It's -30C.
This morning, it was -30C (-22F). It's a little early for it, but not that much. Not all of Canada gets this cold, but Edmonton does.
I was reading a book this week where the author talked about how cold the streets of Chicago and New York where, and how difficult it was to get colder than that. Of course, the hero was also wearing a leather jacket, though he did have to pull the collar up to warm his neck.
I laughed. A lot.
I've read several scenes and books over the years where I'm convinced the author never left their sunny Mexican yacht and relied solely on the internet for the cold details. And, clearly, they'd left off some obvious things for someone living in a cold place.
So, in case you aren't from a cold place, here are some things that are different when it's this frigging cold.
Good luck getting your vehicle started. Vehicles come with block heaters, where you plug your car in. Yes, you read that right. There is a plug-in hanging out of your hood to which you attach an extension cord and plug it into an electrical outlet. Even plugged in, the vehicle often complains about starting.
If you get the vehicle started, good luck driving. You'll have to let it idle for a bit. Some people like to let theirs idle for twenty minutes, but it doesn't help all that much. It's the first five minutes that really help. You need to give the breaks a chance to thaw (oh yeah, I've had the breaks frozen several times). Not to mention, you don't want the entire inside windshield to turn into a sheet of ice because your breath is freezing on it. There are times that I've had to start scrapping the windshield at a stop light because it frosted over.
Rush hour is foggy. It's not foggy in a true sense. However, there is so much steam coming from vehicles, buildings, and sewer vents that it steams everywhere.
The cold burns the skin. It's rather odd, but your skin burns.
Wear chapstick, or avoid licking your licks at all costs.
The snow feels different at this temperature. I don't now how to explain it, other than brittle. It's not like the soft snow when it's -5.
That's just a couple of things. For people used to this temperature, they aren't overly bundled. I don't own a winter coat, for example. I hate them. I do, however, wear hiking boots, thick pants (sometimes, splash pants over them), a thin sweater/hoodie/bulky sweater combo with a hood. I wear a toque, scarf, and Thinsulate mittens. It's cold, but I'm able to take public transportation without issue.
I drove to Calgary last weekend, about a 3.5 hour drive from my house. I don't like to wear a coat when I drive, but I made sure that I had a full outfit of warm clothes in the trunk, just in case I broke down on the highway.
My kids walked home from school today. Yes, there is school at this temperature.
Oh, and the Grey Cup (football) is in town on Sunday. It's supposed to warm up to be around -7C. That's right. Football in sub-zero.
