Describe how you're handling the very cold weather, please. (Indianapolis: apartment, houses)

[ImmerLernen]

Sitting here in SoCal and (somewhat) lamenting our sunny and 75-degree+ weather in late December, I've been reading about the record-breaking cold weather in other parts of the country. I've also been checking my weather app from time to time for the Indy area...and BRRRRRR, it sure sounds cold to me!

So, I'm wondering, how have you been managing with the cold weather? Is it really *that* cold (unusually so, in your experience, for this time of year)? What changes do you make in your day-to-day lives when it gets this cold? What do families with kids do ... and what can't you do ... when it gets super cold? Is it the cold, or is it the wind that's more of a problem? How do you dress to go out?

I'm asking as a potential transplant who has only vacationed for short periods and only a couple times in my life to places where/when it was super cold. And I was prepared for it. But vacations are different from actually living someplace with all of life's responsibilities to attend to. So, I'm interested in hearing what you Indy-area residents have to say!

[Serious Conversation]

You don't really get used to it, especially as someone from a warmer area IMO.

I had a remote start car at the time. I'd start it 15-20 minutes before I left in the morning, and always left the heat knob turned on at full blast on those super cold days. I never even got out of the apartment.

If you don't have a carport or garage, use a Frostguard windshield cover like the below. It will make your windshield virtually frost-free. Just strip the cover off and throw it in the trunk. Get a long handled frost scraper with a brush on the other side too. Invest in gloves and wool socks. Keep a backpack with at least a couple of bottles of water, a few snacks, and preferably a portable cell phone battery bank. Bring those in and out at night. Always keep as 12V charger and a cable for your cell in your car. Just common sense.



The level of cold going on now is very unusual for Indy. I lived there for three years and rarely, if ever, saw it get this cold before January. And this pattern seems locked in.

Where I am in Tennessee is just as cold as Carmel now, largely due to higher elevation, but we will reach in the mid to upper 30s tomorrow.

I always layer up. It's much easier for me to walk outside for thirty seconds in ten degree weather to a warm car, wearing a jacket, and taking the jacket off once I get into the office, than to wear some heavy sweater. I very rarely wear heavy winter sweaters, and honestly, I mostly wear polos or light long-sleeved shirts. The big exception is that I tend to wear warm wool socks.

[ischyros]

It really hasn't broken any records here, though New Year's Day's high of 5 will be close to the record low high of 1. Nothing different really. Still went to work as normal. Some people go out less, such as eating out or shopping. You just have to bundle up. Wear gloves. If out for more than just going from the parking lot to inside, wear a hat and probably a scarf. Obviously a warm coat. As for kids, there are things to do inside. They can still go outside if they bundle up and are only out for short periods. That's where the term "cabin fever" comes from, being cooped up inside because it is too cold to be outside. It's hard on your car and you'll find out if it your battery is wearing out pretty quickly. It also reduces the air pressure in your tires. I think I've read you lose a pound of pressure for every 10 degrees below freezing the temperature drops. And it tests how well you winterized your house (sealed around windows, disconnected any garden hoses outside, insulated pipes). Dead batteries in cars and frozen pipes in houses seem to be the biggest issues I hear about when it gets this cold.

The wind makes it worse but it really hasn't been too windy with this cold air. We usually have cold snaps like this in the winter. It does seem a bit earlier than normal this year but it was only a few years ago that the first weekend of January ended with temps well below zero for a couple days. And the National Weather Service pointed out yesterday that it's nowhere near the longest we've ever gone below freezing. December 1976-January 1977 saw 36 days straight without rising above the freezing mark. Today is just day 6 below freezing and the last forecast I saw this morning had us getting back above freezing by next weekend.

The nice thing about such cold temps is they make even 30 degrees feel warm!

[hapaleeretired]

I was a mail man for thirty years. Most of that time I had a foot route and you know what they say: Through rain and snow, sleet and hail...Have no fear...I'll bring your mail BUT.......when it goes above ninety in the hot summer sun....forget you folks.....the mail don't run". lol
The previous post is solid advice. We have a bag in each of our cars with extra socks, gloves, dickies (turtle necks), hand heat packs and an extra jacket. Also: Put in a candle and some matches. Hope you never need it but it would provide an amazing amount of warmth. I also carry a sleeping bag. Hey, why store it in the closet instead of in the car. Hope I never need it.
SC also mention Layering up. YES. Layers are the way to deal with the cold. If, like most people, you wear one heavy jacket, if you go into a store you get hot, sweat and they freeze when you go back outside. You'll be buying boots. Try them on over two layers of socks: Cotton on skin and a pair of woolies or some of the new materials available at sporting goods store. Items that were most important to me when working outside were my layers: Tee shirt, long sleeve turtle neck (and a dickie or scarf if really cold) and a good quality quilted sweat shirt. Then, my outer jacket or coat. Forget vanity when it's cold! And remember, you loose most of your body heat up through the top of your head. A balaclava was THE best hat I've ever had. Bought one from LLBean thirty years ago and still use it. I'd wear it over a stocking cap on really cold days.
I mentioned sporting goods stores. Materials have changed these past years with "wicking" and other bennies. Just remember "layers" as you can peel a layer or two off when it warms up.
This current cold spell is freakish. We just look at MN or Erie PA and consider how lucky we are.
People in FL tell me they can stay IN when it gets really hot. They have AC. Well, if it is really that cold we can stay home and enjoy our furnaces. And, you can have food delivered if necessary.
At home don't keep the house too warm. My wife has trouble with hands getting cold: Heating pad or toss a bean bag (love those things) into the micro wave for two minutes.

