This morning on Twitter I remarked that it was colder in Saskatoon than it was in the North Pole this morning and I wasn’t kidding. I got a couple of IMs and e-mails from friends in far warmer locations asking me how we survive in that kind of cold.
- Cars in Canada have block heaters that we plug in during this kind of cold to keep our engines warm enough to start. At this temperature it isn’t guaranteed that they will start. When your car freezes up, you have to pay a tow truck to tow you somewhere warm enough to get your car unfrozen.
- If you do get your car started, expect a bumpy ride. Your tires freeze unevenly so it feels a little like you have square tires. On top of that your shocks are awfully stiff if not frozen solid as well.
- I have a command start on the Honda Accord. It doesn’t work in –40 degree weather. Neither do power windows or the power seat in the Dodge Caravan. I slopped my coffee in it the other day. I am not going out to clean it until April.
- The other day the wind was gusting which makes it even colder. I park on one side of 19th Street. Walking across the street to work caused me physical pain in my legs as the cold cut right through my jeans. My cheeks actually started to freeze in under 30 seconds.
Our tauntaun froze to death the other night. Wendy forgot to plug it in.- With it being colder in Saskatoon than it is in the North Pole, it means that Santa Claus isn’t coming to Saskatoon. Too cold for the reindeer.
- Gas will freeze at this temperature. That’s why we all carry gas line anti-freeze.
- Most of us have car bras on our cars to keep the wind off the radiator. Without a wind break, your engine can’t keep warm which means it is awfully cold inside the car.
- If we have to travel the highways in this weather, we pack impressive survival guides. When Wendy and I were driving weekly to Spiritwood, the car had in it extra blankets, coats, candles, chocolate, socks, boots, gloves, and scarves. This was in addition to the heavy winter gear we carried. I only had car problems once on that road. My 1990 Ford Escort Wagon froze up on the way up one time because I didn’t pay attention to #7. Looking back at it I was lucky I survived that one.
- Wendy whines a lot more about the cold in this weather. I know she is from Guyana but she has been in Canada for 33 years already. (I shouldn’t have typed this, she is reminiscing about her first winter again)
- It is too cold to ride a bike in this weather. Winter bikers in Saskatoon are fearless (and stupid) as they ride on ice and roadways all winter. At this temperature, most bike lubricants just don’t work anymore.
- Fashion is dead. If putting your pajamas on your head keeps you warm, the rest of us are cool with that. A kilt on top of your snow pants? If it helps you feel toasty, good for you!
It’s not enough to just read about it, you too can experience it. All you need to do is head down to your local hockey or curling rink, strip down to your underwear and lay on the ice for 30 minutes or so. Just when the frostbite is hurting and the hypothermia is about to kick in, you will know what it was like waiting for my van to warm up this afternoon. Just be thankful there wasn’t a gusting wind to go along with it.
[...] How cold is it in Saskatoon? Jordon answers the question that everyone is asking. How cold does it really get in Saskatoon? [...]
Makes our Chicago weather seem downright tropical.
Yikes! I’d prefer to say I’d forgotten what it is like to live in this. But then, northern Montana when there’s a cold front hanging over the western frontier states and provinces was occasionally like what you describe. And yes, I can attest that the culture of cold is one unique … opportunity.
During the worst winter I ever endured, it was below zero (Fahrenheit) for at least 6 weeks, below -30 degrees for about half of that time, and peaked out … oh, excuse me … bottomed out at -56 degrees. And that was with no wind chill. And, devastatingly, the dramatic climactic trough occurred right during Christmas break!
Few peoples’ cars would work, even with “head bolt heaters.” And so we’d have to walk to the stores for supplies. You had to use teamwork to exit the house; the humidity from everyone staying indoors meant that when you opened the door, “fog” rolled in as the cold outside met the humid inside. It created its own breeze, so you would have to sort of hop [see below] outdoors while your teammate slammed the door closed behind you – and you both hope nothing caught [see below] in the door!
