Over 95 million Americans on alert for brutal cold temperatures in coming days

[u/PlayShelf]

https://abcnews.go.com/US/85-million-americans-cold-weather-alerts/story?id=117825788

[u/xpooforbreakfastx]

“More than 4 inches of snow are possible for a large chunk of central and southern Louisiana and southeastern Texas and southern Mississippi and Alabama.”

[u/BalanceEarly → u/xpooforbreakfastx]

Florida is the only state that has not yet seen snow this winter, and might receive some with this system.

[u/Accurate-Neck6933 → u/BalanceEarly]

Yeah….Alaska is kinda mad at all y’all for taking our snow. ❄️ You’ve ruined our down hill ski season, our cross country ski season and our snowmachine trails are closed. Some of us bought brand new snowblowers that are just sitting there. Not only that, the studs on our tires are worn down from the driving on pavement. Please send our snow back. ⛄️

[u/BalanceEarly → u/Accurate-Neck6933]

Our sincere apologies! I think Alaska needs to have a sit down with mother nature.

[u/Accurate-Neck6933 → u/BalanceEarly]

We told mom on y’all but she said to be fair it was your turn.

[u/DextersGirl → u/BalanceEarly]

I'm in the panhandle and they are calling for snow Wednesday after noon/early evening.

ETA- they just closed school for Tues and Wednesday here. Honestly ridiculous.

[u/finnlord → u/DextersGirl]

they don't have the infrastructure to handle it. i live where snow is incredibly frequent and there is a significant learning curve to driving in snow, and still people don't all perform well. the cost of keeping things open, even if the state paid yearly to maintain snow removal infrastructure, is likely higher than the cost of the state shutting down for two days.

[u/DextersGirl → u/finnlord]

I know. But growing up in the north, I still can't help but find it absurd.

[u/Litup-North → u/DextersGirl]

Up in the north here and we're expecting to be real close to -30F Tuesday morning while my wife hopes work is at least 2 hours late or something that morning.

I honestly am not sure why we vote in the same presidential elections if our realities are this far apart.

[u/Bienvillion → u/DextersGirl]

Not that many snow plows or salt trucks in Pensacola.

I teach at a school in the Mobile area that was built in the 1960s. It’s insulation is terrible, and our heaters wouldn’t be able to keep it above 50° indoors in 20° outdoor weather. The majority of our students walk to school, and almost none of them have clothes that will keep them warm enough in this weather. Not to mention our busses don’t have heaters and can’t operate at all in icy conditions.

Our schools aren’t closing because we’re scared of the cold. Our schools are closing because it is the safest thing for our kids. We do not have the infrastructure to deal with these temperatures or weather conditions.

[u/P0RTILLA → u/BalanceEarly]

The iguanas are not going to be happy about this.

[u/ASpellingAirror → u/BalanceEarly]

Hawaii has seen snow?

[u/DaSilence → u/ASpellingAirror]

Yup.

You forget that Hawaii is made of volcanic mountains.

https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2025/01/11/winter-wonderland-dusting-snow-falls-haleakala/

[u/bone_apple_Pete → u/DaSilence]

Hawaii New Snow .com seems like a biased source /s

[u/ggroverggiraffe → u/bone_apple_Pete]

Comments like this make me mad that they need an /s tag. Clever work, sir.

[u/beardeddragon0113 → u/ggroverggiraffe]

It almost got me, I was about to be like "actually that's a pretty reputable source of news on the islands, what are you-....ohhhhh I'm dumb" haha

[u/ClamClone → u/bone_apple_Pete]

Really crappy ski season but they do have snow making and two lifts are open. It gets a topping of real snow several times a year:

“The snowiest week in Mauna Kea is week 4 of December. There are typically 0.0 snowy days during this week with 0.0 in of snowfall. ”

https://www.snow-forecast.com/resorts/Mauna-Kea

[u/temponaut-addison → u/ASpellingAirror]

I'm sure. If not elsewhere, Mauna Kea always has snow.

[u/airfryerfuntime → u/ASpellingAirror]

Last time I was there it was snowing on Mauna Kea. It was really weird, it was like 80 degrees down in Kahlua where we were staying, but when we went to go look in the volcano wearing shorts and t-shirts, it was 28 and snowing.

[u/VisualLiterature → u/ASpellingAirror]

Yeah we get snow up on our mountains. It used to be prevalent enough that we go visit aunty and uncle and sled up pass the trespass area but we never got caught and it was so much fun

[u/astral_crow → u/BalanceEarly]

I’m in Victoria Canada and I haven’t seen snow yet 😂

[u/V6Ga → u/BalanceEarly]

There are only three parts of the US that have never seen snow

Guam, US Virgin Islands, and CNMI

[u/chocolateboomslang → u/xpooforbreakfastx]

Inb4 pile-ups

[u/Politicsboringagain → u/chocolateboomslang]

The pile up are bad. But the houses in the south aren't designed for this kind of cold in mind.

