Chicagoist: Today's Weather: Still Freaking Cold

Sears Tower

Tue, 23 Dec 2008 00:11:38 -0600

Wow, when I saw 54 comments on a weather post, I was sure this was thread would be a global warming debate, but nary a word is mentioned until now. I looked at my globe and decided to move to Rand McNally for the winter. It is in the southern hemisphere so it will be warm, plus in that place people wear hats on their feet, and hamburgers eat people.

BeeRockafeller

Tue, 23 Dec 2008 00:00:53 -0600

"Everybody complains about the weather, but nobody does a thing about it..." There's not too many regions where they'd consider 40 degrees a "nice day." But in Chicago and other winterized cities, after a deep freeze, if it hit's 40 it's paradise. I just love that little quirk. It helps me to put it all in perspective. It really ain't that bad. Just a few months out of the year, big deal, who cares. It makes looking forward to the spring/summer all that much sweeter.

that_girl

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 21:05:53 -0600

I never said anything about spring. Winter being "over" here in Chicago does not automatically mean the start of spring as it does in normal cities. Contrary to the jokes (winter and construction), we have about seven seasons here. March signals the start of "wring" season, a combination of winter and spring where it alternates between snow and rain and you end up constantly wringing out all of your clothes every day. Then there's spummer, suddenall (where fall just suddenly occurs one day without any warning) and Real Winter. Pfft. You're making up seasons. Winter does not end until Spring begins. :)

matty

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 17:41:14 -0600

"woohoo! we're talking about the weather! Who needs rocking chairs and a barbershop and to be 80 years old? Now we have the INTERNETS!" lol

Ingrid

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 17:17:07 -0600

In spummer I like to have brinner a lot (breakfast for dinner).

Stealth

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 16:55:52 -0600

Not quite, but see... "spring" to me means consistently in the 50s - 70s during the day and above freezing at night. If it's still below freezing or threatening to snow, I don't consider it done, just dying. :) I never said anything about spring. Winter being "over" here in Chicago does not automatically mean the start of spring as it does in normal cities. Contrary to the jokes (winter and construction), we have about seven seasons here. March signals the start of "wring" season, a combination of winter and spring where it alternates between snow and rain and you end up constantly wringing out all of your clothes every day. Then there's spummer, suddenall (where fall just suddenly occurs one day without any warning) and Real Winter.

Ingrid

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 16:48:28 -0600

Somebody asked me once which I thought was worse, being too hot or being too cold. I said that whichever one I'm experiencing at the time is the worst. I don't like hot and humid weather at all. But, being true to myself, I'm thinking along smussy's line that a lemonade and a sticky back sounds good right now (but I'd like some vodka and iced tea mixed in with the lemonade, thank you).

smussy

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 16:43:28 -0600

i'm with ya, spook (huh?). if i even THINK about bitching about the heat, i think about this shit and i sit back and sweat it out. aahhh, sweat. what i wouldn't give for a cold glass of lemonade and a sticky back right now.

that_girl

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 16:34:57 -0600

And hey, according to the NWS O'Hare report, it was 60 degrees on your birthday last year. Hell, you could have had a beach birthday party!!! Not quite, but see... "spring" to me means consistently in the 50s - 70s during the day and above freezing at night. If it's still below freezing or threatening to snow, I don't consider it done, just dying. :) Also, I suppose I got spoiled by those two years I lived in Kentucky (shut up) where it was still warm at the end of October and warm again by mid-March. (Yes, yes, Chicago is far superior in every way to Ky., except for the weather.) p.s. We were gone for the weekend and when I came back today and got into my car there was a perfectly formed wheel-stop-shaped block of ice preventing me from backing up. It was so effing cold the drips from my car re-solidified into a solid, wheel-blocking mass.

sherlaura

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 16:24:06 -0600

The good thing about winter in the midwest is that I spend so much time shivering that I usually lose 5 pounds by the middle of January.

Albanyparkour

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 16:05:46 -0600

Do these same people go into supermarkets and complain that all people do there is buy food? I'd love to go to the concert with you, will there be music?

