5, 2007, 7:26 PM

freeweed

Feb 5, 2007, 8:17 PM

My favourite is taking the current temperatures during January and February and converting it to fahrenheit and impressing any Americans I know with them. And then I tell 'em "I've been in worse..."

Add to this the explanation of how we plug our cars in. I actually had to pull out the cord one time and explain what a block heater was to some Floridians who just refused to believe that Canadians all drive "electric cars".

Best is still when they ask "C or F?", and your response is "at this temperature it doesn't matter".

feepa

Feb 5, 2007, 8:18 PM

This, my friends, is a good thought.

We NEED -40 for a week.

Wasn't november cold enough for you?

And cold weather is on the way for us (e-town)... see the forecast... brrrr (though not as cold as the 'peg)

Andy6

Feb 5, 2007, 11:35 PM

Wow, I wish I were home for this. This morning in Toronto was one of the coldest in memory, though -- about -12C when I left for work and blowing snow all afternoon. The harbour is the most "frozen over" looking I've ever seen it. Many years it's mostly open water through the whole winter.

The Jabroni

Feb 5, 2007, 11:50 PM

I thought I was seeing things this morning on my way to school, with all these sparkly stuff. As it turns out, it was ice crystals.

It was either that, or a few drinks I had last night...

vid

Feb 6, 2007, 12:43 AM

It was -12 in Toronto, and schools were closing, businesses shut down...

It was -32 in Thunder Bay this morning, no schools were closed. At all. None. Business as usual.

We haven't had a day off school because of snow or cold weather in years.

Lots of fun laughing at those pussies on the radio this morning. :) Toronto: City of Weaklings.

newflyer

Feb 6, 2007, 2:42 AM

Sorry guys... but it was +9 in Calgary today .. someone even said it was +11 downtown .. and it felt it. :cool: Walked outside to Second Cup without a jacket over lunch.

Ehhh ... its only 48 degrees difference.... give or take. :shrug: Couldn't even see the breath of my horse. :D

spiritedenergy

Feb 6, 2007, 3:30 AM

this morning i woke up, checked that stupid Weather channel tv with people repeating the same stuff... -40°C. Then I thought: it's gonna get warmer with the sun! At 9 am was still -40... i went off and took the bus. I wasn't really feeling cold, it was sunny and one guy at the bus stop was without cap/gloves... I thought: is this hell? Am I dead? Then the bus came and i'm still alive:D

Only The Lonely..

Feb 6, 2007, 3:50 AM

I was with some fellas from San Francisco today, boy were they ever surprised.

They must think we're all Eskimos. I'm sure they are going to be talking about this for weeks after they get back.

Anyways, our winter builds character. Only the toughest can survive the Peg.

CanadianCentaur

Feb 6, 2007, 4:15 AM

Do you guys realize that it's been up to -4°C in Iqaluit today!? Freaky! :koko:

It was up to -5°C here in Edmonton today, but there was freezing rain instead of snow most of the time. :yuck:

spiritedenergy

Feb 6, 2007, 4:21 AM

so, i really think this is the answer to all the questions why Winnipeg lacks in streetlife, why Winnipeg isn't booming as Calgary, etc... It's just too cold, i think it's really miraculous that 700.000 people live here.:D

Brokenhead

Feb 6, 2007, 4:27 AM

Apparantly Winnipeg suppose to have colder than normal weather than usual for the next month or something.:(

Sure not looking forward to the next month.

Greco Roman

Feb 6, 2007, 4:30 AM

Apparantly Winnipeg suppose to have colder than normal weather than usual for the next month or something.:(

Sure not looking forward to the next month.

All of the prairies are supposed to have colder than normal temperatures for the next three months :D

Brokenhead

Feb 6, 2007, 4:35 AM

All of the prairies are supposed to have colder than normal temperatures for the next three months :D

At least Winnipeg isn't the only one that has to go throught this:haha: . Makes me feel better.

The Jabroni

Feb 6, 2007, 5:32 AM

:previous: Yeah. Now I won't be as much lonely as I were before when I'm cutting stuff with my nipples. :jester:

freeweed

Feb 6, 2007, 5:49 AM

Couldn't even see the breath of my horse. :D

:worship: :jester: :haha: :jester: :worship:

Gotta agree, the +11 was just fine today. It's about to get frigid though, they're calling for -20. 30 degree change in 24 hours, hurrah!

