Althouse: Good morning from the deep freeze.

January 30, 2019

Good morning from the deep freeze.

81 comments:

Dust Bunny Queen said...: Wow!!....brrrrrrr. Bundle up. Stay indoors. Bake something delicious in the oven.

But look!! You are going to be having a heat wave in a few days! {Sortof}; 1/30/19, 7:53 AM
Dave Begley said...: Ann:

Close your windows. Save the Planet.; 1/30/19, 7:54 AM
Chris said...: The world has not ended.; 1/30/19, 7:56 AM
iowan2 said...: Starting to warm right up, here in Iowa. We are 6 degrees off our low of -27. The better half wanted a ride into work. I vetoed the idea. If the vehicle was going to fail on the way to town, we would both be stranded in the same stalled vehicle. Better if I stayed back, available to ride the rescue if needed. She made it just fine. Traffic much lighter than normal.; 1/30/19, 7:58 AM
Wilbur said...: People in South Florida complain about our weather now - it's in the 40s and 50s! Oh the humanity!

Coldest weather I ever experienced in central Illinois was in late December 1977 - it got down to -27F and -50F wind chill. It was dangerous to even venture outside.

Just pray you power stays on.; 1/30/19, 8:00 AM
Bushman of the Kohlrabi said...: Don't worry, global warming is still on track to kill us within 12 years.; 1/30/19, 8:00 AM
gspencer said...: Finally, some relief from all the heat and humidity.; 1/30/19, 8:07 AM
gilbar said...: Blogger Chris said... The world has not ended.

true, but i'm not worried about the world, i'm worried about my furnace; and this is day 1, tonight's the night that will push it.; 1/30/19, 8:07 AM
roesch/voltaire said...: Challenge to get our two Papillons to do their business out side without tossing a treat into the artic air while we hide behind the door.; 1/30/19, 8:07 AM
gilbar said...: where in iowa are you iowan2?; 1/30/19, 8:08 AM
MayBee said...: We just did the throw boiling water in the air and watch it freeze thing. Very fun!!; 1/30/19, 8:10 AM
tcrosse said...: In St Paul we had a family of voles who lived under the air conditioner and had a network of tunnels under the snow. They tunneled over to where the spilled birdseed from the bird feeder landed, much to the amusement of our (indoor) cat. It was one of these polar vortex experiences a few years back that convinced me it was time to GTFO.; 1/30/19, 8:12 AM
AllenS said...: I guess that we can pretty much write off the idea that the Arctic will from now on be ice free.; 1/30/19, 8:15 AM
I Have Misplaced My Pants said...: I'm wearing a sweater, socks and sneakers and just added a pair of legwarmers under my yoga pants on this chilly morning in south Texas. It's 50 out there, breezy, 68 in the house. Kids are annoyed that I won't turn on the heat. Funny how acclimation works.

You guys stay safe and be careful up there.; 1/30/19, 8:15 AM
tim maguire said...: On the plus side, when it returns to 15, it will feel downright balmy!; 1/30/19, 8:18 AM
I Have Misplaced My Pants said...: In St Paul we had a family of voles who lived under the air conditioner and had a network of tunnels under the snow. They tunneled over to where the spilled birdseed from the bird feeder landed, much to the amusement of our (indoor) cat. It was one of these polar vortex experiences a few years back that convinced me it was time to GTFO.

I'm trying to talk Mr. Pants into moving to St. Paul and winters like these do not help my case.; 1/30/19, 8:18 AM
Birkel said...: Althouse and Meade will be well prepared for the coming Global Cooling.; 1/30/19, 8:20 AM
chuck said...: Nice. I recall working in the snow on the side of road in -25F weather to pull the radiator and replace a broken timing belt on my old Honda. It was a long, cold stretch when everyone kept their water running to avoid frozen pipes and the stores sold out of car batteries.; 1/30/19, 8:20 AM
Tommy Duncan said...: Blogger Bushman of the Kohlrabi said...

"Don't worry, global warming is still on track to kill us within 12 years."

I thought we all died years ago about when the water rose and covered Manhattan and Miami.

Today the earth has the chills. It's -30 with a nice breeze here in SE Minnesota.; 1/30/19, 8:21 AM
Marc in Eugene said...: 30 degrees here and all the office chatter today will be about how cold it it. Eh.; 1/30/19, 8:21 AM
Third Coast said...: Here on the leeward side of Lake Michigan it's a delightfully warm morning of -7 degrees. Unfortunately, with all the warmth came 14 inches of new snow.; 1/30/19, 8:23 AM
hawkeyedjb said...: After half a lifetime in Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois I escaped to Arizona. I've become an absolute sissy about cold, and bitch like crazy when it dips to the high 30s as it did this winter. And that's above zero. But you still have to turn on the heat.