Spook

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 15:49:12 -0600

Von Erick, CTA will ask for for Badge number, Bus number, time, route and a discription of the driver. I had all of the above except the badge number, but as he is the driver that I get when I'm running a half hour late, it was easy to remember him when I saw him fly buy, so much so that the women I talked to complimented me on my discription of him. I guess they have the records at their finger tips. I actually got some measure of relief. Oh and Joshie, I like Smussy NEVER complains about how hot it gets in the summer. This is called integrity. Actually when it gets really hot, I think about these tundra days( when the sun sets at 4:00pm) and enjoy the heat all the more.

Stealth

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 15:42:01 -0600

Which is worse, the people who complain about the weather or the people who complain about the complainers*? LOL. That goes with anything said on a message board. It never fails to amaze me that someone will come onto a message board of ANY subject and say "Gee, all of you need to get a life" while ignoring the basic purpose of a message board which is for people to (wait for it)... leave messages. Do these same people go into supermarkets and complain that all people do there is buy food?

joshie

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 15:29:02 -0600

People like to complain about the weather. It's something to bond over. Why do other people feel the need to stick their nose and bitch at the people who are bitching about the weather? Which is worse, the people who complain about the weather or the people who complain about the complainers*? *I realize that I've now become the person complaining about the complainers about the complainers, so that probably makes me the worst of all.

Von Erich

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 15:28:17 -0600

"As soon as I got to work I reported him for both" How did you report him? Badge #? Bus#? Route#? etc. The chick on my route overshoots every stop by 1/2 to a full bus length. Every Goddamn stop, every Goddamn time. She licks the curb every now and then so everyone is thrashed about on the bus, and when you get on, they are all cursing you with their eyes because you are the one that caused it.

Tower18

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 15:26:12 -0600

I think everyone reserves the right to complain when the wind chills drop to 30 below. I mean, seriously. It's only December and already 20-degree actual temps don't bother me anymore. But come on. -30 wind chills even make Chuck Norris' teeth chatter for a split second.

Spook

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 15:16:37 -0600

P.S opps that's East Bound Armitage! And may a pox be on his home!

Spook

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 15:15:10 -0600

Smussy, I wish I could boil alive the driver of the Armitage westbound bus this morning! That jackass zoomed( did not even slow down) right by my stop four minutes early! Then I realized that its the same pockfaced swamp sloth driver who likes to spend two green lights talking to the crossing guard at Logan Blvd, hence his hurry! I guess he forgot that she wasn't working today because of the holiday season As soon as I got to work I reported him for both offenses. Yea cold wearther is far more dangerous than hot, Stealth. People die, especially when they get stranded because of the CTA!

smussy

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 15:00:40 -0600

i admit i am a wuss when it comes to weather. but i don't let it stop me from doing stuff, either. but as far as six months of 'suck?' i consider it 'suck' when i'm waiting for a bus and worried that one might not come for some unspecified, long-ass amount of time (22, 36? i'm looking at you.). where i don't allow myself to wear a skirt out for fear that i will be stranded at a party with no ride home at midnight. when walking around feels like dodging potential pitfalls and landmines at every step ... all of that really sucks to me.

Stealth

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 14:56:39 -0600

wow, Stealth, you have a sense of humor about everything except the weather! No, no! I do! I swear I do. Cross my heart and hope to get buried by a snowplow (if I ever see one). It's just that having been through BRUTAL winters here, I guess I learned to appreciate just a light dusting of non-sticking snow and temps in the high 40s-50s in March as winter being over. And c'mon... I said 50 degrees. "No, it was 42.5!" Really? Quibbling about less than eight degrees?!? And I venture to say that in some parts of the city, with the proper conditions, it probably did hit 50 and maybe higher. And personally I like snow. Alls I'm saying is considering where we are in December and January, by March we have broken the back of winter.

garlic

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 14:48:27 -0600

woohoo! we're talking about the weather! Who needs rocking chairs and a barbershop and to be 80 years old? Now we have the INTERNETS!