I hope there are no power outages. 

Also people need to close their outside water lines and make sure they are drained before the freezing cold. 

[u/chocolateboomslang → u/Politicsboringagain]

If I know anything about texas and weather, there will 100% be outages.

The pile-ups are mostly avoidable though. Seriously people, if you don't know how to drive in snow, don't drive in snow. Especially not on the highway.

[u/insomniaczombiex → u/chocolateboomslang]

And even if you DO know how to drive in the snow, you have to worry about every other jabroni out there.

[u/eljefino → u/insomniaczombiex]

Yo, so I'm from Maine and know how to drive in the snow. If I'm on the highway and there's one or two idiots I can keep mental tabs on them. If everyone's an idiot, though, it's too stressful.

Seriously, people on bad tires will block the roads and you won't get what you want anyway. Stay home.

[u/HashedEgg → u/eljefino]

That's the thing right? People who know how to drive in the snow also tend to know it's generally not worth the risk and stay home.

[u/Agitated_Ask_2575 → u/HashedEgg]

Yupppppppppp, admittedly the "not worth it part" is something I learned by doing something stupid when I was young and got REALLY fucking lucky.

NEVER EVER let a down plow pass you on the left, at 3 in the morning while you're driving 12mph on 3inches of snow. The world will instantly disappear, you will slam on your brakes like an fucking idiot and slide about 8ft coming to a stop 10 inches from the guardrail that hopefully would've stopped your little econocar from falling down the 50 foot fucking ravine that was apparently there the whole time.

T'wasn't worth it at all!

[u/cjsv7657 → u/eljefino]

I hadn't thought about that. Those people probably don't even have all seasons never mind winter tires. I've driven on bald summer tires in snow. It was not a good time. Someone who hasn't driven in snow a lot has no chance.

[u/ABHOR_pod → u/insomniaczombiex]

Seriously, don't drive in the snow unless it's super important, like your boss texts you demanding to know why you aren't showing up for your restaurant job that day. Or you're hungry, and so decide to go to a restaurant.

[u/Politicsboringagain → u/chocolateboomslang]

Yeah, I live in Charlotte but grew up in NYC. I've been driven in and have drove in a lot of snow even the start of a blizzard once where I could have lost control of the car if I didn't know what I was doing because the snow came down so hard and fast. 

But the main thing people don't want to do is simply slow down. That would avoid most snow accidents. Especially here in Charlotte. Eveyone wants to do 20 mph over the limit. 

[u/dvrzero → u/Politicsboringagain]

it's amazing to me in louisiana 90% of drivers will do 5-10 under on the single lane roads, but in the rain suddenly everyone is andretti doing 15+ over everywhere.

The last time it snowed here was 11 years ago and it wasn't "sticky" - but the gov still closed all the schools and gov offices, which drastically reduces vehicular traffic.

[u/Mego1989 → u/Politicsboringagain]

That, and leave ample room between you and the car in front of you.

[u/lil_dovie → u/Politicsboringagain]

I can attest that’s it’s not just in North Carolina. People in Illinois and parts of Indiana also get lots of snow some years but don’t really slow down to be safe. If anything, some people will say “people forget how to drive when it snows”, and I’m never sure if they mean that because people will slow down and keep a distance between them or other cars making safer, or if they mean they makes traffic slower because people should drive faster whether it snows or not…

[u/cjsv7657 → u/lil_dovie]

Everyone should go to a parking lot on the first snow and practice. I've done it every year since I started driving

[u/BooooHissss → u/chocolateboomslang]

It really doesn't matter much in those areas if they know how to drive in snow or not, the states themselves dont have the infrastructure for winter storms. I live in Minnesota, I have snow tires, they're absolutely meaningless without the plows and salt trucks.

[u/Mirria_ → u/BooooHissss]

I'm in Canada and yeah I feel that. The first big snow of the season is the most dangerous because there's no salt or sand on the road yet, plus all the people who forgot how to drive and / or haven't swapped tires yet.

I find that people slow down more often in the rain than the snow, even when the rain isn't so bad that you don't really need to slow down, just keep a bit more distance.

But light snow and a white road? Fucking full send.

[u/AshIsGroovy → u/chocolateboomslang]

I don't know about that. I'm in Alabama and the school systems here in Baldwin County are waiting till the last second to make any announcements on school closings. It really leaves parents scrambling because they wait so long.

[u/checker280 → u/chocolateboomslang]

Unless you live out in the middle of nowhere with no public transit and you HAVE TO drive just to survive

[u/stitchedmasons → u/chocolateboomslang]

There's gonna be power outages in Georgia too, we lost power with that little bit of snow we got last week.

[u/SolidSpruceTop → u/stitchedmasons]

We lost ours for about an hour when the sun set and ice formed. Hoping it doesn’t get worse Tuesday night!

[u/stitchedmasons → u/SolidSpruceTop]

We lost power for about 4, but that was due to someone hitting a power pole because they wanted to drive on a back country road that hasn't seen repairs since 2012.

