A fair portion (at least mid-section!) of the country is entering a record breaking Polar Vortex this week. Ugh.
The yo-yo for us in Northern Ohio goes from dry and teens this morning, to snow right now, to ice and rain later this afternoon and then temps dropping dramatically to way below zero with wind chills way, way below zero mid week.
Currently talking a high of -8 with wind chills in the -40’s for Wednesday.
Who’s affected, what are your concerns??? DIL has a sisters trip Wednesday morning that I worry her flight will be cancelled. S has a work travel trip on Thursday that may be iffy too. I guess planes can certainly be grounded for extreme cold!
Be on the lookout for any elderly or home bound neighbors or parents with young children. Lend a helping hand if you can.
How will you “survive” the cold? And is it spring yet??
We are cold here in sunny Hawaii. Folks are getting out their jackets and sweaters and wearing them. It’s nippy for us, especially with the wind. Though the temp reads 70s, with a brisk wind it feels like 60 and below.
@HImom I’m having a little trouble feeling any sympathy for folks needing to throw on a jacket to adjust to 60’s-70’s on a Polar Vortex thread… your “cold” temps will literally be 100 degrees warmer than our “feels like” temperatures with wind.
We are supposed to hit -21 on Wednesday with a wind chill as low as -55. This is our first year in this home which is 120 years old. I’m worried about the potential of burst pipes. We’re taking all the precautions we can and hoping for the best. I’m also stocked up on food so I don’t need to go out either. Just hoping the wind doesn’t knock out the power! DH is traveling so that’s an added worry.
Looks like a high of -12 on wed (chicagoland), and below zero for nearly 48 hours. That’s without windchill!
I expect school will be cancelled on Wednesday, maybe a late start on thursday. Bought a duracell jumpstarter today for the cars, just in case…we have AAA but I am sure the wait times will be crazy if you need a driver to come out.
I also won’t let our dog out for very long, it’s too dangerous for pets too. Stay safe everyone.
+1 on the dog care. We usually walk our dog 3x daily but we will only have him out to hopefully quickly take care of business on Weds/Thursday - def watch out for your pets.
We are in central WI and own a plumbing and heating company. The frozen pipes and septic systems started last week - I’m scared to see what it’s like by the end of the week.
Dog holds us personally responsible for the weather outside. She looks betrayed when we make her go out.
Wednesday is supposed to be the worst day. Most schools here were closed today because of the snow. We’re already bracing for another closing on Wednesday.
The polar vortex is in my office. From one side of my office to the other is approximately 45 steps. If I start at the east end and head west, there is a measurable drop in temperature around step 30. This is independent of whether the morning sun is streaming in the east windows or the afternoon sun is streaming in the west windows.
South-central Wisconsin here. I was able to stay home from the office today, a relief even though we didn’t get as much snow as predicted. There was enough to make the roads a mess. I felt very grateful that one of my neighbors, who was out with his snowblower, came over and cleared half my driveway (the half I hadn’t gotten to yet) at 7 a.m.
I’m not happy about the bitter cold forecast for tomorrow through Thursday but I’m prepared: the car has a full tank of gas, I bought necessary provisions (a head of lettuce, a carton of milk, a container of oats) yesterday, I will dress in layers, outings with the dog will be extremely brief.
@tutumom2001 Haha (in the very nicest way!) about the polar vortex in your office. We are suffering from the same on our floor and if I keep my office door largely closed I have the warmest office - I can feel the temp drop walking out of my office! I have invited others to feel free to work in my office too but it is small and no one has taken me up on it!
I took my dog for a long walk today. It’s going to be the last one for a while! Doggie coat and musher’s secret will be necessities for the quick potty breaks.
I hope I won’t need the following advice, but just in case: when it’s really cold outside, how long should I wait before taking action in response to the sound of a dog barking because it’s outside alone, and what action should I take?
@Midwest67, I’m a life-long Wisconsin resident, and I have a serious case of cabin fever.
