General Chat

We currently have a Polar Vortex covering much of Canada and down in part of eastern US.

Temperatures are getting down to -35C and as low as -50C, before the wind chill factor is added in.

However, I never heard of this being done in Canada .................. Chicago is setting fire to its train tracks to stop them freezing so they can keep the trains running

https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/30/us/chicago-train-tracks-fire-trnd/index.html



PS ............... the west coast where I live is NOT in the Vortex, though it will be getting colder here at the weekend. Some of our members do live in the affected parts of Canada, so keep your fingers crossed for them!

We do have to remember that Ottawa is often the coldest capital in the world!

It must be horrific for the people in the worst parts, I am glad you are not in it.

It was only -5 here last night, tropical in comparison

Whilst I prefer the cold to the heat, I have no wish to experience those type of extreme cold temperatures :-0

Stay safe to all those affected

Sylvia fancy a house swap for a few days?? :-D :-D
Feels like minus 36 so not as bad as some....this is when I don't care what I look like big warm clothes and boots and a massive wool scarf over the face....

Hope our friends coping with this are OK. Is this a bit unusual even for that area? Hope you stay warm anyway Sylvia. It is very cold here (for us), so we are staying in today. However it is not so bad that if we had to go out it would be a problem. We just choose to stay in.

Keep warm alright for us here 4ins snow minus 6 last night
Very extreme cold for Canada & parts of America how do the homeless cope do they get help when it's so cold .here there are more sleeping rough than ever .what is the solution Barbara

You are absolutely right Sylvia.

We have family in the Midwest and they are really suffering.

Yes, they are heating the rails on the E-trains to keep them running. Some of the firms have closed for a few days, so that the workers do not have to venture out.

Some of the yellow school buses are shuttling people with frostbite to the Emergency Rooms. Not very clever at all is it?

We moan about snow over here, but by golly, that is diabolical over there.

I told the inlaws to forget about the bills for the heating, just KEEP WARM.

Barbara...the homeless in these situations extra buildings are opened including Government buildings to shelter them during the day and night; not always beds but warmth and food etc available. They can be either driven or given tickets for buses etc to get to shelters. If they refuse to go extra sleeping bags and clothes are given to anyone found and food is taken around. Shelters relax restrictions eg drink and drugs as much as possible. Some will still refuse help though sadly. The shelters were already over crowded before the cold hit.

Thank you Caroline sounds as though people who.need help get it as you say some don't want it or to proud shame as there are so many deaths due to extreme weather conditions & unfortunately muggings assaults.Take Care Barbara

Yes, as Caroline says ........

............. there are severe weather shelters that are opened whenever the temperature is forecast to dip below 0C (in Vancouver). Plus the regular shelters where homeless people can go every night will put foam mattresses, sheets and pillows out dormitory style in any available space (eg the dining area!).

Some of the shelters are more relaxed than others in that drink or drugs, and pets are allowed. Others will allow homeless people to take in their wheelies that contain their belongings, while others refuse to accept those because of lack of room.

In addition, designated warming centres are announced, in public buildings such as community centres and libraries.

Thank you all for your good wishes for those suffering these extreme temperatures .................

I think the big difference between when I lived in the UK and living here is that we really do dress for the weather, and our houses are all centrally heated

I saw an interview with one man in Winnipeg, which is having this brutal weather, and he said "I'm wearing 7 layers"!!!!!!!!!!!!

Even here in Vancouver, OH and I have winter jackets that are rated down to -25C when wearing an ordinary light -weight sweater, -35C as we add layers. Daughter asked if she and her OH could have that same make for Christmas presents .... they arrived in time for their cold weather. It's been getting down to -18C in Halifax, NS. If we lived where Caroline lives, I'd be wearing the next weight up, which is rated for -35C when wearing a light sweater.

We add silk or thermal long johns and turtlenecks under our clothing as the need arises.

We also don't turn the heating off at night ............. we turn it down to between 14 and 17C depending on what is forecast. That way it doesn't take long to warm up in the morning, and we don't waste energy having to turn it up way too high to warm up the house.

The other thing that I've noticed is that we have special winter tyres that give good traction, and you don't seem to have (or use?) those. I certainly had never heard of them before I left the UK in 1967, yet they were common over here even back then. So traffic is not paralysed by cars or trucks getting stuck in the slightest amount of snow or on the smallest hill.

But Sylvia...house swap????

Snow tires aren't compulsory in most areas, they should be. That said some then drive like idiots because they have them.

You forgot block heaters for the cars.....basically we can plug the engine in to warm it up before we start the engine.

To give an idea my winter very unfashionable boots are good to minus 40 and I live in a town not the middle of nowhere :-D

There was updates on the news where the inlaws live.

If you venture out, don't take deep breaths, and don't talk too much.

Wear a scarf over your mouth and nose.

house swap????


errrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr .......... no!!

Unless I can stay in all day in the warmth, and just look out at the snow and cold :-D



Interestingly, snow or winter tyres are not compulsory in Vancouver, but you can be fined if you drive in snow, get stuck, impede traffic and are found to not have winter tyres installed

A lot of people drove without them back when we first arrived here, many of them believed that putting heavy weights in the trunk of the car added enough weight to the back of the car to get them out of any trouble. We found out the fallacy of that belief the first winter ............. that's when we discovered that every road off the UBC campus had a hill somewhere.

Campus would be closed due to the snow if it reached 10cm, and all those who could would leave immediately, especially Plant Operations guys (ie maintenance, truck drivers, janitors, etc). Many of them believed in the weight in the trunk. But we'd always be later leaving ......... OH was faculty and often could not just walk out that minute and I had to wait for him.

Almost every time we would find that every road off campus was blocked by stuck cars, except for the steepest one which led down to English Bay and then required one to drive up an equally steep hill to get away from there. OH would put chains on over his winter tyres and off we'd go ................ and get home in only a little bit longer than normal!

In those days, you could drive with chains on or with studded tyres in the city, now both are forbidden.

Snow or winter tyres are compulsory in most other areas of BC, along with a requirement in some places to also carry chains.

OH always has winter tyres on the car year round ..... they also give good traction on the gravel or muddy roads that we used to drive on a lot.


I'd forgotten block heaters ............ we don't need them in the Lower Mainland, but yes, a great necessity in many areas. Along with plug-ins outside motels and sometimes in parking areas in the colder cities (like Winnipeg).

We actually had a block heater installed in our car some 20-25 years ago because we were driving regularly to northern BC where OH's sister lived, an area with 5-6 months winter and very low temperatures.

Motown .........

yes all good advice!!

One male TV reporter in Winnipeg talked about walking to work the other morning ........ well wrapped up, hood with fur trim over his head, scarf over mouth and nose etc etc ................ and getting ice "mascara" on his eyelashes :-D


Danger is when you feel or hear crackling in your nose. That means the inside of your nose is freezing.

We'll be moaning it's too hot before you know it :-D :-D

Of course we will :-D :-D

That's the Canadian way!

I'm sorry, It's 'terriby' cold, here- - 6 apparently.

If I hear crackling in my nose, I know I've put the pork scratchings in the wrong orifice!

:-D :-D

Stay warm Maggie may all your pork scratchings and otherwise end up in the correct orifice...

We have had a 'dusting' of a couple of inches here. Weather warning, and 'good advice' on the local news last night.

'Don't wear high heels in the snow, ladies'. Well, who would have though it?

Patronising? Surely not. :-P :-P :-P