JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: It's so cold. That's it, that's the blog. It's just so. Damn. Cold. In much of the East Coast, it's felt like the mythical Fimbulwinter heralding the start of Ragnarok since the beginning of December. And it's not just here in New England; almost everyone in the states has been hit with at least a period of miserable cold, ice and snow.
Except where Jenn lives: Jenn, I don't hate you for your 80°/27° temperatures. I'm just going to show up at your door, suitcase in hand, next January 15th. Don't tell me you don't have room, I know the Hooligans have moved out.
The thing is, I know how to deal with cold. I've taken all the steps I can to keep the heat in and the frigid breezes out of This Old House. I've put a portiere over the front door, closed off the unused center hall, hung curtains where I usually don't have them and have draft stoppers at the cellar, family room and back doors. I even got baby-proofing outlet plugs to seal up the exterior outlets.
But it all gets so... old after a while. It's been over a month since the nighttime low has been over 10°/-12°. We've had multiple cold weather advisories, thanks these "where are they coming from?" gales delivering wind chill factors of -20°/-29°. I swear, the national weather service has taken to issuing warnings like, "Don't go out! The wind will strip the flesh from your bones!"
I've taken to watching videos of Palm Beach, FL and Palm Springs, CA. I haven't quite managed to close my eyes and convince myself I'm there, but I'm going to keep on trying. I'm working on a proposal/outline for the next Clare and Russ mystery, which will take place in January, and I'm seriously considering having them vacation in (Julia googles 'hottest places in the US in February) Miami or the Kohalo Coast on the Big Island. I can always change it back to the freezing Adirondacks in editing, right?
Dear Readers, how are you dealing with the weather?
I'm not dealing particularly well, Julia . . . it's freezing here; I cannot remember ever being so cold. And the ice over the snow is treacherous . . . . I am so ready for spring!
ReplyDeleteJoan, the first sunny day when the temperature goes to 60° will be a holiday in every location!
DeleteIndeed it will!
DeleteThe Hubby and I were saying we think this is the coldest winter since we moved to Pittsburgh from Buffalo. Not the snowiest. We haven't gotten a lot of snow (by our standards). But we've been stuck in the single digits/negatives for well over a month now. Fleece blankets, sweaters, fuzzy socks, fires, hot drinks.
ReplyDeleteI'm so over it. But it's supposed to be almost 50 today!
Karen from Ohio and I were chatting earlier (about "Where is the JRs post?"), and she's also getting 50s today!
DeleteI swear, if it was 50 here, I'd run outside in shorts and a T-shirt.
DeleteI am staying IN. At my desk, I hunker in front of an electric space heater (it's okay, we have solar panels...). I walk laps in my sitting room/kitchen. I plan big pots of soup and roasting a whole chicken. I add bourbon to my tea and ankle warmers to my lower extremities. If I have to go out, I take tiny penguin steps.
ReplyDeleteBut we're apparently heading into a "warming trend," at least after tonight's six more inches of white stuff. 40 degrees sounds like heat wave!
Edith, I, too am a bourbon-in-tea fan! Very warming as a nightcap when it's oh-my-God degrees outside.
DeleteI think it’s so funny how the “feels like“ temperature has become such a thing. But strangely, the other day on our thermometer, it said that the temperature was 11°, but it felt like 24°. I guess… From the sun?
ReplyDeleteHank, the first thing I do every morning after feeding the pets is opening the curtains. I can FEEL the heat of the sun radiating into each room - which makes it all the more painful to step outside on my porch, where the sun DOESN'T shine.
DeleteHow are we dealing with the cold weather? We are wearing lots of layers and drinking hot tea. We also have soups.
ReplyDeleteHope you are staying warm ensconced in your own home.
Diana, I'm laughing because as I write this, I'm wearing lots of layers, drinking hot tea, and have a pot of soaked beans ready to make bean soup this afternoon!
DeleteYes but Diana is in California.
DeleteStill very cold in our part of California, though no snow yet.
