It's 4:30 am here on Long Island, NY and it's down...

[TreasonousBastard]

to -2 on my i/o thermometer and 0 on my phone.

Sure enough, it's a five blanket night, with this leaky house.

The county has organized emergeny heat shelters for street people and those camping in the woods.

[multigraincracker]

1. I bought an old sleeping bag at a yard sale.

I get it out on nights like these. Way warmer than a bunch of blankets and really good for keeping my feet warm.
I like the old cloth and flannel ones better than new type.

[littlemissmartypants]

7. I keep my sleeping bag handy on nights like this especially in case the power goes out, too.

I also bought a down stuffed ankle length house coat that I throw over myself and my dog who sleeps with me. I just put her in a sweater, too.

I live in a country farmhouse and it's always an adventure when the temperature drops. I've also put my dry blankets into the dryer for a few minutes to get them warm.

Another thing that I couldn't live without is my heated mattress pad. It's like sleeping on a giant heating pad. I originally got it for pain management but its proven to be an invaluable way to keep warm. I highly recommend it.

❤️

[multigraincracker]

9. I use to winter camping in a

small PUP tent.
This might work for you if the eclectic goes out. I use to put one those old fashion hand warmers, rolled up in a pair of sock. I’d fire it and put it in the bottom of my sleeping bag. Kept me nice and warm all night. Plus I had a warm pair of socks to put on.

[littlemissmartypants]

11. I've never tried them but I reckon I'm going to have to check them out.

I have slept in a hat and gloves before but keeping my feet warm is always a challenge. Thanks for the suggestion! ❤️

[llmart]

17. I love my heated mattress pad!

Wish I would have discovered these sooner. I usually don't sleep with it on, but there is nothing I hate more than to get into bed in winter when the sheets are cold. I turn the controls on about a half hour before my bedtime so it's toasty when I crawl into bed to read before sleeping. I used to wear those cozy socks to bed but don't have to do that any longer.

[Irish_Dem]

20. My mattress has a foot warmer. It is one of the best things in the world.

I have had seriously cold feet since childhood and alway wear socks to bed.
With the foot warmer, I am in heaven.
Ok I still sleep with socks.

[llmart]

25. LOL!

I wear them around the house or to watch TV. I have always had low blood pressure, so I'm always cold. My normal readings average around 100/70. I hate air conditioning unless it's extremely hot humid.

[Irish_Dem]

28. Same here, very low blood pressure.

If I hit 100/70 it is a good day.

When I was young it would be like 70/50 and my doctor always joked
that he knew why I was coming into the office, because I was dead.
He was quite the comedian.

I am always cold too, but as I get older, I don't tolerate the heat either.

Oh I always wear at least two pairs of wool socks.
I found some thermal socks at Costcos that are incredible.

[calimary]

30. I have the same thing. Doctor remarked about it

and then said “you sure you’re not dead?”

Uh, well, not the last time I checked.

[Irish_Dem]

33. For some reason docs cannot resist asking their low PB patients if they are dead.

Must be med school humor.

[calimary]

38. Doctors. My father-in-law and brother-in-law, too.

Father-in-law was an internal medicine man. Brother-in-law is a general surgeon. We’d go over to the in-laws for a family dinner and it was the oddest thing. The minute they sat down the two of them started talking shop. So all through dinner the subjects and details were blood pressure adventures and bowel resections and so forth. And as soon as dinner was over, all that doctor talk stopped. For the entire rest of the visit.

Every time! It got pretty comical after awhile, at least if you weren’t too grossed out.

[Irish_Dem]

40. Medicine is what they do all day long. They don't understand others are grossed out.

My daughter and I are both in the mental health field.

Sometimes we get in the deep weeds about various diagnoses and treatment.
Also sometimes she consults in a pediatric psych ER where pee and poo are flung at her.
And other challenges.

My daughter's fiancée is an attorney and when she starts turning green, my daughter and I
try to shut up.

[littlemissmartypants]

24. In the top ten world's greatest inventions for sure! ❤️

[llmart]

26. Agreed!

That, and heated car seats.

[Irish_Dem]

34. I love my heated car seats too.

I wish I had a heated steering wheel.

[Irish_Dem]

35. My neighbor has a mattress that gives her a massage.

But I will take my foot warmer any day.

[Jade Fox]

43. I bought a wearable blanket after Cmas this year....

It's great because it has a hood to keep head and neck warm.

