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You are conflating wind chill with temperature. They are two different things. Here is a wind chill definition: a quantity expressing the effective lowering of the air temperature caused by the wind, especially as affecting the rate of heat loss from an object or human body or as perceived by an exposed person. Growing up in Montana we had a saying about wind chill: It is the measure used by people in other states so they can pretend they get as cold as a Montana winter.
I admit to not knowing much about diesel engines. Yep, guilty as charged. Gas engines can easily handle 0 degrees. I don't know for certain when diesel fuel is impacted by the cold. I DO know it is regularly dealt with at 0 (as you can see by the definition above, engines aren't going to be impacted by wind chill.) degrees. And, I do know that 0 is only about 20 degrees outside the norm for a Chicago winter.
Incidentally, I have learned in this thread that most Chicago kids aren't bussed by school busses. So, that negates your bussing argument anyhow. Unless the public bus system went down, that can't be why the district decided to close.
Cold weather? I know plenty. Walked to school when it was well below freezing as an elementary student. Camped multiple times at -20, not including wind chill. Went to school at -30 too many times to count, not including wind chill. Had my school finally close at -65, not including wind chill. (I drove into town and rented some movies for those days.)
When I've made comments or asked questions about the cold in this thread it is because I have dealt with it myself in getting to school.
Just pointless, of course you have to factor in the wind chill. What is your actual point? You were tougher than kids today? Got it. If it makes you feel better then rock on.
... This is the school that made the kids wait outside until the bell rang. Teachers came out and walked the kids in single file according to grade. So they cancelled school instead.
What a stupid rule. Bend the rule instead of cancelling school. Find a way to MAKE it work!
Just pointless, of course you have to factor in the wind chill. What is your actual point? You were tougher than kids today? Got it. If it makes you feel better then rock on.
With a name like The Windy City, most Chicagoans should be adept at dealing with wind chill factors.
It is unfortunate you didn't choose to defend the points you attempted in your previous post. I was looking forward to your explanation of how wind chill impacts motors.
My point has been the same since the OP... Should schools be closed at 0 degrees.
Looks like a solid chunk of folks in the poll don't think so.
Anything else I've mentioned has been in response to comments people made.
It depends on many factors. Here in the Denver suburbs, probably not. These kids are outfitted for cold weather, many are bused on well-plowed roads, and the schools are modern and heated. Other communities around the nation must weigh the pros and cons for themselves when faced with severe weather.
The kids here are well acclimated to cold temps. It's not uncommon to see kids in gym shorts at the bus stop when it's 10-20 deg outside.
I'm not joking or making this up.
It took me one winter to acclimate to this state. First winter was horrid- I thought my face would freeze off. That was 5 years ago. Sunday I was out playing with one of my dogs, it was sunny and 15 degrees. I had a flannel shirt and jeans. No coat. You get used to it.
With a name like The Windy City, most Chicagoans should be adept at dealing with wind chill factors.
It is unfortunate you didn't choose to defend the points you attempted in your previous post. I was looking forward to your explanation of how wind chill impacts motors.
My point has been the same since the OP... Should schools be closed at 0 degrees.
Looks like a solid chunk of folks in the poll don't think so.
Anything else I've mentioned has been in response to comments people made.
Chicago was not nicknamed The Windy City because of the wind or at least the popularity was not for that reason. The Windy City nickname referred to the *windy* politicians. The first use of the term may have referred to the wind off the lake (in 1876), but that is not what it came to mean. Charles Dana, editor of the New York Sun in the 1890s, annoyed by the vocal (and ultimately successful) efforts of Chicago civic leaders to land the world's fair celebrating Columbus's discovery of America, Dana urged his readers to ignore "the nonsensical claims of that windy city"--windy meaning excessively talkative.
Chicago was not nicknamed The Windy City because of the wind or at least the popularity was not for that reason. The Windy City nickname referred to the *windy* politicians. The first use of the term may have referred to the wind off the lake (in 1876), but that is not what it came to mean. Charles Dana, editor of the New York Sun in the 1890s, annoyed by the vocal (and ultimately successful) efforts of Chicago civic leaders to land the world's fair celebrating Columbus's discovery of America, Dana urged his readers to ignore "the nonsensical claims of that windy city"--windy meaning excessively talkative.
In interior Alaska schools don't close until -50 or lower. Recess doesn't even get cancelled until like -20 F. The reason they close at -50 is that the busses, even winterized, tend to break down if run at lower temps than that, therefore windchill isn't even taken into account, since it doesn't actually affect transportation.
People are a lot hardier than the average person thinks.
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