DeleteAnd the perception of cold is so relative! In the years I lived in DC, I used to think I was going to DIE when the temperature dropped below freezing - and that was after years of living in upstate New York!
DeleteI lived in DC for two years and I remember the cold winters. I remember wearing layers of warm clothing! It was considered warm at 50 degrees in the spring in DC while it’s thought to be colder in California at 50 degrees!
DeleteIt also depends upon the time of the year. When you are used to 30 degree weather in the winter if the temp hits 50 it is winter coats off. When you have the same temp at the end of summer you are already putting on something warmer
DeleteIn Atlanta area we are rollercoasting from extreme (for us) lows in the single digits to days like today when it is supposed to reach 75. I looked back on previous years weather info and I've noticed for our area the seasons are pretty much just a name now. We've had colder temps in July when we should be sweltering and then days like today, and looking ahead to the next week or so, we'll stay in the 60s. I suspect this is an aspect of climate change that we are going to see become a norm. In general, cold temps will get colder and hot temps will get hotter. I deal with it by changing up my layers, using a space heater and coming to terms with this new normal. -- Victoria
ReplyDeleteVictoria, you may well be right. I sort of assumed global warming would mean everything getting warmer, but the influence of the changing climate on week-to-week weather is hella complicated!
DeleteApparently some climatologist explained when questioned about the cold and global warming, that with global warming and the lessoning of sea ice, the polar vortex pulls down further into Canada and hence the US. That is why we are cold - really cold and for longer periods of time.
DeleteYes, Cincinnati will be in the fifties today and the snow will start melting to reveal all the dead bushes from the relentless cold we've endured. Melting snow means extra sniffing time by the poodles on their twice-daily walks. All those enticing aromas! I can report that yes, it hurts to breathe at 10 degrees and below. Your fingers turn blue inside Baabaazuzu mittens between 10 and 20 degrees. Your face will freeze and fall off. And the poodles? No need for coats, though salt on the streets gets into their foot pads.
ReplyDeleteMargaret, the cold and ice bother my Shih Tzus' foorpads as well, which is another reason we don't take walks when it's this cold. My friend Roxanne kindly sent me booties, but I COULD not get the boys to wear them. It's so pitiful to see them picking up first one foot, then another, trying to avoid the cold!
DeletePeople put boots on their dogs here when it is raining and in the sixties. Very funny. It would be nice if your dogs would wear the boots!
DeleteAnon, in the future, when I get a new puppy, I'm starting him out wearing boots from day one, so he thinks they're normal!
DeleteIn our town (in southern California) we have been in the mid 60's but fairly warm and sunny. Although we are expecting much needed rain today or tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteWhere in California exactly? Rain is not needed now in most places, as we have already received more than expected annual rainfall for the year. More rain destabilizes things in the hills.
DeleteBay Area has had a beautiful month of sun. Daily temperatures in the seventies and eighties. This excludes SF,, which has a cold grey climate called fog.
Also places like Berkley have a different and terrible climate year round. Amazing phenomenon called micro climates.
Berkeley.
DeleteI agree more rain may not be good for northern Calif. But I live in San Diego.
Delete"As of February 2026, San Diego frequently needs rain to replenish water supplies and mitigate wildfire risks caused by dry brush, despite experiencing a relatively dry start to the year. While winter 2025-26 forecasts suggested a warmer and drier season, occasional, brief storms are essential for the region's arid climate."
I hope you get the rain that you need. No rain here, just sun. Bay Area considered by most Central California now, considering the reputation of the real Northern California. :)
DeleteIt's been brutally cold here in the armpit of the Cape. It's not so bad if you are just going to the mailbox or going from house to car and back again. But being outside for a length of time is bone chilling.
ReplyDeleteAnd I think the forecast calls for snow tonight. Because of course it does. It's bright and sunny right now. No, it isn't warmer but the good look of the day giving way to yet another possible shoveling event is making me regret winter so much.
Oh, Jay, I hear you about the shoveling! My attitude about snow has changed considerably since I don't have a plow guy this year.