I guess -20 would feel "warm" in Winnipeg right about now.

Albertaboy: where'd you hear 3 months of colder than normal? El Nino is kicking it hard right now, we should be in for one hell of a nice spring! And hot and dry summer, which unfortunately means a lot of forest fires. :yuck:

ssiguy

Feb 6, 2007, 6:26 AM

Well in Vancouver we hit a windchill of -12!!!
Today its about 8 degrees but pure mist.
Vancouver is obviously much warmer but damn it is it humid. The cold gets right to the bones.
Victoria isn't near as bad.

I remember I was in Calgary it was 1 degree but I still took off my coat becuase its so dry and sunny.

BTW, I thought this thread was about what is wrong about the Peg. Did it mean just the weather or general things about the city?

SpongeG

Feb 6, 2007, 7:08 AM

at least for the last 3 days my car windows have not got frost on them or taken forever to defog - its quite warm :) compared to last week

Greco Roman

Feb 6, 2007, 3:07 PM

Albertaboy: where'd you hear 3 months of colder than normal?

Environment Canada's website's seasonal forcast section.

Greco Roman

Feb 6, 2007, 3:13 PM

BTW, I thought this thread was about what is wrong about the Peg. Did it mean just the weather or general things about the city?

Were not going to even go there as it would attract a plethora of moronic idiots who would take pleasure in bashing Winnipeg. And if they do, I'm going to start my own "What's wrong with (select city goes here) thread :eviltongue:

I agree, the title of the thread is misleading and should be changed!

IntotheWest

Feb 6, 2007, 7:51 PM

EC has been off all winter - the west has been a few degrees warmer than normal for Dec and Jan..Calgary average high for Jan was +2.5c - not bad. Winnipeg was -9.8c. Vancouver was +5.6c...

When we had a couple cold days in mid-Jan, the meteroligists were predicting the rest of Jan would be in a deep-freeze...I knew that wouldn't happen :-)

El Nino is in full affect, so I'd be surprised if it was colder than averages in the west.

big W

Feb 6, 2007, 8:24 PM

Wow is all I can say about the weather in the Peg. I was waliking around yesterday with my winter jacket open and some of the snow was melting. Then today we have that freezing rain and a few degrees below 0. Nothing like -40 or -50 like some of you guys. But to make you feel better it is supposed to get -20 for a week fairly soon here in Alberta.

Albertaboy I am sorry to disappoint you with our comparatively warm winters.

IntotheWest

Feb 6, 2007, 8:48 PM

Wimp. Back in the 90s we had 21 straight days where the mercury didn't go above -30 at all. Now THAT was fun. Any running cars at that point deserved a medal.

For the record, I'll take pseudo-winters over -30 any day. There's NOTHING that -30 makes better, other than an ex-Winnipegger's sense of ego. :haha:

As a weather-stat nut, I recall the record you're refering to - and I believe it was a low temperature that was less than -25c for 23 days straight ;-)...19 days less than -30c (most closer to -40c)...however, the daytime temps did break into the -20c, but didn't get better than -20c for 17 days in a row.

That was Jan/Feb 1996. It was brutal.

Brokenhead

Feb 6, 2007, 10:37 PM

I always thought it is interesting how 0 to 5 degrees Celius feels so nice when it's starts to warm up. But in Fall, how those temperatures feel so horrible and you know it's just the beginning.

bomberguy

Feb 6, 2007, 10:47 PM

I always thought it is interesting how 0 to 5 degrees Celius feels so nice when it's starts to warm up. But in Fall, how those temperatures feel so horrible and you know it's just the beginning.

Haha Yeahhh, I love that feeling when it starts warming up. :slob: There's no need for a jacket. In the fall it's so depressing. hah

freeweed

Feb 6, 2007, 11:08 PM

As a weather-stat nut, I recall the record you're refering to - and I believe it was a low temperature that was less than -25c for 23 days straight ;-)...19 days less than -30c (most closer to -40c)...however, the daytime temps did break into the -20c, but didn't get better than -20c for 17 days in a row.

That was Jan/Feb 1996. It was brutal.

