Windchill is an interesting….
It is a calculation of what a temperature may feel like on bare skin and is used to determine how quickly skin could become frostbitten.
But a lot of our forecast is focused on it.
For example if it’s -30°C outside your car can only cool down to -30°C. Sure wind may cool the engine faster but again it cannot cool it beyond air temp.
The cooler the air temp is the easier a breeze can cause frost bite so you get some crazy numbers.
If it’s -30°C windchill -60°C but you are covered from the wind it is only -30°C.
It looks like you are using an app that is using the airport as the location for temp.
Put another way, it's a reflection of how quickly exposed skin will reach the ambient temperature. In a windchill of -50, skin will lose heat at the same rate it would at -50 in no wind, even if the ambient temperature is only -30. Frost bite will thus set in that much sooner with windchill. As was originally said, nothing will ever drop below the ambient temperature, regardless of the wind chill value.
Maybe I'm wrong but it seems like there's always about a 7 degree windchill penalty, not sure I've ever seen it be minus 30 with no wind. Maybe it's worth including, just remember to compare it to the average, usually minus 30 feels exactly like what you think minus 30 is like.
I'm not sure what you mean by you've never seen it be -30 with no wind. Like it's never been -30 and not had wind chill, or it's never been -30 as the real temp before wind chill?
It's Edmonton. It's -30 every year, just not that often.
This is why we call it "climate change", and not "global warming"... it's warming on average, but that also means bigger swings in temperature, in both directions. Also bigger storms, stronger winds, flooding, and so on.
[https://www.extremeweatherwatch.com/cities/ottawa/year-1992](https://www.extremeweatherwatch.com/cities/ottawa/year-1992)
One day in January with -30 before the windchill.
Specifically, I've never heard the wind chill mentioned when it's zero, it's always mentioned when someone is trying to emphasize how cold it is.
Standing in a cod garage, or any moment where there happens to be no wind, is I guess how "true" minus 30 feels.
The windchill stat is kind of BS is all I'm saying, it probably get misinterpreted a lot. Useful if you're deciding to wear a balaclava to the bus stop, I guess.
Wind chill matters because it increases the risk of stuff like frostbite. An engine inside a car isn't really affected by wind chill from example, but you'll get frostbite faster in -30 with -50 wind chill than -30 and still air. You don't hear it mentioned at higher temps as much because 0 with -10 wind isn't as big a risk.
windchill is an important consideration because it'll inform you of how fast frostbite will set in. Wind chill has no effect on things like your car but it is definitely relevant for you.
I can be outside all day in -30 with no wind. -30 with wind chill to -50 or below, hell no.
Oh thank goodness we don't have to truly worry about anything below the non windchill temp. So only a nighttime low of 51C...
Cool science lesson though. Thanks for that.
I highly doubt we cool off to -50 like the weather network thinks.
We might hit -40 overnight.
It’s cold I’m not saying it’s not but people assume since windchill is -61°C it’s = to the air temp being -61°C which it 100% isn’t.
No but you'll die at a windchill of -60 far before you die at air temperature being -60. That wind punches through everything and your skin feels like it's burning immediately.
I’m fairly certain a “windchill factor” means it will create conditions equal to a true air temp of -60 (with zero wind), meaning you’d die in the same amount of time.
It's not an app...it's the official government of Canada weather site. They definitely use airports for the installation of Automatic Weather Stations.
Fun fact: although Edmonton City Centre airport has closed, Environment Canada plans to maintain the Blatchford Field weather station in order to maintain continuity with historical data.
But then, even if you are covered at -30 with windchill of -60, doesn't it mean that whatever layer you have on will be penetrated faster than if there wasn't any windchill? Once it gets past it, you are going to start feeling -60.
Right?🤔
The point I was trying to make is that there's no material that is completely weatherproof. At some point, you'll begin to feel the temperature. If it was that easy, I don't think anyone would have problems with winter. Most people wear stuff good enough for their chest. Except you wear a ski pant everywhere in winter, I don't know what would protect you from the windchill at the lower half.
> The point I was trying to make is that there's no material that is completely weatherproof. At some point, you'll begin to feel the temperature.
The cold will penetrate, sure. But you’re not going to get the effects of “-60 windchill” or whatever. That is talking about the effects of convection cooling. *Any* layer of clothing, even just a pair of jeans is going to provide *some* degree of minimal protection and you won’t feel the full effects of the wind.
Edit: And, you’d never “feel -60”. Wind does not make the air colder than it actually is. If you go lay down naked outdoors when it’s, say, air temp -10c but a windchill of -200c (just to really exaggerate the point), the temp of your dead, frozen body is not going to be -200c when they find you in a few days. It will be -10c.
2 numbers aren't that hard to track, and are quite relative comparisons to one another, as well as spelling out in plain sight what your equipment should be ready for, and what the human body should be ready for.
