I work in Washington DC near the building where the Transition Team is working, and one of the elements of the security detail consists of sharpshooters on the roof of the building. Right now it’s 26 degrees, with a wind chill of 10, and they’re exposed to the elements 12 stories up. Tomorrow is going to be even colder. They have a little tent up there, but they can’t stay in it all the time.
I feel bad for anyone who has to work outside during this cold snap, and I realize that much of the country has it far worse than we do. It’s just that these guys are close by, in such an unusual role, that their situation jumps out at me.
I’m sorry for them, but really, the Army has some really awesomely cool gear for cold weather. Some of it has made its way onto the public market. And it’s five degrees here, with a windchill of minus 10, so I suppose it could be worse! Still, poor guys.
MrWhatsit is out delivering mail today in -10 windchill. I always give him a lot of sympathy on days like this when he’s leaving for work, but he says that with appropriate gear it’s really not bad at all. His biggest complaint is that he has to wear gloves with the fingertips cut out, so that he can handle the mail, and his fingertips get pretty cold. But apart from that, he handles it OK. And this is a person who grew up in the balmy Pacific Northwest and isn’t really accustomed to freezing temps, too.
Prior planning prevents chilly chumps. Clothing and equipment are available to make tolerable far colder conditions than what you have described. For example, gloves made for snowmobile users will keep hands comfy down to about 0 degrees Fahrenheit. Doublethick boiled wool mittens in nylon windshells are good down to about -30F, even without the little chemical hand/boot warmer packets sold at many places in colder regions.
Do they look cold? A good place to get cold-weather gear is http://www.rei.com
We’re around -10 before the windchill, around -30 with. Fortunately my husband had the excellent luck to choose this week for vacation, else he’d be out there delivering mail too. He says as long as he gets the layering right he’s usually OK, but had the misfortune to get moderate frostbite on his hands at one point. Now his fingers chill up rapidly and start going white and numb, and he has problems using gloves that are missing the fingertips. At least our letter carriers aren’t working a dozen stories up!
Upon reading the thread title, I assumed someone was gleeful at the thought that any would-be assassins would be terribly grouchy today.
Better duty than being a WW2 waist gunner, who had to stand - not sit - in front of an open window at air temps down to -40°F and swivel a heavy .50 cal. gun in 250mph winds. And aim. And hit enemy fighters. On oxygen.
Thinking of them makes walking and driving around in -20° temps a lot easier for me…
Y’all can have some of our heat. It’s been 80+ degrees consistently all week. In freaking January. I’m running the AC as we speak.
*edit: location is SoCal, forgot as a guest I don’t have a location field anymore.
Fortunately my husband had the excellent luck to choose this week for vacation, else he’d be out there delivering mail too. He says as long as he gets the layering right he’s usually OK, but had the misfortune to get moderate frostbite on his hands at one point. Now his fingers chill up rapidly and start going white and numb, and he has problems using gloves that are missing the fingertips. At least our letter carriers aren’t working a dozen stories up!
