Well considering that I worked where the high was -10 to -40 (-40, btw is about the same in F or C) and the low went down to -60 taking people dog sledding/cross country skiing… I guess I’d have to say colder than -60 (because trust me on this, at those temps you WANT to be moving. Takes about 2 seconds to get cold if you are just standing around).
@phendrick Checking with the formula you are correct. I hadn’t bothered to see if they were really, really close or exactly the same - for those too lazy to look it up (temp in F -32)*(5/8) = temp in C well or use an online converter with that built in but you don’t know if they round or not.
Quite honestly really, really cold covers it too. Until about -25 you can guess about how cold it is out by how far up your nose your nose hairs freeze when you inhale. Outhouses in that weather are a joy and pleasure. Plus then you get to draw straws to see who gets to knock over the “stalagmite” that forms in there.
We heated by wood (worked for outward bound when it had a center up there). You have to store the next day’s supply inside because it freezes solid outside and then puts out the fire when you toss it in the stove while it is frozen. Our stoves were homemade out of 2/3’s of a 45 gallon drum; chimney fires and creosote stills at outside right angle bends were common.
Getting water for the week was “fun” as well. Spilled water on the floor while filling 45 gallon drums from the lake meant ice skating on the kitchen floor, Our water hole was through 8’ of ice, first hole wasn’t out far enough and it froze to the bottom of the lake so we had to chop a new hole.
Only had about 5 or 6 hours of daylight. I learned an Aladdin kerosene lantern gave off around 100 watts and the others we had, maybe 20; that if the propane tank isn’t full enough it is hard to have enough pressure to run the kitchen stove and propane lights in there (it starts to liquify), that diesel generators don’t work much below 5 below… Gives me far more respect to our ancestors and to the native americans who lived (and some still live) in those conditions (some NA trappers in NW Ontario only moved onto the reservations in the late 60’s, prior to that they spent their winters trapping and thus living outside in those conditions). It takes so much time just to do the normal tasks of daily living.
On the other hand there is something special/magical about sleeping outside in that weather looking up at the northern lights (put a tarp up most of the time so we’d sit on our backpacks, wrapped in our sleeping bag, watching them before going to bed), having it so quiet (snow muffling sound) that you can hear your heart beat when you are still…
Winter in weather this cold, up this far north was something I was glad I did once, but prefer not to do twice.
It is too cold if it is more than 10 degrees colder than the low temperature for the previous day and more than 20 degrees colder than the low for the week before that.
I remember when it reached 10 degrees F after spending a week below zero F. That felt warm. The weather felt great.
@hamjudo Yeah that phenomena works with any sudden temperature differential. It was only minus 5 ish (or maybe it was 5 above, I forget anymore except that it was a temp I’d have been bitching my head off about being outside shoveling snow under “normal” conditions) at my parent’s house when I had been living minus 40ish and it felt positively tropical.
Clearly this poll was written by someone who does not, nor ever has, lived in northern MN. 10 degrees as the coldest temp? A heat wave in comparison to some winter temps they get.
Cold isn’t a problem, icy sidewalks are. I walk over a mile to work every day and am warm as long as I keep moving. If I slip on ice, I probably won’t be moving any more!
Totally depends on windchill. If windchill is below 0F I will stay inside. Single digit temperatures are debatable depending on outside conditions (wind, sun, snow, ice, etc).
I don’t feel the cold in my hands, feet, or face so if I was out in frostbite weather, I’d start losing flesh. Luckily, I’m in the pnw so just above freezing is the coldest I regularly have to deal with. Shorts year round, baby.
@rhrgrt no, verrry rarely. I forgot until I’d replied that my husband used to wear shorts all year round when I met him too. Ah, the good ole days when we were in our 30’s…
Below 10 degrees is when I might consider skipping outside exercise entirely, but for me, once it gets below 30 degrees, it has already become a “negative experience”.
Always.
Inside too.
Does shoveling snow count as exercise?
@Zeusandhera Oh yes.
Depends on the exercise…
Are we going to be swimming or snowboarding?
Well considering that I worked where the high was -10 to -40 (-40, btw is about the same in F or C) and the low went down to -60 taking people dog sledding/cross country skiing… I guess I’d have to say colder than -60 (because trust me on this, at those temps you WANT to be moving. Takes about 2 seconds to get cold if you are just standing around).