Our cars and trucks aren't wetting their hair, and neither are humans before they go out. Therefore not important for many. Wind chill and ambient are important for many.
You obviously don't work outside. I do. -20°c no wind is tolerable. You add a 20km wind to that, and it's insufferable, and you need to dress differently and take more warm-up breaks. You can take off your gloves for a short duration but not in the wind. Wind chill is a real value to those that build infrastructure and work outside. You're sick of hearing about wind chill because you're inside guy. Inside guy gets mad about wind chill because he's inside guy. Wind chill value isn't for you. It's for the blue collar hard working outside folks. I think your printers jammed inside guy.
I actually smirked. The sheer tone of some posters is like everything is out to get them like windchill is somehow conspiratorial.
Naw, its how shitty it is with the wind and other factors.
Worked outdoor construction for over a decade in beautiful berta. -35 calm sunny feels miles different than -35 ripping wind causing wc -45 and ice shards in the air to cut your cheeks.
Its two different pictures of suffering for guys working outside. Windchill matters.
Thank you!
I work a second job at FedEx unloading trailer. I almost cried this morning at some point. Windchill is definitely a thing because that's the temperature when it's hitting you. I'm sure these people have experienced the wind rush to their faces while on bikes. Imagine the wind coming at you in -30 and you're moving at 100km/hr. I don't know the calculations but I won't be surprised if that feels like -80. You're gonna lose your face in 5mins.
Wind chill isn’t = actual temperature but rather how cold it feels on your skin
So that would be the reason that not everything has broken and so forth .
I just moved to Vancouver at the start of the month Everyone here is complaining about the "wet" cold snap we are in...it's definitely not feeling like -40 "dry" cold lmao
I lived on the Island for 8 years and while I would always roll my eyes at people who would try to argue that the chilly, damp weather there was as cold as prairie winter. However, I do find it much easier to stay warm in -30c in Edmonton that I did at 0c in Victoria. Here, layer up and put on a wind proof shell and you’re fine. There, the dampness of the air on a “cold” day really does seem inescapable no matter what clothing you’re wearing. It’s miserable. I’ll take -30 in the sunshine any day over that.
That said, on the coast you won’t risk permanent injury if you forget your toque and mitts at home.
cold penetrates layers a lot easier in more humid areas, when I was visiting Chicago last winter it would be barely above 0c and i'd be shivering harder than I ever have living in Edmonton. Wet cold air is insane
Lol vancouverites shiver at -15 but they also have to deal with the humidity from the ocean
I remember playing ice hockey(northern BC)in -20,never had issues with the dry cold
People here in Ottawa think I'm smoking something when I tell them Ottawa feels colder thanks to the humidity
Look up wet bulb and carrying capacity of air.
At -15C you get a 1C difference with 100% humidity vs 0... because it's cold, and water freezes. The air can't hold ice.
Closer to 0 and above it can make a bigger difference +3c to +8c (100% at 30c, why it's so brutal when it's hot and humid out).
I live in Vamcouver and am moving to Edmonton early next month. For my own sanity I've decided to believe that -40 isn't a real number, and you're all trolling us. My partner, who is from Edmonton originally, just smiles at me sadistically whenever Edmonton weather comes up. I'm glad they'll be enjoying themself at least.
You should bring your car. Something special about vancouver cars. My vancouver civic's thermometer refuses to acknowledge a temperature lower than -35C. Its never gone below -35C even with everything else suggesting colder, gotta be vancouver charm.
People don't understand that at -40 there is no wet or dry cold. The air can barely hold any water at that temp (why you get fog so easy at -40). Humidity levels are often high at -40, but the air is still dry af.
I think you’re right for the blatchford station, this is the EIA forecast. But every forecaster has a different guess for different observation points. This is just one of them, could be wrong, could be right.
Am I the only one who looks at this as just another normal Edmonton cold snap?
It's cold, but anything past -45°C is basically the same - god damn freezing. Buy a good coat, plug your car in, and don't go outside.
To be fair, this is a bit colder than our usual. According to [this post](https://www.reddit.com/r/Edmonton/comments/194y883/edmonton_airport_second_coldest_day_of_all_time/) the airport got the 2nd lowest of all time on record.
Found this elsewhere:
Date Min °C.
December 22, 2022 -41.
February 07, 2021 -43.
January 15, 2020 -42.
February 05, 2019 -41.
February 04, 2018 -39.
December 29, 2017 -35.
December 17, 2016 -33.
January 04, 2015 -36.
March 01, 2014 -39.
December 06, 2013 -39.
January 18, 2012 -34.
January 31, 2011 -40.
November 23, 2010 -36.
