A lot of people are about to be hit with a big winter storm who are not used to this kind of weather. Here are some tips from a Minnesotan:
Keeping warm:
-
avoid cotton fabrics.
-
Use layers, take them off if you start to sweat.
-
I like tight gloves with thick mittens, which allows use of your hands sometimes without skin exposure.
-
A face mask works as a scarf or another layer in a pinch
-
Warm up your home in case you lose power. Power outages may happen after the snow/freezing rain stops
Snow removal:
-
Lift with your legs, not your back.
-
Don’t save all of the shoveling for the very end of the storm, it’ll be more difficult and will start to create an ice layer (especially where walked on)
-
if you have a car, lift up the windshield wipers before it starts snowing/freezing rain
-
Completely clean your car soon after the storm. In most places, it’s illegal to drive with a lot of snow/ice on your car and super dangerous.
-
If you’re parked on a street, move the car to a plowed area when possible so they can plow where you were parked
-
If you have a driveway, clear off part of the street in the direction the plow will come from, so that doesn’t end up blocking your driveway
Driving
-
stay home until streets are plowed if possible (thank you healthcare workers and emergency responders!)
-
Turn on ABS brake and traction control settings, if available
-
accelerate and take turns slowly
-
Have more time/distance to brake
-
Speed up before going up an incline, getting stuck and sliding back down is not fun
Sliding on ice:
-
If walking, keep your feet underneath your center of gravity
-
If driving, switch to neutral and steer in the direction that the back of the car is sliding, but don’t overreact on steering. Slamming brakes will make sliding worse.
Car stuck in snow:
-
turn off traction control
-
don’t just let the tires spin out
-
try shoveling, sand/kitty litter, and rocking back and forth
-
Once you get moving again, don’t stop
Question for people who live in colder climates - why is it always so hot indoors? When I’ve been in new York, Chicago, Milwaukee, etc. in the winter it’s miserable inside. It’s 12 degrees outside and you step into a restaurant or shop where it feels like it’s 80 degrees. You’re immediately sweating because you have a jacket, gloves, etc. and you have to find someplace to put them.
Finland the normal indoor them I think is 21-22C
If you are coming directly from outside to a heated space, it’s likely the space near the door Is over-heated because of the loss to outside.
Hotels, big stores, event spaces, and other things with frequent entry/exit usually have a double door setup, meaning you walk through two doors and an air gap to enter, to minimize fluctuations in the main building. That space usually has heat going whether the door is open or not, so it gets rather toasty. Places that don’t have the buffer space will often have heat vents near the door cranked up to account for heat loses.
If it’s a small shop, it may be because the door is constantly being opened and they’re trying to keep the store warm for the people working there.
Sometimes it’s because of the temperature delta. Really cold outside and warm inside might feel hot, comparatively. Apparent temperature stuff.
Other times it’s probably over compensation for the thin skinned.
My wife and I keep our heat pretty low, usually 60°F, which is usually pretty damn chilly for indoors
But when you step in from single digits outside, 60° feels downright toasty.