Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with coldweather

Cold Weather Running

hapticactionnetwork — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 07:29:44 -0800

What should I know about running in cold weather? What should I wear when I run in cold weather? (Specific brand recommendations and places to buy things in New York especially appreciated.) I recently moved to New York after spending my entire life in Texas and California, where the Winters are almost non-existent. I'm excited/apprehensive about dealing with my first Winter, and I'm trying to prepare.

I run two or three times a week, not usually more than 30/45 minutes. I'm not a very serious runner, but I'd rather not give it up when it starts to get cold. So: what do I need to know about running in cold weather? And, more specifically, what should I wear? (I'm a guy.)

I've looked at a bunch of websites, so I have an idea of general suggestions about types of clothing (layers, breathable material, etc). I don't know, however, where to buy good quality running clothes or any good brands. I'd really appreciate suggestions from people who don't have anything invested in what I ultimately buy.

Also: should I just give up and join a gym with treadmills over the winter?

Keeping kittens out of the k..cold

greenland — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 10:43:38 -0800

Kittens will have to be outside in the cold weather for a couple hours tomorrow. Would love some advice on how to accomplish this in some odd conditions. Our two five-month old kittens are getting spayed/neutered at the ASPCA mobile clinic tomorrow. Our usual vet is out indefinitely and our particular portion of NYC has little to no other options. The clinic will only be in our neighborhood tomorrow, and waiting any longer will probably result in more kittens.

The mobile clinic is first come, first serve, and there's a limit to how many animals they do, so you have to get there around 6:30 AM and wait a couple hours outside. Because nothing is ever easy, it's also the coldest it's been here all winter, and that's supposed to continue on into tomorrow.

We have a carrier for each of them (here, and here). The hospital that provides the clinic says that there's no guarantee of being able to leave the kittens in the van before it's time to take them in for surgery. How do we keep them warm for two hours?

We don't have (and can't afford) sweaters or clothes for the cats, but we have little blankets we can stuff in the carriers. Would including hot water bottles in the carriers be effective? After two hours? What about chemical warmers? Or would those just introduce a gaseous or ingestible hazard? Would they still be able to breathe if we covered every airhole with blankets? We're also considering sealing a portion (only a portion!) of the airholes in each carrier with plastic, so the heat has a better chance of staying in. (This may be a terrible idea.)

The ASPCA site and the hospital didn't have a lot of suggestions in regards to keeping our cats warm. Advice would be welcome! (Especially if you've gone through a similar situation.)

weird yellow stuff leaking down chimney

Salvatorparadise — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 17:42:36 -0800

Nasty yellowish liquid dripping down the brick furnace chimney into my basement....why? It's been very cold here in Ohio, seldom getting above 15, and it's been under 10 for days, and around zero at night. I'm in an 1940s era house with a brick chimney that vents the exhaust from my furnace. Lately I noticed this nasty yellow liquid dripping down the chimney, all around it pretty much, and it's not a lot. Maybe a few ounces make it to the floor of the basement, and look really yellow. The liquid coming down the chimney is almost gummy, it's like sap almost, and in a few spots some has dried into a gummy trail just like sap along the exposed outside of the chimney in the basement. This has never happened before (i've been in here since November and it's never been this cold). I can't get in my attic yet as I've got to get an extension latter to get up there. So, I'm wondering what could be causing this. Is it condensation forming in the chimney, and coming through from the inside, or forming on the outside and dripping down? The heater has been on a lot more lately, of course, and there is some snow on the roof. Could it be melting snow somehow coming through the flashing and down the chimney? Mind you, it would have to melt from the warmth of the chimney since it hasn't been above freezing since this started. Also, prior to this deep freeze it rained like hell for weeks and I had no leaks. Any ideas anyone?

What do I need to know when moving from Florida to Kentucky?

superbird — Tue, 27 Dec 2005 19:44:26 -0800

My wife and I are moving from Florida to Louisville, KY. What do I need to do or know to make the transition from warm to cold weather go as smoothly as possible? We expect to arrive around the 3rd of January, in the middle of winter, so we'll start with the worst of the weather, probably. I'm interested in web sites with tips and stuff, but even more interested in personal experience and informed wisdom from people who have been there, done that.
Also, I'm really excited about snow; but tell the truth: will I actually be miserable?

Will magic and earnest hope fix my car?

inging — Tue, 06 Dec 2005 08:53:01 -0800

Car trouble! It's freezing cold out this morning. The car won't start. The engine doesn't turn over or make any regular engine-y noises. (obviously I'm not the best with cars, so please use small words in your advice...) It sort of 'clicks' when i turn the key, instead of turning over. Like *turn key* CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK *return key to off position*. The heat, radio, lights, etc. all work fine, which tells me the battery is not dead (right?). The 'engine' and 'oil can' lights in the dash come on after attempting to start the car.

It's a 2002 Ford Taurus. I've been sort of lax in the oil-change department, and I've a sneaking suspicion that I'll now have to pay through the nose for that. HOWEVER, I'm hoping maybe also the cold is playing a factor? It's 8 degrees outside, but feels like -5 (or so says weather.com).

Also, the car ran just fine at about 10:45 last night. My plan now is to let it sit in the sun and warm up a bit, and hope that the problem... goes away? That the car will thaw and start and then I'll get me to a nunnery that does oil changes?

Home Heating

fabesfaves — Mon, 13 Dec 2004 07:13:39 -0800

For all of you who live in Northern states/areas that get very cold in the winter--what temperature do you leave your house or apartment at in the wintertime when you're home (I don't mean during the day when you go to work and turn it down, etc.)? I'm having an argument with someone who thinks that "normal people leave the thermostat at 65 degrees in the winter."

What's the best outerwear for low aerobic activity in cold weather?

meeeeeep — Mon, 22 Nov 2004 06:21:41 -0800

ColdWeatherFilter: What's the best outerwear choice for low aerobic activity in very cold weather? [m.i.] My wife and I are moving to Ottawa at the end of December, for a year. We’re both from the Pacific Northwest, where the temperature rarely dips below freeing more than three or four days out of the year. Neither of us has ever had to live anywhere like Ottawa, where the temperature seems to average -15 degrees celcius (plus another -20 degrees of windchill!) three months out of the year. What outerwear do we need in order to walk to work, go run errands, etc. in Ottawa? Is down the best choice? Is heavy fleece plus a hardshell viable? (Heavy down jackets will have limited utility back here in Vancouver.) Are there particular brands people recommend? And in terms of footwear, will a light but waterproof hiking boot do, or should we get something heavily insulated?