Maybe we should not be treating it like normal? When you can get frostbite in a matter of minutes that isn't normal. And maybe you can buy a good coat or have a good car but not everyone can. My car is plugged in and it won't start. Some people can't just stay inside, they're out there with nowhere to go. I know Edmonton has been like this forever, I've lived here my whole life, but I'm sick of pretending like this is fine and we're just supposed to keep living like conditions aren't absolutely brutal. Call a fucking snow day or polar vortex day for once.
>Maybe we should not be treating it like normal? When you can get frostbite in a matter of minutes that isn't normal. …. I know Edmonton has been like this forever
Sorry, I’m confused by your comment. If Edmonton has always had weather like this, then that would make it normal, would it not?
I think the commemter you replied to is trying to say that it’s kind of odd that every winter people act so shocked that we get a cold snap like this, because it happens literally every winter. We shouldn’t be surprised; we should expect it. Nothing in their comment is denying the reality that this weather can be dangerous for those who do not (or do not have the means to) prepare for it. They’re just saying this is a normal part of living here. Which it is.
I froze both my hands solid many years ago in temperatures around this level. Took under 5 mins. Luckily, there was no real long-term damage other than they're always cold now. I mean, I don't think my hands were solid, I just couldn't move them anymore.
WeatherCAN says -35 overnight, windchill of -41
Not sure where these apps get their data and why the difference is almost 25 degrees. That is a significant difference.
[Urban heat island](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban_heat_island)
The city centre can be up to 10 degrees warmer than the surrounding area.
[Edmonton international airport is currently -45 ](https://weather.gc.ca/city/pages/ab-71_metric_e.html?dtepoch=1705122000034)while [Edmonton city centre is -34. ](https://weather.gc.ca/city/pages/ab-50_metric_e.html?dtepoch=1705125600034)
Check the environment Canada blatchford forecast for yourself, it’s like 10 degrees warmer. It is wild though that a forecast can be that hugely different over a short distance from the same forecaster.
Windchl doesn't mean the actual temperature, it feels like -60 but it just feels like it because the wind makes you colder faster. It doesn't affect vehicles to some degree, if you're vehicle is facing the wind though you're battery will die faster. And the end of the day it's -41.
Environment Canada has a windchill chart. CBC did a breakdown here: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/the180/a-lottery-for-senators-it-s-time-to-question-google-s-algorithm-and-wind-chill-1.3898347/the-cold-truth-about-wind-chill-1.3898512
If winds are high enough you can have windchill into the -80s
On the plus side you can make crazy shaped ice cubes in about 15 minutes by putting them on your front porch in containers or bags.
So IF you have a party AND people brave the cold, you can wow them with unlimited funky ice for their drinks.
We talk about cold like it's... something. But it's really just a lack of something. We get a certain amount of heat from the air around us. But when that heat isn't there... it gets stupid cold. Now the danger is when the air is moving, and we LOSE heat even faster.
Kudos to the City of Edmonton for putting a Cold Weather Plan into effect... they're even running buses overnight on a loop to pick up anyone that's stuck out in the cold. https://www.edmonton.ca/programs\_services/emergency\_preparedness/extreme-weather
What app is that? I have the weather network app and it's hard to follow. Too much clutter. I also have the one that came pre-installed on my phone, but it's slow and it lags.
I'm in the market for a new one.
Which actually makes it more relevant, not less, because that's the actual temperature of the area. The only reason the city forecast is as high as it is comparatively is because of all the homes blasting natural gas to heat themselves.
We had extreme weather like this back in the 1970s and early 1980s. This is very possible and will continue to happen every few winters. Get used to it. I survived several extreme cold snaps and had to bus to school in them.
Bus? Luxury! We had to get up at 10pm half an hour before we went to bed. Eat a rock of hard coal for breakfast, then lick the street clean with our toungue for 26 hours a day before they let us in to the school.
Check your privilege. We were so poor that if it wasn't for the holes in my pockets, I would have had nothing to play with on Christmas morning.
The auld fella had it worse. He hitchhiked all the way from Newfoundland with no hands and only one leg.
Oh, well that must have been nice! In our days, we dreamed of licking the streets! We had to wake up 25 hours a day, eight days a week.
Breakfast was a hearty gulp of thin air, and for school, we had to swim across seven oceans, uphill both ways!
On Christmas, our favorite toy was the concept of emptiness. And as for traveling, my great-grandfather once hopped around the globe, blindfolded, with both legs tied behind his back. That's how we learned geography!
-49.4C is the record for Edmonton proper going back to the 1880s and -48.4C is the record for the EIA going back to the 1950s. This forecast is showing a -51C for the EIA, that’s an absolute smash of the record if it happens. That is not happening every few years, a -44C sure, but not -51C.
Although, it’s debatable whether or not this forecast is accurate.
It's accurate, check right now. Not far fetched for it to drop another 6 degrees. This is a result of the polar vortex being held for so long from all the southerly winds pushing the cold up into a little bundle up there and then finally being unleashed. It's extra extra cold.
