World's worst weather?

[Phil Bunch]

Some links to one of the most extreme weather locations in the US. It advertises itself as the "home of the world's worst weather."   A caution - I enjoy ranting about bad weather, and also enjoy studying and analyzing weather statistics, partly because I worked a lot in statistical data analysis during my active working years.

They claim to having the world's highest officially recorded (non-tornado) wind:

http://www.mountwashington.org/about/visitor/recordwind.php

Weather statistics are at the link below - note the extremes:

http://www.mountwashington.org/weather/normals.php

A collection of Mount Washington photos is below. Rime ice often accumulates very heavily on exposed objects, and the weather instruments have to be manually freed from rapidly forming ice:

http://www.mountwashington.org/photos/

Below is a nice web page graphic summarizing their current weather. It's often interesting to view this page, especially at night during the winter. It also helps me to think positively about my own winter weather!

http://www.mountwashington.org/weather/conditions.php

In the summer, one can drive to the summit, as I once did many years ago. One can also apply for a winter overnight stay at the summit station. Visiting in the winter requires that one become qualified and fully equipped for extreme winter survival since the snow tractor that takes people to the summit might break down on the way! A doctor's certification is also required for a winter tourist visit. It costs about $500 per night per person to visit and sleep (indoors) under modest conditions.

Winter summit visit info:

http://www.mountwashington.org/education/edutrips/

And here:

http://www.mountwashington.org/about/visitor/winter.php

Mount Washington is only about 120 km (70 miles) by air from where I live at sea level near Portland, Maine, but their weather is VERY different from mine. This difference is surprising to me since the altitude of the summit is only about 6000 feet (1800 meters).

Are there any similar mountains in Europe that also have weather web pages and/or winter tourist visits? I assume that the Eiger is for highly proficient mountain climbers only - amateurs need not apply!

[Will]

I was biking late one night in Illinois, and I thought it was quite cold.  I checked when I got home, and sure enough, I was right: it was minus 36 degrees.  It's hard to believe that it gets that cold in the continental USA, but here's a link to prove it: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/extremes/scec/getextreme.php?forwhat=st&elem=ALL&state=IL

[Jeroen Hoppenbrouwers]

... Ok I'm Dutch, but biking in nearly minus 40 Centigrade (yes I converted)?!?

[Hardy Heinlin]

I would die.


My record is -16°C for ten minutes.

[Phil Bunch]

The coldest temperature I've personally experienced is -28F (-33C), in a Rochester, NY (western NY) suburb where I lived for over 30 years.

Once it goes below about -15F (-26C), I find that it becomes increasingly hard to function, even with heavy winter coats and so forth.  One needs at least a knit stocking type of face mask to breathe through, or the inside of one's nose freezes as does one's eyelashes.  Anything wet that's exposed freezes!  

I had many business trips to Rochester, Minnesota, about 75 miles south of Minneapolis, during my career.  They had some very cold record temperatures with high winds during some of their winters.  A computer scientist I worked with described how his eyeglasses froze to his face and how his sinuses froze during a 2-3 block walk from his car at about -30F (-34C).  He had to seek emergency medical care to get himself thawed out.  While he was describing this experience, his secretary mentioned that she once made the mistake of removing her mitten so she could unlock her car door, and her hand then froze and stuck to the car door handle.   The skin from sections of her hand was pulled off when she pulled her hand off of the door.  I noticed that cars in this town usually had an AC power cord dangling from the front of the car, and that parking meters included an AC socket for one's electrical engine block heater.  I decided this place was MUCH too cold to live in, but the local residents seemed adjusted to it.  Most people also carried a heavy snowmobile suit and heavy winter boots in the truck during the winter in case they had car trouble somewhere.  I'm sure parts of Sweden and Norway are this cold or colder.

Another claim by people who live or play in extremely cold climates is that if one urinates outdoors, the liquid will freeze before hitting the ground.  Similarly, if one throws a glass of water up in the air, it will freeze with a cracking sound before hitting the ground.  I've never personally witnessed either of these events!

See this list of coldest temperatures around the US:

http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/extremes/scec/getextreme.php?elem=TMIN&state=NAT

It's amazing how low these continental US state records are.  Alaska is of course quite a bit colder, at -80F (-62C).  Some of these data are at high altitude but many are not.  I've noticed that many Europeans find the US climate extremes, both hot and cold, to be excessive.   Even though where I live near Portland, Maine is at almost exactly the same latitude as the French Riviera (43 degrees North), we have a much wider range of maximum and minimum temperatures as well as a wider range of normal highs and lows.  Fortunately, the US now has widespread air conditioning in buildings and cars, and heat in the winter!

I find that the weather usually makes an interesting conversation topic, much safer than politics.

[martin]

I find that the weather usually makes an interesting conversation topic, much safer than politics.

Now, about climate change...

 :mrgreen: