Head in the Clouds Amherst: Cold and Colder Yet to Come

Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Cold and Colder Yet to Come

And you think it's cold out now? By tomorrow evening, it gets truly cold. A WIND CHILL WATCH is currently in effect for our area from Wednesday evening through Thursday morning for wind chill readings as low as -25 to -30 F. By end of work on Wednesday, wind chills will be -15, and by Thursday at noon, wind chills will climb above -15. (In other words, it will still be cold on either side of the overnight.) The actual - not wind chill - temperature on Wednesday night will drop to -6 F.

Keep in mind that wind chill values near minus 25 degrees mean that frostbite is possible within 15 minutes.To protect yourself:
- Stay dry. Wet clothing results in much faster heat loss from your body. Wear waterproof insulated boots.
- Stay covered. Wear mittens or gloves and wear a hat. At least half of your body heat is lost if your head is not covered.
- Dress layered. Trapped air between loose fitting clothing helps to insulate.

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On Puffer's Pond

Saturday, February 4, 2023, 3:35 pm: The past two days have seen record-breaking cold in the area, with the temperature dipping to -14F overnight, Friday into Saturday. To make matters worse, the wind was unyielding, whipping through the trees and driving wind chill readings down to -40F. In a season that had been unusually mild up until that point, it was something of a shock. Local residents were suddenly forced to think about warming up their cars, preventing pipes from freezing, and dressing in multiple layers to walk their dogs. By Saturday, while many were happy to hunker down and wait for temperatures to stop breaking low records, this was the moment that ice fishers and skaters had been waiting for all winter. With temps hovering around 12F (albeit above zero) by Saturday afternoon, Puffer's Pond was the place to be for about 30 people, many of whom were spread out over the ice, either ice fishing or playing hockey. While this is a fairly typical sight at Puffer's in the coldest winter months, our current lack of snow made it unique. No one had to contend with snowpack - the skaters didn't even have to clear a "field" for their game. And with all the hiking paths snow and ice-free, photographers had no trouble capturing water flowing through, under, and around layers of ice on the water. And, still, at 12F, without hand and foot warmers, I did not linger long. The temps will be rising quickly in the coming week, climbing well above freezing, even to 50F in the days to come. So, I'm guessing the skaters and ice fishers also won't be here much longer.

(Read past entries here.)

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Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Cold and Colder Yet to Come

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