Freezing cold is coming in Europe

The whole media is full with informations in Hungary that absolute freezing cold is coming here. There will be even 50 cm of snow during 1 month and also -25 degrees at night. People always say that there will be as cold as in Siberia, but I don't believe it. However, I've never seen any really freezing cold in my life (I'm 18 at the moment)

But I've heard that this happens in whole Europe. What do you think about it? Anybody afraids of the cold?

Finally, I'm always getting too hot when walking ~3km to uni. -28 today and it's been pleasant to walk for a change.

I love the cold myself, and based on what you just described, I wish I lived there rather than where I do. The colder and snowier a place is, the better. Screw the heat.

Yep, I also love the snowy scenery, but actually, I hate cold itself. All the morning, when I walk to the bus station, I look like a robber, because of my scarf which covers my entire face. :D

I can't bear the cold without it.

Yeah I like cold weather and snow. Shame we never get much of it in the UK (or where I am at least). We've had "severe weather" warnings for this week, but those tend to be overplayed a little.

I enjoy getting a tan in the summer too, but I can't stand those hot, sweaty nights where I'm trying to sleep in a puddle of my own sweat.

Get yourself some good sleeping bags (rated for the temperatures you will have) and you'll be okay. It also helps if you can insulate your house and/or sleeping quarters a bit, if you have enough time. Every little bit helps, but start with the biggest heat transfer areas (typically windows). Stock up on heating fuel too, and food/water in case roads are shutdown.

Cold weather is fine when it is dry cold, which you usually will have when it gets below a certain point. The coldest I have witnessed was when I was in Finland, which was about -25 degrees Celsius, and dry as a bone.
Compared to that something like -5 but wet and with wind feels a lot worse.

I'm guessing here in South-East England everything will grind to a halt after the first few millimetres of snow, as many Brits are useless and don't know how to cope with the white stuff. Having spent a few years in Canada, I'm somewhat more accustomed to dealing with it, heh. No doubt I'll be one of the few people who still makes it into work on time.

Just stage 1 of global warming.

DooMAD said:

I'm guessing here in South-East England everything will grind to a halt after the first few millimetres of snow, as many Brits are useless and don't know how to cope with the white stuff.

It's always curious how your corner of the country gets the most snow, when it also has the most industry and heat radiating out of it.

I hate the cold weather (which is why I wear a sweater most of the time during cold days).

Danarchy said:

Just stage 1 of global warming.

Global warming is only a warming on a global average. It leads to a greater amplitude in temperature, meaning both more intense cold and more intense heat. E.g., and to oversimplify, if you get -10° in winter relative to last year, and likewise +11° in summer, then it's an average yearly increase of +1°. But when you say "+1° average", it really doesn't seem like much...

Gez said:

Global warming is only a warming on a global average. It leads to a greater amplitude in temperature, meaning both more intense cold and more intense heat. E.g., and to oversimplify, if you get -10° in winter relative to last year, and likewise +11° in summer, then it's an average yearly increase of +1°. But when you say "+1° average", it really doesn't seem like much...

Thing about global warming is that the first thing that happens when the earth warms up is that the ice melts, which creates arctic currents and thus colder weather all around. At least as long as there are still ice caps. After that it's going to get a lot hotter...

Gez, Danarchy: one thing is surely true - global climate change is not about warming only. Some places will be colder.

ptoing said:

Cold weather is fine when it is dry cold, which you usually will have when it gets below a certain point.
...
Compared to that something like -5 but wet and with wind feels a lot worse.

This. When I was living in northern Finland the dry -40 felt about the same as -20 does here in south, by a huge a lake and about 50km from the sea.

And that wind, fuck it.

Danarchy said:

Thing about global warming is that the first thing that happens when the earth warms up is that the ice melts, which creates arctic currents and thus colder weather all around.

It's rather more complex than that, and what you describe is (a simplified account of) one plausible situation (with some tangential historical precedents), but by no means the only one. All you can really say is that significantly altering the composition of the atmosphere is liable to have significant impacts of climate, but the nonlinearity of the system (from a mathematical viewpoint) makes it hard to predict very specific outcomes.