Sounds about the right time. I remember it as colder than it actually was, I guess. I'd love to know exact figures, as I quote this all the time but it looks like it was "warmer" than I remember EC claiming :)

IntotheWest

Feb 6, 2007, 11:27 PM

Sounds about the right time. I remember it as colder than it actually was, I guess. I'd love to know exact figures, as I quote this all the time but it looks like it was "warmer" than I remember EC claiming :)

It's a pet peeve of mine when I hear about how the prairies are "-40c" for 5 months out of the year (especially from colleagues in Quebec or Ottawa!)...this wasn't specifically from you (you were actually quite close).

I spent two years in Vancouver, and every week I'd show up and here it from the cabbies, the folks at the hotels, work colleagues, etc - from Sept (!) until May. They all have a story about "I was in Calgary once and it was -40c...".

Yet, our Jan average is now sitting at about -1.5c, and this year was only 2.5 degrees less than Van :-)

Even for Winnipeg, the numbers below are well below their averages, and there's only two truly -40c days ;-)

Anyway - The Peg from 1996...day, high, low
Jan...

14 -13.4 -28.2
15 -17.5 -30.3
16 -16.5 -23.9
17 -18.9 -27.5
18 -23.6 -37.1
19 -29.2 -39.4
20 -25.4 -37.3
21 -20.9 -31.4
22 -22.3 -30.8
23 -23.7 -33.0
24 -24.2 -34.7
25 -25.2 -35.3
26 -23.7 -32.1
27 -24.9 -34.6
28 -25.6 -35.2
29 -25.2 -34.1
30 -29.2 -37.1
31 -30.1 -39.2

Feb

01 -35.3 -41.8
02 -30.0 -41.4
03 -25.9 -34.1
04 -18.2 -31.0
05 -18.1 -30.5

newflyer

Feb 7, 2007, 3:36 AM

Okay people.. lets look into increasing the rate of global warming.. buy some old gas pig and leave'er running all day and night. :sly:

Don't forget to cut off the catalytic converter if its post 1973... that would help... :rolleyes:

J/K

graupner

Feb 7, 2007, 3:39 AM

It's been about -26C (-35 with wind factor) in Montreal for about 3-4 days now.
What the hell is going on with global warming???? weren't we supposed to have a "warm winter" ??

:)

newflyer

Feb 7, 2007, 3:41 AM

It's been about -26C (-35 with wind factor) in Montreal for about 3-4 days now.
What the hell is going on with global warming???? weren't we supposed to have a "warm winter" ??

:)

If you're not driving a Hummer you are not doing your part.

Smron

Feb 7, 2007, 3:55 AM

One great city!!

drew

Feb 7, 2007, 3:58 AM

Don't forget to cut off the cataletic converter if its post 1973... that would help... :rolleyes:

Unfortunately my '86 VW Westfalia (sans catalytic converter) is parked for winter.

It will however be doing its part to make our summer that much warmer...

Greco Roman

Feb 7, 2007, 4:05 AM

Unfortunately my '86 VW Westfalia (sans catalytic converter) is parked for winter.

Westfalia's are awsome :)

drew

Feb 7, 2007, 4:18 AM

Greco Roman

Feb 7, 2007, 4:24 AM

there are a couple other Westy owners amoung the MB forumers here too.

Must be something about these skyscraper/urban forums that make us want to make a run for the great outdoors at the first opportunity...

There are quite a few further out west too; my buddy's parents in Summerland BC own a westfalia and are able to travel all over the continent.

Brokenhead

Feb 7, 2007, 4:25 AM

Looks like we are going to be in the really cold zone again.

Foecast for tonight and tomorrow:

TUESDAY OVERNIGHT - Temp. -32°C, Wind 20 km/h, Feels like -45

WEDNESDAY MORNING - Temp. -32°C, Wind 20 km/h, Feels like -45

WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON - Temp. -21°C, Wind 20 km/h, Feels like -31

WEDNESDAY EVENING - Temp. -21°C, Wind 20 km/h, Feels like -31

Reading from: http://www.theweathernetwork.com/weather/cities/can/Pages/CAMB0244.htm

Greco Roman

Feb 7, 2007, 4:27 AM

Looks like we are going to be in the really cold zone again.

Foecast for tonight and tomorrow:

TUESDAY OVERNIGHT - Temp. -32°C, Wind 20 km/h, Feels like -45°C

WEDNESDAY MORNING - Temp. -32°C, Wind 20 km/h, Feels like -45°C

WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON - Temp. -21°C, Wind 20 km/h, Feels like -31°C

WEDNESDAY EVENING - Temp. -21°C, Wind 20 km/h, Feels like -31°C

Reading from: http://www.theweathernetwork.com/weather/cities/can/Pages/CAMB0244.htm

bah! -32C is peanuts if the wind decides not to make it's presence felt ;)

drew

Feb 7, 2007, 4:38 AM

^ they really shouldn't have "degree C" associated with the wind chill factors as it is a perceived temperature and not reality. Being the "weather" network, they should know better. Even the local CTV news weather guy knows that.

