# Projected low of 42 C - keep warm, western Dopers! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 1, 2014, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/projected-low-of-42-c-keep-warm-western-dopers/682578 "2014-03-01T04:19:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![74westy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/74westy/32/3950_2.png) [@74westy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/74westy)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2014, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/projected-low-of-42-c-keep-warm-western-dopers/682578/21 "2014-03-02T07:39:43Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > How were they? Really strong. Everybody was on their feet. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2014, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/projected-low-of-42-c-keep-warm-western-dopers/682578/22 "2014-03-02T15:43:18Z")
[Obligatory Jimmy Kimmel Link](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HDhmQuSLRg) ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2014, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/projected-low-of-42-c-keep-warm-western-dopers/682578/23 "2014-03-03T01:14:59Z")
[This is what my kitchen window looked like this late afternoon.](http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s142/featherlou/Winter%20Scenes/SAM_5567_zps67d5851e.jpg) Lots of frost on the window, and the sun going down behind it looked quite spectacular and sparkly. šŸ™‚ ---
**Author:** ![Dervorin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Dervorin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dervorin)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2014, 10:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/projected-low-of-42-c-keep-warm-western-dopers/682578/24 "2014-03-03T10:03:40Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > I think they all, including the OP missed your (very well-taken) point. Whoosh!!! > > Hey OP: +42C is like +108F. Whatever else happens in Saskatchewan tomorrow, I predict a temp of over +40C/100F will trigger massive floods and many conversions to new religions made up on the spot. One doesnā€™t necessarily need quantity in oneā€™s audience, so long as thereā€™s at least one person who appreciates oneā€™s art! I think the fact that the typo is in the title, rather than the post itself, makes it a bit harder to spot, but as it amused me, I figured Iā€™d post. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2014, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/projected-low-of-42-c-keep-warm-western-dopers/682578/25 "2014-03-03T11:49:38Z")
Yeah, I honestly thought this thread would be about Western Australia or something, and the ā€œkeep warmā€ was a snide jeer ā€“ a sort of ā€œsucks to be you, Australians!ā€ (And I thought Canadians were nice.) šŸ™‚ ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2014, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/projected-low-of-42-c-keep-warm-western-dopers/682578/26 "2014-03-03T13:16:59Z")
> [@Dervorin](#): > > One doesnā€™t necessarily need quantity in oneā€™s audience, so long as thereā€™s at least one person who appreciates oneā€™s art! I think the fact that the typo is in the title, rather than the post itself, makes it a bit harder to spot, but as it amused me, I figured Iā€™d post. I donā€™t know if it was a typo per se. We donā€™t always bother to specify that temperatures are negative, in much the same way most people donā€™t bother to specify when temperatures are positive. ---
**Author:** ![Dervorin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Dervorin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dervorin)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2014, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/projected-low-of-42-c-keep-warm-western-dopers/682578/27 "2014-03-03T14:43:09Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > Yeah, I honestly thought this thread would be about Western Australia or something, and the ā€œkeep warmā€ was a snide jeer ā€“ a sort of ā€œsucks to be you, Australians!ā€ (And I thought Canadians were nice.) šŸ™‚ I knew I couldnā€™t be the only oneā€¦ > [@Gorsnak](#): > > I donā€™t know if it was a typo per se. We donā€™t always bother to specify that temperatures are negative, in much the same way most people donā€™t bother to specify when temperatures are positive. Really? That surprises me; I assume temperature values are positive unless otherwise specified. Youā€™re correct that I wouldnā€™t say ā€œItā€™s now plus five degreesā€, but I would always mention the negative. Would you only mention the sign when the numbers are close to 0? ā€œA low of 10ā€ is very different when youā€™re talking about -10 C vs +10 C. ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2014, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/projected-low-of-42-c-keep-warm-western-dopers/682578/28 "2014-03-03T19:45:27Z")
> [@Dervorin](#): > > I knew I couldnā€™t be the only oneā€¦ > > Really? That surprises me; I assume temperature values are positive unless otherwise specified. Youā€™re correct that I wouldnā€™t say ā€œItā€™s now plus five degreesā€, but I would always mention the negative. > > Would you only mention the sign when the numbers are close to 0? ā€œA low of 10ā€ is very different when youā€™re talking about -10 C vs +10 C. Why would that surprise you? Itā€™s been below 0C nonstop for the last 3 months. If I tell someone itā€™s 15 out theyā€™re not going to wonder which side of 0 Iā€™m talking about. In fact, at this time of you have to definitively declare a temperature to be above zero. If I say the forecast is to get all the way up to 2 on Friday Iā€™ll be assumed to be talking about -2. So, case in point, our current long range forecast has a high of 2 on Saturday and +2 on Sunday. After a month of highs in the 15-20 range thatā€™s a welcome change. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2014, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/projected-low-of-42-c-keep-warm-western-dopers/682578/29 "2014-03-03T19:58:15Z")
> [@74westy](#): > > Really strong. Everybody was on their feet. From the sounds of it, that might have been due to trying to keep from freezing, not the band. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2014, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/projected-low-of-42-c-keep-warm-western-dopers/682578/30 "2014-03-03T23:17:39Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > [This is what my kitchen window looked like this late afternoon.](http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s142/featherlou/Winter%20Scenes/SAM_5567_zps67d5851e.jpg) Lots of frost on the window, and the sun going down behind it looked quite spectacular and sparkly. šŸ™‚ Thatā€™s beautiful but I still wouldnā€™t want to live within 500 miles of you. Not worth it! ---
**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:** [March 4, 2014, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/projected-low-of-42-c-keep-warm-western-dopers/682578/31 "2014-03-04T00:59:17Z")
Yay! it warmed up enough to snow today! big, fluffy white flakes. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2014, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/projected-low-of-42-c-keep-warm-western-dopers/682578/32 "2014-03-04T01:08:44Z")