Heading for 70s today. Good golfing weather.; 1/30/19, 8:24 AM
Wince said...: I Have Misplaced My Pants said...
Funny how acclimation works.

That’s how Tom Brokaw got into trouble.; 1/30/19, 8:26 AM
iowan2 said...: gilbar said...
where in iowa are you iowan2?

East of Ames a bit. Home base of a clinic, that is a recognized leader eye care, through out the state and region. The better half works in the accounting and insurance side. They do hundreds of cataract surgeries a day. Thinking of our hosts upcoming procedure, and knowing how much improved her life is about to be.; 1/30/19, 8:26 AM
gilbar said...: iowan2;
i moved from ames from ames last year (moved there in 81, and now live in the arctic (up by decorah)). I used to drive past the eye place on 13th street every day.
Glad to hear it's warmer there, still -28 here.
I used to think Ames was cold, until i moved up here; 1/30/19, 8:30 AM
chillblaine said...: Tally Ho, Elsa! It's brisk!; 1/30/19, 8:31 AM
J. Farmer said...: It's 54 degrees here in the Tampa Bay area. If there's one thing Floridians like to complain about more than the heat, it's the cold.; 1/30/19, 8:32 AM
gspencer said...: So cold the local politicians all have their hands in their own pockets.; 1/30/19, 8:32 AM
Dust Bunny Queen said...: I know this cold snap is big news and IS very dangerous for a very large number of people. I hope everyone stays safe.

However, I have a bit of difficulty in getting all bleeding heart-ish over it when this is the type of winter that we, up in our rural mountain area, experience quite often. No one seems to care if we are in a deep freeze all winter. It isn't national news.

Three years ago we had a spell from the middle of December to the middle of February where it was -20 to -10 at night and never ever got above 32 degrees during the day. Permafrost began to develop. Trees snapped and broke from the cold. Sounding like shotgun blasts. There was a sheet of ice for MONTHS. Our trucks needed to have block heaters in order to be able to start them up. It was fookin' cold.

Big deal. We cope....(and really really look forward to spring and summer which are wonderful) You take the good and the bad. Or move.

When people from other areas are building houses for absentee/vacation living (mostly Dot Commers and people from So Cal) they are getting their water systems (wells, tanks, pumps, plumbing) installed us or other local firms......they are astounded when we try to tell them how cold it can get in the winter and to be prepared for the worst. What!! In California?? No way!.

Listen up! and do what we advise or expect to redo your plumbing and replace the frozen broken pumps in the spring.; 1/30/19, 8:33 AM
chillblaine said...: I always enjoy baking up something nice and warm in the oven. Today, I would make pumpkin bread or something with lots of allspice. And nutmeg. NUTMEG I SEZ!!!; 1/30/19, 8:33 AM
HT said...: And it's +25 in DC. Just listened to a fantastic speech by Russell Moore. Highly recommend it.; 1/30/19, 8:34 AM
stlcdr said...: Global warming! ....except this coming weekend. Funny how it knows.; 1/30/19, 8:35 AM
chillblaine said...: Female Althouse commenters, please post bewbs; 1/30/19, 8:36 AM
HT said...: Funny how you don't know the difference between climate and weather.; 1/30/19, 8:39 AM
traditionalguy said...: EMERGENCY ALERT!The World must turn on all known ways to create CO2 emissions, immediately. Maybe we can overcome this new Ice Age.

Seriously, Trump should seek advice from the Russians. They have real climate scientists who know the Sun is the only culprit. And they know how you do -50F. ( Hint: wear lots of real fur); 1/30/19, 8:39 AM
rhhardin said...: No mail delivery in Minneapolis. Wimps.; 1/30/19, 8:40 AM
Curious George said...: Still -23F. Going to get up to 43F Sunday. Almost a 70 degree swing.; 1/30/19, 8:43 AM
tcrosse said...: Funny how you don't know the difference between climate and weather.

Easy. When it's hot, it's climate. When it's cold, it's weather.; 1/30/19, 8:45 AM
iowan2 said...: Gilbar, we travel the same by-ways. College at ISU for one of the kids, and 4 years at Waukon. Allamakee county has breathtaking scenery at almost every turn.
You went by the clinic, so you must have stopped at the Famous, Taylors Maid-Rite. I'm 3rd generation Iowan, but don't get the magic of Maid-Rites. Maybe because I'm 3rd generation,so I have never been without.; 1/30/19, 8:45 AM
HT said...: Althouse commenter is wrong again!; 1/30/19, 8:46 AM
Rick.T. said...: Yet another in a long list of good reasons we moved from chicago to Tennessee. Only in the 20's today but rebounding up to the 60's by the weekend.; 1/30/19, 8:48 AM
PackerBronco said...: Where are all the feminists complaining about songs that offer warm places to stay today?????; 1/30/19, 8:49 AM
PackerBronco said...: Later today ... beer and cheese soup with salted pretzels.; 1/30/19, 8:51 AM
rcocean said...: Still having a crime wave? Or do most crooks want to stay warm?; 1/30/19, 8:53 AM
rcocean said...: Once it gets below 32, its all the same to me.

