5 ms·
What do they mean by "suffer"? Isn't this normal in winter?
by rffn 8y ago
What do they mean by "suffer"? Isn't this normal in winter?
- thaumasiotes 8y agoNormal to the north; not normal to the south or west. At least, temperatures that allow for snow to appear are not normal in the south or on the west coast. Spot temperatures below freezing are. I'd believe it's normal for 75% of the land area.
- reaperducer 8y agotemperatures that allow for snow to appear are not normal in the south or on the west coast That's more of a stereotype than a fact. It gets very cold in winter in the vast majority of nation, including the south and west. It snows in Las Vegas every year. Las Vegas even has a ski resort.† But people rely on an old cartoon-inspired vision of what a "desert" is, rather than the fact that "desert" means a place with little water, not necessarily high temperatures year-round. Their vision of "American desert" is usually Monument Valley.†† But guess what, that's under snow right now, too. And it's not unusual. † https://www.leecanyonlv.com https://www.leecanyonlv.com †† https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monument_Valley https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monument_Valley
- thaumasiotes 8y agohttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_south https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_south Vegas and Colorado are neither coastal nor southern. My vision of "American desert" is probably near Albuquerque where I lived for several years. It snowed every year. But you'll note that New Mexico isn't part of the south either, despite its location on the border.
- reaperducer 8y agoWho mentioned Colorado? Monument Valley is Arizona.
- thaumasiotes 8y agoMy mistake; I saw "Colorado Plateau" in the wikipedia article. It's on the border between Arizona and Utah.
- dsfyu404ed 8y agoIt is, or was 20yr ago. We've become used to the more mild weather.
- EpicEng 8y agoThey wanted the 75% number, but if you look at e.g. the mid-west it's going to be insanely cold (I grew up there; it's expected to be cold right now, but this is something else.) It's colder than it typically is almost everywhere, so for people who live in the north it's a big deal. For people who live in the south and don't plan for freezing temps... also a big-ish deal.
- berdon 8y agoFwiw, in South Dakota, where generally most winter days would be <0F, we've abnormally averaged well above that this winter. Our average is probably something closer to around 25-30. Now, Wednesday, we'll be < -20F, which is cold, but nothing we haven't dealt with before and nothing entirely out of the normal. If anything, winter has been abnormally warmer for us.
- RickJWagner 8y agoHi Berdon! I grew up in Mitchell, but left about 30 years ago. As a youth, I had a paper route and vividly remember walking backwards on some cold days to keep the wind out of my face. Good luck with this upcoming cold snap!
- rffn 8y agoIndeed -20F to -40F is very cold. I think this would be the more impressive headline. Over here we do not go much below 0F, maybe -10F, so -40F is difficult to imagine. About the south: I used to stay for a while in Austin, TX. During winter we had temperatures below freezing (just ice, no snow). The locals told us that this happens at least every other year. For this some were suprisingly unprepared though, in particular with regard to driving skills, water pipes and building insulation.
- EpicEng 8y agoHey, I'm in Austin now! Been here about three years and yep, occasional freezes, but everyone loses their minds. People in brand new houses open all of the cabinets and run the water to keep the pipes from freezing... Last year it even snowed here. Twice. Nothing major, just a thin layer of snow for a day or two, but the schools shut down. When I lived in SD a light rain would lead to everyone driving 20mph below the speed limit on the freeway.
- mgkimsal 8y agoI'm not sure it's totally "normal". My own recollections of living in Michigan were cold in January, but... from what I can tell, they've only had perhaps 2 or 3 days above 32F this month; basically an entire month or sub-freezing. That doesn't jive with my own memories of living there (for ... 30+ years). To some extent that "yes, much of the country is cold" in January, yeah, the headline might be slightly out of sync - maybe it's only 60% normally? I think the bigger issue is just how cold it is in so many places where it's not normally this cold.
- dgzl 8y agoIt's hyperbole, I actually enjoy winter weather.
- mortenjorck 8y agoThe usage in the headline is more akin to “the company suffered a blow to its bottom line,” that is, not to literally suffer, but to endure a difficulty. That said, if you don’t live in a sub-arctic climate and don’t own the kind of outerwear rated for -15° F and below, suffering an actual injury is a very real possibility.
- casion 8y agoIn some places (southern US), freezing temperatures are abnormal and can cause damage to crops (livelihoods), property, cause significant physical discomfort and potentially death (homeless). The US is a really big place. Some of us go for a jog in 35°c, and some of us wear shorts and a t-shirt in 5°c. Where I live, I only own a single item of 'warm clothing' because it's unnecessary for 360+ days of the year. We also have no heating in the home other than a small space heater. These temperatures will be rather uncomfortable, and will likely kill half our garden and potentially cause damage property. Not fun.
- SllX 8y agoDepends where you are. Along the California coast, snow is nearly unheard of, but of course it will snow in the Sierra Nevadas.