> [@Gorsnak](#): > > Why would that surprise you? Itā€™s been below 0C nonstop for the last 3 months. If I tell someone itā€™s 15 out theyā€™re not going to wonder which side of 0 Iā€™m talking aboutā€¦ Sorry, that sounds confusing to me. If itā€™s -5, I _say_ itā€™s -5. šŸ™‚ ---
**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:** [March 4, 2014, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/projected-low-of-42-c-keep-warm-western-dopers/682578/33 "2014-03-04T02:01:41Z")
> [@Gorsnak](#): > > I donā€™t know if it was a typo per se. We donā€™t always bother to specify that temperatures are negative, in much the same way most people donā€™t bother to specify when temperatures are positive. Minus signs are for wusses. šŸ†’ ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2014, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/projected-low-of-42-c-keep-warm-western-dopers/682578/34 "2014-03-04T02:12:13Z")
> [@Gorsnak](#): > > Why would that surprise you? Because thatā€™s not done in any other situation? Itā€™s not just temperature where you specify negative but not positive. Itā€™s numbers in general. Plus, Iā€™ve seen forecasts from many cold places, and the negative sign is definitely there. In fact, I was sure this thread was going to be about how the weather forecaster left out the negative sign, and how ridiculous a low of 40C (around 100F) actually was. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2014, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/projected-low-of-42-c-keep-warm-western-dopers/682578/35 "2014-03-04T04:25:13Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > Thatā€™s beautiful but I still wouldnā€™t want to live within 500 miles of you. Not worth it! Iā€™m trying not to take that personally. šŸ˜› ---
**Author:** ![lavenderviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/cdc98d/32.png) [@lavenderviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lavenderviolet)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2014, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/projected-low-of-42-c-keep-warm-western-dopers/682578/36 "2014-03-04T07:09:05Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Because thatā€™s not done in any other situation? Itā€™s not just temperature where you specify negative but not positive. Itā€™s numbers in general. Plus, Iā€™ve seen forecasts from many cold places, and the negative sign is definitely there. > > In fact, I was sure this thread was going to be about how the weather forecaster left out the negative sign, and how ridiculous a low of 40C (around 100F) actually was. Yes, I found that post to be very odd. I have never heard of someone intentionally not specifying ā€œminusā€ or ā€œnegativeā€ when they are talking about negative numbers. Of course you would use the minus/negative sign. It would be confusing not to. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2014, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/projected-low-of-42-c-keep-warm-western-dopers/682578/37 "2014-03-04T07:30:15Z")
> [@lavenderviolet](#): > > Yes, I found that post to be very odd. I have never heard of someone intentionally not specifying ā€œminusā€ or ā€œnegativeā€ when they are talking about negative numbers. > Of course you would use the minus/negative sign. It would be confusing not to. Not necessarily. In a Canadian winter, it is quite common for the following dialogue to occur: A: How cold is it? B: Forty-two, with a wind chill to forty-seven. A: Crap, thatā€™s cold. Context is everything. Weā€™re in Canada, itā€™s winter, it hasnā€™t been above 0 degrees C in months, and we all understand that any temperature will be below 0C. So we omit the ā€œplusā€ and ā€œminusā€ designations; because, well, they will always be minus at this time of year. Note that in the case of a sudden heat wave (relatively speaking), weā€™ll put in the designations: ā€œItā€™s going to be plus-one on Wednesday!ā€ But if temps have been in the double-digits below zero degrees C, it is not uncommon for us to omit the ā€œplusā€ and ā€œminusā€ designators between ourselves. I would suggest that our Canadian friends forgot that they were addressing an international message board, and used Canadian colloquialisms. Those were misunderstood by the international audience. ---
**Author:** ![Dervorin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Dervorin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dervorin)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2014, 10:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/projected-low-of-42-c-keep-warm-western-dopers/682578/38 "2014-03-04T10:18:25Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > Context is everything. Weā€™re in Canada, itā€™s winter, it hasnā€™t been above 0 degrees C in months, and we all understand that any temperature will be below 0C. So we omit the ā€œplusā€ and ā€œminusā€ designations; because, well, they will always be minus at this time of year. Still seems strange to me, I must admit. It seems like such a small thing to omit, with not much benefit, that can cause a great deal of confusion. But youā€™re right in that context is everything, though Iā€™m obviously not the only person in this thread who was confused. > [@](#): > > I would suggest that our Canadian friends forgot that they were addressing an international message board, and used Canadian colloquialisms. Those were misunderstood by the international audience. I think thatā€™s it. ā€œWestern dopersā€ could refer to a lot of people on an international board like this one. šŸ™‚ ---
**Author:** ![74westy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/74westy/32/3950_2.png) [@74westy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/74westy)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2014, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/projected-low-of-42-c-keep-warm-western-dopers/682578/39 "2014-03-05T21:07:32Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Because thatā€™s not done in any other situation? Itā€™s not just temperature where you specify negative but not positive. Itā€™s numbers in general. Plus, Iā€™ve seen forecasts from many cold places, and the negative sign is definitely there. > > In fact, I was sure this thread was going to be about how the weather forecaster left out the negative sign, and how ridiculous a low of 40C (around 100F) actually was. If you life in the North America, do you always specify the minus on your longitude? ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2014, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/projected-low-of-42-c-keep-warm-western-dopers/682578/40 "2014-03-07T16:47:42Z")
Projected high of 2 today, 9 tomorrow - at freaking last! Iā€™m getting awfully tired of being so cold. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/projected-low-of-42-c-keep-warm-western-dopers/682578.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/projected-low-of-42-c-keep-warm-western-dopers/682578.md?page=3)