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I think it's crazy to close schools for "cold weather". Parents should be responsible for dressing their kids properly, and there is no excuse not to do that.
For the record, I am 54 years old and my youngest is a junior in high school. I never heard of schools closing for "cold weather" before last year (2013-14 school year).
I grew up in northern New Jersey, a suburb of NYC. I now live in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania and so far we have had one "cold weather closing" and a bunch of 2-hour delays for "cold weather".
I live in Northeast Pennsylvania. When you were in school, you likely went to a neighborhood school unless you lived in the country, in which case you got a ride to school on a warm bus that most likely picked you up near your home. Things have changed over the past 50 years. Shocking, I know.
I went to school in the 1980s and 1990s. We had snow days and cold delays.
When I asked why you didn't include wind chill, you said they are two different things as if wind chill did not matter. You offered no other explanation or qualifier. That was the course the conversation took. Why should I not come to the reasonable conclusion that you feel wind chill should not be a factor in this decision? Further, if you feel wind chill should not be a factor, why is it so weird for me to assume you feel wind chill is a secondary or nonexistent factor in how cold it feels?
Why would you think a person that has experienced -65, not including wind chill, and tent camping at -20, not including wind chill, isn't aware of it? That's silly.
If anything, I am more aware of it than most.
I haven't voluntarily gone into any detail about wind chill because its not what the question asked in the OP.
I've also avoided it because wind chill ISN'T the same as actual temperature. Is it dangerous? Sure. Is it as dangerous as an actual -30? Not really. Why not?
1. An actual -30 is also almost guaranteed to have wind chill making it feel even colder.
2. Wind chill has little effect on vehicles. Engines are more effected by actual temperature.
3. Wind chill is more easily ameliorated than actual temperature. Compare the difference between a heavy winter coat and a windbreaker. The windbreaker is VERY effective against wind chill. Virtually ineffective (unless combined with other layers) in low temperatures.
Have you ever experienced really low temperatures? I can tell you where I live I'd rather have a sunny 0 than a cloudy 32. 0 isn't automatically bad at all.
The average low in Pennsylvania is 28° in February.
This past week, we've seen temperatures dip below freezing plus windchill factor to make it -25° to -40°. These are way past the normal temperatures we are accustomed to in this area. Our normal climate is not this freezing cold. Our buildings and our cars and our infrastructure (ie - nowhere to plug cars in like a PP mentioned) is not built for those extreme temperatures.
It is nice to know the average Penn. temp. Always thought it seemed like a nice place to visit. Never been there myself. Why are we talking about it?
Why would you need to plug in a car at 0? I don't do that until about -20 myself...
I live in Northeast Pennsylvania. When you were in school, you likely went to a neighborhood school unless you lived in the country, in which case you got a ride to school on a warm bus that most likely picked you up near your home. Things have changed over the past 50 years. Shocking, I know.
I went to school in the 1980s and 1990s. We had snow days and cold delays.
You'll notice the poster is NOT referring to experience from 50 years ago. They have a kid in school now.
I live in Northeast Pennsylvania. When you were in school, you likely went to a neighborhood school unless you lived in the country, in which case you got a ride to school on a warm bus that most likely picked you up near your home. Things have changed over the past 50 years. Shocking, I know.
I went to school in the 1980s and 1990s. We had snow days and cold delays.
I walked a mile each way when I was in high school, and junior high was about a half mile each way. Granted, my elementary school was right across the street from my house. But there was simply no such thing as closing school because of "cold weather" during my school career. I graduated high school in 1978.
The first time I ever heard of a cold delay was during the infamous January of 1994 when temperatures didn't get into the double digits (Fahrenheit) for a week in NEPA and NWNJ. But they didn't close, they just delayed, and even though I didn't have any kids at that point, I got it. This year is my first experience with a cold weather closing (last Friday Feb 20) and I think it was B.S.
So, what are some of the shocking changes in the last 50 years besides the climate getting hotter?
Global warming is bringing a clear trend toward heavier precipitation events.
Many areas are seeing bigger and more intense snowstorms, especially in the upper Midwest and Northeast.
Global warming is shifting storm tracks northward. Areas from the Dakotas eastward to northern Michigan have seen a trend toward more heavy snowfall season.
I suspect that Texas will see more extreme drought conditions as will other areas of the country.
I walked a mile each way when I was in high school, and junior high was about a half mile each way. Granted, my elementary school was right across the street from my house. But there was simply no such thing as closing school because of "cold weather" during my school career. I graduated high school in 1978.
The first time I ever heard of a cold delay was during the infamous January of 1994 when temperatures didn't get into the double digits (Fahrenheit) for a week in NEPA and NWNJ. But they didn't close, they just delayed, and even though I didn't have any kids at that point, I got it. This year is my first experience with a cold weather closing (last Friday Feb 20) and I think it was B.S.
So, what are some of the shocking changes in the last 50 years besides the climate getting hotter?
Climate change doesn't mean "hotter." It means more severe. When I read that post, my first thought was that the way school districts are run has changed. There is a corporate school reform movement taking place, in which the goal is to do away with neighborhood schools and send everyone to charters and private schools. In some locations, kids no longer attend the school down the street. They are driven across town to school. That's what has changed.v
Climate change doesn't mean "hotter." It means more severe. When I read that post, my first thought was that the way school districts are run has changed. There is a corporate school reform movement taking place, in which the goal is to do away with neighborhood schools and send everyone to charters and private schools. In some locations, kids no longer attend the school down the street. They are driven across town to school. That's what has changed.v
As you probably know-this varies widely from town to town.
As you probably know-this varies widely from town to town.
It is in full force in Chicago.
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