-14 to -25 Chill Factor
By cjsmom
@cjsmom (1423)
United States
February 5, 2007 7:00pm CST
Earlier today, here in Illinois we went from -14 to -25 degrees, chill factor. It was so cold and still is...the temperature right now is 5 degrees, that our front door latch was all ice! And that was from the inside, not the outside. I've got the door sealed as best as I can to keep out the cold but it's hard to get a tight seal on the latch part itself.
So when my husband showed me how cold it was outside by pointing to the ice covered latch, when the door was closed and we were standing in our warm entryway, I almost freaked out..!
It reminded us of the movie, Day after Tomorrow, where New York City was frozen and a bunch of people were stuck in the library.
We have an snow advisory from 4am to 6pm tomorrow where we'll get anywhere from 4-5 inches of snow. If the wind chill factor continues to be low, we're in for big trouble on the roads, etc.
Be careful everyone out there in these type areas; you just don't know if you'll hit a patch of black ice or..?
6 people like this
20 responses
@ksstormhunter (792)
• United States
6 Feb 07
Oh man, yeah you guys have gotten the cold weather that we are suppose to be getting here in Fairbanks, we are at a balmy 14F, where we should normally be 0F. Take care and stay warm. Should not last to many days.
1 person likes this
@ksstormhunter (792)
• United States
6 Feb 07
No, I think it is the El Nino, that is causing all this havoc across the country, this was one of our warmer winters. Guess you guys are getting the flip side of it.
1 person likes this
@_hope_ (3902)
• Australia
7 Feb 07
Well here in Australia we are in the middle of our summer and the temperature here was 43 but at the local school it was recorded as 58 which was a very hot day indeed .Even here in the winter time where i live rarelydoes the temp drop into the minuses so -14 would be freezing to me buti think i could handle it for a while if you wanted to swap
1 person likes this
@cjsmom (1423)
• United States
7 Feb 07
Thank you, rainbow...we are staying warm. Except for having to pick CJ up at school yesterday from his being sick, we haven't (except for hubby going to work) been out of house since.
I called a friend of mine earlier to day to see if she was going to town; that she might pick something up for me...that's how cold it is and the roads now that the shovels have cleared them are nothing but ice.
There's no way I'm letting CJ breathe in that cold air.
@ladygator (3465)
• United States
6 Feb 07
yeah My windows are frozen they have a cover of ice over it on the INSIDE. And when I took my potaoes out from the pantry they were frozen! LOL we have had most schools in Michigan close the last few days.
@cjsmom (1423)
• United States
7 Feb 07
I feel for you. I wasn't quite sure why the schools here stayed in session as usual today...a lot of the buses wouldn't even start.
CJ stayed home yesterday because he was coughing but I sent him to school today, only to get a call from his personal aide saying he was much worse and to pick him up.
That was a lot easier said than done. The plows hadn't even gotten to the roads yet and our vehicle (an SUV), after warming it up for 15 mins. still locked brakes on me as I slowly went down the hill of our road.
The brakes wouldn't catch and I was headed staight toward Hwy 26...I prayed so hard; finally stopped right before I went into the Hwy...whew
@hockeygal4ever (10021)
• United States
8 Feb 07
It's been pretty wicked cold here in PA too! Although not as bad as some places I've seen on the news. Our WIND CHILL is what their actual temps are! Coldest we've seen in actual temp is zero or -3, with wind chills of about a -25F or so.
@albert2412 (1782)
• United States
6 Feb 07
I really feel sorry for you living up in such a cold place. The weatherman on tv was talking last night about how cold it is up north and showing pictures of snow and ice. We have not had snow down here around houston, but we had had freezing temperatures several times lately.
@Polly1 (12645)
• United States
6 Feb 07
I live in Northern Ohio, we are having the same kind of weather. Now its snowing outside to go along with the bone chilling cold. I am looking forward to spring. I have ice buildup on my windows inside. My fingers stuck to my storm door handle. My pipes have froze 3 times in the last week. My gas bill is going to be out of this world. Its cold, brrrr...... THINK SPRING!!
1 person likes this
@cjsmom (1423)
• United States
7 Feb 07
I understand that. We're having a problem with our washer leaking under house somewhere so we had to put the washer hose outside in the back yard to drain...I'll tell you what, if I don't hurry and wash 2 loads of clothes the water freezes and then it backs up into house.