Ingrid

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 14:41:32 -0600

wow, Stealth, you have a sense of humor about everything except the weather! I lived for 8 years in upstate New York, snow belt country. We literally did not see the color green for 6 months out of the year. Here, it's not upstate NY bad....but it's bad enough. I do have to say though, I don't ever let the weather keep me in or use it as an excuse not to do something. I do consider myself to be of the non-wuss persuasion...but I reserve the right to piss and moan about it.

Stealth

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 14:28:42 -0600

I don't know why you're not willing to admit that last winter was worse than other recent winters... or at least hung on longer. Ok, you're right. It was horrible. It was 40 degrees and we got a little snow on the ground. How in God's name did we survive?

joshie

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 14:20:12 -0600

The average high in March 2008 was 42.5. I guess it's all a matter of opinion, but I don't consider that to be "nearly 50 degrees". There were also 12 days with at least a trace of snow, total snowfall of 7.9 inches. I don't know why you're not willing to admit that last winter was worse than other recent winters... or at least hung on longer.

Stealth

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 14:18:33 -0600

I never said break out the shorts and t-shirt in March as a rule. But the past few years in March have not been brutal by a long shot. And yes, there is the chance it could be horrible next year. So, it's basically 6 months out of the year where you have to be able to cope with the fact that it could suck. But, really, you're on alert six months out of the year? What does "suck" weather mean to you? Rain in any amount? Less than 70 degrees? For me, suck weather is bitter cold (single digit, below zero) and ice that won't leave the sidewalks. Snow, I can cope with fine. Temps in the 30s: fine. Maybe the problem is we have different definitions of "suck".

Ingrid

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 14:06:27 -0600

-It didn't get "cold" here until this month. And it will be "over" in March. Not a whole lot of time. There is no way you can count on anything til May is almost over. Sometimes it's warm in May, other times it's still FREEZING in May. Lots of times it's cold AND raining in May. Sometimes October-November are mild, other times, not. So, it's basically 6 months out of the year where you have to be able to cope with the fact that it could suck. And to be honest, I don't mind the snow and the cold so much. What I hate is weather like today, where everything is blaring, crunchy, white, the sun is out, it's too cold and the brightness of it all gives me migraines. Seriously. I hate the migraine part. It's like going snow-blind. But still, my point is, you pretty much have to be prepared for 6 months of cold. The snow is a bonus.

Stealth

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 13:57:54 -0600

Funny how you skipped a year there, Stealth. Maybe try this March and at O'Hare? Pick any March you want. Either way, the average temperature was nearly 50 degrees. And as winter goes, that's "pretty much done". March 2006 You're right though. And it is only 6 months out of the year. It didn't get "cold" here until this month. And it will be "over" in March. Not a whole lot of time.

joshie

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 13:47:06 -0600

Funny how you skipped a year there, Stealth. Maybe try this March and at O'Hare?

Albanyparkour

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 13:44:36 -0600

Don't hurry back.

matty

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 13:43:35 -0600

The incessant complaining about chicago winters is so much worse than the actual winters. I don't complain, I vacation.

Ingrid

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 13:28:27 -0600

--C'mon people, tighten it up. It's only a few months out of the year. By March it's done. Limit your exposure outside, dress warm, kick those clumps of dirty snow out of your way! It's not so bad. It's character-building! If you can make it year after year in this weather you can do anything! I mean, you moved here for a reason, right? You'll be fine. Thank you Pollyanna :) You're right though. And it is only 6 months out of the year.

henrymiller

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 13:15:54 -0600

i enjoy the winters here more and more with each passing year. the weather here prepares us for anything. we will be able to survive nuclear winter or the oncoming wrath of someones deity...we are survivors,cockroaches,beautiful...no matter what they say...words can't bring us down...

Stealth

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 13:08:55 -0600

(Says the one with the March 29 birthday who is bitter that it's never nice around here for it...) And hey, according to the NWS O'Hare report, it was 60 degrees on your birthday last year. Hell, you could have had a beach birthday party!!!