[ischyros]

Originally Posted by hapaleeretired

I was a mail man for thirty years. Most of that time I had a foot route and you know what they say: Through rain and snow, sleet and hail...Have no fear...I'll bring your mail BUT.......when it goes above ninety in the hot summer sun....forget you folks.....the mail don't run". lol
The previous post is solid advice. We have a bag in each of our cars with extra socks, gloves, dickies (turtle necks), hand heat packs and an extra jacket. Also: Put in a candle and some matches. Hope you never need it but it would provide an amazing amount of warmth. I also carry a sleeping bag. Hey, why store it in the closet instead of in the car. Hope I never need it.
SC also mention Layering up. YES. Layers are the way to deal with the cold. If, like most people, you wear one heavy jacket, if you go into a store you get hot, sweat and they freeze when you go back outside. You'll be buying boots. Try them on over two layers of socks: Cotton on skin and a pair of woolies or some of the new materials available at sporting goods store. Items that were most important to me when working outside were my layers: Tee shirt, long sleeve turtle neck (and a dickie or scarf if really cold) and a good quality quilted sweat shirt. Then, my outer jacket or coat. Forget vanity when it's cold! And remember, you loose most of your body heat up through the top of your head. A balaclava was THE best hat I've ever had. Bought one from LLBean thirty years ago and still use it. I'd wear it over a stocking cap on really cold days.
I mentioned sporting goods stores. Materials have changed these past years with "wicking" and other bennies. Just remember "layers" as you can peel a layer or two off when it warms up.
This current cold spell is freakish. We just look at MN or Erie PA and consider how lucky we are.
People in FL tell me they can stay IN when it gets really hot. They have AC. Well, if it is really that cold we can stay home and enjoy our furnaces. And, you can have food delivered if necessary.
At home don't keep the house too warm. My wife has trouble with hands getting cold: Heating pad or toss a bean bag (love those things) into the micro wave for two minutes.

Didn't even think about mentioning an emergency kit in the car. Definitely have a blanket in the car in case you get stranded. And don't forget pets. It's illegal to leave pets outside when it's this cold. Ridiculous that there has to be an actual law for that, but there is.

[MortonR]

I dealt with the cold by moving back to Florida. That pretty much resolved all of the cold weather issues for me.

However, layering is the way to go, both inside and out, as is having “survival gear” in each vehicle. Don’t forget a high quality set of jumper cables, too!

Just as in when moving to Texas it’s said you are provided a pickup truck and handgun, when I moved to Wisconsin it was a set of jumper cables...

RM in the bitter cold of Florida at 68F

[hapaleeretired]

Rub it in Mort
We'll check back with you mid July

[Pincho-toot]

Its colder where I live and I'm doing just fine. Plan to ice skate on New Years Day.

Its the holiday weekend and most people don't have to really go out anyway. I'm wondering how busy work will be this weekend with sub-zero highs and much of our clients that commute by bus. I sure wouldn't wanna wait for a bus in cold this deep!!

In my honest opinion, once its below 10 degrees, the changes are subtle. I enjoy the cold which is one reason I moved to the Midwest. Looks like nowhere in the Midwest is safe from the upcoming icy wrath, tho!

[W & C]

Wear warmer clothes.

Turn on the heat.

Run inside on the treadmill instead of outside in the park.

[MortonR]

Originally Posted by hapaleeretired

Rub it in Mort
We'll check back with you mid July

Please do!

Having lived in the Indianapolis area for over 30 years, I can assure you that the worst summer day on the west central coast of Florida (Tampa) is no worse than an August day in Indiana. In some respects, it’s not as bad as there’s a breeze and the humidity, while high, isn’t the “soaking wet pour yourself into a bucket” that I experienced living in Indiana.

Granted, that pattern lasts much longer than in Indiana, but it’s certainly bearable, and it doesn’t make roads slippery, close schools and businesses, kill car batteries or cause accidents. And yes, we have hurricanes, but you can plan well in advance for them.

The worst thing (I think) about the winter in the Midwest? The lack of sunlight. That’s the deal killer for me. I can handle everything else without issue.

And having lived all over this great country and traveled and worked all over the world in climates far harsher than ours, I firmly believe that there is no “perfect place” to live. It’s all about what you like and what you’re willing to compromise on.

RM