I liked the days of the real wind chill factors better. At least I can kind of understand what a heat loss wind chill factor of say 2300 is,
rather than one based on the reaction of some test case to cold wind when they are stuck in some controlled laboratory experiment.

Brokenhead

Feb 7, 2007, 4:42 AM

^ Oh, sorry. I added them by accident. I was doing it in a rush.

The Network doesn't have the °C.

They are removed now. Thanks for pointing that out drew!!:tup:

drew

Feb 7, 2007, 5:06 AM

^ your welcome... I wouldn't have been so snotty if I knew it was you and not the weather network that made the typo...;)

flatlander

Feb 7, 2007, 5:43 AM

there are a couple other Westy owners amoung the MB forumers here too.

Must be something about these skyscraper/urban forums that make us want to make a run for the great outdoors at the first opportunity...

I was just looking for cheap housing during university. The fact that it moved was just an added bonus. My Westfalia is sleeping this winter somewhere outside the city.

newflyer

Feb 7, 2007, 5:58 AM

Looks like we are going to be in the really cold zone again.

Foecast for tonight and tomorrow:

TUESDAY OVERNIGHT - Temp. -32°C, Wind 20 km/h, Feels like -45

WEDNESDAY MORNING - Temp. -32°C, Wind 20 km/h, Feels like -45

WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON - Temp. -21°C, Wind 20 km/h, Feels like -31

WEDNESDAY EVENING - Temp. -21°C, Wind 20 km/h, Feels lik

Reading from: http://www.theweathernetwork.com/weather/cities/can/Pages/CAMB0244.htm

Ouch... at least there is a warming trend.

vid

Feb 7, 2007, 6:18 AM

Weather Network does put the °C in, but only for the current conditions. Forecasts are left without it.

http://www.theweathernetwork.com/weather/cities/can/Pages/CAON0688.htm

freeweed

Feb 7, 2007, 7:11 AM

Anyway - The Peg from 1996...day, high, low
Jan...

Thanks! Guess it was 3 straight weeks (19 days, close enough) of -30 lows, not highs. Not as bad as I've said to people, but still.. gives an idea of just how cold it can stay for a while.

You've just corrected 10 years of misinformation on my part! :worship:

SpongeG

Feb 7, 2007, 10:52 PM

maybe winnipeggers could use some (cue the radio voice) fusion edge coffee
only from 7-11

HomeInMyShoes

Feb 7, 2007, 10:57 PM

Maybe Winnipeg could build the world's largest space heater which would be powered by the 200m windmill.

newflyer

Feb 7, 2007, 11:33 PM

Maybe Winnipeg could build the world's largest space heater which would be powered by the 200m windmill.

Now your talking!! :cool:

freeweed

Feb 8, 2007, 4:21 AM

At least I can kind of understand what a heat loss wind chill factor of say 2300 is, rather than one based on the reaction of some test case to cold wind when they are stuck in some controlled laboratory experiment.

Seems like you can pretty much guess a person's age in this country based on whether (no pun intended) they prefer windchill in degrees, or "factor" - as it's entirely based on what you grew up with.

I never could figure out just what "2000" was supposed to feel like (other than cold), but I sure do know what a -30 windchill feels like. Then again, being a tiny body, wind goes right through me so I've always felt a -30 windchill to be far colder than actual -30 with hardly any wind (it's not actually in comparison to a calm day, in case anyone's wondering why I phrase it like that).

My parents can't stand the "seemingly random" (as they called it) numbers that got assigned to windchill factors in the past couple of decades. My 20-something friends only ever knew that system, and can't adjust to degrees C windchills.

It's eerily similar to the Imperial/Metric arguments that have mostly died down by now. I've managed to straddle the generational fence on nearly every measurement issue of the latter part of the 20th century, and never really adjusted to either (for both windchill and general measurements). Makes it easier to travel in the US, though.

drew

Feb 8, 2007, 5:08 AM

^ not bad. I'm 29 - back in elementary school, when the windchill was over 2000, we didn't go outside for recess...