DeleteP.S. I hope you saw yesterday's post; I put in a label JUST for you.
I don’t remember the last time we had this long a stretch of below freezing temperatures. I much prefer summer, even when the temperatures are well above normal. I always thank God that I don’t need to shovel snow or clear snow and ice off my car. I don’t need to wear a gazillion layers of clothing just to feel almost warm enough.
ReplyDeleteThis winter, I felt like I’m in some sort of prison most of the time. Whenever I read the forecast of extreme winter weather, and I then see the advice to please check up on your elderly neighbors and friends, I now realize that I’m one of those people who needs to be checked on. It feels weird.
DebRo
DebRo, I know, right! After the last storm (14 inches!) my new neighbor came around while I was shoveling, told me to put it away, and drove his plow over the next day to clear out my drive. I realized I was one of the old people he must have been checking on! :-)
DeleteI baked him a large pan of homemade brownies as a thank you. Might as well lean into the old lady image.
What a great neighbor!
DeleteDebRo
The cold is the worst I can remember too, and I'm pretty old. But the absolute worst is that the weather people (I won't dignify them by using meteorologist) is that they feel they have to tell us, gleefully yet, what the wind chill factor is. It isn't one bit helpful! So I have taken to not watching weather forecasts or looking at their maps. I suppose they feel they balance it out by telling us all about the heat index in the summer.
ReplyDeleteI don't look at my thermostat either because I know that even with the boiler going non-stop, the temperature is still not up to 68 degrees.
But will it really kill the ticks or just make them hardier?
Judi, I'm not sure a NUCLEAR winter would kill the ticks by this point.
DeleteTrying to keep This Old House warmer than 60°/15.5° is, as they used to say, a mug's game. I wear long johns, cashmere, wool, and spend most of the time I'm not in bed sticking right by a roaring woodstove.
I sympathize, Judi. During our ice storm a couple of weeks ago, it was a steady 56 degrees in our downstairs with the furnace (natural gas, but takes electricity for the fan) going non stop. Fortunately it was 10 degrees warmer upstairs.
DeleteMeanwhile, in Canada...? It's cold, it's snowy, it's winter. That's how it goes.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, Susan, this is just more proof that Canada should have kept Maine in the war of 1812. Half of the state is further north than Ottawa and Montreal, for heaven's sake! If we're going to have the same weather, we should at least get the same public health and sound education system.
DeleteWe had -24°F here in the High Peaks yesterday morning before wind chill. They said with wind chill it was -64° on top of Whiteface Mt. Just another reason I've never been a skier! However I did have lambs born on Saturday morning. Luckily they had an experienced mom who got them up, dry, and nursing before I found them when it was -10°. I got them in the jug and into their little felt jackets with a heat lamp and Mama and they have been fine. I turn them out of the jug tonight to make it ready for the next lambs who may arrive at any moment. Luckily we're on a warming trend — it's going to snow more tonight — and overnight lows will only be about 3°. (Selden)
ReplyDeleteAww congrats on your new babies!
DeleteNothing cuter than baby lambs, Selden, and I'm including baby humans in that statement!
DeleteAnd your temperatures help explain why I write about the High Peaks, but I don't live there...
Selden, do you lamb in the barn or outside? I remember that lovely season - January and Feb. Somehow they all would give birth on the coldest or snowiest night of the year. I was always surprised and amazed at how well they did it just all by themselves - experienced mothers are the best - and the babies are the cutest. I also love the smell of amniotic fluid - weird, I know.
DeleteYes. Enough already. Warm up so our snow/ice will melt off. This is Virginia. We expect pretty snow that lasts a couple of days then, poof! gone. Instead our back yard looks like the Siberian tundra.
ReplyDeletePat, the only Virginian who disagrees with you is my son, who lives in the Hampton Roads area. They've had several serious snow forecasts, and he was SO excited, only to call me up and complain in was a bust. I think he misses Maine's winter weather!
DeleteI hear you, Pat. Actually, we can see some grass in our back yard, but the front is solid ice (Kentucky).
