COLD: By this time of year, we’re accustomed to cold spells. Yet 51 years ago, it was colder than we’d like to think about.
According to the Bradford Landmark Society 50th Anniversary calendar, on Jan. 13, 1968, the mercury in Custer City read 30 degrees below zero.
The website livescience.com has a list of things that only happen when it’s really cold.
As most local residents know, soda and alcohol can turn into slushies when left out in the snow in a sealed bottle for a few hours. When you bring it inside and open it, the slush will form in the bottle.
We’ve used the front porch deep-freeze method in the winter plenty of times, and ended up with slushies instead of cold drinks.
The site also suggests that if one is very careful, when the temperature is 30-below, throw boiling water into the air outside. It will turn into snow. We’re not sure about throwing boiling water anywhere ourselves, but with extreme caution, this may be interesting to try.
The site also reports something locals know: tires lose air pressure when it’s cold. “Mechanics use the rule of thumb that for every drop of 10 degrees Fahrenheit, tires lose 1 pound-per-square-inch of pressure.”
We know from experience, the “low tire” light in our cars come on when the mercury drops.
Here’s one we hadn’t heard of: frost quakes.
“Frost quakes typically strike after a cold snap rapidly drops temperatures well below freezing,” the site read. “The quick freeze makes ice in the ground swiftly expand and crack, producing loud booms. Though frost quakes sometimes shake the ground, their effects are localized, so the tremors are rarely caught on earthquake monitors. A similar phenomenon called ice quakes can loudly crack the ice in lakes and rivers.”
This one can be fun — frozen bubbles. When the temperature gets to about 10 degrees or lower, take some bubbles outside.
“The trick is to blow them up in the air so that they have time to freeze before hitting the ground or another surface,” the site read. “The bubbles will form crystalline patterns and some might break, looking a bit like the shell of a cracked egg.”