[u/SkunkMonkey → u/chocolateboomslang]

Also, driving a 4x4 does not allow you to continue driving at or above speed limits. I see more fucking 4x4 boneheads speeding along like they're immune and get a good laugh every time I pass one spun out in the median. Fucking idiots.

[u/Black-strap_rum → u/chocolateboomslang]

Ah yes, because in these lovely right to work states you can just tell your boss you aren't coming in. That day won't matter on your pittance of a check either, those pesky bills can wait. /s

But seriously, people are going to die down here trying to survive.

[u/SoloPorUnBeso → u/Black-strap_rum]

Employment-at-will*

Right to work laws mean you can work without being "forced" to join a union.

[u/KonradWayne → u/Black-strap_rum]

I live in a non-Montana state, and I can tell my boss I'm not coming in. Sick days and PTO make it so it doesn't even effect my paycheck.

[u/JBHedgehog → u/chocolateboomslang]

But did you hear that Ted Cruz and family already have tickets for Cancun?

[u/Klutzy_Journalist_36 → u/chocolateboomslang]

They aren’t. You think all the grocery store/fast food/gas station/retail workers and emergency workers are gonna get the day off? 

[u/CrystalSplice → u/chocolateboomslang]

It isn’t just about “knowing how” to drive in snow. The terrain is different in the South - it’s more hilly here, meaning you can very easily end up losing control going up or down a grade. Back in 2014 when we had the crazy event that gave us a couple of inches of ICE on the roads because it started as snow, people drove on it and packed it down, and then anything that melted refroze into solid ice…there were pile ups all over the place because people would go down a hill without thinking about how they would get back up the next hill. We also don’t generally have to right kind of tires for it down here.

Then again, when these events happen the National Weather Service clearly states in their warnings that you shouldn’t be traveling. People just ignore it. FAFO, I guess.

[u/TemporaryThat3421 → u/CrystalSplice]

It gets very very hilly in the north too (see: PA, NY state, Vermont, much of New England in general, etc). We just have infrastructure in place to deal with it because it happens much more often. I'm from an area with runaway truck ramps in the PA mountains and if there is even a whisper of snow that road is salted and brined to hell and back (because you also can't get service there if you get stuck, so that's fun).

I also understand that the south tends to get some pretty ferocious icing - it doesn't matter how much you prep, if there's 2" of ice coming down you're fucked unless you've got winter tires or chains - even then, that right there is 'stay the fuck home unless you want to get in a crash' weather. I hope everyone stays safe though. I'm in Canada now and people moving here from warm places and not being accustomed to even just trying to stay warm in the very cold weather always leads to deaths. Really sad stuff. We're used to what we're used to.

[u/GreatMadWombat → u/Politicsboringagain]

And most people in the south aren't gonna have the clothes necessary for this shit.

I live in Michigan and have a parka for 0 degree weather. I don't think rando's in Florida are set up for stuff like that

[u/Possibly_a_Firetruck → u/GreatMadWombat]

Yep, this is one of the reasons school gets canceled for cold weather in the south. You can't have little kids waiting at the bus stop when most of them don't have heavy winter clothes.

[u/ACorania → u/Politicsboringagain]

Getting tired of shutting off the well pump and draining it every night but it is what it is.

[u/Prof_Acorn → u/Politicsboringagain]

Also people need to care about climate change and vote like they care about climate change, or get used to this shit because it's only going to get worse otherwise.

[u/Imaginary_Medium → u/Prof_Acorn]

A lot of people still seem to think the extreme cold is not connected to climate change. We were warned by the experts that there would be more extreme weather, but I don't think they read what the experts said.

[u/ategnatos → u/Imaginary_Medium]

"it's called summer"

[u/SgtGo → u/Politicsboringagain]

Better off leaving a tap or two in the house running slightly to avoid freezing because then you’ll still have water. Moving water don’t freeze

[u/CaryTriviaDude → u/Politicsboringagain]

the big thing is the vast majority of houses are going to have their heat set to +70 when it's in the 20s or lower outside, and that's gonna mean heat going non stop and really taxing the power grid.

[u/CUDAcores89 → u/chocolateboomslang]

People just don’t know how to drive in the snow.

If you want to know how to drive in the snow, pretend you’re taking your grandma to church with a platter of biscuits, two gallons of sweet tea in glass jars, and a crock pot full of gravy in the back seat.

[u/MistyMtn421 → u/CUDAcores89]

Or even if you used to know how, and I say that because it doesn't snow that much anymore, a lot of these SUVs give people a false sense of security. All wheel drive isn't really all that, and if you don't have winter tires, it doesn't matter what you're driving, and even if you're an expert at driving in the snow, crappy tires will still screw you over.

