It's -20 C here this morning... Which makes for a fairly brutal commute. I walk about a mile to get to the train, and then another half-mile to get to my office. So it's challenging.
One thing I notice is that the jets landing overhead sound louder and crisper when the temperature falls so low. I could be making it up, but I think it's real. Perhaps the denser air does a better job of transmitting the high-frequency noises from the engines.
Stay warm, everyone!
Quote from: Will on Wed, 27 Dec 2017 16:10
Stay warm, everyone!
Sure.
KTMB 272353Z 03004KT 10SM OVC080 23/19 A3017
Just sat outside in shirt sleeves watching a chicken toasting... glass of wine... no ice required for a change...
Hoppie
I just landed in KORD yesterday morning and it was painfully cold. I was grateful that the FOs here have to do the post-flight walk-arounds. Not sure about the noise, but with the cold usually comes patches of ice and the thought that maybe a flaps 30 landing would be better than flaps 25, especially when they are landing on 27L/R. We came in on 28C because we were too heavy for 27L.
Seeing the temp drop quickly here now. We expect to go from just under 20C to just above 0C overnight.
It felt totally like the Netherlands at lunchtime... cold, wet, windy, overcast. A welcome departure from the usual hot, wet, bright steam oven. For a few days.
Hang on there in the North East...
Hoppie
Today is the day for a major snow storm in SW Maine where I live (near KPWM). We seem to more or less be at the center of its effects...
So far, I believe that the press is exaggerating the severity of this storm in that I've experienced many winter storms that were *much* harder to cope with (so far). My biggest concern is losing electrical power, but so far the state's power company is not reporting many outages. I would feel much differently if I had to drive in this weather, mostly because of the "white out" conditions - visibility is now about 50 feet or less. Night driving would be a nightmare.
Fortunately, I'm retired and don't need to get out. Also, we have a whole house backup generator, fueled by propane and it doesn't much affect us if we lose power. Unfortunately, with fine snow and high winds, snow may enter the generator's vent louvers and block the generator's rotor, shutting the thing down until the snow is cleared from the disassembled system. Fortunately, the generator's computer knows when the rotor is locked and it will not operate with this fault. It also sends me an email announcing the problem. It has an iPad- or PC-based app that allows the owner to evaluate many system parameters and error logs, etc.
Some new internet-based features are actually useful, but it is a little weird to get emails from one's backup home generator!
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Here's the official US national weather service Blizzard Warning for my area:
...BLIZZARD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 AM EST FRIDAY...
* WHAT...Blizzard conditions occurring. Travel will be very
dangerous to impossible, including during the evening commute.
Tree branches could fall as well. Additional snow
accumulations of 13 to 17 inches are expected.
* WHERE...Portions of central and southern New Hampshire and,
south central and southwest Maine.
* WHEN...Until 4 AM EST Friday.
* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Winds gusting as high as 50 mph will
cause whiteout conditions in blowing snow. Significant
drifting of the snow is likely.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
A Blizzard Warning means severe winter weather conditions are
expected or occurring. Falling and blowing snow with strong winds
and poor visibilities are likely. This will lead to whiteout
conditions, making travel extremely dangerous. Do not travel. If
you must travel, have a winter survival kit with you. If you get
stranded, stay with your vehicle. For a more precise forecast for
your specific location...go to www.weather.gov/gray.
1 degree F again this morning... (-17 C)... brrrrr.....
In the Netherlands we say "de mussen vallen van het dak" when it is hot in Summer, but now in Florida the iguanas drop out of the trees because of the cold...
Hoppie
While we're on this subject...
Came across this video while reviewing cold weather operating procedures a few days ago. Shows de-icing trials on a Virgin Atlantic 747 with engines running. Hopefully of interest.
https://vimeo.com/104245334 (https://vimeo.com/104245334)
best
Scud
A mere 45 C here in Blacktown (suburb of Sydney) yesterday....
Cold weather ops indeed..... :)
Cheers,