so how cold is -40? (McGrath: living, military, shop)

[starlite9]

Well when I was a kid, the neatest thing to do in the sub -20 and colder regions of the yard, I use to live to blow bubbles!

They would start to rise with the warm air in them, and they you could see the frost cover the entire bubble and they would start to drop, when they hit the ground or other object, they "Crashed" instead of popping, and left small "Ice domes" and bubbles all over the place, use to use gallons of bubble soap!

But splitting firewood is really easy once you get down below -20, the wood is frozen hard and when you hit it, it just explodes in to pieces.... Unless of course you have a piece full of knots, then you're out of luck!

[hatin11r]

If you breath too fast before your respitory tract warms the air, you can get frost bite in your lungs.VERY painful ! Guess how I know.....

[Just1Fan]

Colder than a polar bears toe nails.

[JavaPhil]

I came up in early 2001, and wound up going up to Coldfoot in February. The truck was plugged into a faulty outlet and froze the engine overnight. It took 3 hours with a torpedo heater to get the engine unfrozen to the point it would turn over. Same trip, I was putting a plastic organizer with various nuts, bolts and washers into the bed of a pickup. I dropped it about 8 inches and it shattered. It was a bear to pick up all those washers, because I had to take off my gloves to be able to do that. A week later, it was 15 degrees above and I was out in sweatshirt, no jacket, because it felt WARM.

[starlite9]

Well if you have a flask of whiskey in your backpack at -40 and take a big swig of it, your throat and airways will instantly freeze shut and you will suffocate to death! Know of two cases that the guys were out and took a drink at sub zero temps and died.

One guy thought his buddy was being funny grabbing his throat, falling off his snowmachine and flopping around, by the time he took his friend seriously, it was too late.

[AGuyFromCleveland18]

Send us some of that weather. It was about 50 above today in Minneapolis. We want us some winter down here!

[Zembonez]

WOW. This thread makes me happy it was 70 and sunny here today!

[jefffla01]

Living in Milwaukee, I can remember the week of the Ice Bowl in 1967-----temps were down near 20 below on a couple of occasions.

We had a bunch of frozen pipes -------it was so cold that a trip to the store, about 8 blocks away seemed to take an eterntiy to drive.

Any other Wisconites on here as old as I am who indeed remember the week of the Ice Bowl game in Green Bay?

[Dakster]

Originally Posted by starlite9

Well if you have a flask of whiskey in your backpack at -40 and take a big swig of it, your throat and airways will instantly freeze shut and you will suffocate to death! Know of two cases that the guys were out and took a drink at sub zero temps and died.

One guy thought his buddy was being funny grabbing his throat, falling off his snowmachine and flopping around, by the time he took his friend seriously, it was too late.

Dang... That sucks...

[SityData]

I know of a native elder in Barrow that has lost 3 of his wives to alcohol. Froze to death outside.

Go figure.. he is 75 now; has been in an alcoholic since age 14!!