[littlemissmartypants]

45. That sounds great! I am wearing a pull over hoodie right now. I can use the pocket to warm my hands

Plus I bought it two sizes too big so I can pull it down far enough to cover my body to my upper thighs. But a wearable blanket would be even more coverage! And I could warm it up in the dryer, too!

Great suggestion! Thanks...❤️

[eShirl]

2. -17 here in Maine

windchill -42

making a big pot of pea soup from scratch today

[jpak]

37. I had pea soup for breakfast

Finest kind

Yup

[Paper Roses]

3. Minus 7 here on the Mass coast. Furnace going like heck.

52 Degrees in the house. I have 2 oil filled radiators going also. All faucets were left dripping overnight. Woke up a 3AM to check things. Hot water pipe in downstairs bathroom frozen as is the drain. I tried the hairdryer but the pipes are behind the wall. Now have a small heater in the bathroom to try and warm the walls & pipes.
Been in this house for 54 years, never anything like this.
Wind chill minus 25-30 depending on how close you are to the shore.
Have fingers crossed that nothing bursts. Even if I could get a plumber(doubtful), I don't have the money to pay them.
I hope this little heater helps. Robe and 3 sweaters on now. We're expecting this to last all day.

Off to get dressed, I guess that is all I can do.

[sarge43]

4. Central New Hampshire

Minus 18F. Wind 17mph. Minus 44F wind chill.

May have to take out a second mortgage to pay the fuel bill. Oh well, could be wintering over at the Mt Washington Observatory

[mgardener]

5. Upstate, NY

-20 , WC -32

Cats got up 5.
Decided not to go out.
I am still awake.

[mgardener]

23. Down to -22 @7:15

No windchill.
Sun is trying to break through.
Supposed to be 38 tomorrow.
I can defrost my windows!!!

[wnylib]

6. 6 here, -1 chill factor. Very little wind.

Supposed to reach 25 by 4 pm. That's a faster warm up than was earlier predicted.

[COL Mustard]

8. In Key West it's 69 going to 75

Wish I was there!

[democrank]

10. About -21 here in Vermont

I was so grateful to see the water still trickling in the kitchen sink this morning. Wind has calmed down a bit after last night’s wild howling. Must have been a most difficult night for homeless folks and animals tied outside.

[BumRushDaShow]

12. Holding at 12 here where I am in Philly

(my low so far just under 30 minutes before sunrise)

[Irish_Dem]

18. Bum you have the east coast heat wave sounds like.

Put your bikini on and go catch some rays.
Don't forget the sunscreen.

[BumRushDaShow]

29. LOL

Next week may hit near 60!

[Irish_Dem]

31. That's what is so crazy.

Here in Ohio we had the deep freeze last month.
-35 windchill with 50 mph wind. 8 inches of ice and snow.

Then a week later it was 65 degrees.

[BumRushDaShow]

36. La Nina ENSO state does that

(quicky discussion of it here) and this is the Polar Vortex letting folks know it is still up there spinning around the North Pole.



EC (European weather model) depiction of a piece of the PV cold diving down -

[Irish_Dem]

39. Next year they say it is going to be worse?

I bet you when we get into this El Niño next year, if that does develop you’re gonna hear a lot about that because El Niño tends to have more significant weather impacts across the country.”

[BumRushDaShow]

41. For other parts of the country...

We have had a rare "3-peat" of La Nina where the ocean states normally fluctuate from "warming" to "neutral" to "cooling" to "neutral" to "warming". Wash. Rinse. Repeat.

This year it has helped get some much-needed moisture to the west coast with the hope that all that moisture locked up in snow in the mountains, doesn't suddenly experience a warm snap that melts it all away and drowns already drenched areas, leading them back to a droughty situation again (generally October - April is the "rainy season" there).

Each condition (ocean temps in the Pacific along a line near the equator - La Nina is the "cool" phase) impacts the global weather in different ways. The problem has been that the warming of the poles have enhanced the effect because you have so much melt in the arctic for example, that pieces of glacier have drifted southward and any vortex winds that reach them can help the cold air in them plunge further south into the U.S. than normal (an "extreme" ). The warming oceans in general help to fuel the cyclones (hurricanes, etc) and can generate more and extended rains.

Every ENSO state in a year is unique but there are general "trends" for how each "state" impacts the weather throughout the different seasons in a year.

ETA (La Nina "look" ) -



(El Nino "look" ) -

[Irish_Dem]

46. Hopefully some of the weather changes will actually help some parts of the country.

[BumRushDaShow]

51. That's assuming

the pattern actually does change. They have been predicting the demise of La Nina for the past 2 years yet here we are.