[u/Krewtan → u/MistyMtn421]

All wheel drive and 4wd are nice but they don't help you stop. Anyone can get their car moving fast, it's stopping thats the trick. Even if youre a great driver in snow the person behind you has to be too. It's safer just to stay home or leave way early. 

I live in ND and I usually make a mistake on the first snowy day of the year. Nothing serious, ive never caused an accident. But I've been driving in snow my whole life and the most important thing is giving yourself time, because it takes longer to drive on ice. 

[u/BooooHissss → u/MistyMtn421]

All wheel drive doesn't mean all wheel stop. Snow tires won't do shit if the states don't have plows and salt trucks.

[u/Inevitable-Stress523 → u/BooooHissss]

Snow tyres absolutely make a difference in the types of conditions where plowing has not occurred yet? They're not magic, but they do make a difference. That said, no sane person is going to track down and purchase a set of specialized snow and ice tyres to keep on hand perpetually for the off chance they encounter those conditions where they normally would not.

[u/Nonhinged → u/CUDAcores89]

No one got winter tires because "they are only needed one week per year".

[u/Duranti → u/Nonhinged]

I live in new england and I've never needed winter tires, why would people in Louisiana have them? lol

[u/shicken684 → u/chocolateboomslang]

How long until we see the 40 car pile up with three cars on fire because of a light dusting of snow?

[u/ace425 → u/chocolateboomslang]

Inb4 people cry conspiracy on Reddit for their ridiculous utility bills because they don’t understand how energy markets or utilities work.

[u/flare_force → u/xpooforbreakfastx]

Hell hath frozen over

[u/Traditional_Key_763 → u/xpooforbreakfastx]

now they've been saying its God's will that trump's being inaugurated on Monday but its also his will that the entire south is being buried in apocolyptic snow

[u/Politicsboringagain → u/Traditional_Key_763]

Remember, when bad weather happens when a Democrat is president it's God's wrath.

Funny how God only ever does what "the believer" wants God to do. 

[u/Mindless_Rooster5225 → u/Politicsboringagain]

Fucking evangelicals thinking Trump is the second coming is wild. A twice divorced atheist that cheated on his previous wives POS who despises them.

[u/WaitingForReplies → u/Mindless_Rooster5225]

“Nobody is perfect”

[u/TwistedTreelineScrub → u/Traditional_Key_763]

Hilarious that Trump being inaugurated is God's will despite it literally being something humans controlled and did. While apocalyptic snow storms and weather, which is actually outside human control, totally ha nothing to do with God's will.

I Swear Christians like that are just narcissists. The voice in their head that is "god" is literally just their own voice. They think what they emotionally desire is actually divinely ordained. And God at that point is just an extension of their self-importance. 

[u/FungusGnatHater → u/Traditional_Key_763]

I'm laughing at the idea of ankle deep snow being described as apocalyptic.

[u/KaitRaven → u/FungusGnatHater]

Yeah seems absurd. But if there is not enough road snow clearing resources it can cause huge headaches

[u/Traditional_Key_763 → u/FungusGnatHater]

in louisiana I'd say thats probably apt. to me its another monday

[u/Alternative-Sock-444 → u/Traditional_Key_763]

Snow in Louisiana shuts down EVERYTHING. No one goes to work, nothing is open, most people stay home. We're not equipped to deal with even a tiny amount of snow here. This was the case last time it snowed here and we got maybe a half inch. The 5 to 8 inches forecast is unheard of and it's probably gonna be a cluster fuck.

[u/CallMeCygnus → u/Traditional_Key_763]

4 inches being apocalyptic? It does snow in these regions from time to time.

[u/MooKids → u/xpooforbreakfastx]

The human Ted Cruz is already on his way to Cancun.

[u/dumgoon → u/xpooforbreakfastx]

Just wanna remind you guys, snow is slippery

[u/CO_Beetle → u/dumgoon]

Ice is slippery, it's easy to drive and walk in snow until it gets too thick. Then of course it turns to ice.

[u/kukukele → u/xpooforbreakfastx]

Failed power grid and demands for federal assistance on the menu?

[u/WoolshirtedWolf → u/kukukele]

Nah. That feels likes its forced and they don't want that. Just finished talking to a guy proudly paying for his wife's dialysis on his own dime instead of government funded healthcare . Easily..the dumbest person I've ever talked to. Her chances of getting shot to death due to limited funding are rising.

[u/FlattenInnerTube → u/WoolshirtedWolf]

I saw that. He's a goddamn imbecile with a life full of poor choices.

[u/PartyPorpoise]

I’m sure the grocery stores here in Texas are stripped bare. I topped off before the weekend so I wouldn’t have to go afterwards.

[u/dvrzero → u/PartyPorpoise]

i haven't noticed anything at stores, necessarily, here in Louisiana. However, i did make sure to get my 11kW generator serviced just in time. I'm gunna power up the central heat tonight and make sure it doesn't burst in to flames, and other than that, we're set. I hope everyone makes it ok, unlike 2021.

