A nip in the air

I went to bed rather late last night, and as a result, didn't get up for my usual middle-of-the-night bathroom break until 3:45, only fifteen minutes before the alarm usually goes off. Eh, close enough to just stay up.

Toddled over to the computer, curious if the weather prognosticators' frenzied warnings about the extreme cold were on target.

Four a.m. actual temperature: Minus sisteen degrees.

Sixteen miles per hour winds.

"Feels like" temperature: Minus forty-seven degrees.

It's been this cold and nasty here before in my lifetime, though that was about thirty years ago. There was a January where we got locked into a cycle where the weekend temps stayed in the minus fifteen range, followed by a work week warm up to a balmy fifteen ABOVE zero, then another weekend trip to the deep freeze. As I recall, it went on all month.

The USPS suspended mail delivery today, and I'm happy. They don't need to risk frostbite to bring us our daily quotient of junk mail.

Since my employer relies on students getting around on foot to class, they took the rather extraordinary measure of sending an email around midafternoon yesterday declaring the university would close at five p.m. - and not reopen until Thursday at noon. Naturally, for the first time in years I needed to stay late to get something done (actually doing a favor for someone else, who also stayed late). I didn't leave the office until just after six, having clocked an eleven and a half hour day.

On the plus side, I can go back to bed in a bit.

Oh - have I mentioned that the high for Sunday will be thirty-seven degrees? ABOVE zero.

Wisconsin: If you don't like the weather, stick around a day or two.

Say an extra prayer today for those who must be out in this stupid cold - first responders, hospital personnel, maintenance people, utility workers and heating company employees, to name just a few.

Me? I'm going to watch some of the news, then go back to bed for a bit. I have hash in the fridge to heat up for breakfast and leftover pot roast for a nice, warm lunch. Good coffee to brew for warmth in between meals. Ironically, it is too cold to use the fireplace: the wind whips down the chimney, making it hard to light (gas), keeping it from throwing off any warmth until it's been running an hour or two.

If you live anywhere in the Midwest, stay inside if you possibly can.

The meme is true: How cold is it? Even Wisconsin is closed.