Yeah, yeah, yeah ... we know. It's cold.
There's nothing we seem to enjoy more than complaining about the weather. It's too wet. It's too dry. It's too sticky. It's too windy. It's to warm. And, yes, today ... it's too cold.
Temperatures in the Chicago area are hovering around zero and wind chills are making people feel like it's 20 degrees below zero. And despite being serious,professional, tough journalists, we were huddled around the conference room table this morning doing probably what you and your co-workers were doing: Complaining about the weather.
Here's a bit of what we were chatting about:
Are we the worst?
A scan of the weather around the United States shows things really could be worse. How worse, you may ask through your face shield while cupping your hand warmers to your face?
You could live in Minnesota right now.
Not only will the Vikings be at home watching the NFC Championship this weekend, residents of St. Paul Minnesota were suffering at 12 degrees below zero at 10 a.m. Friday morning.
This comes after it hitting a balmy one degree yesterday. That's one, single, solitary degree.
At least meteorologists predict the Chicago area will reach a high near 10 degrees today. That's 10 degrees higher than the Twin Cities will top out at Friday. Their high is expected to be zero.
Plus, to make it worse, it's expected to reach 20 here by kickoff of the Bears Packer game Sunday afternoon. St. Paul will be at nine degrees at the same time.
We also could be living on the East Coast, where meteorologists claim it has snowed at least once every week since November.
According to Weather Underground at wunderground.com, Buffalo, N.Y. has been pummeled with 18-inches of snow since the first of the year, and 55-inches of snow since July 1, 2010.
That same area is expected to be hit with four more snow days over the next 10-day period, meteorologists predict.
Imagine having to shovel 55-inches of snow in four months, then compare it to the suffering we will feel for one day Friday.
Yes, it's cold. Yes, Anchorage, Alaska, may have recorded a temperature of 22 degrees at 10 a.m. Friday. But, again, it really could be worse.
And, for those of you wondering, it was 9 degrees below zero at 10 a.m. in Green Bay, Wis. They are expected to reach a high of only one degree above zero today. Plus, some snow is expected.
That's one win of a couple expected this weekend.
— Lee Filas
Why don't kids want to dress warmly?
How cold is it today?
My 10th grader actually wore a coat to school.
OK, it was just a light, brown-leather jacket more suitable for late November than early January. And it fluttered like a weighted flag behind him, unzipped, as he lumbered across the front yard toward his ride. But it was a coat.
It was better than the cloth jacket that he's insisted — “I'm fine, Dad! I'm fine!” — has been, well, fine for the rest of the winter.
And he was wearing a hat. Well, a baseball cap, actually, but his head was covered.
And it only took him, like, three minutes to find his gloves in the basement. He wore them, too. He didn't need his tennis shoes. There's no running practice after school today. His moccasins were, sigh, fine.
I don't know what he'll be wearing when he gets home. Maybe somewhere between the front porch and the car door, he'll find out that his parents know a little bit about fighting off the discomfort of winter and at least keep his cap on.
Not that he'll acknowledge the source of the information, of course. He doesn't need us. He knows everything about dressing for the weather — everything about life in general, come to think of it — he needs to know. He's fine. He's fine.
So, I guess he won't mind me borrowing this other favorite phrase of his. Yeah, right.
— Jim Slusher
And why do they argue?
Common sense finally grabbed hold of my 11 year old son this morning.
The night before the deep freeze set in, I mentioned to young Johnny Knox,
that he needs to wear his winter coat to school and not just a sweatshirt.
The sweatshirt is standard issue for any temperature above zero.
“But dad, recess will be inside today so why do I really need the coat? I'm
just running to the bus.”
I pulled out the dad trump card phrase of “Just do it” and we left it at
that.
Word on the street is that John was spotted in his winter coat this morning
heading into Mill Creek Elementary School. I'd wager the sweatshirt was
under the coat though. And who knows if it'll be on for the trek home.
— Jeff Knox
Bad and good advice
Felicia Middlebrooks of WBBM 780 told me this morning that we're in a deep freeze (it was -3) and to “dress appropriately or stay home.” So I thought I'd call my boss and tell him she said I couldn't come to work (at the time, I was eating cereal in my kitchen in shorts). Then I remembered my huge mortgage and decided against that idea. So I put on long pants and trudged to work.
A co-worker kindly stopped by my desk to ask me if I had my defroster set on circulating inside air vs. outside air because he noticed my side windows were still frosted over. I should be using outside air, he tells me. (This is why I work here because people here care and worry about you in the sweetest ways). I was touched until he then launched into the details of his Caribbean cruise, which he flies off to tomorrow...
And, did you know today is National Hugging Day? Not that it really has anything to do with the cold, but seems like a nice, toasty note to end a weather story on.
— Teresa Schmedding