[Irish_Dem]

52. The weather reports are becoming more and more unreliable here in Ohio.

People are really frustrated with the national weather forecasts.

Weather reports will say a big storm is coming, so the schools are closed.
Then nothing happens.

Or they say an inch of snow and we get 8.

Even hourly forecasts are wrong. I like to get out and walk when I can. So I look at the forecast in the morning to determine the best time to walk that day. But even that is not accurate.

[Sanity Claws]

13. 3 degrees F at 6:30 AM Bronx in NYC

I can't remember the last time it got this cold. It used to get this cold in the 60s and 70s for sure but I don't remember it being this cold in the past 15 years.

[DFW]

14. I have to keep reminding myself that these temperatures you are talking about are Fahrenheit

3°, -2°, -12° are serious extreme cold. We used to get that here in Central Europe once a year or so, though in recent years, hardly at all. Of course, if the Gulf Stream shifts, we could go to either extreme in a hurry.

[Irish_Dem]

16. Last month in the midwest it was -12F, with -35F windchill.

With ice and snow.

Yes it was cold, very cold. I have a little dog and I had to take her outside
to do her business twice a day. That was not fun.

[llmart]

21. I can't complain much this year.

I'm in lower Michigan and we have had very mild temperatures and only one large snowfall this winter. This week we had a couple of cold days, but I can remember much worse than that in the past.

It's supposed to be 32o today with sun and in the mid to high 40's by Tuesday and most of this week.

[Irish_Dem]

27. Wow you are lucking out.

The weather patterns are getting strange.

[DFW]

42. Only in Russia in the winter did I suffer like that

I usually tend to avoid such places if I can. I think "not fun" is understatement of the year!

[Irish_Dem]

47. Yep.

-35 degrees, 50 mph straight line winds hitting me.
Standing on two inches of ice. And 8 inches of snow.

Watching my little dog pee.

Well the good news is that I was not in Russia.
Thank god.

[debm55]

58. Irish, had the same problem with Dolly my dog.

[Irish_Dem]

60. Like taking your dog out in Antarctica. :(

[Irish_Dem]

15. Everyone stay safe and warm.

Sending you all good vibes.
Warm ones.

[Vinca]

19. 17 below at my house in southern NH. Ice on the inside of the windows.

Luckily, we haven't lost power so it's nice and warm inside.

[Irish_Dem]

22. Jeebus that's cold.

Last month with our cold snap like you guys are having now I had ice on parts of the inside of my door.
Made me extra cold just to look at it.

I am so glad you are warm and snug.

[yardwork]

32. Stay safe, TB and everyone else up there!

[Scrivener7]

44. I'm a little west of you. It's warmed up to a balmy 4 degrees.

Really debating with myself whether I'm going to do my three miles today.

[Irish_Dem]

48. Cold weather is serious.

Think about staying safe.
Be very careful if you go out.

[Scrivener7]

53. Yeah. I think I'll do an inside workout today.

[Irish_Dem]

56. I love to get out and walk, but when it is really cold, not a good idea.

If you slip and fall and need help, too cold to wait long.
Also hospital ERs get crowded when the weather is this bad.
People doing foolish things.

Smart move, stay inside and work out.
Where you are warm and safe.

I am a Silver Sneakers member from my health insurance and they send
me work out videos all the time.

[Irish_Dem]

57. I recently read an article by a cardiologist about cold weather exercise.

He said that heart attack rate goes up during severe cold weather because
the heart has to work so much harder just to keep the body warm.

So if you are going to do cold weather exercise you might want to google the topic
to mare sure you are taking adequate precautions.

Maybe you are young and healthy so it is not an issue.

[Scrivener7]

59. No, I did an inside workout. Risks aside, it was too shocking-feeling this morning to go out.

We're back up to the twenties now and tomorrow we will get to the high forties.

This is just so crazy.

But thank you for the information!

[Irish_Dem]

61. Good.

Yes the weather is so crazy.
We had the deep freeze where I live last month.
Then in a week it was 60 degrees.

Yes listen to your gut, if things don't feel right don't take the risk.

[zanana1]

49. It's a good day to curl up with a cat.

[TreasonousBastard]

54. True. Cats have a body temperature higher than us...

and do a great job warming things up.

I used to have two cats, and they would curl up under the covers perfectly.

No cats or girlfriend now, though.

[zanana1]

62. Cats are like little ovens.

[lastlib]

50. BRRRrrr! Stay warm and hydrate!

[brooklynite]

55. Toasty 18 here in Brooklyn.

Bio-ethanol fire tonight for our dinner party.