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Some cool facts about the cold

Big Muddy rancher

Well-known member
By DARRYL LEVINGS
The Kansas City Star

How appropriate that the introductory information to a column such as this is known in the news biz as “chatter.”

Because, baby, it’s cold outside. But you already knew that, didn’t you?

What’s needed right now are new facts to share around the water cooler, the breakfast table or the space heater. To that end, we offer these weather facts:

FACT: Between Kansas City and 10 of its largest suburbs, there are nearly 17,000 lane miles to be plowed, the equivalent of 5.5 round trips to the Bahamas.

FACT: Those cities can field nearly 450 bladed trucks.

FACT: Reports of Kansas Citians hijacking Johnson County snow plows are unsubstantiated.

FACT: In Florida, chilled iguanas are falling out of trees.

FACT: It is a myth that the Inuit have 400 words for snow. Kansas City area residents, however, do have nearly 300, almost all unprintable here.

FACT: Piloerection is a term for goose bumps, nature’s way of fluffing body hair to insulate the skin. Unfortunately, we’ve evolved to the point where it’s useless.

FACT: There is an 81-degree spread between the record high Kansas City temperature for today (71 degrees above in 2003) and the record low (-10 in 1979).

FACT: The spread between today’s projected high, 1 stinking degree above zero, and the low, - 5, is 6 degrees.

FACT: Kansas City police arrested 153 people in the first seven days of this year, a 51 percent drop from the same period in 2009.

FACT: After carefully studying data trends and the strength of the El Nino ocean temps, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in October predicted that “warmer-than-average temperatures are favored across much of the western and central U.S., especially in the north-central states from Montana to Wisconsin. Though temperatures may average warmer than usual, periodic outbreaks of cold air are still possible.”

FACT: Bowbells, North Dakota, experienced a “periodic outbreak.” Wind chill hit 52-below zero there on Thursday morning.

FACT: Without the help of a single weather satellite, the wooley bear caterpillars got it right. Most reports this year were of all or mostly black ones, which means watch out!

FACT: Mexico City, 1,365 miles south of Overland Park, expects freezing temperatures.

FACT: Taking a nip against the nip is known as vasodilation, which means increasing blood flow to your extremities, which undercuts your body’s desperate effort to keep said blood from cooling near your skin. While the firewater may make you feel warm, you’re actually losing heat.

FACT: As of last Sunday, Overland Park has spent about $400,000 on snow removal; Kansas City, $2.8 million.

FACT: Our snow, so far, translates to roughly 2.4 inches of rain.

FACT: Zugspitze, the highest mountain in Germany, recorded 60 inches of snow. No, this isn’t important, but we like saying Zugspitze.

FACT: Tires freeze. Jane Tetrault described her drive to her North Dakota job this way: “Bump, bump, bump all the way to work with the flat spots on my tires.”

FACT: Almost three out of four Midwest homes are heated by natural gas.

FACT: Natural gas futures have jumped 13 percent.

FACT: Southwest Airline sprayed more than 7,000 gallons of propylene glycol de-icer on its planes at KCI Wednesday.

FACT: A ton of wet sand costs public works departments $8.50. But evict the cat, and you can get $30 a ton for the better spreading dry stuff.

FACT: More winter-month low-temperature records were set in the 1980s than in any other decade in Kansas City. Experts note a correlation to hell freezing over in 1985 when the Royals won Series.

FACT: Cold resulted in yet another passenger train breaking down under the English Channel, requiring very stiff upper lips.

FACT: A Craftsman Model 88957 snowblower costs $599.99.

FACT: Four Sears Stores we called had none left and couldn’t order any.

The Star’s Donald Bradley, Glenn E. Rice, Christine Vendel and Brad Cooper contributed to this report.

To reach Darryl Levings, call 816-234-4689 or send e-mail to [email protected]
Posted on Thu, Jan. 07, 2010 10:15 PM
 

nmhighdesert

Well-known member
Big Muddy rancher said:
By DARRYL LEVINGS
FACT: After carefully studying data trends and the strength of the El Nino ocean temps, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in October predicted that “warmer-than-average temperatures are favored across much of the western and central U.S., especially in the north-central states from Montana to Wisconsin. Though temperatures may average warmer than usual, periodic outbreaks of cold air are still possible.”


to really screw up requires a degree in science or engineering it seems.
 

HAY MAKER

Well-known member
Interestin....................I remember being in Wyoming one year,come a snow storm,that morning I was tryin to melt enuff snow for a pot of coffee,best as I could figger,takes about one 5 gallon bucket to the cup :mad: didnt take me long to head south.
good luck
 
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