[Hopping and Hoping: To survive the walk to the grocery store, you had to wear multilayers. Or else freeze. So, it was jeans over “long johns” over flannel pajama bottoms – and overalls atop if you had ’em, otherwise a second pair of regular pants borrowed from an older and larger sibling. And sweater over long-sleeved shirt over flannel pajama top. And buckle-up rainboots over double wool socks over bedroom slippers over socks (shoes or boots would be freezing). And wool socks (probably two) over mittens over hands. And one or two warmest toques on head, preferably at least of them the overall ski-mask kind with holes for eyes and mouth. And hooded winter coat over sweater and hats. Oh yes, and goggles over eyes. And maybe a muffler or two over anything else on your face. And yes, you did sort of look like a human marshmallow, all kind of puffy and so many layers that arms weren’t at your sides – they sort of rested on the ledges from your coat and all the lumps under it. And many leg-layers made it impossible to walk normally. So, now that you have that in mind, you understand the hopping part. We even looked sort of like tauntauns, gingerly jumping through the snow banks, arms extended to give some counterbalance. And likely with some loose piece of this or that woolen something or other accidentally dragging along behind, which explains the hoping that nothing would catch.]
So, I walked the seven blocks to the store, got two bags of groceries, and hopped on home quick as I could. The whipping cream for Christmas dinner had already begun to freeze by the time I rang the doorbell so some kind soul could let me back in through the ensuing fogbank …
… now THAT’S a real winter, eh?
I grew up in Regina, moved to Winnipeg and then to Calgary. Now I’m in Vancouver – and it’s for a good reason! Brrrrrr….
Being born and raised in Ontario, I had the great fortune finding good SK girl that would be my wife. I lucked out thus far in our relationship…summer trips, and pretty mild winter weather. until this year.
It looks like the night you wrote this I had the misfortune of picking a dud plugin at the Jubilee Inn in Davidson SK, so:
1) yep they don’t start very well at -32
10) my wife, who has only lived about 4 years in Kitchener, seems to complain the most about the cold.
12) I saw my wife in the ugliest combination of red hat, yellow coat, and purple snow pants…
I will say though it is only in small town SK you will have the mechanic (that is thawing out your engine) offer his truck to use for an hour or two… it’s parked outside with the keys in it.
I am visiting Saskatoon next tuesday march 3rd-09. We hit 90 degrees F today. Its like a summer Day. I have some winter clothing, couple of warm coats that I used in New York but your blog scares me a bit. Any useful tip that you can send will be helpful.
Thanks.
1. gas doesn’t freeze during our winters, it’s the condensationwater that forms in your tank if you don’t keep it full
2. I’ve been driving for 36 yrs in Saskatoon and never had a vehicle not start that was plugged in for at least 4 hrs unless your have a weak battery. Many times don’t even plug the vehicle in, again check your battery.
3. Our power windows work fine, few vechiles I’ve seen have bras – maybe it’s your choice of vehicle?
4. Yes, winter can be nasty but it’s not a daily routine of freezing unprotected faces, blowing winds and hardship
5. If you are from a warmer climate then it may seem unbearable but having been born and raised here (52 yrs) its just part of life. Dress warm, don’t dwell on the winter temperature/conditions.
6. Saskatoon is a great place to live just like many other cities that experience winter conditions
My Accord only needs an hour of being plugged in but several cars at the shelter when I work at did not start even when plugged in. Including new Centre vehicles.
My power windows work fine but the ones in our Caravan do not and it starts fine in any weather. I think it comes down to models as it was another Chrysler whose power windows did not work.
Being born and raised in Saskatoon, I find that I must leave… It just isn’t the frigid and long winters anymore, it is also the cold and wet summers. Temperatures below 5C in July and August is just insane. It is really hard to take and anyone who says the climate here is great is nuts… Especially when said to someone not from here.
There is no doubt that the subarctic climate of the northern Great Plains is an impediment to growth. Saskatchewan’s population hasn’t really grown in 80 years and the population of North Dakota is in decline even though the economies of these jurisdictions are fairly bouyant. There is good reason why 12 million people are crammed into SW Ontario and another 4 million packed in along the south coast of BC and the warm interior valleys.