# Greatest temperature extremes you've experienced... **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 20, 2007, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-temperature-extremes-youve-experienced/404794 "2007-05-20T06:38:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Mama\_Tiger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Mama\_Tiger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Tiger)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2007, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-temperature-extremes-youve-experienced/404794/21 "2007-05-20T13:25:58Z")
Hottest without humidity: 123F/50.5C in Richland, Washington Hottest with humidity: 45C/113F in Sasebo, Japan, with about 2000% humidity Coldest: -23F/30.5C in Oberlin, Ohio pre-windchill (and there was a stiff breeze blowing off Lake Erie) My husband grew up in northern Minnesota and remembers mercury thermometers freezing solid on more than one occasion. Brr! ---
**Author:** ![Booker57](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Booker57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Booker57)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2007, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-temperature-extremes-youve-experienced/404794/22 "2007-05-20T13:27:42Z")
[QUOTE=jjimm] Coldest natural: Transhimalaya, Tibet -20 C (-5 F) plus windchill of goodness knows how much. Coldest artificial: Shuttle food storage room, Johnson Space Center, TX: -40 C (-40 F). Hottest: Dubai, 45 C (113 F) [/QUOTE] Glad you brought up artificial, working at a plastic factory I spent one full hour in a tempering oven at 220f The operator would push a jug of ice thru the pass door and in a short time it would melt down so I could drink it. When I came out they threw a blanket over me so the room temp air wouldn’t chill me to fast. Coldest -11f Upstate NY ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2007, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-temperature-extremes-youve-experienced/404794/23 "2007-05-20T13:38:15Z")
I can’t really compete with some of the previous posters’ extremes, recalling only a -17F and a +105F in the Middle Tennessee area, with perhaps a bit hotter some years. But what I thought of on reading the thread title were two occasions where the temperature changed rapidly in fairly short order. The first was around Christmas in the late 80’s. My wife and I had been visiting my parents in Central Alabama where it had gotten up into the 80’sF for several days. When we left there headed for West Tennessee to visit my wife’s parents, the temp was in the high 80’s to low 90’s and as we traveled northwestward we could almost feel the temperature drop. By the time we reached Tuscaloosa in a couple of hours it was down in the low 40’s, and by the time we got into Tennessee maybe five hours after leaving my folks’ place it was in the 30’s. The other occasion was back in the 60’s when a work buddy and I went across the street to a little joint for a beer (well, a few beers). It was the time of year when short sleeves were unseasonal, but it had been that kind of weather. I’d guess it was in the high 50’sF to low 60’sF when we went in the place, and after less than two hours when we went outside, it had to be in the low 40’sF if not in the 30’sF. There may have been other quick changes in my time, but those two stand out. ---
**Author:** ![fachverwirrt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@fachverwirrt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fachverwirrt)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2007, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-temperature-extremes-youve-experienced/404794/24 "2007-05-20T14:04:53Z")
Probably about 105 Fahrenheit in St. Louis. -30 Fahrenheit in New Hampshire. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2007, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-temperature-extremes-youve-experienced/404794/25 "2007-05-20T14:09:33Z")
-35F (-55F windchill!) and 103F, both in NH. According to the local weather geeks, it’s never been more than 105F in NH. I swear I remember hearing about it being 107F once, but I guess not. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2007, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-temperature-extremes-youve-experienced/404794/26 "2007-05-20T14:20:22Z")
[QUOTE=Booker57] Glad you brought up artificial, working at a plastic factory I spent one full hour in a tempering oven at 220f [/QUOTE] Holy shit. That’s 104 C, greater than boiling point. What were you breathing through? ---
**Author:** ![MadTheSwine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MadTheSwine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MadTheSwine)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2007, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-temperature-extremes-youve-experienced/404794/27 "2007-05-20T15:06:37Z")
Several days over 120F when I lived in Bullhead City AZ. Coldest, somewhere around -30F in Michigan. ---
**Author:** ![Common\_Tater](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/common_tater/32/13846_2.png) [@Common\_Tater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Common_Tater)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2007, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-temperature-extremes-youve-experienced/404794/28 "2007-05-20T15:43:40Z")
waiting for the Hawaiians to weigh in… “once, I had to put on an extra tee-shirt…” ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2007, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-temperature-extremes-youve-experienced/404794/29 "2007-05-20T17:45:52Z")
[QUOTE=jjimm] Holy shit. That’s 104 C, greater than boiling point. What were you breathing through? [/QUOTE] As long as it’s dry heat, I doubt if he’d need to breathe through anything. I’ve been in saunas at 90C plus (assuming the thermometer is accurate). My Guinness Book of Records quotes USAF experiments in which naked men endured temperatures of 400F, and heavily clothed men 500F. It does not say how long for though. It adds “Temperatures of 140C (284F) have been found quite bearable in saunas”. Oh, my “natural” extremes, pretty pathetic really - highest about 44C (111F) in both Australia and Spain. Lowest, -24C with a 60km/h wind on top of the Aiguille du Midi in France. No idea what that works out in windchill though. ---
