Dangerous cold grips northeast U.S., could break Valentine's Day records

[Lodestar]

Source: Reuters

A dangerous cold snap seized the northeastern United States on Saturday with temperatures in some areas set to fall below zero and Boston facing its coldest Valentine's Day in almost four decades.

Officials warned people to stay indoors away from what the National Weather Service described as "life threatening" cold. Wind chill advisories were in effect over parts of nine states extending from northern Pennsylvania to western Maine, with forecasters expecting gusts up to 45 miles per hour (72 kph).

"Wind chills will be getting colder and colder as the day goes on," said Alan Dunham, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Taunton, Massachusetts.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-weather-idUSKCN0VM0O6

[dhill926]

1. makes me almost feel guilty...

about the weather we're having in SoCal....almost....

[dembotoz]

2. vengeance is a dish best served cold...my Valentine thought for the day this year

and the weather is helping

[Spitfire of ATJ]

3. We just had temps in the 70s.

[LS_Editor]

4. Man Observes It's Cold Outside, Tries to Embarrass World's Scientists

THAT MUST MEAN GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE IS BULLSHIT! Ugh...

Some satire mocking such "reasoning"...

Man Observes It's Cold Outside, Tries to Embarrass World's Scientists

BROCKTON, MASSACHUSETTS (The Nil Admirari) - Today, a Massachusetts man with a record of following right-wing media observed it was cold outside, and shared his observation on social media to embarrass the world's scientists. Thomas Basil, a construction worker and married father of two, used his superior deductive reasoning skills to shame science and destroy the scientific theory of global climate change with his rival scientific thesis that climate change was bullshit.

+

Mr. Basil continued to advance his scientific thesis with his second post, which read, "ITS COLD OUTSIDE MORANS. Wheres GLOBBELL WARMENG? ROFL!"

[meow2u3]

5. 11 degress and falling outside Easton PA

In my little town outside the Poconos, it's supposed to get down to -3 with a -25 degree wind chill.

[Cassiopeia]

6. 73 here

Bundle up northerners.

[restorefreedom]

7. stay safe, everybody...and please remember the pets!!!! nt

[magical thyme]

8. it was nearly 60 last week here. Tonight will be 5 below;

tomorrow night 12 below. That's not including wind chill.

But still nothing compared to last winter. Our coldest morning was 24 below at 6:30am, 21 below by 7am. Don't know what it was between 4and 6:30am, when it's usually at its coldest.

And we had a lot of double digit below in a row last winter too.

Still, bundled up the ponies and threw them a big pile of extra hay (fuel since they heat from the inside out by digesting hay). Made a nest for the kitty and left extra food. Hot water for all so their water will be drinkable longer. By morning I'll be breaking ice.

brrrr

[passiveporcupine]

9. I broke down two years ago and bought a heated five gallon bucket for my goats

Best decision I ever made. Had to run over 100' of taped together extension cords to keep it powered, but I didn't have to fight breaking ice out of their water and carrying down jugs of water to replace it. They cost $50 but are so worth it.

I hope this sudden shift in temps won't affect the horses too much. I hope they hadn't started losing their winter hair yet.

[magical thyme]

11. they normally start shedding in January

regardless of the weather.

And the ups and downs are tough. I blanketed them last night for the first time this winter, which I'm certain helped them. They were cold but not shivery this morning, unlike yesterday morning when Dahli was shivering a little.

Amazed to find they'd eaten almost every bit of hay last night. There's usually a couple handfuls left over. I left them double their normal amount and headed down an hour early this morning.

I've thought of getting power to the water, but fear one or the other getting curious and biting down on the cord. My senegal parrot, Jerry, got curious about a lamp cord once and bit down. I'll never forget that! Explosion and he stood there looking dazed and confused. I ran across the room and picked him up. I could smell burning! Ran him to the bathroom and rinsed his mouth -- water came out slightly brownish! He's fine, though. That was 15 or 20 years ago. He's sitting on my shoulder as I type this.

[passiveporcupine]

12. The incident with the bird had to be scary

I'm glad Jerry survived without any ill effects. I love birds so much...you are so lucky to have a parrot.

The bucket cord comes wrapped in wire to protect it from bites. I have mine set up next to the paddock fence, and my electric cord doesn't reach inside the fence...the bucket cord reaches through the fence (and is tied so it can't be pulled loose). I know horses have stronger mouths, but these buckets are designed for livestock. See if you can find a used one on Craigslist or a local freecycle or classified, and give it a shot. I bet you'll never look back. It's so comforting to know they have water whenever they need it.