The old scale was based on heat loss over an area. A wind chill of 2000 meant a heat loss of 2000 watts per square metre. None of this "feels like" crap - just plain old heat loss.

The new system is OK I guess - but how can you gauge the danger of a wind chill when it is based on perception? I mean if the wind chill feels like -40 to you, but only -20 to me, does that mean you will get frostbite faster than me? I know this isn't the case but...

However in the old system - car, tree, cat or human - everything is being stripped of the same heat and the same rate, and dangerous levels of windchill were black and white.

I guess that's the engineer in me, I need to quantify everything...

freeweed

Feb 8, 2007, 5:46 AM

However in the old system - car, tree, cat or human - everything is being stripped of the same heat and the same rate, and dangerous levels of windchill were black and white.

Except that was part of the problem. Your car will lose heat at a set rate, yes, but it will never get any colder than the ambient air temperature.

Your skin, on the other hand, tends to cool faster and can easily get colder than the outside temperature. Hence why windchill temps are usually (depending on who you follow) colder than the outside air. Evaporative effect, and all that. Windchill is pretty much defined as a subjective measure, at least as it applies to humans - and so I'll agree with you there, because what "feels" like -30 to me might feel like -20 to someone else.

There never really will be a perfect measure of it anyway, as the experts still can't agree if humidity, pressure, or other factors should come into play. I think most people would agree that humid air feels "colder" for a given temperature, but this isn't generally taken into account.

My biggest beef with the old w/m^s system was the idiotic "skin will freeze in X minutes" part - Winnipeg often would see windchills in the 2100-2300 range, which by the (now) old definition said that exposed skin would freeze in something like 5-15 minutes. I can tell you from experience I've waited 30-45 minutes at that range many times (good old reliable Tommy Transit) and yet I've never frostbitten anything on my face - and that's almost always exposed unless I'm outside for hours.

drew

Feb 8, 2007, 5:57 AM

^ that's cuz the old numbers were based on measurements taken something like 15-20 feet in the air, and not at the ground surface. When they went to make the scale more accurate (based on ground level elevations), they decided to do away with the watts per metre squared at the same time.

There are a lot of myths associated with the cold, and how the body reacts to it. That crazy Professor Popsicle guy at the UofM has debunked lots of cold water and hypothermia old wives tales, most notably that you will take a lot longer than 3 minutes to expire in icy cold water...

ssiguy

Feb 8, 2007, 7:10 AM

Is this the "what's wrong with Winnipeg" thread or a temperature scale?

freeweed

Feb 8, 2007, 2:54 PM

Is this the "what's wrong with Winnipeg" thread or a temperature scale?

Without trying to sound like flamebait, they're often one and the same. ;)

Greco Roman

Feb 8, 2007, 3:02 PM

CAN SOMEONE PLEASE CHANGE THE NAME OF THIS THREAD TO SOMETHING MORE APPROPRIATE LIKE "THE RECENT COLD SNAP IN WINNIPEG" OR SUCH?

THE TITLE OF THIS THREAD IS REALLY MISLEADING AND ANNOYING! :gaah:

Greco Roman

Feb 8, 2007, 3:03 PM

Without trying to sound like flamebait, they're often one and the same. ;)

:rolleyes:

c vist

Feb 8, 2007, 3:04 PM

I guess that's the engineer in me, I need to quantify everything...

Speaking of Engineers ... you've probably seen this already Drew:

Dilbert's - The Knack:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wplyCogv3to

c vist

Feb 8, 2007, 3:08 PM

CAN SOMEONE PLEASE CHANGE THE NAME OF THIS THREAD TO SOMETHING MORE APPROPRIATE LIKE "THE RECENT COLD SNAP IN WINNIPEG" OR SUCH?

THE TITLE OF THIS THREAD IS REALLY MISLEADING AND ANNOYING! :gaah:

Only if you can talk someone into changing the Winnipeg Construction thread to "Newflyer bashes the NDP as the reason for all failures in Winnipeg ... again"

drew

Feb 8, 2007, 3:10 PM

Speaking of Engineers ... you've probably seen this already Drew:

Dilbert's - The Knack:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wplyCogv3to

^ that made the rounds at our office a couple days ago. It almost brought me to tears - I'll let you decide if those were tears from laughter, or just that it brought up some horrible memories from my childhood...;)