**Author:** ![PastAllReason](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f07891/32.png) [@PastAllReason](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastAllReason)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2007, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-temperature-extremes-youve-experienced/404794/30 "2007-05-20T17:52:19Z")
Both extremes in Saskatchewan, Canada: Hot: 43 degrees celsius (109 degrees fahrenheit) before humidex rating Cold: minus 47ish degrees celsius (minus 52 fahrenheit) before windchill Personally, I dislike the heat extremes more than the cold. ---
**Author:** ![Cub\_Mistress](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea666f/32.png) [@Cub\_Mistress](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cub_Mistress)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2007, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-temperature-extremes-youve-experienced/404794/31 "2007-05-20T18:13:34Z")
Don’t really know how hot it actually got, but I lived in Jedda, Saudi Arabia as a kid. -58F in February 1979 in Fairbanks, Alaska. I even went outside that day. ---
**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2007, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-temperature-extremes-youve-experienced/404794/32 "2007-05-20T18:19:46Z")
[QUOTE=Common Tater] waiting for the Hawaiians to weigh in… “once, I had to put on an extra tee-shirt..” [/QUOTE] Hey, when we went up to Mauna Kea to play in the snow we had to wear 6 t-shirts. And then we’d drive down to the beach and bask in the sunshine. Not a bad temperature and altitude differential. Actually unlike most locals I was born and raised at about a little over 2500 feet on the Big Island where 50F was a common temperature for us. Had us a fireplace and thick blankets and everything. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2007, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-temperature-extremes-youve-experienced/404794/33 "2007-05-20T18:30:35Z")
Don’t forget humidity here (heat index) 95 in Wisconsin is a hell of a lot ‘hotter’ then 110 in Nevada. And put me in with the Wisconsin people in summer we’ll usually have a week or so with 100+ weather and in Winter we’ll have about a month of -10. And the windchill this last winter went as far down as -40. ---
**Author:** ![Common\_Tater](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/common_tater/32/13846_2.png) [@Common\_Tater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Common_Tater)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2007, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-temperature-extremes-youve-experienced/404794/34 "2007-05-20T20:27:08Z")
[QUOTE=Fern Forest] Actually unlike most locals I was born and raised at about a little over 2500 feet on the Big Island where 50F was a common temperature for us. Had us a fireplace and thick blankets and everything. [/QUOTE] Yeah - I was stationed on Oahu for a few years and it just sort of grated on me! Every damn day - sunny, 72F. The difference between summer and winter is.. it sort of rains sometimes, and the above mentioned two-tee-shirt weather. I started pining for the 4-seasons. The Big Island was neat in that certain places looked just like Wyoming or South Dakota, kinda, if you squinted your eyes. Even has a nice big cattle ranch - Parker Ranch, etc. Then I went back to the mainland, where it was 40F in Seattle and I froze my ass off. Then I started driving across the plains where it was well below freezing. Aarggh. ---
**Author:** ![Dunderman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecb155/32.png) [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2007, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-temperature-extremes-youve-experienced/404794/35 "2007-05-20T20:44:20Z")
Hottest: Somewhere slightly above 40 C, Lesbos, Greece. I lay in the sun and lacked the energy to reach for the water bottle. That was pretty bad. Never going there in July again. Coldest: Below -40 C, Moscow, Russia. I was walking around trying to find a bookstore for my sick roommate. When I removed my glove to call her for more information, my fingers got stiff before they reached the phone. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2007, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-temperature-extremes-youve-experienced/404794/36 "2007-05-20T20:49:57Z")
I’ve experienced the same kind of extremes (-40’ish to +40’ish C) right here in my own back yard: Ottawa, Canada. ---
**Author:** ![stovetop25](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e480ec/32.png) [@stovetop25](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stovetop25)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2007, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-temperature-extremes-youve-experienced/404794/37 "2007-05-20T21:11:34Z")
[QUOTE=Leaffan] I’ve experienced the same kind of extremes (-40’ish to +40’ish C) right here in my own back yard: Ottawa, Canada. [/QUOTE] Same here but in Montreal, Canada. * * * [http://www.unlockmotorolas.com](http://www.unlockmotorolas.com) ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2007, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-temperature-extremes-youve-experienced/404794/38 "2007-05-20T22:09:31Z")
Estimated 600F inside a burning building, location irrelevant. -45F Stowe Vt ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2007, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-temperature-extremes-youve-experienced/404794/39 "2007-05-20T22:34:11Z")
Hottest: 45C in Sydney on New Year’s Day 2006 Coldest: -25C (approx) in Moscow in February 1991 ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2007, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-temperature-extremes-youve-experienced/404794/40 "2007-05-20T23:45:32Z")
122F in Phoenix. 115-120 was not unusual, though, and it often happened during the rainy season, so it was humid, too. Bleah. Coldest that I was paying attention to was -12F while skiing, but I’ve been skiing a lot and haven’t always paid attention to the temps, so I may have been at the top of some mountain or other in Colorado when it was colder. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-temperature-extremes-youve-experienced/404794.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-temperature-extremes-youve-experienced/404794.md?page=3)