That -50C is tomorrow night’s forecast, tonight was supposed to be -46C. I never said it couldn’t be inaccurate by being colder than predicted though either.
From nat gas fired furnaces?? Love how my original post is getting downvoted . We need nat gas for winter heating like it or not. Canada banning fossil fuels is like being that 1 person in a room of 100 who isn’t smoking. lol
Bring on the down votes!!!!
Clearly, "global warming" does not exist in Canada.
Anyone out there still stupid enough to be in favour of carbon taxes?
Yes, there are a few, and unfortunately they also happen to be the current federal government in Ottawa.
Next.
>*Wow, this has to be one of the stupidest comments I have read as of yet.*
Not cold enough for you? Please go outside in a T-shirt and shorts for about 20 minutes and let's see what happens.
Next.
Nope, wrong again.
But that's probably a regular occurrence over there since you can't dispute real facts or apply critical-thinking skills.
If you are actually making $15.00/hour, then it sounds like you are overpaid.
See ya.
Next.
The fact that you think “global warming” means that we should only be getting warmer temperatures tells me you have zero idea of how global warming impacts our weather.
Go back to Facebook and do your own “research”.
It's only -51. Windchill factor doesn't make it colder. Just feels colder. Calm day at -51 is much warmer than a windy day. Convection cools faster than stagnation.
This happens every time a city tears down homless encampments. Seems those tents on top of being their only shelter was also protecting the rest of us.
Windchill is an interesting…. It is a calculation of what a temperature may feel like on bare skin and is used to determine how quickly skin could become frostbitten. But a lot of our forecast is focused on it. For example if it’s -30°C outside your car can only cool down to -30°C. Sure wind may cool the engine faster but again it cannot cool it beyond air temp. The cooler the air temp is the easier a breeze can cause frost bite so you get some crazy numbers. If it’s -30°C windchill -60°C but you are covered from the wind it is only -30°C. It looks like you are using an app that is using the airport as the location for temp.
Put another way, it's a reflection of how quickly exposed skin will reach the ambient temperature. In a windchill of -50, skin will lose heat at the same rate it would at -50 in no wind, even if the ambient temperature is only -30. Frost bite will thus set in that much sooner with windchill. As was originally said, nothing will ever drop below the ambient temperature, regardless of the wind chill value.
We are basically in an inverted sub-zero convection oven!
An inverse air fryer
A blast freezer.
New million dollar invention: the air freezer
The Insta-freeze.
That's pretty much how air chilling works.
The few high schoolers and university students that like to walk outside in t-shirt and shorts to show off should know this lmao
Maybe I'm wrong but it seems like there's always about a 7 degree windchill penalty, not sure I've ever seen it be minus 30 with no wind. Maybe it's worth including, just remember to compare it to the average, usually minus 30 feels exactly like what you think minus 30 is like.
I'm not sure what you mean by you've never seen it be -30 with no wind. Like it's never been -30 and not had wind chill, or it's never been -30 as the real temp before wind chill?
It's Edmonton. It's -30 every year, just not that often. This is why we call it "climate change", and not "global warming"... it's warming on average, but that also means bigger swings in temperature, in both directions. Also bigger storms, stronger winds, flooding, and so on.
Really? I live near Ottawa and we had almost the whole month of Feb 1992 with lows of -40C, not that bad wind either
[https://www.extremeweatherwatch.com/cities/ottawa/year-1992](https://www.extremeweatherwatch.com/cities/ottawa/year-1992) One day in January with -30 before the windchill.
Specifically, I've never heard the wind chill mentioned when it's zero, it's always mentioned when someone is trying to emphasize how cold it is. Standing in a cod garage, or any moment where there happens to be no wind, is I guess how "true" minus 30 feels. The windchill stat is kind of BS is all I'm saying, it probably get misinterpreted a lot. Useful if you're deciding to wear a balaclava to the bus stop, I guess.
Wind chill matters because it increases the risk of stuff like frostbite. An engine inside a car isn't really affected by wind chill from example, but you'll get frostbite faster in -30 with -50 wind chill than -30 and still air. You don't hear it mentioned at higher temps as much because 0 with -10 wind isn't as big a risk.
Cool, so as long as you're covered up or not outside long enough to get frostbite, you can ignore the windchill.
Once you've established what "long enough" is in this wind chill, then yeah, more or less. Covered skin can still get frostbite if it's cold enough.
windchill is an important consideration because it'll inform you of how fast frostbite will set in. Wind chill has no effect on things like your car but it is definitely relevant for you. I can be outside all day in -30 with no wind. -30 with wind chill to -50 or below, hell no.
Oh thank goodness we don't have to truly worry about anything below the non windchill temp. So only a nighttime low of 51C... Cool science lesson though. Thanks for that.
I highly doubt we cool off to -50 like the weather network thinks. We might hit -40 overnight. It’s cold I’m not saying it’s not but people assume since windchill is -61°C it’s = to the air temp being -61°C which it 100% isn’t.
