Very cold Weather! How do people cope?

Question

I've just been looking at the weather for Canada and it's something like -34 degrees celcius during the day! How do people cope with this? Everything must be permanently frozen! I'm thinking about things like animals, do horses have to wear 20 rugs, and do people never go outside? Anyone on here that lives there I would be interested to know! I was in New York 2 weeks ago and it was about -2 most days, with a wind chill of -12, and that was cold enough, I have never felt cold like it and I'm from the UK!

Answer 1

haha im living up in canada.  it is pretty cold, but a coat, pair of gloves and a hit fixes that. we have two dogs and the one really like it outside. he stays out there for like an hour at a time and he seems fine. we are just used it i guess. If you lived here for a bit you would be too.

Answer 2

I am from Spokane, and it is not too unusual to have it dip down to -20deg. One time when it was -40 i spent most my time cuddled up in bed with my cat, because our place was not set up to stay warm when it is that cold. I think most people gather the family in the one room they keep livably warm and read or play games or watch tv or...

And many people are born in September... we'll just leave it at that.

Answer 3

It's going to be -47 here tomorrow with windchill (I'm in Western Canada).  I cope by not going outside. . .lol.  The last three weeks have been brutal with the temperatures dipping to below -40 with windchill.

It's been so cold that the SPCA has been recommending that we not even let our pets outside, and if they must go, only long enough to toilet and get them back inside.  Thankfully my dogs don't care for cold weather, so they go out, pee, and rush back in.

I needed to go to the doctor the other day, and my car was frozen solid.  A friend of ours came over, hooked my battery up to a charger, and while that was happening, took me to the doctor's office and the pharmacy.  Thank goodness for friends, huh?!

Ahhhh. . . - 12. . .that sounds warm right about now.  In fact, it was that yesterday, and I saw people walking around with t-shirts on.

Edit:  hahahaha. . .long johns. . .haven't worn those since I was a wee lass. . .they certainly keep you warm though, even if they aren't s**y.

Answer 4

It's basically a matter of keeping a keen eye on the weather forecast.

Having a well insulated home, heated garage and clothes made from the right materials helps.

Planning for the cold spells is wise, like always having spare provisions, batteries, torches, an alternative fuel source etc.

Chains fitted to tires, a snow-mobile, snow shoes, a sled and huskies to pull it.  It's a way of life.

Answer 5

I'm from the UK too but married to someone from Montreal so I know what it is like there too. Canadians wear very warm clothes specially adapted for -40, our coats here just aren't suitable and wrap up a lot more/wear more layers of clothes. I would say that the clothing is a lot more practical than it is here in England. They wear snow boots too, the cars have snow tyres on them and the houses are very well insulated. Don't know much about the horses, but think they have special blankets too. It is not like this all year round though, in the summer it is warmer than it is here.

Answer 6

Hello Scarlett,

I am originally from the UK. Lichfield, Staffs. to be exact. I have been in Canada for almost 40 yrs and I still am not fond of the Winters here.

I live in the prairies (Manitoba). Last few weeks, we experienced temps as low as -50 with the wind chill. If I were a black/brown bear, I would definitely hibernate just to be able to sleep the winter away.

I wear so many layers of clothes that I can barely move around. It probably looks funny to others as I often feel as if I move around like a Penguin.  

When it is that cold, I often pray for a hot flush just to thaw myself out.

Sometimes, even our cars won't start even though they have been plugged into an electrical outlet to keep our block heaters running and they talk about global warming! I wonder where that is happening because it sure isn't warming up any here.

They wake up a poor little ground hog every year on Feb 2 just to see if winter will end sooner than later. The poor thing is probably quite upset having to be woken up and brought out into the freezing cold.

I absolutely hate winter, as you can probably imagine but you know better that most what the Brits say "stiff upper lip and all that" I don't have to work hard at having a stiff upper lip...it is usually frozen from October 31 until about the beginning of April. That's when spring tries to make an appearance....lol

By the way, -2 in New York...I'd take that any day over -50 with a wind chill.

