Saturday, February 4, 2023

Historic Cold

One might think that the mild winter we have had so far has made this weekend's cold snap seem much worse than it actually is. You might say to yourself, "We use to see negative temps all the time. This really isn't so bad."


Well, it actually is so bad. Here are some highlights to show how historically severe the weather conditions were on Friday and Saturday morning:

*Mt. Washington recorded an all-time record low for wind chill at -109°F. Wind gusts were over 100 MPH, and the air temperature was recorded at -46°F.

*Boston's -10°F was its coldest since 1957.

*The summit at Whiteface Mountain recorded a -81°F wind chill.

*Folks in Maine were feeling "frost quakes" due the rapid freezing (and expansion) of water underground.

*Trees in northern Vermont were "exploding" due to rapid freezing and expansion, making a sound much like gunshots.

*We hit -17°F on the weather station at the GSD Headquarters in Williamstown.

Are we getting soft about the cold and freeze days and snow days? Generally, yes. But the facts don't lie: this round of cold and wind is indeed historic. But as quickly as it has come, it will leave. We should hit 40 degrees in most locations in Berkshire County by Sunday afternoon.

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