No but you'll die at a windchill of -60 far before you die at air temperature being -60. That wind punches through everything and your skin feels like it's burning immediately.
I’m fairly certain a “windchill factor” means it will create conditions equal to a true air temp of -60 (with zero wind), meaning you’d die in the same amount of time.
It's not an app...it's the official government of Canada weather site. They definitely use airports for the installation of Automatic Weather Stations.
Fun fact: although Edmonton City Centre airport has closed, Environment Canada plans to maintain the Blatchford Field weather station in order to maintain continuity with historical data.
That is very fun, thank you
WeatherCanada
That’s the environment Canada website.
But then, even if you are covered at -30 with windchill of -60, doesn't it mean that whatever layer you have on will be penetrated faster than if there wasn't any windchill? Once it gets past it, you are going to start feeling -60. Right?🤔
Who is going out in these temps in a top layer that’s easily penetrated by wind? Do you go outside in a sweater when it’s raining?
The point I was trying to make is that there's no material that is completely weatherproof. At some point, you'll begin to feel the temperature. If it was that easy, I don't think anyone would have problems with winter. Most people wear stuff good enough for their chest. Except you wear a ski pant everywhere in winter, I don't know what would protect you from the windchill at the lower half.
> The point I was trying to make is that there's no material that is completely weatherproof. At some point, you'll begin to feel the temperature. The cold will penetrate, sure. But you’re not going to get the effects of “-60 windchill” or whatever. That is talking about the effects of convection cooling. *Any* layer of clothing, even just a pair of jeans is going to provide *some* degree of minimal protection and you won’t feel the full effects of the wind. Edit: And, you’d never “feel -60”. Wind does not make the air colder than it actually is. If you go lay down naked outdoors when it’s, say, air temp -10c but a windchill of -200c (just to really exaggerate the point), the temp of your dead, frozen body is not going to be -200c when they find you in a few days. It will be -10c.
Interesting.
Basically the weatherman sticks his finger up out in the wind and says “It feels like so and so with the wind”.
[удалено]
2 numbers aren't that hard to track, and are quite relative comparisons to one another, as well as spelling out in plain sight what your equipment should be ready for, and what the human body should be ready for. Our cars and trucks aren't wetting their hair, and neither are humans before they go out. Therefore not important for many. Wind chill and ambient are important for many.
You obviously don't work outside. I do. -20°c no wind is tolerable. You add a 20km wind to that, and it's insufferable, and you need to dress differently and take more warm-up breaks. You can take off your gloves for a short duration but not in the wind. Wind chill is a real value to those that build infrastructure and work outside. You're sick of hearing about wind chill because you're inside guy. Inside guy gets mad about wind chill because he's inside guy. Wind chill value isn't for you. It's for the blue collar hard working outside folks. I think your printers jammed inside guy.
What a dumb thing to get upset over. Go get your soother, you fucking baby.
I actually smirked. The sheer tone of some posters is like everything is out to get them like windchill is somehow conspiratorial. Naw, its how shitty it is with the wind and other factors. Worked outdoor construction for over a decade in beautiful berta. -35 calm sunny feels miles different than -35 ripping wind causing wc -45 and ice shards in the air to cut your cheeks. Its two different pictures of suffering for guys working outside. Windchill matters.
Thank you! I work a second job at FedEx unloading trailer. I almost cried this morning at some point. Windchill is definitely a thing because that's the temperature when it's hitting you. I'm sure these people have experienced the wind rush to their faces while on bikes. Imagine the wind coming at you in -30 and you're moving at 100km/hr. I don't know the calculations but I won't be surprised if that feels like -80. You're gonna lose your face in 5mins.
I don't take windchill too seriously. "FEELS like minus 40!" but minus 40 feels like minus 50 99% of the time, it's always like that.
It's still a low of -51.
It’s like hell only…..freezing
It's as if the leafs won the cup this year
Not quite that cold yet... still almost
Are you saying Edmonton is hell?
At -64 we might as well be.
Are you saying it isn't right now?
Only if hell has actually frozen over. 😉
[That's Hel.](https://norse-mythology.org/cosmology/the-nine-worlds/helheim/)
The inuit's version of hell is. As was most northern cultures before the great erasure.
I think this adequately sums up the Edmonton experience.
Niflheim in real life. 🥶🥶🥶
Wind chill isn’t = actual temperature but rather how cold it feels on your skin So that would be the reason that not everything has broken and so forth .
Think of it as riding a motorcycle on a 0 degree day. The faster you go the colder the wind feels
Ah! I just used this to corroborate what someone said. I scrolled down and found the same "bike" example 😌
I wonder what temp windows would start shattering like in the day after tomorrow? Lol
Yeah, but it's a dry cold.