Anyway, the OP is referring to more of a weather phenomenon. I haven't seen any forecasts with -25C for central Europe, but I'm surprised that you haven't experienced any extreme cold in Hungary, as it does have a pronounced continental climate (hot summers, cold winters). My parents were in Budapest in January 2006, and got some days where the temperature was as low as -20C. The forecasts that I have seen for Europe as a whole reflect typical regional variations, with the maritime areas not so cold. And yes, Britain's little bit of wet snow will probably bring things to a halt. But before you laugh at the country as a result, bear in mind that ice (which you tend to get when humidity is high and temperatures bobbing up and down around freezing point) is a lot more troublesome than light dry fluffy snow.

Here in Minnesota it has been an oddly warm winter. That may be due in part to a positive phase of the Arctic Oscillation (last winter, a negative phase was linked to a colder winter in normally temperate parts of the North Hemisphere).

Jodwin said:

When I was living in northern Finland the dry -40 felt about the same as -20 does here in south, by a huge a lake and about 50km from the sea.

Indeed. I'd rather have a dry sunny -20C in Minnesota than a wet miserable +5C in the UK.

God awful 36 degrees Celsius in Vrystad, South Africa here today, felt like my skin was melting

The other day it was -36 degrees celsius not far from here. The coldest I have experienced myself was -42. Damn that was cold, but it was very dry cold. Here in Oslo, -15 is worse than -40 in where I come from. The wind and the moist from the sea makes the cold unbearable here in the city. Ugh.

It was 52F overnight here in L.A. That shit was intense.

We're getting a pretty moist range of temperatures around -5 (night) to +5 (midday sun) degrees celsius here in Cambridge (SE England). It doesn't feel too bad until the wind kicks up and then it might as well be arctic for the discomfort it causes. I've heard things will be getting a fair sight colder though, so I'm also looking forwards to what DooMAD is predicting. Should be funny seeing the ducks on the ice in the pond outside my bedroom window at least :P

Saying that, since moving to Cambridge a couple of months ago I've seen some very oddly extreme and variable weather that stands out even by UK standards, so I'm half expecting anything to happen.

DoomUK said:

Yeah I like cold weather and snow. Shame we never get much of it in the UK (or where I am at least)...

I enjoy getting a tan in the summer too, but I can't stand those hot, sweaty nights where I'm trying to sleep in a puddle of my own sweat.

Heh, you definitely don't live in the same part of the UK as me. We usually get at least one decent snowfall per Winter (often more - though not this Winter, yet) and I don't recall ever being unable to sleep in the way you describe in the Summer here. In fact, my "tan" is usually better described as "weather beaten". ;)

I *think* the coldest I have experienced was -26 or -28 many years ago and there was one spell about 12 years ago where the temperature went under -20 and stayed there for almost a week.

Phobus said:

since moving to Cambridge a couple of months ago I've seen some very oddly extreme and variable weather that stands out even by UK standards, so I'm half expecting anything to happen.

Yeah, Cambridge gets funny weather. The coldest temperature I ever experienced in the UK (-17C) was in Cambridge.

I heard people explain that there is no significantly high land between Cambridge and the Arctic, or between Cambridge and Siberia, so cold winds can just move in unobstructed from two places that get very cold in winter. Most other places in the UK are protected from one or the other. Cambridge is also in a relative rain shadow, so tends to get clearer skies (and therefore colder nights) than much of the UK.

I also recall snow in May one year. Have fun. :)

I like the cold, although considering I live in florida, cold to me is 30-50 degrees Fahrenheit :p

Just your average 45 degree overcast winter's day here in Washington. THe snow finally melted and all the juncos are out, so it's starting to look a bit like spring already.

I don't mind cold air. But when you add wind and snow and sleet and ice all together....Ugh! I'd rather be in Arizona during a heat wave.

As nobody did it yet:



F**k those hot summers, winter is underrated.

also (too big to [img]):

http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/423399_10150634087077254_744022253_11502541_52522348_n.jpg

fahrenheit? please...

Celsius is a horribly hydrocentric scale, not to mention [whateverthehelltheadjectiveforbasedon1atmospherepressureis].

Why not base it on absolute zero and the temperature for proton-proton fusion in a vacuum?

And what's this day-month-year business? Why not second, kilosecond, megasecond and gigasecond?

Grazza said:

Why not base it on absolute zero and the temperature for proton-proton fusion in a vacuum?

It's currently a comfortable 530.5ºRa here though the temperature's been all over the place this week.

How many fluid ounces in a pound? :)