Stealth

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 12:54:44 -0600

Done by March? What is this "done" you speak of? This was the weather report for March 31, 2007, via Weather rockstar, Tom Skilling: March 2007 March Temps at O'Hare Like I said, pretty much done.

that_girl

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 12:25:46 -0600

Done by March? What is this "done" you speak of? We usually get a rogue snowfall in April! Granted, it's often a big improvement by March, but it is not "done." (Says the one with the March 29 birthday who is bitter that it's never nice around here for it...)

smussy

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 12:23:25 -0600

oh, the weather. tom robbins says 'weather should either be celebrated or ignored.' for as much as i enjoy the man's writing (i know, i know. lots of people think he's a blowhard. to each his own.), i have to heartily disagree here. first off, i'm glad lots of people here remember that last winter was tremendous in its suckitude. i'm comparing this start of winter to last year's, and *my* friends are staring at me as if last winter was a breeze. oh, the mechanism we have where the mind quickly forgets pain. as far as it only being crappy for 'a few months?' ummm ... the hardship can often last from november (although for the last few years we've been getting a break from this) until MAY sometimes. by my count, that's six months. at least six months before i can even *consider* not wearing a decent coat. i made a promise to myself long, long ago that i would never, ever again complain about the heat. and i mean never. and i have been steadfast in adhering to that rule. and i have only had air conditioning here 6 months out of 11 years that i've lived in the city. hell, i didn't have A/C growing up in SE WI, either. so, i have no issue with the heat. and right after that first snow, i got into work and i realized .. man, it's just exhausting being in the cold. it just takes up so much energy walking around, being careful, staying warm. hell, the fear i have that i'll get stuck somewhere outside and start to get too cold sucks away a ton of energy in and of itself. but here's the deal. when i say all this, people inevitably ask over and over again, "why don't you just move, then?" i've tried to picture somewhere. san francisco? portland? boston? san diego? l.a.? new york? for a variety of reasons, this place and i are madly in love. i STILL swoon at the sight of her skyline. i STILL am giddy with delight when the first spring breeze blows into town. i STILL dance down the street on the way to my first cubs game of the year. i STILL revel at how lucky i am to live here when i'm under the el tracks somewhere some night and one goes thundering by. i'm hopelessly in love with chicago, and it puts me in a terrible place to put up with this horrible stretch of beatdown every year. stuck between a rock and a gorgeous place, i am.

Stealth

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 12:03:52 -0600

And yes, I'm "used to it" but that doesn't mean I like it! I never said "get used to it". I've lived here all my life and I won't ever "get used to it". But "deal with it" is another matter. You really have only two options: move (as many have said they may do) or stay here and "deal with it". No, you don't have to like it, but it's not going anywhere. And guess what? It's going to happen again next year too!

Stealth

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 12:00:59 -0600

Besides there are worse things out there than the cold and snow. Like that lousy, stupid "Give joy, give joy" commercial for Macy's (I guess) that they play every 5 minutes. Or that other one for Luna with those kids singing out of tune. Whomever thought that was cute was wrong. Or that 1-877-Kars-For-Kids crap commercial. Did I mention I only can pick up one radio station on the little radio in my office and they play these commercial over and over and over... I'll take freezing over that.

Von Erich

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 11:48:54 -0600

How old are you people? How long have you lived in the midwest? This is every year. I'll take the bitter cold over the pounding heat. You can always do something about being warmer. Stealth is right, it's a few months out of the year. And this is every year. Republicans should be happy. To them, this proves, Gore was all wrong about global warming. To me, I will complain and worry when I am wearing shorts around this time of the year. You could be a dog you know. Having to go outside yesterday doesn't make a cold tile floor or a cold toilet seat doesn't seem so bad.

xlprq

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 11:43:54 -0600

I agree with Rob. I like Chicago winters because it makes me feel tougher than my coworkers and friends in warmer parts of the country. They call me complaining when it's in the 20s or 30s. I laugh at them because they're afraid to go out in that. I'm not afraid to go out when it's below zero. But that doesn't mean I like it.