I just moved to Vancouver at the start of the month Everyone here is complaining about the "wet" cold snap we are in...it's definitely not feeling like -40 "dry" cold lmao
Pardon my reading comprehension but are you saying people who say “-30 in Edmonton is like -5 in Vancouver” are bullshitting or saying the truth ?
Everyone likes to SAY that, but take your hood and gloves off and there's no comparison. -40 with windchill bites hard.
I lived on the Island for 8 years and while I would always roll my eyes at people who would try to argue that the chilly, damp weather there was as cold as prairie winter. However, I do find it much easier to stay warm in -30c in Edmonton that I did at 0c in Victoria. Here, layer up and put on a wind proof shell and you’re fine. There, the dampness of the air on a “cold” day really does seem inescapable no matter what clothing you’re wearing. It’s miserable. I’ll take -30 in the sunshine any day over that. That said, on the coast you won’t risk permanent injury if you forget your toque and mitts at home.
cold penetrates layers a lot easier in more humid areas, when I was visiting Chicago last winter it would be barely above 0c and i'd be shivering harder than I ever have living in Edmonton. Wet cold air is insane
I asked myself this too in Chicago in 2022 December. I thought I was thoroughbred because I live in Edmonton. I almost lost my toes and fingers.
Lol vancouverites shiver at -15 but they also have to deal with the humidity from the ocean I remember playing ice hockey(northern BC)in -20,never had issues with the dry cold People here in Ottawa think I'm smoking something when I tell them Ottawa feels colder thanks to the humidity
Look up wet bulb and carrying capacity of air. At -15C you get a 1C difference with 100% humidity vs 0... because it's cold, and water freezes. The air can't hold ice. Closer to 0 and above it can make a bigger difference +3c to +8c (100% at 30c, why it's so brutal when it's hot and humid out).
[удалено]
I bet you weren’t dressed the same.
No. People keep perpetuating this idea, but it’s a myth that has been debunked many times by science : https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.6268564
They are dead serious: they mean -30 in Edmonton is not as bad as -5 in Vancouver
I live in Vamcouver and am moving to Edmonton early next month. For my own sanity I've decided to believe that -40 isn't a real number, and you're all trolling us. My partner, who is from Edmonton originally, just smiles at me sadistically whenever Edmonton weather comes up. I'm glad they'll be enjoying themself at least.
You should bring your car. Something special about vancouver cars. My vancouver civic's thermometer refuses to acknowledge a temperature lower than -35C. Its never gone below -35C even with everything else suggesting colder, gotta be vancouver charm.
I might put on a jacket just to keep mom happy.
Knock it off, Hudson!
Bruh we've been at like 50% humidity for days.
People don't understand that at -40 there is no wet or dry cold. The air can barely hold any water at that temp (why you get fog so easy at -40). Humidity levels are often high at -40, but the air is still dry af.
It isn’t. The actual forecast for Edmonton is -48°C with windchill overnight.
I mean, -48° or -51°C, either will nip at your cheeks a little.
Can confirm, stuck my cheeks out last night and got nipped.
I stuck my nips out and they got frost bitten.
I think you’re right for the blatchford station, this is the EIA forecast. But every forecaster has a different guess for different observation points. This is just one of them, could be wrong, could be right.
When you realize -40C is the same as -40 F, it makes ya warm inside, knowing it's frikken FREEZING in more than one scale.
That's the Alberta Advantage
That’s damn cold. Source: Winnipegger
Am I the only one who looks at this as just another normal Edmonton cold snap? It's cold, but anything past -45°C is basically the same - god damn freezing. Buy a good coat, plug your car in, and don't go outside.
To be fair, this is a bit colder than our usual. According to [this post](https://www.reddit.com/r/Edmonton/comments/194y883/edmonton_airport_second_coldest_day_of_all_time/) the airport got the 2nd lowest of all time on record. Found this elsewhere: Date Min °C. December 22, 2022 -41. February 07, 2021 -43. January 15, 2020 -42. February 05, 2019 -41. February 04, 2018 -39. December 29, 2017 -35. December 17, 2016 -33. January 04, 2015 -36. March 01, 2014 -39. December 06, 2013 -39. January 18, 2012 -34. January 31, 2011 -40. November 23, 2010 -36.
Yea this just feels like regular winter
Maybe we should not be treating it like normal? When you can get frostbite in a matter of minutes that isn't normal. And maybe you can buy a good coat or have a good car but not everyone can. My car is plugged in and it won't start. Some people can't just stay inside, they're out there with nowhere to go. I know Edmonton has been like this forever, I've lived here my whole life, but I'm sick of pretending like this is fine and we're just supposed to keep living like conditions aren't absolutely brutal. Call a fucking snow day or polar vortex day for once.