DeleteI'm curious how people in cold weather are staying warm. How do you heat your homes?
ReplyDeleteFuel oil, which is still the most common way to heat homes in northern New England. I think it's much rarer in other parts of the US. Oh, and my very important kitchen wood stove!
DeleteMy mother's house (now my sister's) in PA uses fuel oil. Down here in KY it's mostly natural gas or heat pumps, I think.
DeleteWe use gas and electricity. We have a heat pump system and solar panels.
DeleteIn eastern Canada - we have a heat pump - rarely used and 2 wood stoves - warmest and coziest heat in spite of the work - also free ashes for the garden. A lot of people use fuel oil, but it is very expensive.
DeleteMargo and free ashes to put on slippery walk and drive ways. That’s what I remember my grandmother doing circa 1950s with ashes from her coal stove and furnace. Elisabeth
DeleteThere was a cranky old man on our street and just when the coasting in the middle of the road became perfect, he would come out with big buckets of clinkers from his coal furnace. The drivers probably loved it, but we kids hated him for ruining coasting for the season!
DeleteIt's warmer today, luckily, but Lexington, KY is still dealing with the aftermath of 6-8 inches of ice. The main roads are clear, but often, turn lanes are not. Driving is still really difficult, and some dead-end streets have not had any ice removed. This all started on January 25, and it's getting really old. Public schools opened today for the first time with a 2-hour delay. Unfortunately after the ice hit was when we had the 0-10 degree temps, for several weeks, so typical methods of removal wouldn't work. Two friends broke their arms after falling just two days ago. Can you tell I'm frustrated? But at least we're having a warm day today, and we're most grateful for that.
ReplyDeleteGood heavens, Beth, TWO broken arms! That's terrible. I know northerners like to scoff when the south has real winter weather, but I have family in Alabama and Virginia, and I know those conditions are no joke.
DeleteThanks, Julia. I'm from PA, went to college in Waltham, MA. I remember walking across temperatures around 5 degrees, and it didn't bother me at all. In my thirties, when we lived 3 miles from campus, I would walk in if it was around 15 degrees F. But this is is ridiculous. I still can't take my car out. My husband drives me around, or I take an Uber. Snow's OK by me. It's the ice that I can't deal with.
DeleteI am in the Boston area. Fortunately, I haven’t needed to go out when the weather has been the worst.
ReplyDeleteI have always felt an affinity with the bears but didn't know why. I do now-it’s called hibernation.
I do remember having weather like this when I was growing up, more frequent snowstorms and very cold weather. Last Sat was the anniversary of the ‘78 blizzard which paralyzed the northeast for weeks. People were going to the store with sleds to bring their groceries home since cars were banned and, in many cases, abandoned on some of the major highways.
At that time the weather forecasting ability wasn’t as sophisticated as it is now so most people were not prepared to deal with it, though considering the amount of snow and wind it probably wouldn’t have made much difference.
Then there was the 2014-15 winter when the snow started in Jan and we had major amounts every week into March. There was no place to put it after the first couple of storms. I remember walking on some sidewalks where you had to put one foot in front of the other because there was no room to put your two feet side by side.
The wind seems to make it feel a lot colder than the actual temperature.
Although there is a prediction of some snow for tonight, it is only supposed to be a few inches, the main problem has been that what we have had isn’t melting because it has stayed below freezing.
Now the optimistic perspective: the days are getting longer, there is still daylight after 5:00 pm, there is a warm up forecast for the next few days into next week, Valentine’s Day is coming which provides a good opportunity for chocolate and cocoa and, although I am not one of them, the skiers, skaters and ice fishers have been having a good season for the first time in several years.
Anon, I love your optimistic prediction! This Sunday, our priest started out by telling us we'd be getting a whopping 80 minutes more daylight by the end of February! Very heartening. And yes, the winter sports that are a backbone of so many northern New England business have roared back to life this year, with an amazingly strong season. That's important to remember.
