New Year’s Eve was extremely cold here in southern Alberta–our little city broke a cold record, hitting -38C/-37.3F. (Cite.)
But I recall one cold winter’s night years ago, in Ontario, about two hours north of Toronto, when some college buddies and I rented a place for a weekend party. That night, the radio reported a low of -47C/-52.6F. We went out for a walk, just to say we had been out in such cold, but the walk went maybe fifty yards before we turned around and went back to the house. As it was, I had no feeling in my fingers and toes by the time we got back.
But that’s the coldest outdoor temperature I’ve ever been in, with last night in second place. What about you?
-35C in Skardu in Northern Pakistan on New Years Day 2014. This New Years Day, I spent in N Pakistan again, a balmy, -11C.
In the former, the cold did not really bother me; I mean I was carrying a battery powered body warmer. In the later, I thought I was going to expire.
Flew into Des Moines, Iowa in early Feb quite a few years ago and overnight a cold front came in and I think the temp fell to -10°F and wind chill took it to something below -20°F.
Small beer in terms of other posters, no doubt. But when I’d boarded the plane the previous afternoon from Melbourne it was 42°C (108°F).
-25F in western NY but there was hardly any wind so it didn’t feel any colder than other times it was below zero.
Interestingly enough, according to wikipedia the other Melbourne, where I’m currently living, holds the record for the highest American dew point at 33C/91F, and while the heat index usually reaches 40 sometime in the summer, I’ve never experienced any actual (official) temperatures that high.
I forget the exact temperature, but there was a morning a few years back where we had record setting cold. I boiled a pot of water, then my gf shot video of me throwing the water into the air from our porch. A huge cloud formed.
I remember a -29F day in the Lansing MI area in the late 1970s. It was so cold that when I started my manual transmission Gremlin up, the gear shift was frozen up and I had to sit there with the clutch in until the heat from the engine thawed out the gears.
I spent New Years in a cabin in northern NH at -32 F. The ski out was slow going. I’ve downhill skied at -25 F; that was painful. I’ve winter camped at -20 F; it was difficult to get out of the sleeping bag that morning.
I’ve downhill skied in roughly -40C and the wind blowing the snow like razor blades. Any skin exposed was instantly frost bitten. Had to go into the chalet after every run to warm up and make sure body parts didn’t fall off. Miserable but exhilarating. Ah, to be young and indestructible again.
Jan 28, 2004 in Saskatoon. -44.9C (-49F), although I invariably remember an even lower number before dredging through Environment Canada’s data archive to get the accurate one.
I don’t remember the exact temperature, but one January I had to drive out to a court point for an appearance and I remember the CBC folk cheerily announcing that the placebo was going was the coldest spot in Canada, beating out the capitals of Yukon, NWT and Yukon. Around -40 would be my recollection m
Worst extended stretch of cold was in a previous South Dakota winter. 8 straight days when the temp never got above zero (surprisingly, the coldest reading during that period was only about 15 below zero). By the end of that cold snap I was getting used to subzero cold (though not like the gold miners in the Jack London story, who removed their caps and mittens when it warmed to five or ten below).
Pretty sure that I was out and about for the coldest recorded day in Chicago and it was supposedly even colder (though not recorded) in the suburbs. Wiki suggests -30F in Aurora. I remember getting in my head to walk somewhere (I would have been 11 or 12) and bundling up in layers upon layers until only my eyes were exposed. Went outside and immediately thought “Wow, my eyes are cold” and went back inside to grab a pair of swimming goggles.
-25ºF also in Iowa … which was fine since the wind was calm … the deadliest was also in Iowa at -10ºF and the wind was blowing … just couldn’t even go outside for more than a few minutes …
Living here in Jefferson, I’ve forgot what freezing temperatures feel like …
My best guess is “Pacific Northwest” but I’m not 100% on that.