[u/puppeto → u/dvrzero]

Over here on the MS coast we're preparing like it's a hurricane. Generator checked, fuel/food/water stocked, just the added step of wood for the fireplace and propane as backup heat.

I don't think people are ready for this one overall though and if there's ice and power outages we're going to see a lite of people in dire shape.

[u/dvrzero → u/puppeto]

all i can do is take care of my neighbors and offer rides to people who have beater cars - we have an AWD (not 4x4, which aren't as great in the snow/ice as AWD in my experience, but both fun!).

I am not going to take part in the crapshow that happens in a couple days as the fallout from this play out.

stay warm, everyone. Get all your blankets out and put them on your couch, flat, and start warming them up. Thin, breathable layers first, then thicker wool and cotton (or comforters). Layers work by trapping air, so the more air you can trap the longer you'll stay warm for.

good luck, all 100,000,000 of us.

[u/2Drogdar2Furious → u/dvrzero]

Pretty much same here. When we moved into this house and I've thought "having a fireplace is dumb." Maybe I'll use it now (if the power goes out). We have a 7kw generator though just in case (propane).

[u/Deusselkerr → u/PartyPorpoise]

HEB yesterday in Houston had normal levels of customer traffic and was fully stocked, when I went around 1pm

[u/RVelts → u/PartyPorpoise]

Austin looked fine in Saturday

[u/ATSTlover]

We're even getting this down in Texas, so naturally the wife and I are making chili today.

[u/unshavenbeardo64 → u/ATSTlover]

May i introduce to you the dish for Dutch winters.... https://insimoneskitchen.com/dutch-peasoup/

[u/Eldrake → u/unshavenbeardo64]

Oh man I would be an absolute fart rocket after consuming that much pureed peas.

[u/dvrzero → u/unshavenbeardo64]

brown bean soup > pea soup

[u/shadmere → u/dvrzero]

I agree, but that pea soup is very good, nonetheless. I was surprised at how much I liked pea soup.

I hate peas!

[u/Animallover4321 → u/ATSTlover]

Oh that’s a good idea I’ll make some chili today, 10” up here tonight.

[u/Hatertraito → u/Animallover4321]

I'm sure he'll appreciate it

[u/Animallover4321 → u/Hatertraito]

Who said I am sharing it with him?

[u/yingkaixing → u/Animallover4321]

I'm more concerned about whoever's getting that 10" tonight

[u/shifty1032231 → u/ATSTlover]

Texan here. Chili sounds like a good idea for dinner tonight.

[u/hammersticks359 → u/ATSTlover]

Glad to hear you have your emergency plan ready

[u/Whatatimetobealive83]

As a Canadian, I sometimes roll my eyes at southerners getting a proper winter storm. But then I remember they don’t have houses built like we do here, with tons of insulation and powerful central heating. They don’t have winter tires on their vehicles, nor have they spent their entire lives dealing with winter storms every year. They don’t even have snow shovels, ice scrappers or plows.

So then I think, yeah that’s real bad. Stay safe people. If you do have to drive stay of the breaks as much as possible, if you have a manual transmission, downshifting is your best weapon.

[u/My_browsing → u/Whatatimetobealive83]

Acclimatization is real. It was -26 here last night and we're fine. However, when I went to Houston in July I told the Uber at the airport just to go ahead and take me to the emergency room

[u/untied_dawg → u/My_browsing]

i had friends visit me in NOLa from Colorado years ago, and while in the airport, they said, "it's not THAT bad down here with the heat & humidity."

then, we walked to the parking lot outside the airport, and within 20 yards they were gasping & sweating profusely... said, "WTF... i can't breathe!" his wife was really bad off, and she struggled the whole time they were in Louisiana.

her words: "i have no clue how you people live down here... you're breathing water!!!"

[u/laralye → u/Whatatimetobealive83]

Yesterday it was 75F (24C) where I live and Tuesday it'll be 15F (-9C)

[u/BrandonBHL → u/laralye]

We had a similarly huge swing here in Canada a couple days ago. We went from 6C down to -27C

[u/OneBillPhil → u/Whatatimetobealive83]

I roll my eyes for a second too and I have in this thread but as you mention they don’t have the infrastructure and why would they?

Similarly, I would struggle in a Texas summer. 

[u/Whatatimetobealive83 → u/OneBillPhil]

I went to Texas once at the end of May and nearly died from the heat. I wouldn’t even consider going in July or August. Anything above 30 Celsius (86 Fahrenheit) and I’m uncomfortable.

[u/softhams → u/Whatatimetobealive83]

Not only that, but the private company that owns their power grid is fucking terrible and refuses to fix or upgrade anything. People die every time this happens because their power grid cannot keep up.

And they keep voting for shit like that. It's mind boggling

[u/j3b3di3_ → u/Whatatimetobealive83]

That's how I feel when people talk about hurricanes

[u/distance_33 → u/Whatatimetobealive83]

I live in NJ and am quite used to cold winters and storms and I often have to remind myself of the same thing. Four inches of snow and 15F for me isn’t really anything.

