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Baby, It’s -20 Outside
Adapting to extremely cold weather
A recent polar vortex, which usually hangs around the Arctic Circle, has brought extremely cold temperatures to parts of the United States.
Where I live, it dropped to -5 °F, with wind chills making the air feel much colder. While I’m used to the occasional bout of negative temperatures in New England, these seem to be getting much more frequent.
Some people point to the cold weather as proof that global warming doesn’t exist. However, climate change can cause extreme cold as well as extreme heat. Australia is currently experiencing a heatwave, with temps reaching as high as 116 °F.
In cold temperatures, frostbite can set in within minutes. In many states in the Midwest, schools or workplaces were closed, as walking in the significantly sub-zero temperatures was unsafe.
Extreme cold is expensive, too. One estimate is that the polar vortex cost $5 billion due to economic losses. It sounds high, but think of the impact: cancelled flights, closed workplaces, increased natural gas or electricity use, storm cleanup, and damage from burst pipes. It all adds up.
I still had work and classes, so this season, I had to step up on my winter weather gear. I don’t have a lot of money to spare, but I did buy new boots. My old ones…