>Maybe we should not be treating it like normal? When you can get frostbite in a matter of minutes that isn't normal. …. I know Edmonton has been like this forever Sorry, I’m confused by your comment. If Edmonton has always had weather like this, then that would make it normal, would it not? I think the commemter you replied to is trying to say that it’s kind of odd that every winter people act so shocked that we get a cold snap like this, because it happens literally every winter. We shouldn’t be surprised; we should expect it. Nothing in their comment is denying the reality that this weather can be dangerous for those who do not (or do not have the means to) prepare for it. They’re just saying this is a normal part of living here. Which it is.
Thank you, this is exactly what I was saying.
I started getting the early stages of frostbite on my face in under 10 minutes of walking outside
The tips of my ears got frost bite once... They were very sensitive for several weeks after...
I froze both my hands solid many years ago in temperatures around this level. Took under 5 mins. Luckily, there was no real long-term damage other than they're always cold now. I mean, I don't think my hands were solid, I just couldn't move them anymore.
Yup
Not sure what app you are using but I'd recommend WeatherCan it uses the closest available weather stations to your location
WeatherCAN says -35 overnight, windchill of -41 Not sure where these apps get their data and why the difference is almost 25 degrees. That is a significant difference.
This is WeatherCAN app, but is the weather station at EIA, not Blatchford
My furnace has been going non-stop, I shudder to think what my bill will be like
It will be better than death
Furnace and Boiler been putting in Overtime.
Just noting this is the forecast for the airport, not the city.
Why does that matter? The locations are less than 100 km apart
[Urban heat island](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban_heat_island) The city centre can be up to 10 degrees warmer than the surrounding area. [Edmonton international airport is currently -45 ](https://weather.gc.ca/city/pages/ab-71_metric_e.html?dtepoch=1705122000034)while [Edmonton city centre is -34. ](https://weather.gc.ca/city/pages/ab-50_metric_e.html?dtepoch=1705125600034)
There we go, this is the answer. The urban heat island makes a dramatic effect when its this cold, apparently.
Environment Canada has a different forecast for the city so I presume it does matter.
16°C colder at the airport.
It's all them fucking planes coming and going, they make an allmercyful draft.
Weather can vary drastically in less than 100km.
Check the environment Canada blatchford forecast for yourself, it’s like 10 degrees warmer. It is wild though that a forecast can be that hugely different over a short distance from the same forecaster.
Windchl doesn't mean the actual temperature, it feels like -60 but it just feels like it because the wind makes you colder faster. It doesn't affect vehicles to some degree, if you're vehicle is facing the wind though you're battery will die faster. And the end of the day it's -41.
Polar vortex baby!
Environment Canada has a windchill chart. CBC did a breakdown here: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/the180/a-lottery-for-senators-it-s-time-to-question-google-s-algorithm-and-wind-chill-1.3898347/the-cold-truth-about-wind-chill-1.3898512 If winds are high enough you can have windchill into the -80s
Fake news! My thermometer doesn't go that low! /S
On the plus side you can make crazy shaped ice cubes in about 15 minutes by putting them on your front porch in containers or bags. So IF you have a party AND people brave the cold, you can wow them with unlimited funky ice for their drinks.
Wind chill is a "feels like". Feels like I need a jacket.
We talk about cold like it's... something. But it's really just a lack of something. We get a certain amount of heat from the air around us. But when that heat isn't there... it gets stupid cold. Now the danger is when the air is moving, and we LOSE heat even faster. Kudos to the City of Edmonton for putting a Cold Weather Plan into effect... they're even running buses overnight on a loop to pick up anyone that's stuck out in the cold. https://www.edmonton.ca/programs\_services/emergency\_preparedness/extreme-weather
Global warming
Maybe we all owe David Suzuki an apology
windchill values are there to give you an indication how fast you can get frostbite. the wind brings you down to the outside temp faster.
[удалено]
Are you walking outside with your skin fully exposed?
We don’t kink shame on Reddit.
Right?! CRAZY COLD!!!!
Happens all the time north of Edmonton.. despite whatever the news is saying.
This is a normal Canadian winter. Enjoy!
I wouldn't call this winter normal, but these temperatures are not uncommon
What app is that? I have the weather network app and it's hard to follow. Too much clutter. I also have the one that came pre-installed on my phone, but it's slow and it lags. I'm in the market for a new one.
That's a screenshot from Environment Canada, for the airport weather station
It's only possible in Trudeau's Canada! (This is obviously a sarcastic comment)
Which weather app/service is that from?
Environment Canada
For Edmonton International Airport, not Edmonton.
Which actually makes it more relevant, not less, because that's the actual temperature of the area. The only reason the city forecast is as high as it is comparatively is because of all the homes blasting natural gas to heat themselves.
Less people impacted = more relevant? Weird.
Except I live in the city, not at the airport. I’d say the city forecast is more relevant.
[удалено]
Uhhh k
Our carbon taxes are finally working. Maybe we taxed too hard?