@Kidsandliz I guess exactly qualifies for “about”.
@phendrick Checking with the formula you are correct. I hadn’t bothered to see if they were really, really close or exactly the same - for those too lazy to look it up (temp in F -32)*(5/8) = temp in C well or use an online converter with that built in but you don’t know if they round or not.
Quite honestly really, really cold covers it too. Until about -25 you can guess about how cold it is out by how far up your nose your nose hairs freeze when you inhale. Outhouses in that weather are a joy and pleasure. Plus then you get to draw straws to see who gets to knock over the “stalagmite” that forms in there.
We heated by wood (worked for outward bound when it had a center up there). You have to store the next day’s supply inside because it freezes solid outside and then puts out the fire when you toss it in the stove while it is frozen. Our stoves were homemade out of 2/3’s of a 45 gallon drum; chimney fires and creosote stills at outside right angle bends were common.
Getting water for the week was “fun” as well. Spilled water on the floor while filling 45 gallon drums from the lake meant ice skating on the kitchen floor, Our water hole was through 8’ of ice, first hole wasn’t out far enough and it froze to the bottom of the lake so we had to chop a new hole.
Only had about 5 or 6 hours of daylight. I learned an Aladdin kerosene lantern gave off around 100 watts and the others we had, maybe 20; that if the propane tank isn’t full enough it is hard to have enough pressure to run the kitchen stove and propane lights in there (it starts to liquify), that diesel generators don’t work much below 5 below… Gives me far more respect to our ancestors and to the native americans who lived (and some still live) in those conditions (some NA trappers in NW Ontario only moved onto the reservations in the late 60’s, prior to that they spent their winters trapping and thus living outside in those conditions). It takes so much time just to do the normal tasks of daily living.
On the other hand there is something special/magical about sleeping outside in that weather looking up at the northern lights (put a tarp up most of the time so we’d sit on our backpacks, wrapped in our sleeping bag, watching them before going to bed), having it so quiet (snow muffling sound) that you can hear your heart beat when you are still…
Winter in weather this cold, up this far north was something I was glad I did once, but prefer not to do twice.
At approx 283 Kelvin, it’s getting a bit too cold.
Walking is exercise. So how cold before I don’t walk to my car? Nevermind, I have a garage.
It is too cold if it is more than 10 degrees colder than the low temperature for the previous day and more than 20 degrees colder than the low for the week before that.
I remember when it reached 10 degrees F after spending a week below zero F. That felt warm. The weather felt great.
@hamjudo Yeah that phenomena works with any sudden temperature differential. It was only minus 5 ish (or maybe it was 5 above, I forget anymore except that it was a temp I’d have been bitching my head off about being outside shoveling snow under “normal” conditions) at my parent’s house when I had been living minus 40ish and it felt positively tropical.
Clearly this poll was written by someone who does not, nor ever has, lived in northern MN. 10 degrees as the coldest temp? A heat wave in comparison to some winter temps they get.
I’ve skied in -50 wind chills. Just dress appropriately. (Me, last winter in slightly warmer temps.)
I’ll run in just about any temperature we encounter in NY.
@Griff726 you go, Griff! Impressive.
Cold isn’t a problem, icy sidewalks are. I walk over a mile to work every day and am warm as long as I keep moving. If I slip on ice, I probably won’t be moving any more!
Totally depends on windchill. If windchill is below 0F I will stay inside. Single digit temperatures are debatable depending on outside conditions (wind, sun, snow, ice, etc).
I don’t feel the cold in my hands, feet, or face so if I was out in frostbite weather, I’d start losing flesh. Luckily, I’m in the pnw so just above freezing is the coldest I regularly have to deal with. Shorts year round, baby.
@rhrgrt you must be OR and not WA.
@moonhat nawp, Seattle. I’m pretty sure it doesn’t get below freezing here, at least.
@rhrgrt no, verrry rarely. I forgot until I’d replied that my husband used to wear shorts all year round when I met him too. Ah, the good ole days when we were in our 30’s…
@moonhat Hah, my ex-wife domesticated the shorts out of me for a bit. At least this time around they’re better looking and not cargo shorts.
Below 10 degrees is when I might consider skipping outside exercise entirely, but for me, once it gets below 30 degrees, it has already become a “negative experience”.