DeleteLongest period of single digit cold since I can remember and I’ve lived here 25 years. Our house is over a hundred years old but not all that drafty. The thermostat is set at 68 during the day and 60 at night, no problem keeping warm if we wear layers.
ReplyDeleteThe snow is fairly deep, 94 inches so far this winter. We have about 20 inches on the ground and the streets are kept clear so no problem getting around.
My best defense against the cold is a heated mattress pad. Nothing feels better to me
So a good day for beef barley soup!
Ann, glad to hear you are well and well-warmed. Elisabeth
DeleteSorry Julia and all the rest on the Eastern Seaboard, but:
ReplyDeleteWe in Catalone Gut, Nova Scotia, Canada have mainly have missed it – good thing Grace is not here as she is freezing in Ottawa. Yup the part of Canada that usually does not really enjoy your weather after you have had enough of it does not. We had a few days of real cold – less than a week, and now – well just really winter. Other than a blizzard at an inconvenient time last week, we are just having fridge temperatures – which we are taking advantage of with suddenly the influx of food. “Just put it on the counter in the cottage – all will be well” Internal temp in the unheated cottage - +3 (friudge temp) to just below freezing – food does not spoil. Beer keeps cold. No hope for making ice cubes. Today outside the door - +4C (39F)
As for the house – the sun has been shining – which translates to no need for heat, and most days there has been no wind to suck the heat out of any pores, so the wood stove is comfortable warming after hours. There is snow, and there is ice, and one walks carefully. After the crowd and the influx of dogs, there are also dog-dooies, so you really do need to walk carefully. There are a gazillion of birds – about 200+ water fowl including some black ducks in the back yard that think they need cracked corn, and multitudinous grosbeaks – usually about 50, which are usually only a transient visitor.
It is February. The days are getting brighter – the sun is up by 7am. Only one more month and then a sneaky snowstorm in March – and then Spring, glorious spring. Hang in there!
By the way, I just saw a reputable local garden company post our area as Zone 6b – we used to be 5b. That shows to me definite climate change, and just maybe soon, I will be joining Jen and Rhys in the lemon tree challenge (not likely but I can hope!)
You are a pro, Margo.
DeleteGrace has wisely removed herself to Asia for a long trip in warmer climes. I am following her travels, currently in Vietnam, on Facebook.
And Cincinnati is in 6B, and used to be 5B, too! When I was growing up both my grandfathers grew tomatoes that they wouldn't plant until May. Now it rarely frosts here past April Fools Day.
DeleteK in OH
Oh my. It is 12:43 PM in Tampa and the temp is 69.7 F per the Willy Weather site. The current water temp at Cypress Point City Park on Tampa Bay is 55 degrees (usually 68 this time of year). We lived in CT during the winter of '78, and remembered most of the coping skills. Our cats each chose a human to sleep on or near to us. I included multiple blankets and a space heater in the rooms in use. It didn't get below freezing --making Nome St and ironic name for the moment. Julia, if Jenn is busy, Tampa welcomes you just let me know, and come before hurricane season.
ReplyDeleteI guess we can't run away from Mother Nature's various disasters!!
Delete69 degrees here in McKinney, too, Coralee.
DeleteA sense of humor also warms up the human spirit
ReplyDeleteI got to a gardening class this morning, bundled up. Left the building to brilliant blue skies and sun, and a balmy 57 degrees. Wish I could share with our frigid friends!
ReplyDeleteThank God I don’t live in the picture of the blog.
ReplyDeleteLike you, I’m tired of the cold. It seems that I have been cold since the beginning of December.
Fortunately today it’s a little milder before the snow begins anew, so I’m going to walk now. It should prevent me from falling. The asphalt is visible on parts of the road and it will not be the case tomorrow.
My door is always open, Julia--literally, it's 78 degrees out there! But seriously...any time!
ReplyDeleteThat Canadian photo was taken in Nova Scotia last year, wasn't it! I agree, this is the coldest winter I remember - ever. And there's a lot of years behind that ever!
ReplyDelete