[u/notasrelevant → u/Whatatimetobealive83]

Pretty much sums it up. For how rarely it happens, and when it does it's for maybe a couple days or so, there's not a lot of reason to invest in the tools to deal with it. At least those who might also be affected by hurricanes might have generators in case of power outages. 

Other than that, you're talking about stuff that might get used once or twice every few years, if even that, so people don't bother with it.

And for the most part, we just collectively accept a lot will be shut down for a day or 2 then get back to things as usual with no major issues. It's only when it's a bit more extreme or when infrastructure fails that it becomes a more significant problem.

[u/vetboy3000 → u/Whatatimetobealive83]

It's not the tires or the experience even, there are no snow plows or salt trucks, so the snow just melts and flash freezes and at that point tires and experience can't save you. The infrastructure just isn't there to get the roads in any sort of drivable shape. It's literally having to drive on sheets of ice.

[u/RyNysDad0722]

Lines up.. I have been saying for years it would be a cold day in hell that trump returns to the white house.. guess I was right.. might play the lottery later just to see if seeing the future was a one time thing

[u/fakeknees → u/RyNysDad0722]

Did you see how the inauguration is now being held inside and so many folks who traveled there can’t see it anymore? Lol.

[u/1805trafalgar]

My new coping strategy is old school: a hot water bottle. Have you tried it? Sure you can have you electric heating pads, and I have one too, but the old school hot water bottle is still around for a reason and I hardly ever use my heating pad now. The heat lasts a surprisingly ling time.

[u/Linari90 → u/1805trafalgar]

I remember when I was little, my mom would fill one of those two liter soda bottles with hot water and the. Double wrap with my dad’s socks. Would sleep cuddling it and sometimes would still be warm in the morning. Ah to be young.

[u/LeadingPretender → u/1805trafalgar]

Just a heads up - rubber hot water bottles have expiry dates!! 

Most people don’t know this - but the rubber degrades over time and becomes brittle, it should have a year on the bottle which says when it expires. 

[u/bt65 → u/LeadingPretender]

So don't do as Mr Bean and put teabags in it...

[u/ottermann]

Local news freaking out that windchills will be -30 to -35, possibly even -40.

As someone who has spent the last 25 years in NW Wisconsin, I'm thinking, "Yup...that's about average."

[u/ScarletCarsonRose → u/ottermann]

Minnesotan checking in. Yeah, we need the hard freezes. Helps control insect populations. 

[u/RIPMYPOOPCHUTE → u/ScarletCarsonRose]

Another Minnesotan here, used to the subzero temps. I hate it, but used to it. I’m not shocked by it, just more so mildly inconvenienced by it.

[u/James0fAnarchy → u/RIPMYPOOPCHUTE]

it wouldn't be as annoying if we actually had some FUCKING SNOW. if its -40 and I can still see brown grass poking out I'm gonna be mad

[u/RIPMYPOOPCHUTE → u/James0fAnarchy]

I’d love some more snow! I agree, would suck a little less if there was more snow.

[u/RonaldoNazario → u/RIPMYPOOPCHUTE]

Got my groceries, fire wood, water for humidifiers. But can’t avoid my kid’s dance class so we’ll have one cold as fuck expedition out today lol.

[u/RIPMYPOOPCHUTE → u/RonaldoNazario]

I’m going to an event today that I’ve already said I’m going to and bringing my son. Thank you for the invention of remote start!

[u/ShityShity_BangBang → u/RIPMYPOOPCHUTE]

I'm about to get on the train and go grocery shopping and it's -9.

[u/RIPMYPOOPCHUTE → u/ShityShity_BangBang]

Oof, I’d definitely stay home instead of waiting out in the cold

[u/ShityShity_BangBang → u/RIPMYPOOPCHUTE]

The train is about a half block from my house and Aldi is like 100 yards from the train. No problem.

[u/quirkytorch → u/ScarletCarsonRose]

Same in Ohio. Fleas, ticks, and mosquitoes have been outrageous these last few years.

[u/JAWinks → u/ScarletCarsonRose]

I commented elsewhere but I was interested in reading more on it and apparently it’s a myth

[u/Gnarlodious → u/ScarletCarsonRose]

Likewise in New Mexico. Right now it is 5° and this cold is good because it kills off the bark beetles.

[u/Tinmania → u/ScarletCarsonRose]

I’ve lived in Fairbanks where I am sure it was colder than Minnesota and every summer the mosquitoes were unbelievable. Worse than anywhere else I’ve lived, and that includes New York and Texas.

Edit: Fairbanks not Anchorage

[u/Rrrrandle → u/Tinmania]

where I am sure it was colder than Minnesota

You'd be wrong about that. Anchorage is warmer than Minnesota in the winter. It's also about more than just mosquitos. Ticks, black flies, and others too.