It doesn't get anywhere near as cold here as where you live. It's gotten below 0° only once that I remember since I've lived here. I just don't understand how livestock or wildlife (especially tiny things like hummingbirds) can produce enough body heat to survive frigid temps. I had two Anna's hummingbirds here all winter and I didn't even know they wintered over up in the Cascades where I am. I know extreme changes in temps can be hard on me...it's gotta be hard on outside animals too.

[magical thyme]

14. I am blessed to have Jerry

I brought him home in a little box. When I opened the box and he looked up at me...I'll never forget the look. He is absolutely devoted. None of my other birds has been so devoted to me. I got him to be a friend to a rescued wild-caught senegal I called Bennie. Jerry wasn't thrilled about that, but was stoic. Never complained, bonded with and cared for Bennie. Now with Bennie gone, hangs on my shoulder all the time. Eats from my dishes, lol. Steals the nuts from my morning oatmeal. Sometimes on top of my head. Loves sweet potatoes -- sometimes I'll have a forkful headed for my mouth and he hangs down from my hair and grabs it just as I'm about to. Napping on my shoulder as I type this...

I think I'll look into the bucket. Lugging hot water for 2 horses from the kitchen is getting really old. I injured my left elbow 12 years ago building the barn -- just strained all the soft tissue so that arm was out of commission the following winter -- and I feel it every winter.

[passiveporcupine]

15. It was physical problems that made me look into the bucket

Last edited Sun Feb 14, 2016, 06:10 PM - Edit history (2)

It's hard for me to lug heavy jugs of water down to the goat barn, and especially tricky in deep snow or on ice, and I can't shovel paths because of shoulder problems. I wish I'd gotten a bucket years ago.

My grandmother had a sweet parakeet named Chi Chi, whom we all lived with. At dinner time we'd be at the table eating and Chi Chi would climb down from her cage, walk across to the table (she had clipped wings), and circle the table till she found clothing to climb, or someone picked her up. Then she would circle the table seeking the best food on each person's plate, or perch on a coffee cup or glass. We all loved her so much. It's funny the things we put up with when we love our critters. Jerry sounds absolutely adorable.

Oh another thing you might want to consider. I have an oval galvanized stock water tank (approx 100 gallon) that I used when I had my horse and in winter I kept a stock tank deicer in it. Horses go through a lot more water than goats, so that might be a better option for you. And a 1000 watt deicer is only about $25, as compared to a 5 lb bucket for $50 that you will still need to carry water to pretty often with two horses. My horse never messed with the floating tank deicer. It too has a wire wrapped cord.

[magical thyme]

16. I found a no-electricity solution for the same price!

First, it dawned on me that I'll still be carrying water from the kitchen because I don't have water in the barn, lol. But at least I want less ice breaking and less waste of the water I hand carry down.

My initial research left me with the same issues re:fire risk as I had before, which are pretty much horse related (versus goat-related). 2 horses can drink down a 5 gallon bucket to nothing overnight even in the cold. I put out 2 buckets, but it is not uncommon for them to decide to both drink from the same bucket, so I'll find one near empty and the other near full. The electric buckets need at least 6" of water in them -- less than that and there is risk of fire. The feedback at the link below cite examples of near-fires....gaaaah.

Then I stumbled across this bucket insulator that apparently works quite well and costs about the same as an electric-heated bucket. Yippee!!!
http://store.wildangelcozy.com/water-bucket-cozy/

[passiveporcupine]

17. That cozy loooks like a great idea.

I can't imagine the buckets burning if they are sitting outside in the wet and cold like mine is. Mine has run below 6" of water and it's not been a problem; but inside a barn, with dry hay, that might be a totally different story. And yeah, a five gallon bucket really isn't big enough for two horses. And they need the water to digest the hay to stay warm.

I hope the cozy works for you.

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

10. For Maine, this is just normal weather this time of year.

It has been unusually warm. This the first taste of normal cold we've had all winter. Kids still have skiing lessons tomorrow. We've skied in such weather before. You just wear several layers and wear a winter face mask. It's supposed go right back to being warm again on Tuesday... 40's. That's t-shirt and shorts weather around here.

[MissMillie]

13. All I can think of is that dog I saw on Friday

He was loose and out and about. He didn't look homeless to me, but I was not that close.

If he was outside last night, he wouldn't have made it.

We have no hot water in the kitchen sink and the bathroom sink. The toilet flushes, and if we want to shower we can. The washer is not working.

IT IS COLD!!!!!!!!