A New Low

[Mother Natures Son]

Mount Washington has set a new record low........-100F !https://www.mountwashington.org/expe...-forecast.aspx

[Rain Man]

"Has set" and "forecast" are two different things.

[chknfngrs]

Clicky linky...

[peakbagger]

Maybe for this date. When I read the link the are saying it could be record for a decade not for as long as they have records.

I have lived in the area since 1987 and realistically I have seen a couple of stretches where the temps down low were consistently in the -30 F range, it doesnt take much wind up on the summit along with temps that low or lower to get to minus 100 F. Still quite impressive.

[Tipi Walter]

I think when Kate Matrosova checked out the wind chill temps were around -100+F, or maybe that was the actual wind speeds.

I don't put much stock in wind chill numbers as they are often used by weathermen to instill greater fear in the listening audience. Just give me ambients and I'm okay.

We are having a cold snap here in the mountains of TN/NC with mt peak temps around 0F or below. A couple nights ago in the TN valley it reached around 5F on my back porch.

And so with these temps there's a sorry habit nowadays with our local weathermen to post the actual temps for 2 seconds and then show their screen of "What It Feels Like" temps for 30 seconds and these numbers are always mind blowingly low. It could be 15F but "it feels like" -10F etc.

But feels like to who? Maybe 15F feels like 40F to a black bear? Maybe 15F feels like 15F to someone accustomed to the cold. Maybe 15F feels like -30F for someone with walking pneumonia? Totally useless number in my opinion as it's too subjective.

[TexasBob]

.......I don't put much stock in wind chill numbers as they are often used by weathermen to instill greater fear in the listening audience......... And so with these temps there's a sorry habit nowadays with our local weathermen to post the actual temps for 2 seconds and then show their screen of "What It Feels Like" temps for 30 seconds and these numbers are always mind blowingly low. ........

I hear you. Most local TV weather forecasts suck these days.

[devoidapop]

They never factor in the sun for that "feels like" temp. Just like the wind somehow doesn't affect the heat index.

[Deadeye]

minus 100 wind chill is meaningless. at that point, nobody is outside to see what it "feels like", even the folks that live/work on top of Mt. Washington. ambient temp is what matters to the record books

[Hatchet_1697]

...it’s getting pretty cold up there, I wonder if it will hit -100 (wind chill)




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[Slo-go'en]

-45 + 60 MPH wind = -98 wind chill, according to a NWS wind chill chart. -100 would literally "be off the chart".

[Traveler]

They never factor in the sun for that "feels like" temp. Just like the wind somehow doesn't affect the heat index.

That would be the "heat index" which measures the effects of heat on the body, much as windchill does. Both indexes are helpful for determining exposure levels and how to mitigate them.

[cmoulder]

While I agree that the wind chill number is favored by TV weather people for its sensationalism, it is true that wind transports heat away even faster (and faster) and is definitely a factor. Once acclimating to cold, -20°F with no wind can be quite comfortable with surprisingly light clothing.

But frequently I too find myself growling at the TV fear-mongers, saying "What's the damn actual temp, fer cryin' out loud?!"

[FrogLevel]

We are having a cold snap here in the mountains of TN/NC with mt peak temps around 0F or below. A couple nights ago in the TN valley it reached around 5F on my back porch.
.

It's 4 right now in Johnson City. I just wish we had some snow to make it a bit more enjoyable.

[blw2]

I agree.... I really get irritated with the "feels like" temperatures.
32F, feels like 26F......uh..... NO.... it feels like 32F with a 6MPH wind and 59% humidity. THAT is what it is, and that is what if FEELS like.
I feel like it only dumbs us down so we are loosing touch with what 32F feels like.

I also agree about the TV news. They never show surface analysis charts and prognosis charts anymore. Don't they know that a picture is worth a thousand words?
and yeah, I know...most folks don't know how to read them...but of course they don't because they never see them!

[Tipi Walter]

That would be the "heat index" which measures the effects of heat on the body, much as windchill does. Both indexes are helpful for determining exposure levels and how to mitigate them.

While I agree that the wind chill number is favored by TV weather people for its sensationalism, it is true that wind transports heat away even faster (and faster) and is definitely a factor. Once acclimating to cold, -20°F with no wind can be quite comfortable with surprisingly light clothing.

But frequently I too find myself growling at the TV fear-mongers, saying "What's the damn actual temp, fer cryin' out loud?!"

Maybe you guys could help me with a weather related question.

If our bodies are at 98.6F, why does a summer day in East Tennessee feel so hot and crappy when it's 100F??????????????????? Both numbers are almost identical, so why wouldn't 100F feel perfect????

[egilbe]

Our bodies try to cool off when it gets that hot. It uses evaporative cooling using sweat. The higher the relative humidity, the slower sweat evaporates, the harder it is to cool off. We are naturally accustomed to be naked at ~ 84*. At 100*, our bodies are really struggling to cool off and for modesty reasons we are wearing clothing. We are dumping moisture on the surface of our skin to cool off, but it doesn't evaporate quickly enough to cool us, especially in high energy outputs like climbing or hiking.

[blw2]

I'm no doctor or medical expert....but I believe that our bodies generate more heat than we need at any given exertion level, so we are designed to generate more heat and dump it to atmosphere....warm blooded. It's our design. When it gets hotter, we can't speed our metabolism to keep up.
cold blooded creatures on the other hand are set up to acclimate to whatever the ambient temperature is....so if we were cold blooded, our happiest condition would be an ambient of 98.6F when at rest. Warmer than that we'd just speed up to keep up, and colder we'd slow down....
but since our design is what it is, when ambient temps get to near 98.6F or more, we can't dump our excess..... and our bodies can't adjust to the higher state.
Again, just my theory....

[blw2]

Our bodies try to cool off when it gets that hot. It uses evaporative cooling using sweat. The higher the relative humidity, the slower sweat evaporates, the harder it is to cool off. We are naturally accustomed to be naked at ~ 84*. At 100*, our bodies are really struggling to cool off and for modesty reasons we are wearing clothing. We are dumping moisture on the surface of our skin to cool off, but it doesn't evaporate quickly enough to cool us, especially in high energy outputs like climbing or hiking.

That 84F number is interesting, and interesting to think about the point at which we tend to be comfortable. Seems about right to me I suppose. Did you get that number form someplace or is it your anecdotal idea of where it is?

I find it interesting relating back to other recent threads about sleep system ratings
and the apparent baseline of 70 degrees used in those ratings. It seems like the rating are based on 70F being the temp at which we would want to sleep naked..... but 70F isn't my number.....I'd guess more like 80ish...so maybe about 84, depending on humidity....
I'm still searching to understand why they seem to use 70F.....

[cmoulder]

Yes, even at rest our bodies burn 5-6 kcal of energy per minute just to maintain basic function, which of course produces waste heat.

Moderate aerobic exercise brings the burn rate up to 10-11 kcal per minute. Evaporative cooling from the skin cannot keep up at 100°F even with low relative humidity. With high relative humidity — East TN! — better to take a swim or a long siesta!

My favorite weather tool is the satellite water vapor loop. A lot of info packed into a few frames.

[TexasBob]

....I also agree about the TV news. They never show surface analysis charts and prognosis charts anymore. Don't they know that a picture is worth a thousand words?.....and yeah, I know...most folks don't know how to read them...but of course they don't because they never see them!

Exactly right. I grew up watching real weathermen on TV like Harold Taft on WBAP who actually where meterologists. They explained to viewers the why behind the weather and didn't just give a forecast.