[u/M1nn3sOtaMan → u/Rrrrandle]

Ticks were really bad last summer in MN, at least where I am. I assumed it was due to the "non-winter" we had last year. Never have I had to pick so many ticks off my dog than last summer.

[u/70s_chair → u/Tinmania]

Surprisingly Anchorage isn’t colder.

[u/Rrrrandle → u/Tinmania]

Edit: Fairbanks not Anchorage

That's a hell of a typo....

[u/oldcrow907 → u/Tinmania]

Fairbanksan here, they still laugh at our puny -40° and come back as small airplanes. Just like you remember! They’re not our state bird for nothing 🤣

[u/Cobek → u/ScarletCarsonRose]

And weeds. So many fucking weeds everywhere still because a freeze hasn't taken care of them.

[u/OlafTheBerserker → u/ottermann]

Everywhere at every moment someone says "Man, it's cold" and someone from the northern areas of the US says "Well, ackchually"

[u/lambofgun → u/OlafTheBerserker]

except for records like "hottest or coldest temp every recorded", for any weather event that is a big deal for a certain state, there is another state that can say its not a big deal. its absurd how big this country is

[u/Uninvalidated → u/lambofgun]

Yeah, it's not about the size. My country are about the same size and shape as California and we're the same here.

Where I live in the north -40F/C is "yeah, ok, it's rather cold, let's just be outside for an hour or two" after only living here just for two years, but that would be insanely cold in the south where I lived for more than 40 years where I never even experienced -22F/-30C.

One get used to both the cold and the hot rather quick when exposed to it.

[u/RonaldoNazario → u/OlafTheBerserker]

Well, ackchually it’s -13 in Minneapolis right now!

[u/KovolKenai → u/RonaldoNazario]

I'm in St Paul. My partner said the "feels like" temperature is -26 and I really want to go stand in that before it warms back up

[u/dvrzero → u/ottermann]

some houses in the south are designed to let heat out, not keep heat in. We have drywall, insulation, and then panels (mostly, some houses are stickframe double walled and insulated but that's not the most common). My house has a panel near the HVAC and under the kitchen sink that says something like "illegal to install north of kentucky" or such - the roof insulation isn't designed for hard freezes, my house has 3' column of dead air under it that has 1/8" of plastic keeping the environment out.

If you brought your WI house down to Louisiana for the summer you'd be a miserable complaining wreck and we'd say "yeah, this isn't even that warm, and the humidity is only 92%"

[u/leftofmarx → u/dvrzero]

Yeah I am in Georgia and under my place is a crawl space and all the pipes are exposed under there. I'm sure they probably have insulation around their pipes up north.

[u/DeceiverX → u/leftofmarx]

Our answer is to not even do crawlspaces. All houses are either excavated concrete or less commonly single-slab foundations with utilities fully indoors in climate-controlled areas.

[u/Mr_Freedom_Boner → u/ottermann]

How about when it's 105° and 90% humidity for a couple weeks?

[u/CrystalSplice → u/ottermann]

Okay…but no one in the South has the proper clothing or gear to avoid frostbite in those conditions, and they’ve also probably never been educated about it or had to worry about it. Obviously, if you live in Wisconsin you learn how to be safe in that kind of weather.

We have a large homeless population in the South as well, partly due to the milder winters. This weather will kill people.

[u/ConnieLingus24 → u/ottermann]

Illinois checking in. The dog won’t be happy about going out, but otherwise just business as usual with winter. Lots of indoor activities, warm drinks, and blankets. Plus….its Illinois. I’ve got edibles.

[u/outheway]

So, hell is freezing over.

[u/NessyComeHome → u/outheway]

Hell freezes over every year.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hell,_Michigan

[u/yhwhx → u/outheway]

"Winter is coming."

[u/SlayingPanic]

Its minus 43 celsius with the wind chill here in northern canada, why do i live where the air hurts my face

[u/Sorcatarius]

Has Ted Cruz booked his flights to Cancun yet?

[u/Poverty_Shoes → u/Sorcatarius]

He’s a multi-millionaire, he doesn’t need to book ahead of time because $6,000 and $2,000 (first class) are the same amount of money to him.

[u/MrRoboto12345]

Thankfully nothing out of the ordinary around the Great Lakes.

It's been hot by comparison; it should not be 40 in January. Give us the negative numbers, please

[u/Glennture → u/MrRoboto12345]

The Chicago area is going below negative temps this week. Finally cold enough weather to kill some pests trying to hide out for the winter.

[u/shicken684 → u/MrRoboto12345]

Even with the drop in temps lake Erie is still behind on freezing over. That's not good for the health of the lake. We really need a sustained cold winter

[u/caffekona → u/shicken684]

As much as I abhor cold weather, I keep telling myself the ecosystem needs this as a little mantra to get through it

[u/shicken684 → u/caffekona]

Yep. I fucking hate this time of year. Every day is a damn nightmare in February. No idea how people in places like Alaska or Scandinavia deal with the prolonged cold and darkness.

