93 mph winds on Mt. Washington
Sure it's cold. The thermometer out on the WeatherDeck in Cockeysville slumped to 13 degrees at around 9:30 p.m. on Sunday. It's 15 degrees out at BWI at this writing, and 10 degrees in Frederick. It's expected to be the coldest night of the winter so far at the airport. My heat pump is grinding away out there, but you'd never know it by the temperature (60 degrees) in our bedroom.
But then, we're not exactly on Mt. Washington, either. The Mt. Washington Observatory in New Hampshire has clocked winds at over 90 mph today, with a real temperature tonight of minus-17 degrees. Oh, and a wind chill of 60-below! You can check it yourself at the observatory's Web site. Noodle around and find the observers' comments. They're pretty amazing. They had ravens and foxes up there today.
So how cold is it where you are? Drop me a comment and let us all know what your thermometer is telling you. Tell us where you are and how you're coping with the cold. Did you see those guys on the field in Green Bay tonight? Two below zero with a wind chill of minus-23 degrees. In their short sleeves?! Who would go to a game like that, in those conditions, and sit in the stands? What am I missing here? Alcohol?
What's the coldest temperature you've ever experienced? When my wife and I lived in Hanover, N.H. back in the early 1970s, we awoke three mornings in a row to temperatures of 27 degrees below zero. Never got warmer than minus-4 during the day. We had to bring the car battery indoors at night or there was no hope of the thing starting in the morning. And, I had to go out to the parking lot at work every 2-3 hours during the day to start it up, or it would refuse to get me home at night.
Comments
It's 12 degrees in West Friendship at 11 PM, but it's not the cold that's troubling me today. This afternoon I saw a flock of robins - at least 20 - and I can't ever remember seeing them in maryland this early before. Warm days here and there don't prove global warming to most people, but the early arrival of robins?! I sure hope they don't freeze tonight!
Posted by: Brian Helme | January 20, 2008 11:10 PM
I am from Rochester, NY and we had a month long stretch in 2004 or 2005, I can't remember which, where the temperature did not get above 10 degrees! We also had measurable snow for 40 straight days! And that is why I live in Baltimore now!
Posted by: Derek | January 20, 2008 11:59 PM
cold front blew in this morning and the northeast gusty winds are dropping the temps outside her to 67 degrees at 240am
NW Fort Lauderdale,Fl
Posted by: bill beam | January 21, 2008 2:41 AM
In late 1972, I was living in southeastern Idaho. During the first week of December, the high for the week was 45 below (not counting wind chill).
As for Green Bay last night, there were three young women in bikini tops, too. Giants coach Tom Coughlin looked like his face was frostbitten. Hope he's OK.
Posted by: Chris from Westminster | January 21, 2008 6:52 AM
Frank,
I grew up in Wyoming, so yesterday's weather "felt like winter" to me. The coldest weather I've experienced was a week in January 1979, where the overnight lows dropped to -40 for several days. I was driving a 1962 jeep at the time, and it started ok at 6 am, but I almost took out the fire hydrant across the street because the steering was so stiff, even after letting the engine warm up before driving it. The HS girls swim team had a practice before school, and several of us had "freeze dried" hair when we got to school -- the water froze in our hair, and we could brush the ice out of it, leaving our hair mostly dry. Brrr!
Posted by: Corine | January 21, 2008 8:00 AM
The low on the WeatherDeck in Cockeysville this morning was 8 degrees, at 3 a.m. and again at 7 a.m. Looks like the low at BWI was 9 degrees. Bedroom low about 58. Wife made me wear socks to bed. Couldn't stand my cold feet. Who invented heat pumps, anyway?
Posted by: frank roylance | January 21, 2008 8:07 AM
For Brian: We saw a flock of about 20 robins a couple of weeks ago, around New Year's Day. They were feasting on red berries on a tree behind the house. And my mother-in-law in Erie, Pa. saw a batch of them at her place yesterday, putting away something they were picking off a crab apple tree. I've seen them before in mid-winter. I don't know if there is an over-wintering population of robins (like some Canada geese) or whether these are late (or early) migrators. Any bird experts out there?
Posted by: frank roylance | January 21, 2008 8:16 AM