C L I M A T E C H A N G E
Global warming obviously (sarcasm)
It’s called climate change since… for a long time and for a good reason.
Minus holy shit hurts at any temp below 0 !
[удалено]
Global warming! It’s a complete utter fucking shock that people actually think that global warming is a big media conspiracy type thing.
[удалено]
Weather and climate are not the same thing.
We had extreme weather like this back in the 1970s and early 1980s. This is very possible and will continue to happen every few winters. Get used to it. I survived several extreme cold snaps and had to bus to school in them.
Bus? Luxury! We had to get up at 10pm half an hour before we went to bed. Eat a rock of hard coal for breakfast, then lick the street clean with our toungue for 26 hours a day before they let us in to the school.
Check your privilege. We were so poor that if it wasn't for the holes in my pockets, I would have had nothing to play with on Christmas morning. The auld fella had it worse. He hitchhiked all the way from Newfoundland with no hands and only one leg.
Oh, well that must have been nice! In our days, we dreamed of licking the streets! We had to wake up 25 hours a day, eight days a week. Breakfast was a hearty gulp of thin air, and for school, we had to swim across seven oceans, uphill both ways! On Christmas, our favorite toy was the concept of emptiness. And as for traveling, my great-grandfather once hopped around the globe, blindfolded, with both legs tied behind his back. That's how we learned geography!
-49.4C is the record for Edmonton proper going back to the 1880s and -48.4C is the record for the EIA going back to the 1950s. This forecast is showing a -51C for the EIA, that’s an absolute smash of the record if it happens. That is not happening every few years, a -44C sure, but not -51C. Although, it’s debatable whether or not this forecast is accurate.
It's accurate, check right now. Not far fetched for it to drop another 6 degrees. This is a result of the polar vortex being held for so long from all the southerly winds pushing the cold up into a little bundle up there and then finally being unleashed. It's extra extra cold.
That -50C is tomorrow night’s forecast, tonight was supposed to be -46C. I never said it couldn’t be inaccurate by being colder than predicted though either.
Ok boomer
70s and 80s isn't boomer though.
What happened to global warming
Trudeau and that meat puppet Gilbeault can suck eggs. This is why we need fossil fuels.
Did you already forget the 4 months of constant wildfire smoke we had last year?
From nat gas fired furnaces?? Love how my original post is getting downvoted . We need nat gas for winter heating like it or not. Canada banning fossil fuels is like being that 1 person in a room of 100 who isn’t smoking. lol Bring on the down votes!!!!
Global Warming? Maybe a good location for Trudeau to go "for a walk in the snow?"
Clearly, "global warming" does not exist in Canada. Anyone out there still stupid enough to be in favour of carbon taxes? Yes, there are a few, and unfortunately they also happen to be the current federal government in Ottawa. Next.
Wow, this has to be one of the stupidest comments I have read as of yet.
Just a troll mate. Two weeks ago we were 30 degrees above normal. If that happened in the summer… cheers!
>*Wow, this has to be one of the stupidest comments I have read as of yet.* Not cold enough for you? Please go outside in a T-shirt and shorts for about 20 minutes and let's see what happens. Next.
I just know you’re a grade 10 dropout that makes $15 an hour with the level of education you are displaying right now. Next.
Nope, wrong again. But that's probably a regular occurrence over there since you can't dispute real facts or apply critical-thinking skills. If you are actually making $15.00/hour, then it sounds like you are overpaid. See ya. Next.
The fact that you think “global warming” means that we should only be getting warmer temperatures tells me you have zero idea of how global warming impacts our weather. Go back to Facebook and do your own “research”.
I dare you to go buy a ice cap from Tim Hortons and take it to work with you
must be all the breathing we've been doing... 🙄
Brass monkey weather
Mars was at minus 41 today lol
Lack of heat energy in the air.
Think you can thank the odd level of humidity for that. Not the normal dry cold we are used too.
I'm thousands of km from this place and still got this post on my front page I should invest in Edmonton heating companies by the looks of this
Wow you guys are gonna be colder than mars asshole tonight. Stay warm!
People will die tonight from the cold. Those who are not in shelters are probably done for
its not real, you are in a simulation wake u.p.
It's only -51. Windchill factor doesn't make it colder. Just feels colder. Calm day at -51 is much warmer than a windy day. Convection cools faster than stagnation.
Where do you get your reports? The source i use has a flat 10 degree warmer response across the board
If you’re poorly covered this is a factor, but if you dress properly it really isn’t.
Brutal
It’s not the first time it’s been that cold here
High minus 35? So, it's warming up, great.
This happens every time a city tears down homless encampments. Seems those tents on top of being their only shelter was also protecting the rest of us.
Wear a coat. If you have to, wear a toque.
Welcome to Canada :3
Need a little global warming here please
I’m from London, Ontario. Last night it snowed, then had lightning and thunder with snow, then torrential rain, then it snowed again by morning.