Rob Christopher

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 11:40:48 -0600

I like Chicago winters. Good excuse to catch up on all my DVD-watching, and a good excuse to drink hot drinks and cook, and stay inside and read. Y'all need to quit whining or just move to San Diego.

joshie

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 11:30:19 -0600

@Stealth:Like last winter? What, you mean cold? C'mon people, tighten it up. It's only a few months out of the year. By March it's done. Limit your exposure outside, dress warm, kick those clumps of dirty snow out of your way! It's not so bad. It's character-building! If you can make it year after year in this weather you can do anything! I mean, you moved here for a reason, right? You'll be fine. I mean cold, snowy (7th snowiest in recorded history) and--miraculously--rainy...and let's not forget long. It was pure misery in meteorological form. Getting around sucks. I had to climb over snow/ice boulders on an unshoveled sidewalk to get to the train this morning (which was delayed). Crossing at most intersection has been like taking part in winter gymnastics. And I moved here from Wisconsin, to go to school. Weather was never a factor in my decision. And yes, I'm "used to it" but that doesn't mean I like it!

Spook

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 11:27:21 -0600

So, all yall who bitched about it being "too hot" last summer, show me yo MUTHA F*CKING hands! Hands yo, let me see them hands! This weather is your fault! Its called the Weather Karma Gods.

UTV

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 11:25:40 -0600

I hate this weather, but it does bring one benefit: when I finally give up and duck into a bar for some fries and a beer, I feel like I really earned it. Hell, I damn well deserve it.

Mucky Fingers

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 11:21:15 -0600

This freezing air is better appreciated from six feet above ground, rather than from six feet below. It's good to be alive.

curmudgeon

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 11:10:07 -0600

This weather SUCKS. That said, at some point in time the weather sucks EVERYWHERE. Fog, tornados, hurricanes, fog, heat. But not everyplace has Blago.

DROOO

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 11:06:56 -0600

"It's the extra 10% of energy that every activity takes on in this kind of weather...Just going out means dressing for a fucking space expedition." haha totally. it's the season of wet socks, frozen fingers and drippy noses. luckily i have a kitten this winter that helps warm my hands up much quicker.

Albanyparkour

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 10:59:05 -0600

It's the extra 10% of energy that every activity takes on in this kind of weather. Just crossing the street means being in mortal terror or navigating slush that has frozen into concrete. Just going out means dressing for a fucking space expedition. And you're never really warm. I was outside two hours ago and there's still this cold in my bones from it. I'm thinking of keeping hot cider at work, just to get my blood from ice to liquid again.

mitchapalooza

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 10:54:15 -0600

Winters here make summers in Chicago some of the best around.

Stealth

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 10:48:41 -0600

If this winter is like last winter, I am SO moving somewhere warm next year. Like last winter? What, you mean cold? C'mon people, tighten it up. It's only a few months out of the year. By March it's done. Limit your exposure outside, dress warm, kick those clumps of dirty snow out of your way! It's not so bad. It's character-building! If you can make it year after year in this weather you can do anything! I mean, you moved here for a reason, right? You'll be fine.

JD84

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 10:39:49 -0600

I was in a warmer part of the country last week on business. It was about 80 degrees, and as I sat enjoying a tall drink after a long day, I thought "I couldn't live down here, this isn't winter weather! How could you enjoy Christmas?" Then my flight was canceled, and when I did finally get in, I had to dig six inches of snow off my car and try to park on a snow covered side street. Hooray winter weather... I miss the bayous.

clarity83

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 10:30:23 -0600

i wish i was a snow bird so i could fly far, far away. i hate the winter, but love love love the mild summers.

joshie

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 10:08:00 -0600

If this winter is like last winter, I am SO moving somewhere warm next year.

mitchapalooza

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 09:38:01 -0600

Remember in Christmas Vacation when Audrey's eyes froze? It is about like that; at least I remembered the saw.

magikist

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 09:33:09 -0600

Plans to move to Miami = in motion.