OT - how cold is it ....

[BBfanboy]

Ok, for you guys complaining about a couple of inches of snow and temperatures approaching 0ºF, here's a guy who knows about cold:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/ ... -1.4469130

[pontiouspilot]

We warmed from 31 below at 10AM Jan 1 to 2 above at about 330PM! I'm sure we have the Donald to thank.

[Zorch]

I saw a penguin flying south for the winter.

[JeffroK]

And we are expecting close to 110degF (43degC) for Saturday.

Want to swap.

[jwolf]

ORIGINAL: JeffroK

And we are expecting close to 110degF (43degC) for Saturday.

Want to swap.

If you and I could average our temps that would be pretty nice. Regrettably that is not an option.

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: jwolf

ORIGINAL: JeffroK

And we are expecting close to 110degF (43degC) for Saturday.

Want to swap.

If you and I could average our temps that would be pretty nice. Regrettably that is not an option.

Momma Nature used to try and do that for us until we ticked her off - big time! Now everything is either overcooked or not completely thawed ....

[pbiggar]

I never thought I would see a reference to where I live on these forums (other than for the detachment of Winnipeg Grenadiers located in Hong Kong in December 1941).

At least it got up to -22 today. Almost felt nice after the -40 crap.[:'(]

[rustysi]

What we've had lately in my neck of the woods is rather unusual, so many consecutive days below freezing. Heck last weekend a good part of the bay was frozen, not normal this early. Looks like we may get hit hard snow wise tonight and tomorrow too. For me though I rather like the cold and have spent a good amount of time 'Upstate' (the Adirondacks) on a snowmobile. I've rode in weather as cold as -25f, it was fine. Personally when I ride I preferred the temps to be around -10f, I found that most comfortable. It hit -40f while I was in Yellowstone, but we were leaving that day. TBH I would have refused to go out that day had we stayed, too cold. Have to draw the line somewhere.[:D]

[JeffroK]

The opposite to this:

When I was based in Perth we would have a 2 day Cricket(Google it guys) match for Australia Day (26 Jan)
One year it was 45degC each day.

Mad Dogs & Englishmen, ey wot!

[dcpollay]

Made it to 23 (above)up here in Albany today. I think back to zero tonight, and that will be our high on Saturday. Still hitting negatives at night.

[btd64]

Broke the single digits today, 21'F. Lows in the - numbers. Columbus Ohio....GP

[spence]

Can't say I miss NE Vermont at this time of year. A former neighbor from there posted temps in a bunch of the local towns this morning: -44, -40, -36, -32, -31, and a high of -26. I used to live across the road from a small babbling brook: on days like today the normal flow of the brook would splash drops into tiny cracks in the rocks, the water would instantly freeze, and the rock would split apart with a sound like a rifle shot.

BTW the temp here in SW Washington reached a high of 47 today. Don't know what the low was but no frost on the grass when I got up.

[Will_L]

Its so cold that a friend of mine that was about to go down the steps to the subway at 42nd St. & Broadway stopped to watch
a rat that was running up the stairs. The rat got almost to street level, stopped, stood up and then ran back down the stairs.

[Chris21wen]

It's been a balmy 8C with lots and lots of rain and wind on the south coast of England. If you listen to people it's going to get very, very cold shortly, -10C. Don't know how where going to survive at such low temperatures, I might even have to put the fire on.

People in England under a certain age have absolutely no idea what a bad winter is, half an inch of snow and the world stops.

[Zecke]

Its happens in circles past remenber some pictures at XIX early century in museums people in the ice with skates having fun an the economy being colapses

[Zecke]

Or it was in early XVIII...ayy...Dont remenber the picture well; anyway is a circle period since Romans

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: Zecke

Its happens in circles past remenber some pictures at XIX early century in museums people in the ice with skates having fun an the economy being colapses

When I was in Ottawa last week there were plans to have an outdoor hockey tournament on a rink at Parliament Hill - specially built for Canada's 150th birthday.
They had to cancel the tournament because the ice was too cold to skate on! When you skate the idea is that the pressure on the narrow skate blade heats up the ice enough to create a thin layer of water in the hollow grind of the blade bottom. That's what makes skating so efficient - little friction. But at very low temps, no melting = sticky ice and you struggle to move yourself along.

Same thing happens with cars on road ice - the most dangerous ice is around freezing temperature where a layer of water can make it really slick. Very cold ice improves the traction quite a bit.

[Zorch]

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

ORIGINAL: Zecke

Its happens in circles past remenber some pictures at XIX early century in museums people in the ice with skates having fun an the economy being colapses

When I was in Ottawa last week there were plans to have an outdoor hockey tournament on a rink at Parliament Hill - specially built for Canada's 150th birthday.
They had to cancel the tournament because the ice was too cold to skate on! When you skate the idea is that the pressure on the narrow skate blade heats up the ice enough to create a thin layer of water in the hollow grind of the blade bottom. That's what makes skating so efficient - little friction. But at very low temps, no melting = sticky ice and you struggle to move yourself along.

Same thing happens with cars on road ice - the most dangerous ice is around freezing temperature where a layer of water can make it really slick. Very cold ice improves the traction quite a bit.

True. Unfortunately, the colder it is, the less able to grip the road are tires. The rubber loses the ability to deform, even in winter tires.

[jwolf]

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy


They had to cancel the tournament because the ice was too cold to skate on! When you skate the idea is that the pressure on the narrow skate blade heats up the ice enough to create a thin layer of water in the hollow grind of the blade bottom. That's what makes skating so efficient - little friction. But at very low temps, no melting = sticky ice and you struggle to move yourself along.

Very, um, cool! Thanks for posting this. I had no idea of this ironic fact.

[cardas]

Pressure from the blades creating a water layer is actually, from what I've gathered, no longer an accepted explanation as to how ice skates works. Ice is generally slippery due to how the upper layers are structured, giving it a thin water like upper surface even without any skates in contact with it. Heat due to friction (along with the thermal properties of the material in contact with the ice) also play a role along with e.g. surface roughness. Pressure has likely only a minor role. Still, it's a phenomena that is not fully understood.

Regardless temperature certainly makes a difference. The lowest friction is around -5°C from what I've read, by -40°C you'll definitely not skate around as easily.