Cold is Cold.; 1/30/19, 8:54 AM
Rick said...: And it's +25 in DC.

It was in the teens when I left. But since schools are closed the roads were great.; 1/30/19, 8:55 AM
Meade said...: The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco making up fake Mark Twain quotes.; 1/30/19, 8:57 AM
gadfly said...: Dangerous times for feral Community Cats here in NE Indiana.; 1/30/19, 8:58 AM
Linda said...: As I Have Mispalced My Pants says - “Funny how acclimation works.”

For sure, the forecast for Friday is 19°, which will seem balmy, especially with little wind. They are also predicting upper 30’s and rain this weekend, which just might feel hot! But sersiously, we have a great snow cover (something we haven’t had for several years) and it would be wonderful to be able to get out there and enjoy it a little - I would love to x-county ski and do some trail biking (w/ fat tire bike) - but if the predicted rains come - it will totally ruin the snow cover.; 1/30/19, 8:58 AM
jpg said...: The temperature is a balmy -11 F here in southeast Nebraska. Good morning. JPG; 1/30/19, 8:59 AM
wild chicken said...: These polar things always miss Western Montana now. Too bad because it's what keeps away the rats, termites, roaches and fleas, I'm told. Never seen those here.; 1/30/19, 9:02 AM
chickelit said...: Madison has a heat wave predicted for this weekend. Weird.; 1/30/19, 9:04 AM
Char Char Binks, Esq. said...: It's so cold here I almost turned on the heat.; 1/30/19, 9:06 AM
gadfly said...: Meade said...
The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco making up fake Mark Twain quotes.

Remember the wisdom of Samuel L. Clemens, writing as Mark Twain: "Actions speak louder than words, but not nearly as often."

Shania Twain (no relation to Mark) also reminds us:

If elephants could fly I'd be a little more optimistic
But I don't see that happening anytime soon
I don't mean to sound so pessimistic
But I don't think that the cow really jumped over the moon; 1/30/19, 9:06 AM
lgv said...: Clearly this terribly cold weather is due to the reduction of CO2 emissions in the US. We need to step them back up to 2010 levels like Europe has.; 1/30/19, 9:06 AM
lgv said...: I should have said 2005 levels.; 1/30/19, 9:07 AM
chickelit said...: AllenS said...I guess that we can pretty much write off the idea that the Arctic will from now on be ice free.

I recall just a few years ago when a prolonged deep freeze froze the Great Lakes to a greater extent which led to a cooling effect felt all summer long.; 1/30/19, 9:08 AM
Temujin said...: I like when the national news/weather people get on TV to show us neat cold weather tricks. Waiting for one of them to prove that you can actually put your tongue on a flagpole.; 1/30/19, 9:10 AM
Meade said...: "Shania Twain (no relation to Mark)"

Ha! Just last night, between 1st sleep and 2nd sleep, we were musing about all our favorite old comics from the funny papers. We got to Li'l Abner and the Mrs. was trying to remember all the Yokum characters — Li'l, Mammy, Pappy, Honest Abe...

I said, Don't forget Dwight.; 1/30/19, 9:19 AM
Original Mike said...: Hey, it's not that bad! Went outside in my pajamas to get the paper. Hardest part was getting the door open (we have one of those hydraulic door thingies).; 1/30/19, 9:24 AM
Original Mike said...: "When it's hot, it's climate. When it's cold, it's weather."

Ain't it the truth.; 1/30/19, 9:31 AM
Drago said...: Great news for Inga and the dems!! Way up there in frigid Finland the islamic rape grooming gangs are hard at work grooming underage Finnish girls for all the usual reasons....and the lefties in Finland are covering it up!!

Just like in Germany...and Great Britain....and (coming to town near you).

No matter how cold it gets, some things will never change.; 1/30/19, 9:37 AM
stevew said...: 50 degrees warmer this morning in northeastern MA.

Be careful out there! Better yet, stay indoors.; 1/30/19, 9:37 AM
Jeff Brokaw said...: Currently -20 (Chicago western burbs), low was -23 a couple hours ago. Colder tonight, they say.