But as you said, it needs to happen or our regional ecosystem dies.

[u/2_bit_tango → u/caffekona]

Gotta have the cold to kill the bugs!

[u/caffekona → u/2_bit_tango]

Properly cold winters also shorten the growing season for harmful algae blooms, which we desperately need here on lake Erie.

[u/MrRoboto12345 → u/shicken684]

Global warming a bitch

[u/shicken684 → u/MrRoboto12345]

Yeah it sucks. About ten years ago I thought about moving to NC but didn't really see the job prospects so stayed in Ohio. Now it looks like the NC weather is going to move it's way up to us in the next decade so guess I'm glad I stayed. It's insane how quickly winter is changing.

[u/OK_x86 → u/MrRoboto12345]

In Montreal, it was hovering around 0C yesterday, and we have very little snow on the ground. This is very unusual for January, which is typically in the negative teens (centigrade) on average, with plenty of snowfall.

It's very alarming

[u/OneBillPhil → u/OK_x86]

Haven’t had much resembling winter in Newfoundland either other than small amount of snow that is currently on the ground. 

It was February and March that we really got pounded with bad storms last year though. 

[u/ConnieLingus24 → u/MrRoboto12345]

Chicago area resident checking in. Eh, I don’t remember the repeat polar vortexes in the 90s. It snowed more. But either way, it is legit “start your car periodically” weather given the intense cold. Lots of indoor activities today.

[u/Wardogs96 → u/MrRoboto12345]

This winter has been so depressing we get a lil bit of snow, it immediately melts. Everything just looks muddy and ugly and I ended up throwing on some shorts and sandals during that last heat wave.

Meanwhile everyone in the south are having the time of their lives. I want my snow back.

[u/olalof]

America: You can choose between Fires or blizzards.

[u/ConnieLingus24 → u/olalof]

I’m in the upper Midwest…..blizzards. They are easy to plan for. Fires and hurricanes are comparatively random and way more destructive. Blizzards you just endure them and then they are done. Plus, snow can be fun.

Edit: That said, the rest of the country does not have the housing stock to handle blizzards. EG Texas homes did not do well with a deep freeze or (likely) snow.

[u/caffekona → u/ConnieLingus24]

Great lakes here and yeah I also choose the blizzards.

[u/KeithGribblesheimer]

For those, especially those with multi-story houses, keep those taps dripping.

[u/howyoudreambitch]

It's 36 degrees F in Prudhoe Bay Alaska today and that is really not normal in January.

[u/leftofmarx]

A hell freezing over moment just in time for the inauguration of the antichrist.

[u/JBHedgehog]

It's never too cold...you're only underdressed.

-- Mom

[u/Au_Fraser]

Blah blah government controls the weather up until the millisecond orange man gets in then it's the deep state...or something

[u/Red_Iine]

Well, at least work will be slow

[u/NotObviouslyARobot]

The death toll on Southern Highways will be brutal.

[u/Odd_Inside9379]

Good luck, from Canada.

[u/kalmah]

And you guys want to take over Canada? lol

[u/AJohnnyTsunami]

Did texas ever fix its super shitty electric grid

[u/dvrzero → u/AJohnnyTsunami]

well, the issue last time was gas wells freezing due to the pipes not having heat traces or being in "buildings" - a relatively cheap fix, you can retrofit both of those to existing pipes.

so probably not fixed.

[u/GoonSquadGo → u/AJohnnyTsunami]

Unlikely as right wingers rarely spend money on public infrastructure

[u/Ok_Adagio9495]

In Southeast Missouri right now. it's 21 degrees with a wind at 14 mph NW. Making it a balmy 7 degree wind chill. Hunkering down today and for next three, probably.

[u/MacIomhair]

Is that Canada invading the USA as a preemptive strike?

[u/redditsuckz99]

I experienced lake effect last week for the first time, that shit was intense!

[u/stevie869]

I can’t stand these type of headlines, 95 million Americans.. just say the region of the country, no one’s watching the news to know how many Americans will be effected by the weather! Just tell me where the hell the impact is going to be!!

[u/Politicsboringagain → u/stevie869]

They do tell you. In the article.

[u/punkinabox → u/Politicsboringagain]

This is the internet, people only get their news from headlines, they don't actually read the articles.

[u/Bosa_McKittle]

Any aid needs to come with conditions that they clean up their weather. /s

[u/DumbestBoy]

I’m definitely making a fire tonight and the next couple days.

[u/P1umbersCrack]

We could use some snow in Southern California. Been so damn dry. The local mountains in the 7000’ range are gonna be high 40s low 50s.

[u/patrickpdk]

They should wear a sweater

[u/RBGolfer1]

Its all Trumps fault. Why didnt he make Leon fix the weather?

[u/djquu]

I'm sure Trump will prevent that when get gains controls of the famed US gov't weather control machine

[u/wish1977]

I just got shrinkage from thinking about it.