Desiree has thrived in her first bout with frigid Arctic weather. Early yesterday morning, the temperature dipped to something near -30°F at our house. At the same time, several people I know recorded -38°F.
Things
get a little weird when temperatures plummet below -20°F. The lake ice regularly cries and occasionally
makes depth charge sounds. Packed snow
squeaks and squeals when you walk or drive on it. My house, with the bitter cold resting on its
back, cracks and snaps deep within its bones.
One
of the more spectacular frigid weather spectacles involves pitching boiling-hot
water into the outside air. The water
instantly vaporizes and then freezes, becoming something more akin to smoke.
Yesterday,
while temperatures remained near -20°F, Desiree and I boiled some water in a
pot, which, theoretically, brought it to a temperature of 212°F. We then
poured the water in a cup and trotted outside to video me (in slow-motion)
throwing the water into the air above me.
Consider,
that’s an astounding temperature difference of 232°.
The
results did not disappoint. I have
posted one of several videos Desiree captured of me.
Ice
Shock
The boiling point of water must be adjusted for elevation, but you knew that. I guessed your elevation at 3500 feet ( close?), which (thanks to google) yields a boiling point of about 206 degrees F. Very cool, regardless.
ReplyDeleteI think you are pretty close on elevation. I appreciate that you took time to drill down (maybe up?) in a the sake of accuracy! Hope you are feeling near 100%.
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