Nice chatting with you. I hope you learned a little more about winter on the Canadian prairie.

Cheers Luv.

Answer 7

we put like all are thin clothes underneath our thick clothes then a coat and sleepbags

Answer 8

I come from the same region of Canada as spha above, and I also lived in England as a post-doctoral fellow.  My attitude to the cold is a bit different. It may be cold, but unlike the UK it is a dry cold.  London Heathrow at +4C with wind and humidity feels colder than Manitoba at -30 C.  -20 is the threshold where we begin to think it is cold, but until the mercury dips below -30 C, it is business as usual.  Below -30 C people tend to spend less time than usual outdoors.  That being said, there is nothing like cross country skiing through the woods in the cool crisp air of -40 C.  Even at that temperature, am warm enough after 30 minutes to peel back a layer.  You can always add a layer to stay warm in the winter.  Other comments about appearances are correct.  Hats are not considered stylish by some, but I would rather wear my sheepskin hat with the ear flaps down than watch (but not feel) my ears fall off.  It is also a good idea to wear a scarf over your mouth and nose (bank robber style).  My biggest problem with the winter is getting into a car with leather seats before it has warmed up (I think you get the picture).

Answer 9

I'm from northern Canada, now in the UK.  I don't mind the cold at all, much rather cold and sunny, than cloudy and raining.  You dress for it, you would be amazed at how warm you can stay with windproof clothing and walking.  I've been known to take my sled (snow machine) out in -40.  I used to go riding in -15-20 regular to check cattle, you obviously don't clip horses in the winter, and use a heavy rug, but they spend time in the barn with a wood fired stove.  they're fine.  The dogs usually don't get to bothered until about -40.  Coldest I've ever felt is -62 no wind, that was pretty chilly, had to put on an extra pair of long johns.

Answer 10

When the extreme cold is omnipresent or guaranteed yearly - the environment learns to live with it - better insulated homes, warm clothes etc.  For example my car has a Nordic pack and winter (snow) tyres - though today was a lovely day.

Answer 11

Lets not exaggerate, Canada's a big place. I've just checked its weather site and temperatures range from around zero degrees in the south to minus 37 degrees, but only this cold up in the Arctic circle on Baffin island.

http://www.weatheroffice.gc.ca/canada_e....

As for living in the Arctic. The largest group of people in the Canadian Arctic are the Inuit. They live along the coast and hunt seal, caribou and whales. They also trap and fish. Traditional clothing (boots, pants, parkas) made from caribou hide and seal skins are warm protection for the blizzards and are also waterproof. Modern fabrics (Gortex etc) are now also used.

Houses are built on stilts, otherwise their warmth would cause them to sink into the permafrost. Igloos ( in the winter ) and tents ( in the summer) are used for shelter on hunting trips. Many people have snowmobiles but dog sleds are also used. The people eat seal, bear, fish, geese, and caribou as well as imported 'western' foods. They need to eat a lot in order to maintain their body temperature. The main hunting season is the summer so in the winter they live from food stocks built up during the hunting season. Most outdoor activity is during the summer, in winter people stay indoors much of the time.

The Inuit, along with all other native peoples of north and south America all migrated from Central Asia across the Arctic regions into the Americas between 17,000  and 11,000 years ago.

The Inuit hunters found they could live well from hunting the sea life and adapted their way of life to this inhospitable land. Its possible that they have evolved to cope with these temperatures better than we would, just as peoples that live in high altitudes have adapted to a thin atmosphere.

Answer 12

I found this question very interesting and all the comments. I would hate to be in that kind of climate! I live in the UK too and don't find it too cold generally speaking. I admire how they cope, I suppose the 'HAVE' to cope.

Answer 13

Either Toronto or Montreal has an underground shopping mall the size of a small town from the little I know.

Oh, and cars get plugged in to run a trickle charge through the engine block to prevent it freezing solid in Canada.