So I have to pull hose inside laundry room as soon as I'm finished and keep it there until another wash day...lol
@aspendreamer (257)
• United States
6 Feb 07
Here in Texas I am already using my air conditioner because it is warm and stuffy in and out of the house...
And paying for air conditioning is way more expensive than paying to heat your house...
I wish we saw snow ever...
1 person likes this
@cjsmom (1423)
• United States
7 Feb 07
Wow...it hasn't really gotten hot enough here, even in summer to have to use air conditioner. We have a wall one and have used it a bit in the 2 years we've lived here.
But I can see how it would cost a lot more to run, especially if you're running it most of day.
@mom2chriskel (1060)
• United States
6 Feb 07
Uggh..I was hoping this was ending. We've had a windchill advisory since Friday and it just ended a few hours ago. But I'm in Pennsylvania and you're from Illinois so that means we have more on the way!
1 person likes this
@cjsmom (1423)
• United States
7 Feb 07
That's for sure...even when you bundle up better than usual it still doesn't help. When it gets into your bones it takes an awful long time to warm up, especially for animals (even though they have fairly thick skin and fur); they are just as susceptible to the elements...
@cjthedog64 (1552)
• United States
6 Feb 07
I'm in Ohio and we're in a similar deep freeze. DS and I haven't been out of the house since Thursday. It's just too cold for a baby to be out!
1 person likes this
@cowgirlcat (152)
• United States
6 Feb 07
Aren't you glad to think that spring is just a few months away? We had that kinda weather last week and I am so glad it has passed! My husband laughed at me because I made sure all of our pets were inside including the chickens! Keep your chin up it will all be over soon think warm and stay warm! Only leave if it is an absolute must!
@whattobegood000 (1179)
• China
7 Feb 07
i think it is really a big problem surving there is a big problem i really hate cold countries because of weater it freezes the people it becomes a big problem to survive,i prefer to life in hot countries only it is good for health and for work also
@ElusiveButterfly (45940)
• United States
6 Feb 07
About 15 years ago we had a deep freeze hit the northeast. It was so cold that the temperature inside our house didn't go abovt 55 degrees. I hung blankets over the doors to keep the cold out. The door was frosted over. The windows had ice inside of them. School was cancelled for 2 days because the boilers could not keep up with the demand for heat.
@GardenGerty (157481)
• United States
6 Feb 07
It is cold here, but not that cold. I can remember winters when we had colder weather. I feel for people who are having a hard time aqt this time keeping warm. My son in law hit black ice before Christmas, rolled his jeep, but he was okay. The family ended up better in the long run. You can bet I am being careful, though. You too!
@cjsmom (1423)
• United States
6 Feb 07
I'm glad your son-n-law was all right. There's a lot of people still that don't realize how dangerous black ice can be. For those who don't know, it's ice on the pavement that you really can't see; wouldn't think anything was there at all until you hit it just right and go swerving off the road.
Yes, I'm being very careful; don't drive it if I can help it.
@ItTakesAllSorts (4096)
•
6 Feb 07
How do you cope?
I have a complete phobia of snow and when they predicted it in our country a few weeks ago I went into a panic.
When it did snow it was only mild, but even so I had to walk to work, which caused me great anxiety and the walk of someone with an ironing board shoved up their back.
Does your country deal with this problem properly by clearing all the roads and pathways or are you left to skid your way around.
I am beginning to come out in a cold sweat while reading your discussion.
I absolutely hate snow!!!
1 person likes this
@cjsmom (1423)
• United States
6 Feb 07
You know, I'm beginning to get the phobia thing about snow as well...
That's too funny about the ironing board walking.
Last year they did fairly well about keeping the roads cleared off but this year there are some lawsuits going on in our area because for some reason they decided not to put down any salt or get their trucks out to clear the roads until everyone was stuck in a ditch.
It was a wonder that we didn't have any fatal accidents. My husband helped some stranded people on his way home from work but he had to be sure he only drove forward and not try to veer off onto a side road.
As it was, he was doing most of the clearing himself with his big SUV. One poor old man was walking in it because he got stuck. Mark helped him.
@chaygylmommy (2470)
• United States
6 Feb 07
OH MY GOSH! I have been freezing my butt off this year in Texas, but nothing NEAR this cold! The coldest we got here was like 15 degrees. I feel for you. Stay warm and stay safe!
1 person likes this
