Posted on 01/14/2004 6:29:54 PM PST by NewHampshireDuo
Mt. Washington New Hampshire Observatory report: 7:08 PM EST
Temp -28.5°F Wind West @61 MPH Gusts of 63 MPH Wind Chill-72°F
Observer's Comments:
07:08 PM Wed Jan 14, 2004 EST Our phones have been ringing all day today with inquiries of our temperatures. Yes it is cold up here, even by our standards. Over the past twenty four hours, the lowest wind chill was 102 degrees below zero... but I can tell you, it felt more like 500 below to me! Once again we have recorded a new record low today of 45 degrees below zero. Now our focus shifts to Thursday night, when a low moves by while intensifying over the Canadian Maritimes, driving even more cold air into the region. There have been talks of fifty degrees below zero Fahrenheit, which would break New Hampshire's state record low of minus 47, which was set up here in 1934. Wow, was it really this past June that we tied our own record high of 72 degrees?
I'm a little sceptical of wind chill, it's kind of like an exaggerated temp.
Esp. in the mountains in winter, you're always wearing windproof everything, so wind chill is really a non-issue.
Used to wear rubber painter's gloves (like surgical gloves but thicker and much cheaper) under polartec liners, my hands were toasty all day but shriveled like prunes. Some people (esp Mountain Rescue) wear VBL (vapor barrier liner) underwear but I never went that far. Knew some of the Mountain Rescue guys who absolutely swear by it. Oh yeah, plastic grocery bags on the feet, followed by socks and books. Same principle, cheapskate's VBL but extremely effective.
Observatory get down safely after a fire on the summit (Spectacular Mt Washington NH Blaze)
Highest wind speeds on Mount Washington: All wind records in the United States, except those involving tornados, have been set on Mount Washington:
Peak gust: 103.6 meters per second (231 miles per hour), April 12,1934.
Highest 5-minute average: 84.2 m/s (188 mph), April 12, 1934.
Highest 24-hour average 57.2 m/s (128 mph), April 11-12, 1934.
Highest monthly average: 31.1 m/s (70 mph), February 1939.
Highest annual average 15.6 m/s (35 mph), 1934 and 1983.
The National Weather Service reported a wind gust of 236 miles per hour on Guam on Dec. 17, 1997. That is the highest non-tornado wind speed yet recorded.
Thank goodness for Global Warming(TM). Just think how cold it could have been!
I now expect those New England environazis to change their tune on global warming!
I presume paperbacks are more comfortable than hardcover.
Hah. Of course. And don't forget your Eddie Bean Down-Filled Canoe Hat.
Boots. Not books. Boots.
It could be much worse, though. Right now, the gametime forecast is about 30 degrees with a chance of snow shower.
impermeable plastic right against the skin? not a good idea! wear a sock, THEN the bag, then the boo[t]. you always want to keep a layer of air next to the skin with the sock to wick-away the moisture. if your skin is soggy-wet from being inside a bag, in the cold, you're only leading yourself toward bigger problems.
I don't want a flame war over this, but the entire point of VBL is to prevent "wick-away [of] the moisture." You want to completely stop perspiration from entering insulating layers and making them less effective as insulation.
Wearing a wicking layer against the skin as you suggest - followed by VBL - won't defeat that purpose, but it won't help either. This wicking layer you suggest can't wick moisture anywhere but back into itself, since moisture cannot escape the outer VBL layer. So what's the point? You end up with a soaked and soggy "wicking layer" against your skin, and it's not wicking anything.
I've tested VBL in many configurations under severe conditions (mostly in the Presidentials of NH, -0F to -30F) and I know what works. My pals would be wearing $150 Goretex mitts with thick fleece liners and still be cold, I'd be wearing painter's utility gloves (my VBL) with thin polypro glove liners on top and be perfectly warm. I know that at least one Mountain Rescue guy started wearing a VBL undershirt - yes, directly on the skin - based on our outings.
VBL is very counterintutive (which is why most people don't use it), so you've got to test it out in real conditions.
http://www.mountwashington.org/cam/index.php
PICTURE.........Currently on the OBSERVATION DECK (-41 F with Wind Chill):
http://www.mountwashington.org/cam/deck/index.php
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