# Frozen Dopers: Who is caught in the 2019 Polar Vortex and freezing their tushies off? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 30, 2019, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frozen-dopers-who-is-caught-in-the-2019-polar-vortex-and-freezing-their-tushies-off/828648 "2019-01-30T00:40:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2019, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frozen-dopers-who-is-caught-in-the-2019-polar-vortex-and-freezing-their-tushies-off/828648/41 "2019-01-30T15:10:48Z")
Is it just me, or does [Kent Brockman](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WX2SWD6mZc) get less ridiculous with each passing day? ---
**Author:** ![swampspruce](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampspruce/32/261_2.png) [@swampspruce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampspruce)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2019, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frozen-dopers-who-is-caught-in-the-2019-polar-vortex-and-freezing-their-tushies-off/828648/42 "2019-01-30T15:12:04Z")
Spent yesterday working outside all day getting a generator to play nice at two of our remote sites. -21C and -29 with the wind chill. That’s just Tuesday here. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2019, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frozen-dopers-who-is-caught-in-the-2019-polar-vortex-and-freezing-their-tushies-off/828648/43 "2019-01-30T15:41:17Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > My dog stepped out the back deck, peed on it, and came right back in (this is only the second time I’ve ever seen him do this; normally he goes down the stairs and into the backyard.). He’s an 80-lb pit bull and usually is fine in cold weather, despite being a short-haired breed (he’s been out for his full walk these past few weeks even when the temps dipped to the single digits or near zero. He insists on it.) But this was too much for him. > > My thermostat is still claiming that it’s -21F outside right now at 8:40 a.m. It is quite brisk out there. Later in the morning my dog was asking to go out back, so I let her on to the deck and waited by the door. 2 or 3 minutes later she came back to the door, and it looked like she was limping. (I don’t have those dog bootie things.) I warmed each of her paws in my hands, and she was fine. I think her limp was just a way of trying to keep her paws off of the ground, while walking too. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2019, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frozen-dopers-who-is-caught-in-the-2019-polar-vortex-and-freezing-their-tushies-off/828648/44 "2019-01-30T15:50:32Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > Later in the morning my dog was asking to go out back, so I let her on to the deck and waited by the door. 2 or 3 minutes later she came back to the door, and it looked like she was limping. (I don’t have those dog bootie things.) I warmed each of her paws in my hands, and she was fine. I think her limp was just a way of trying to keep her paws off of the ground, while walking too. My dog did the limp thing last night, too! I was wondering what it was, as I had never noticed it before, but he was fine after he got inside, so I didn’t think anything of it. He was fine with his walk earlier in the day, when it was 7 out, but he went full-on into the snow in the yard and it was a bit colder last night, so that must have been what it was. ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2019, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frozen-dopers-who-is-caught-in-the-2019-polar-vortex-and-freezing-their-tushies-off/828648/45 "2019-01-30T16:06:28Z")
-3F in the KC area. My parked outside car was hard to backout of the driveway this morning (power steering very stiff), but loosened before I got on the highway (which was more deserted than a Federal holiday day). The F/C conversion isn’t that hard to do in your head (for close enough values): 9/5 or 5/9 is close enough to 2 or 1/2 that it is reasonable for any human survivable temperatures (and add/substruct 30 instead of 32 won’t hurt much either) ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2019, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frozen-dopers-who-is-caught-in-the-2019-polar-vortex-and-freezing-their-tushies-off/828648/46 "2019-01-30T16:08:08Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > My dog did the limp thing last night, too! I was wondering what it was, as I had never noticed it before, but he was fine after he got inside, so I didn’t think anything of it. He was fine with his walk earlier in the day, when it was 7 out, but he went full-on into the snow in the yard and it was a bit colder last night, so that must have been what it was. When our dog is limping, it usually means she’s got snow/ice stuck in-between her toes. Clear that and she’s good to go. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2019, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frozen-dopers-who-is-caught-in-the-2019-polar-vortex-and-freezing-their-tushies-off/828648/47 "2019-01-30T16:17:22Z")
-31[sup]o[/sup] when I got up this morning, and currently a brisk and bracing -27[sup]o[/sup]. Leet the Wonder Dog[sup]TM[/sup] looks at me plaintively while he tries to figure out how to lift all four paws off the cold ground at once, so far without success. He wants me to arrange things so that yes, we can go for Nice Walks, but make a bit warmer please. It is predicted to be above 40 on Sunday. Go figure. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2019, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frozen-dopers-who-is-caught-in-the-2019-polar-vortex-and-freezing-their-tushies-off/828648/48 "2019-01-30T16:24:39Z")
> [@Folacin](#): > > … > The F/C conversion isn’t that hard to do in your head (for close enough values): 9/5 or 5/9 is close enough to 2 or 1/2 that it is reasonable for any human survivable temperatures (and add/substruct 30 instead of 32 won’t hurt much either) When I was a young sprout I worked in a department store and could manually add up the day’s cash tallies in my head–usually about 100 transactions. (That was 1968.) Since then, after much wear and tear and a few years spent drinking heavily, the brain cells devoted to ANY calculations have been given over to important things like details of NCIS reruns, what day my hairdresser has off, and where my car keys are at all times. That’s why [del]God[/del] Texas Instruments invented calculators. I do miss those brain cells sometimes. Reading these weather stories leaves me speechless. I don’t know how y’all do it. I know at the moment you have no choice, but yikes. ---
**Author:** ![mistymage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mistymage/32/459_2.png) [@mistymage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mistymage)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2019, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frozen-dopers-who-is-caught-in-the-2019-polar-vortex-and-freezing-their-tushies-off/828648/49 "2019-01-30T16:26:30Z")
My little dogs have been peeing on the patio instead of in the yard. The real danger for them is when they go poo. Finding the perfect spot has meant me running out into the yard to carry them back inside because first the feet do the limping thing and then they just stop moving. The wood furnace has been stoked and roaring since 5:30 AM when my husband got it going for the day. It’s now 65 F in the house. It’s -22 F outside with a windchill of -41 F. I think I’ll find something to bake just to help warm the house up. And go throw another log in the fire. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2019, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frozen-dopers-who-is-caught-in-the-2019-polar-vortex-and-freezing-their-tushies-off/828648/50 "2019-01-30T16:35:51Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > Is it just me, or does [Kent Brockman](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WX2SWD6mZc) get less ridiculous with each passing day? America mostly stopped being capable of satire a couple years ago. I decided to go outside to see how bad it was. It was bad, but not horrible. I wasn’t even dressed that warm. I had a knit hat, coat with hood and gloves. But it wasn’t terrible. In the past when it was very cold I’d wear a pair of gym pants under my jeans, and I’d put grocery bags over my socks. But I didn’t feel that was necessary today despite the weather. However my cars power steering was very stiff at first, which was worrysome. Its not so much that the temps are bad, but if my car broke down or I had to walk then I’d have a problem. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2019, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frozen-dopers-who-is-caught-in-the-2019-polar-vortex-and-freezing-their-tushies-off/828648/51 "2019-01-30T16:53:35Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > Is it just me, or does [Kent Brockman](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WX2SWD6mZc) get less ridiculous with each passing day? Wait…The Simpsons predicted this storm AND Rocket League at the same time? Damn ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2019, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frozen-dopers-who-is-caught-in-the-2019-polar-vortex-and-freezing-their-tushies-off/828648/52 "2019-01-30T17:01:33Z")
Just for fun, I decided to go outside with my kids bubble solution and wand to blow a few bubbles. IT was pretty cool–you can actually see them freeze over (they change from a glossy, transparent bubble into a frosted translucent state), and they apparently become indestructible. I saw a number just take off in the wind currents, carried up into the sky, until I could see them no more. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2019, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frozen-dopers-who-is-caught-in-the-2019-polar-vortex-and-freezing-their-tushies-off/828648/53 "2019-01-30T17:04:07Z")
Late Saturday we returned from two weeks in St Martin. I had to scrape our car’s windshield and was shaking so hard it felt like I was convulsing. I learned a few minutes later that it was 34 degrees Fahrenheit. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2019, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frozen-dopers-who-is-caught-in-the-2019-polar-vortex-and-freezing-their-tushies-off/828648/54 "2019-01-30T17:11:21Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Just for fun, I decided to go outside with my kids bubble solution and wand to blow a few bubbles. IT was pretty cool–you can actually see them freeze over (they change from a glossy, transparent bubble into a frosted translucent state), and they apparently become indestructible. I saw a number just take off in the wind currents, carried up into the sky, until I could see them no more. If I get hit by one of those things I’ll know where it came from! Also, now that you mention it, isn’t someone on the news supposed to be flinging water into the air to watch it freeze? ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2019, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frozen-dopers-who-is-caught-in-the-2019-polar-vortex-and-freezing-their-tushies-off/828648/55 "2019-01-30T17:16:09Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Reading these weather stories leaves me speechless. I don’t know how y’all do it. I know at the moment you have no choice, but yikes. Currently -28 C, with windchill of -42 C here in Sask. To quote Great Big Sea, “just an ordinary day.” ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2019, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frozen-dopers-who-is-caught-in-the-2019-polar-vortex-and-freezing-their-tushies-off/828648/56 "2019-01-30T17:24:07Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > My old dog is wearing his boots when we go out at -20+. There’s also an amazing amount of salt out there, (we walk past two public schools!) > > And the weather report is not sounding good. Ugh! Holy moly - you’re walking the dog? I admire your tenacity. > [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > Its not so much that the temps are bad, but if my car broke down or I had to walk then I’d have a problem. Yep. If you don’t want to wear the gear, you should carry it. Plan for the worst and all that. > [@pulykamell](#): > > Just for fun, I decided to go outside with my kids bubble solution and wand to blow a few bubbles. IT was pretty cool–you can actually see them freeze over (they change from a glossy, transparent bubble into a frosted translucent state), and they apparently become indestructible. I saw a number just take off in the wind currents, carried up into the sky, until I could see them no more. Very cool. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2019, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frozen-dopers-who-is-caught-in-the-2019-polar-vortex-and-freezing-their-tushies-off/828648/57 "2019-01-30T17:33:40Z")
It’s -33, considered skipping the dog’s walk, he’s old and initially seemed uninterested. But a minute later he was all about it! Def wore his boots or he’d have been limping a lot! We kept up a steady pace, and turned out of the wind as much as was possible. Cut the walk short as my fingers were like icicles in my thickly lined leather gloves, ( they were a mistake, I should have gone with mitts! ) I wore a thinner down jacket under a knee length down coat, thick hat, heavy scarf wrapped over my face. The biting wind was making my eyes water. Instantly freezing on my lashes! I have an unheated, walk in pantry, off my tiny kitchen that has an outside wall. During these kind of cold snaps I usually bring out my veggies and move liquids off those shelves, just in case. Last week an 18L bottle of water froze! Yikes! ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Mapp](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miss_mapp/32/369_2.png) [@Miss\_Mapp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Mapp)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2019, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frozen-dopers-who-is-caught-in-the-2019-polar-vortex-and-freezing-their-tushies-off/828648/58 "2019-01-30T17:37:49Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Just for fun, I decided to go outside with my kids bubble solution and wand to blow a few bubbles. IT was pretty cool–you can actually see them freeze over (they change from a glossy, transparent bubble into a frosted translucent state), and they apparently become indestructible. I saw a number just take off in the wind currents, carried up into the sky, until I could see them no more. I remember doing that one freezing winter when I was a kid in the Cleveland suburbs. My sister and I also tried that test from “To Build a Fire” where, if your spit freezes before it hits the ground, it’s 40 below; but the winds were too blustery for us to confirm any results of that experiment. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2019, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frozen-dopers-who-is-caught-in-the-2019-polar-vortex-and-freezing-their-tushies-off/828648/59 "2019-01-30T20:16:12Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > -20 in Saint Paul now, and it’ll be about -23 with a wind chill of -50 when I drive home in a few hours…I think I’ll skip yoga class in the morning. Ha! Froyo, indeed! It’s nowhere near as cold here as points north (and that’s OK, really), but I did plug in the heat lamps in the well house a few days ago. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2019, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frozen-dopers-who-is-caught-in-the-2019-polar-vortex-and-freezing-their-tushies-off/828648/60 "2019-01-30T22:07:26Z")
It was 23 below zero when I walked my dog this morning. Now it’s up to 11 below. This is in Chicago, near the Lake. It was so cold today, I saw an alderman with his hands in his own pockets! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frozen-dopers-who-is-caught-in-the-2019-polar-vortex-and-freezing-their-tushies-off/828648.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frozen-dopers-who-is-caught-in-the-2019-polar-vortex-and-freezing-their-tushies-off/828648.md?page=4)