A large lob of a Polar vortex is set to snap off and ice a large area around the Great Lakes and Upper Midwest by the beginning of next week. This will be the most extreme cold that the area has faced in a generation.
The prolonged and life-threatening cold spell will see temperatures plunge to about 40 degrees Fahrenheit below average. Parts of Minnesota could see temperatures plummet to -60 degrees Fahrenheit, while large areas will see -50 or -40, according to The National Weather Services Twitter post.
Wind chills will fall to dangerous levels in the Upper Midwest this week, and should be the coldest since the mid-1990s in parts of the eastern Dakotas, Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin and northern Illinois. Wind chills falling below -40 can cause frostbite on exposed skin in minutes. pic.twitter.com/FFVZe1xGhD
— NWS Weather Prediction Center (@NWSWPC) January 27, 2019
Those in the areas that could get extremely cold should begin making preparations for such. Stay off the roads if you can, and if you must go outside, prepare by wearing several layers of clothing.
When preparing for a cold snap of this magnitude, many would suggest having a backup source of heat that is not on the grid: a woodburning stove, for example. Although this may not be enough time for most in the harshest parts of this polar vortex to outfit their homes with a woodburning stove, extra blankets, hats, and coats should be readily available in case the power goes out taking your source of heat with it.
The Weather Service also that warned frostbite can occur to exposed skin within minutes under such extreme conditions. “Make sure your heating system, pipes, etc. are as well-prepared as possible,” it advised. “It may be wise to stock up on groceries between now and Monday evening so outdoor time is minimized.”
According to Science Alert, cold air is already seeping into the U.S. Madison, Wisconsin’s temperature sank to a record-crushing -23° F (-30°C) on Saturday, its lowest temperature in nearly 23 years. On Sunday, International Falls, Minnesota tumbled to -46° F (-43°C), the fifth lowest temperature it has ever recorded.
“There’s no mild way of saying it. Brutal cold is coming,” the National Weather Service office serving Chicago tweeted. It is predicting air temperatures close to -20°F and wind chills of -35°F to -45°F Wednesday morning.
https://www.shtfplan.com/headline-news/farmers-almanac-prediction-we-are-calling-for-teeth-chattering-cold_08272018
It’s called winter, don’t be such a drama queen.
seems like an insensitive thing to say to someone warning of an event that’s about to kill dozens, if not hundreds of people?
As long as the right people get killed…
well…..that elicited a chuckle out of ME!
long as you got this sh t, you mite just make it…
i suspect that after you walked all day, your clothes were full of sweat…when you crawled into that bag, the sweat turned into a heat-robber…i sleep with the brown military-issue longjohns, and they can’t be “sweaty”. here’s MY list of things to pick from in your car when it’s cold/a long way from home
blisters will end your walk quickly….moleskin will be important to have
I keep fifty feet of 3/8 nylon rope in each car. It has tons of uses, but once you watch the video, you’ll be able to handle freaky weather too with it.
. keep a piece of chain along with your tow strap so you can ATTACH that tow-strap to the newer cars that have nothing to attach to in emergency
Blankets and candles and a cracked open window will keep you alive
Water in your car won’t be liquid if your nights are 20 degrees or less. You need something to melt snow/ice in and a way to generate heat to melt it.
Those 8 hour hand warmers they look like a big sugar pack do work. One in each boot and glove and you don’t get your fingers and toes amputated from frost bite. Very compact . And can even melt ice and snow to drink.
Folding military surplus shovel? Also doubles as a weapon.
Also check out the arctic canteens (double walled military surplus)
A metal cup suspended over the candle can melt and slow boil water (use the scrapings) and you can drink it.
Ham radio programmed to receive NOAA weather/emergency broadcasts and transmit to emergency responders
Military Surplus Artic Mickey Mouse boots with wool socks or Muk Luk fleece lined boots to keep your feet warm.
learn how to drive “off-road”. and throw in your car a couple of 4×6 or 6×8 pieces of wood about 3 feet long, they will get you across those small ditches and chuckholes.
We always carry a Military Sleep System in our vehicles every where we go in addition to our GHBs.
Don’t forget a small compressor and tire plugs.
3 ways to start a fire would be a good start. Do not include a BIC lighter in that. Two tarps. A shovel. A real sleeping bag.
paracord…and a tarp….or 3
bag o beef jerky or pepperoni
1 case (10 packs) mainstay 3600 food bars, 6 one quart canteens full, backpack with extra socks, knife, space blankets(worthless), paracord, hatchet, handgun/ammo, jacket, boots, first aid kit, baofeng radio with spare battery, solar/crank radio,LED flashlights, alco stove and 1/2 gallon fuel, and a few other things.
i keep a bag full of cold weather gear like hats, scarrfs, gloves, bivy bags, for ALL members of my family…it’s big, so i can leave it home, or stick it in there if i’m going out of town. keep in mind, this stuff ALL GETS WET after using them for a while….spares is a good idea if you’re REALLY out there.
