It is winter in Winnipeg. It is cold. That is expected. The fact that we consistently soldier on in sub-zero temperatures while the rest of the country seems to seize up, is even a source of pride.
But sometimes, it is just too cold. Some things don’t work when the mercury dips below certain levels.
Thursday and Friday, southern Manitoba was under an extreme cold warning, with below normal temperatures and high windchill values expected to continue into the weekend and beyond.
In fact, Global News weather specialist Mike Koncan says the cold is more than even weather trackers are made to handle.
“The GFS model doesn’t have a colour to describe the cold we would be dealing with next week. It’s showing blank spots for forecast temperatures colder than something around -35 Celsius.”
When it is cold enough, even in Manitoba, cars don’t start, exhaust fog reduces visibility, pets don’t want to go outside, your winter jacket makes that papery-crackle sound and even talking is tough. And then there are the things that just don’t work.
If you haven’t yet experienced them for yourself — things that don’t work in extreme cold — we’ve compiled a list:
Automatic car washes
Garage door openers
Hydraulic hinges on household and vehicle doors
Cell phones
Cameras (or anything with a battery, actually)
Certain street lights (not necessarily this one)
Frozen water pipes
Parking metres
Add to these a host of other things that just don’t work properly, like extension cords, door handles/knobs, car alarms, fluorescent lights, plastic grocery bags.
In all these cases, it is a matter of function — whether components freeze up or liquids congeal, whatever — some things just fail at extreme low temperatures.
In other cases, however, it is a matter of safety.
School divisions keep elementary students indoors for recess, and may cancel field trips when temperatures drop into the extreme zone. They will also cancel bus service. Whether rural or within city boundaries, many schools suspend school bus service in severe weather.
“The general rule is that if the wind chill is -45 C or colder at The Forks (as posted by Environment Canada at about 6:10 a.m.), we cancel buses for the whole day but schools usually remain open,” says the River East Transcona website.
We found similar wording on school division sites.
And there is more. Ski hills and outdoor attractions will close during extreme temperatures. Community centres discourage use of outdoor skating rinks.
The City of Winnipeg has a page with information about staying safe during extreme cold on their website, including the following:
- Older adults and very young children should avoid prolonged outdoor exposure.
- Check on older friends, relatives, and neighbours who live alone.
- Recognize the symptoms of hypothermia: confusion, dizziness, exhaustion and severe shivering. If these symptoms are present, seek immediate medical attention. Severe hypothermia can be life threatening.
- Bring pets inside and limit the amount of time they spend outside.
For most of us in Manitoba, “cold” is a matter of temperature and tolerance, but sometimes, it has a look too…
PHOTO GALLERY:
Have a picture that shows just how crazy cold it is? Send it to us at winnipeg@globalnews.ca and we might add it to the photo gallery.
WATCH: Dangers of bitter cold