Driving in this morning I found myself thinking, "Wow, this is nice warm weather, Zero °C all day"

Am I out of my mind, or just finally asymilated to canadian life

Iain

zero is warm once you've been to -20deg C..I know what u mean Iain

A few days ago, I was feeling very warm, all wrapped up for the snowy weather and couldn't understand why I was so warm. I asked Tom what temp it was supposed to be and he told me it was minus 2. I then understood as we had been used to minus 20 for the previous few days!! We both laughed and congratulated ourselves on how Canadian we had become in the short time we've been here!! Either that or we are both crazy!! Could be both

Chris

No Iain you are not out of your mind, or acclimatised - I only arrived in December and I can tell you that today is much warmer than it was in the damp UK! And we were having +8 when we left there.

I went back to Britain last January and was delighted to learn as we were landing that it was sunny and +3C.

Despite my Canadian training, I was cold from the second I got off the plane and when I arrived at the flat I was staying at immediately had my back up against a radiator trying to get warm.

It was the damp. It was licking my face and going straight through my coat for my bones. (One of my early purchases were some M&S vests as I learnt to dress in layers again).

Having said that, after a few days I was used to it again, and was able to cope with temperatures as low as -5 (in Norfolk). But it's a completely different kind of cold. Zero here definitely is not the same as zero there.

Last Spring we found ourselves talking about getting our shorts and tshirts out and it was 14 degrees!!!! I love the cold weather though compared to the heat so you wont find me complaining about it. I'm asthmatic and am about the only one who doesnt get affected by the cold (the heat kills me!!)

Having suffered the -40 that hit Montreal a week before Xmas, zero degrees sounds like heaven!

but as others have said, zero here is very different from zero in the UK... here i think you're more equipped with decent heating... the damp and cold in the UK really hits you and makes you suffer...

I'm talking out of blissful ignorance here (as per usual) but I have always felt that zero or just below felt warmer than just above. Now I always assumed that it was down to the forementioned "dampness" effect and that the freezing point of water stopped all the water vapour coming out the damp ground and therefore the dryer air.

your correct and you can often feel this down by the great lakes.. as we still get the damp cold here in Canada.. you’ll get that here in November grey and damp

and the "dry' cold is only when its sooo cold there is no moisture left in the air because its now all frozen... this can sometimes be seen under bright sunlight as the air sparkles..

the real truth is that the UK spends much of its winter a few degrees above zero, and most of Canada spends it winter a few degrees or more below zero

I don't really know. My hubby and I were talking about it today on the way to work. We moved back to the UK 4.5 years ago and having spent alot of time in Ontario, we find the winter in the UK damp cold and miserable.

I am chilled to the bone at work this morning and it is not even in the -'s. I am sure that Seasonal affective disorder is rampant here!!! I could not pull myself out of bed this morning - it was dark and grey outside- I just wanted to curl back up till I saw sun. Here's our idea on it: In Ontario there is snow (most of the winter) the sun reflects off the snow, therefore it seems sunnier and lighter most of the time. Whereas here the sun only has dirt, cement and a little mudtrodden grass to reflect off of. So that is why it seems duller and crappier here.

Have a happier day than chilly miserable me.... btw I would love some of that snow if anyone wants to send some my way....

Sharmagirl

Sorry, would you believe we dont have ANY in my bit of the big O!

Don't forget to consider that you are much further north in the UK and the days are shorter than here in most of Ontario...so you get less sunshine even when the sky is clear...

your on the same latitude as Grand Prarie Alberta...(approx 54 latitude)

Well, I have to tell you that this morning when I woke up it was -38 and -50 with the windchill. I was going to go to work but I phoned and said "can I come tomorrow instead?"

My little dogs go outside in this and the bottoms of their feet get cold and they lie down. I think they would just wait to die if I didn't yell at them and make them get up and come inside.

Tomorrow I am getting my shorts out - its going to be -12!!

Must admit that is one of the things I definitely do not miss in the UK, the long nights. It seems so much lighter over here.

Well at minus -44c, wind chill -52c this morning waiting for the 4 minute delayed bus 0 would seem pretty damm hot to me too.

Had the down quilted coat, 2 layers over the legs and head wrapped in two hats 1 LONG scarf wrapped around with the 2mm slit to see scarf froze to hat from the moisture in my breath.

Why can't those snow plows push the snow into semi circle shelter shapes instead of creating 1 huge pile at the bus stops.