below zero – 50 Shades of Winter

The Broken Record

March 11, 2017Tagged Arctic, below zero, cold, dog, extreme, frigid, Maine, March, Northeast, Portland, Sisyphean, spring, storm, storms, weather, wind, winterLeave a comment

The historical record low for March 11 was minus 1 in 1953. Around 11 am this morning, it was 4 degrees, with a 24 mph wind and a wind chill (also known as “real feel” or “feels like”) of MINUS EIGHTEEN. So, whether the ruthless frigid air breaks a record or not today, this winter has definitely become “a broken record” for sure. Yesterday’s snowfall was disheartening. Today’s Arctic blast is more existential, as it now feels like a Sisyphean task to make it to April.

Maine! Our current motto is: The Way Life Should Be! It used to be Vacationland — if your idea of a vacation is somewhere north of the Arctic Circle, that is, which is possibly why it was changed.

But wait! There’s more! The icing on the cake will be the Nor’easter predicted for early next week, with 6-12 inches of you-know-what expected and winds ranging from 40-60 mph. Smart Mainers don’t put away any cold weather gear until mid-April at the earliest.

It’s Cold

March 5, 2017March 5, 2017Tagged Arctic, Arctic cold, below freezing, below zero, bitter walk, brutally cold, cold, Deering Oaks Park, dog, Maine, Northeast, Portland Maine, punishing, suffering, weather, wind chill, winterLeave a comment

This morning’s brutally cold temperature of 7 degrees (“real feel MINUS NINE”) was slightly undercut by the presence of a bright rising sun (at least psychologically), but the brisk wind chill made for a bitter walk. Last night was worse — with a “real feel” of MINUS ELEVEN, walking around in the dark was a punishing experience. The record high for this date was 59 degrees in 1974; the record low minus 4 in 1948. Just to give some context.

Walking with my dog in Deering Oaks Park this morning, I did experience a moment of sun-warmed bliss, but it was surrounded by moments of harsh discomfort. As mentioned elsewhere in this blog (see I Have a Dog), this dog is amazing. Nonetheless, she likes to go for long walks, seemingly oblivious to weather conditions, always eager to sniff and explore every oak tree, every hint of food, every tuft of grass.

The sun is brighter these days and a warm-up is expected soon. And at least it’s March, such as it is.

Featured frost bubble image courtesy of Pixabay.

Winter: It’s Back!

March 4, 2017March 4, 2017Tagged below zero, cold, Maine, March, Northeast, Portland, suffering, weather, winterLeave a comment

After a few weeks of milder temperatures and whiffs of spring that seemed too good to be true, winter has returned as feared. After a 50-degree day on Wednesday, temperatures began to nose-dive rapidly on Thursday. The important thing to keep in mind here is “real feel” vs. “actual temperature.” Today’s high, for example, was 30 degrees, with a “real feel” of 22. It felt much colder.

Tonight, temps are predicted to dive down to a mere 9 degrees (real feel of MINUS TEN). Saturday’s high is predicted to be 17 degrees with a dismal low of 3 degrees. The evening’s “real feel” temp, according to my friend AccuWeather, with their trademarked RealFeel®, predicts a RealFeel® of MINUS EIGHTEEN. We knew it would be back. At least most of the snow is gone and the sidewalks are (for now) clear and dry.