WATERPROOF! hiking boots, extra batteries, knife, prybar, phone charger, signal mirror, flare gun, longjohns, coats/layers, map,
FOLLOWING FROM THE VIDEO BY CANADIAN PREPPER
mystery heater)propane),sled, candles, mylar-lined cooler to warm things in, hand warmers, food, duct tape, full tank of gas, salt for de-icing, carbon monoxide sensing device, insulated water storage, animal furs, polypropalene, wood, lots of it, yaktraks, fire extinguisher, BBQ for heat, snowshoes, sunglasses, flares, ham radio, shovel, woodstove, jumper cables, comealong, snowmobile., kitty litter, chains for tires, balaclava……better be in a TRUCK!
the rope is to make sno chains.
Yeah a box truck at that. Or maybe you better just camp out at a sporting goods store. Trekker Out
Keep a spare pair of good socks in your bag when hiking/camping/bugging out and only use them overnight. when you get ready for bed, remove your shoes and socks, dry your feet if sweaty, and change into the clean ones. dont go walking around in them to take a piss at 3am, keep them as clean and dry as possible. change out in the am. makes a world of difference
yes, keep a bottle next to sleeping bag to take a pee, so you won’t have to leave the tent….
BCOD you don’t know just how true that is about keeping the bottle handy. I have my redneck camper which is just a horse trailer that I closed in and I have a cot and sleeping bag and until just a couple of years ago I would always get up and step out side in the middle of the night when I had to go, but now I use the bottle. This past fall I was elk hunting and camped in grizzly country, and I sure was glad I didn’t step out side in the night because when I got up the next morning a griz had tore up my fire ring right next to my trailer, wouldn’t that have been a surprise. That bottle sure is handy. Trekker Out
1g2HglMzSv8
Don’t let your water pipes freezes…or you will be sorry.
Should an ice storm hit the region, and cause severe damage to the grid, then a lengthy outage could be fatal without food and supplies and a kerosene heater.
If worse comes to worse, then put everyone in the same room and insulate that room. Cover most drafts from the window but you need some air circulation. If it’s dire, have everyone sleep on shared mattresses and cover them with mattresses and blankets to make a coccoon. That saves lives in such emergencies.
If frozen pipes are a possibility and power loss, then fill up water containers and put them in that room or otherwise you won’t have any and that dehydration could be fatal.
You likely would use chamber pots and the ground will be FROZEN, so dig them now. Otherwise you cannot dispose of it.
Check on elderly kin who might perish or heck, just invite them over through the worst of it.
pUwbfKbyPl0
The true story of Jim and Jennifer Stolpa and their baby. They headed into a winter storm, took the wrong road, got stuck, and luckily found a cave. Jennifer stayed with the baby and they nearly perished. Jim walked for miles and then the authorities went searching for his wife and baby. They had severe frostbite, but survived. By a miracle, nothing bad happened to the baby.
Well I’m still waiting to see the story about how this is caused by Global Warming, like the last few cold spells.
Maybe they have finally given up on that.
Worst thing I’ve heard, a few weeks ago when I was in Larado,TX, and it had gotten down into the 40’s, a lady said it was global warming…..the melting of the glaciers was creating all this cold air and it was flowing down to southern TX.
OMG
Global warming.
The Earth is destined to end its days as a flaming ball of ice.
and BTW, we had this same cold weather in the last few years here near Cleveland, OH.
NOT a generation ago.
Ice age coming?
Another Boogeyman. It’s winter. Are we Americans or Americants?
No, this is NOT “just winter.” The average high for this time of year in SW lower MI is 31 degrees. THAT’S just winter. We’re talking -40 with the wind chill. That’s not “just winter.” That’s SERIOUS.
It’s gonna be a three dog night…
No…a three dog AND a fat wife night.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIR6AAjEg5U
So it’s cold? Only 35 in TN today. I couldn’t live up north for any amount of money.
I agree. Right now it’s 21 degrees F and that is cold enough. It makes zero sense to live near Yankees in the north especially the northeast. You have to be realistic about the limits of agriculture.
But realize due to thermal mass, it takes awhile to chill it to freezing, so in Maine, some coastal regions do not get that cold and the summers can be quite hot.It still is an overall poor choice for a prepper. People have extended family and they put down roots and fear change.
I’m on the ohio/ky border, its 3 below at the moment. the wind is making it problematic to be outside
IfnKGZOgIN0
Alyssa Lommel lost her hands and feet to frostbite, spending 78 days in the hospital, and it happened in warmer weather.
Be prepared and alert. Ethanol and winter do not go together.
wQNvgGh0Czo
Here is a common sense tip when winter camping and trying to keep your water bottle from freezing. The identical thing could easily happen if you lose power in wintertime when it’s bitter cold.
Never assume Americans are smart and informed. Most Americans lack common sense because they are urbanites and clueless.
Little children will foolishly go outside in winter and get frostbite. So if it’s bitter cold, seconds count to save their fingers and toes.
W8T0TdEYB8g
You bring their fingers gradually up to temperature by placing them next to warm skin and never rub because their circulation is cut off and you will damage fragile tissue.
People with exposed skin can lose their ears and nose. Wear a balaclava even if you think it looks silly.
If you are stuck in the middle of nowhere because you skid on the ice and snow, you may be in a ravine and injured. The windows may break and you are exposed to bitter cold and might be bleeding.You most likely will pass out.
