Cold Weather More Deadly Than Hot Weather

[EndtheMadnessNow]

That’s intriguing. Having lived in da frozen tundra of Wisconsin for 50 of my 58 years, I’m pretty familiar with cold weather and how dangerous it can be. I prefer the cold over the heat. Yes, cold weather can kill. It can sneak up on someone I think faster than hot weather. If you aren’t protected or dressed for it, it can kill you quickly. 

It can also kill people indirectly. With cold weather many times comes snow, ice, high winds, etc. Many die in car accidents from the cold, ice, low visibility. It is just dangerous. I’ve had a couple of times where I had to decide not to go to work because I felt the drive was too dangerous, and wasn’t worth risking my life. Vehicles really hate the cold. When it gets bitter cold, minus 20 or below, you don’t want to leave your car out without running it every few hours to keep the engine block and fluids from freezing. Been there, done that. I remember back in 1994 it got so cold, my car wouldn’t start. Had it towed to Sears, where they had to actually thaw out the engine block, which was frozen completely solid. Then a battery replacement as the cold weather made that kaput. Unbelievable. I learned the hard way not to go more than 4-6 hours between running the car when it gets that cold.

People who move here from warmer states are usually shocked at how cold it can get here. You really have to be prepared and ready if you’re driving a long distance. It can get dangerous very quickly.

Now that you say that I can relate back to my childhood days growing up in frigid cold. I lived way out in the country and we had a 1200 ft driveway that we had to clear with a snowblower; didn't have a truck w/snowplow. We had lots of small ponds that would freeze over and would play ice hockey (I was fierce ice skater) and inevitably I was always the kid that fell through the ice. Never got frostbite aside from that horrible numbing stinging sensation when de-thawing (no skin damage) and never got pneumonia either.

When I was in Boy Scouts to get my Wilderness Survival merit badge I had to camp out in the winter under the stars. That weekend it dropped to 28F below zero. No problem surviving & no frost bite either. Once I left home to travel the 7 seas I was always (90% of the time) in warm tropical climates + 6.5 years living in Hawaii, 18 yrs in Portland area (where it doesn't get very cold) and never been able to withstand the cold anymore. My kids loved the cold and trips out to Mt Hood where dad spent most of the time in the mountain lodge sipping on hot whiskey drinks.