Not much fun, but it is different and memorable. So there is that. I distinctly remember several very cold days from the early and mid-80s. Trials and tribulations create sticky memories, I guess.; 1/30/19, 9:41 AM
Leland said...: In global warming central, Houston TX, it is 45F. Alas, the high here will still be 30 below the record, so I'm not so sure about that global warming. I'm going to go out and breath some more CO2 into the air. I suggest you all do the same.; 1/30/19, 9:44 AM
stevew said...: Repeat after me: Climate Change. Eliminate Global Warming from your vocabulary unless and until we start hitting some much higher temperatures!; 1/30/19, 9:59 AM
Nonapod said...: Well, the climate change boosters are making the argument that the wandering polar vortex is a result of disruptions from intrusions of warmer air (from global warming) into the north polar region. As per usual this theory obviously isn't without significant numbers of skeptical doubters and detractors in the scientific community. But whatever.; 1/30/19, 10:17 AM
MadisonMan said...: I enjoyed my quiet walk this morning. Have to prepare of course, with a multitude of layers. My hands did get cold inside my double mittens though. But my hands get cold on summer days too.; 1/30/19, 10:19 AM
M Jordan said...: true, but i'm not worried about the world, i'm worried about my furnace; and this is day 1, tonight's the night that will push it.

Me too ... plus must worry about daughter’s house down the street (I installed their hydronic floor heating system myself so I’m forever responsible), my rental property, and our church building. Friday can’t come soon enough.; 1/30/19, 10:22 AM
M Jordan said...: Remember everybody, when it’s warm it’s climate, when it’s cold it’s just weather.; 1/30/19, 10:24 AM
Original Mike said...: The attached, unheated garage only got down to +15 last night. I did leave the 200W incandescent (a.k.a. "real") light bulb on all night. Doubt it made a difference but it was worth a shot. What probably did make a difference is keeping the house at 66 rather than the usual 58 overnight and doing everything I can to maximize air circulation along the adjacent wall.; 1/30/19, 10:30 AM
OldManRick said...: Colder than Mars!!!!

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I9z2RVfk_uc/XFF5HvEx51I/AAAAAAADJQk/bmveQjqdn0862YPER6Xnsm3Pb-mab8fwQCLcBGAs/s1600/Colder%2Bthan%2BMars.jpg; 1/30/19, 10:31 AM
Original Mike said...: Heh. Sent that to my astronomy buddies, OldManRick. Thanks.; 1/30/19, 10:56 AM
PM said...: Love the tiny "Sunny".; 1/30/19, 10:59 AM
Howard said...: It was 78 degrees Fahrenheit yesterday up here in the great state of Jefferson; 1/30/19, 11:53 AM
Rick.T. said...: Meade said...

"The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco making up fake Mark Twain quotes."

In Chicago I shivered through a Sox game in July at old "Cominsky Park" when the lake water went through an inversion and the wind shifted landward. As a bonus, the old airconditioner from the press box upstairs dripped down on us occasionally. Good times.; 1/30/19, 12:06 PM
Rick.T. said...: Shania Twain don't impress me much. It's unlikely she would have been nearly the star she was/is without Mutt's collaborative songwriting and meticulous production of her recordings. I don't care much for the influence her records have had on country music, either.

PS - Sure getting to be a lot of Ricks around here.; 1/30/19, 12:16 PM
gilbar said...: as Hank III says; pop country really sux!; 1/30/19, 12:43 PM
Big Mike said...: Our betters have just flown home from Davos in their private jets, with the URGENT NEED to pass hugely regressive taxes on the working people and middle class ringing in their ears, lest sometime decades from now the global temperatures will rise by a degree or two. And right on cue comes the Al Gore effect (for many years anytime Al Gore gave a speech about anthropogenic global warming you could count on record cold temperatures wherever he was speaking immediately thereafter).

Every once in a while I find myself questioning my atheism. The Al Gore effect can only be happening if there really is an omnipotent God, and he has a sense of humor.

To those who recite the FIERCE URGENT NEED to protect Gaia, I point to the Al Gore effect and tell them that Gaia is apparently trying to tell them something. When do they plan to listen?; 1/30/19, 12:45 PM
Dust Bunny Queen said...: Howard: It was 78 degrees Fahrenheit yesterday up here in the great state of Jefferson

Hello fellow Jeffersonian!

It was 60 here. Incredibly and amazingly warm for this time of year and our elevation. I was able to sit out on the deck in the sunshine and read a book. It was still 26 degrees at night though.

Almost like spring. But....I think it is a trick. Hope it doesn't fool the fruit trees into blooming too early.; 1/30/19, 1:36 PM
Rick.T. said...: gilbar said...

"as Hank III says; pop country really sux!"

Yep He's here to put the "d**k" in Dixie and the "c**t" back in country:

https://www.megalyrics.net/hank-williams-iii/dick-in-dixie; 1/30/19, 1:57 PM