Micturating in a water bottle might then warm up your fingers. You are most likely going to have to drag yourself so a another driver sees you.
“There’s no mild way of saying it.”
It’s the Great Lakes and Upper Midwest. Have you just moved there, or what.
The majority who post are old preppers.
But thousands read who are ignorant but want to learn.
IfnKGZOgIN0
Alyssa Lommel was a typical goofy college student who lost her hands and feet to frostbite.
“… a heavy coat, gloves and snow boots are hardly considered fashionable.”
(Or, support garments, apparently. Who knows what could have fallen off.)
All are imported from whiter countries, which still know how to make things, right. This can be a form of good taste and self-expression.
I’m not saying the doorman will be particularly cultured or formal, but it used to be customary, to take guest’s hats and coats, at the door.
READY 1,2,3, Let’s test our skills shall we ?
We need to practice boys, and girls.
Because the BIG GAME is NEAR soon to be HERE…………
I live up here so I have to prepare for winter heating every year. Wood/coal furnace with two tons of nut coal and two cords of wood in the basement, propane wall heater, portable kerosene heaters, and a propane BBQ grill. None of these require juice.
Then we have an oil furnace with a full tank of fuel oil, baseboard electric heat, an LP salamander and a kerosene salamander. These need power to work.
I remember back in the early/mid nineties it got down to -30 here. The neighbor called me and said my house was on fire. I ran outside to look. Here there was big plumes of smoke coming out of the attic vents. I got everybody up and ran up to the attic and looked for the fire. None. Turned out it was steam from the warm house air coming out the vents. I needed to start drinking early that day. Next spring I did some more insulating.
edit: The LP salamander is actually an upright construction heater and doesn’t require power.
zBBClrJUBcU
Clinical presentation of frostbite. The capillaries first undergo vasocontriction to maintain core temperature, then the arteries and veins. This shunts away blood pressure. If it persists, ice crystals form, these burst the tissues, leaking fluid, which form blisters.
If you rub the frostbitten area, you exacerbate tissue damage, and may cause worse necrosis!
Warning signs begin with mottled skin, then waxy skin, then loss of sensation, then blisters. Catch it early or the patient could be disfigured.
…..Like this never happened before? Short memories!
Like this never happened before? Short memories!
Cancelled 2 doctor appointments for Thursday. Probably would be ok, but the parking lot at the VA is huge and a long way to walk. Supposed to be -23 Wednesday AM and -25 Thursday AM. Plus windy. Reschedule is wise. Hines VA, Illinois.
m-gRb_MuUgg
What if we genuine are experiencing the first signs of a mini Ice Age and start routinely having winters like 1976-1977 and 1977-1978 and it adversely affects crop yields as the North becomes unable to sustain itself.
In those years, even Western KY had horrendously bad weather and the Ohio River froze over one of those years and thus closed to river barge traffic.
Let’s assume the SHTF in the next two years and we really do have a bad solar min. Well how is that going to adversely affect real estate in the Northern USA? Get out while you can because not only will it kill livestock, fodder fields, and crops, but wild edibles, trapping, hunting, and fishing will also fall off. And if you wait too long, everyone will be selling as well.
But if you sold and relocated to Western KY, well you would have a nest egg and likely a better homestead. You definitely would have better seasons like a milder winter and earlier spring planting. You can start by March 15-November 15 most years and there are plenty of wild edibles.
I fully expect for there to be a mad rush on homesteads as conservatives look for a way out and away from crazy urbanites and away from urban tension. We have an extremely low Hispanic population…with very few illegals. Heck I like patriotic Hispanic Americans as they tend to be very fervant Christians and hardcore veterans.
It’s half Roman Catholics and half Protestants here.The Catholics tend to be of German stock because many if their ancestors were master craftsmen.The rest are largely Scots and Irish and English Protestants.
There are reports of power outages in the Twin Cities of St. Paul / Minneapolis. No news about why but typically it happens due to an ice storm or heavy winds or both. Bad news for them and a warning for everyone else.
ht tps://www.kare11.com/mobile/article/weather/thousands-affected-by-power-outages-in-metro/
9 hours old information
Polar Vortex? ohh they mean WINTER! that thing that happens EVERY YEAR! smh
ht tps://www.freep.com/story/weather/2019/01/30/consumers-energy-dte-usage-polar-vortex/2724017002/
RED FLAG.
ht tps://www.foxnews.com/us/michigan-camera-captures-15-inches-of-snow-falling-in-13-seconds
htt ps://abcnews.go.com/US/arizona-student-survives-trapped-blizzard-10-days/story?id=15211561
Many years ago, a university student was trapped in her vehicle during a blizzard for 10 days and survived.
For gosh sakes make sure your family members have an emergency bag in their vehicles. Young people think they are invulnerable.
It can happen to anyone during winter.
ht tps://abcnews.go.com/US/arizona-student-survives-trapped-blizzard-10-days/story?id=15211561
Several years ago, a university student was trapped in her car for ten days during a blizzard.
For gosh sakes, make sure your family members have emergency bags in their vehicles. They think they are invulnerable.