Lowest on Record

For my whole life, I think I have never experienced a day as cold as today. Yesterday, today, and tomorrow are three days in which it is predicted we will experience record-breaking cold weather.

For instance, right now, at 3:00 PM, the temperature is between -13 and -18 Centigrade. That translates to between 9 and 0 Fahrenheit. There is a wind chill warning, coupled with a frostbite warning. And I am supposed to be happy, since there are other locations that are supposed to be colder than Buffalo, like Minnesota for example, where the temperatures have reached -20 Fahrenheit. That's one condition where one can freeze within ten minutes of outside exposure.

So I have been thinking of past instances in which I was exposed to extreme temperatures. I suppose this is the first for me. This is the coldest I have experienced so far. Yes, I lived in Denver for two years back in the 80's, but I was a toddler and I do not remember anything back then. The hottest I have experienced perhaps are certain days in Manila, where it would reach about 37 Centigrade, or about 99 Fahrenheit.

Should I say I can go and endure the weather in a gulag? Maybe not, but I am sure these weather conditions for the past few days are a close approximation.



(Presidential Sheep, from my Mount Vernon Series)