Do you know the temperature point where Celcius and Farenheit converge?
The first week I moved to Alaska, I met someone wearing shorts and a T-shirt outside while they were working on a car. It was 20 F and snowing. I asked them how they could handle that level of discomfort and they replied “you must be new here, this isn’t cold yet”.
This happened in October, where temperatures rose to highs around 25 and reached lows around 0. As the temperature dropped into the negatives, I finally heard someone say that it was cold – they were in jeans and a sweatshirt. The thermometer read -25.
Delta Junction being located at the foothills of the Delta Range mountains means that not only are absolute temperatures freezing, but the wind coming from the mountains frequently drives windchills 10 degrees colder.
To say -40 is cold doesn’t do the sensation justice. 20 degrees is cold, -40 (and lower) is something that can only be understood if it’s experienced.
Breathing is Hard
I’ve learned to gauge the subzero temperatures by how difficult it is to breathe.
My scale goes as follows:
- No difficulty breathing and no face numbness: > -10 F
- No difficulty breathing with face numbness: -10 to -15 F
- Slight difficulty breathing: -15 to -25
- Difficulty breathing (possible with something thin over mouth): -25 to -30
- Extremely difficult breathing (only possible with something heavy over mouth): < -30
The term most accepted around here to describe this is “spicy air” which is absolutely fitting. The first couple of breaths around the -30F range will make you involuntarily cough and you feel a burning in your lungs – hence the need for a face covering.
Unfortunately for myself, wearing a face covering of the mouth pushes the condensation onto my cold, cold glasses creating ice. Venturing outside in these extremes becomes a choice of forgoing sight or the ability to breathe. Most people don’t go outside.
Thermometers Don’t Work
The lower limit on conventional, mercury-containing thermometers is -40. So when temperatures dip below that mark (and they absolutely did here) the mercury inside the thermometers actually freezes and the thermometer will not read any additional changes.
One night we were leaving a friend’s house and we walked outside and breathing was absolutely impossible. I had to hold a hand over my mouth and even then the airy was too spicy. Our friend told us that it was “only” -40 which was cold, but not that cold.
We later found out that the temperature had dropped to -63, our friend’s thermometer had reached it’s limit and I had experienced the absolute coldest temperature of my life.
Cars Don’t Start (or Stop)
When I moved here, I noticed something different about parking lots. Most spots will have a post and an outlet at the front of each space. This is to plug in your winterized car so the oil doesn’t freeze and it can start. However, it is extremely common for people to leave their cars running when temperatures reach these lows.
One morning when my car registered -40, my friend took me on a trip to the only grocery store within 100 miles: the commissary located inside the army base just outside of town. Access to this grocery store is limited to veterans or active duty service people so it wasn’t an option for everyone. You had to be escorted by someone who qualified to shop there. Because it’s the closest grocery store, you take every opportunity to go.
When we got there, it was too cold to leave our cards plugged in. So I left my car running for the entire hour and a half that it took to buy groceries. I had to ask m friend how I could leave my car running and have it be locked.
The Air Freezes
Obviously the air is frozen. But suspended in the frozen air is all of the particulates that would otherwise be dissolved. Things like car exhaust, chimney smoke, and even the breath that you exhale doesn’t go anywhere and just hangs in the sky.
This creates an eerie fog and makes breathing feel even worse.
Some people get excited for the weather to get this cold and will travel to the local hot springs when it hits -40. They say that it’s the best time to experience the springs because there’s fewer people and the extreme cold actually makes the water feel comfortable – otherwise it’s too hot.
