The warnings given by weather forecasters early last week about the Polar Vortex coming into the USA, took place last night, with temperatures utterly plummeting to below zero in the north central part of the country.   It will keep coming, today.

I warned readers of this website and listeners to my radio show that this was coming and URGED they make preparations.  Now, it's here.  It's happening.

With the kind of wind chill temperatures seen on the graphic image above, this is the kind of cold that kills people.   Stay home.  

If you absolutely _have to_ go out, dress in multiple layers of clothing, including doubling-up on socks.  Wear thermal underwear (long johns) or even sweat pants beneath jeans.  Wear T-shirts, heavier sweater or other shirt.  Make sure you wear a hat and gloves with your heavy winter coat.

Exposed skin can literally freeze within minutes in this kind of cold.  Frost bite is a terrible injury and it can happen very fast in weather like this.  Don't take chances, cover up in multiple layers of clothing if you go out.

Check on neighbors and friends during the day and overnight.  

In areas where the polar vortex HAS NOT YET ARRIVED, you have only hours to prep.  Check you car anti-freeze, and tire pressure.  Make certain any pipes beneath your house are either insulated or wrapped in tape heater.  If you already have tape heaters, plug them in to make sure they work.  

Every minute counts because by tonight, a whole lot more geographic area is going to be covered by this cold.  

Why should you be #WinterReady?

• Sixty-three percent of temperature-related deaths are attributable to cold exposure.

• Home heating is the second leading cause of home fires, and winter is when most home fires happen. 

• Travel during the winter has unique risks, especially if you travel by car.

While I try to maintain a high level of preparedness, every year I find ways to improve my ability to withstand natural disasters and other emergencies (see Post-Milton Improvements To My Power Preps).

You don't have to live on the gulf coast, or on a fault line, for disaster to strike. 

The National Weather Service in Los Angeles has issued a life-threatening, destructive, widespread windstorm warning for parts of Southern Los Angeles, California, starting at 4 a.m. Tuesday morning and continuing until Wednesday evening.

Winds are expected to be 50 mph, with some areas experiencing hurricane-force winds reaching up to 100 mph. Steady winds of 80 mph are also projected, especially in the valleys  which will significantly increase the risk of falling trees and power outages.

This dangerous weather system is expected to create extreme fire danger, with the combination of dry conditions and high winds exacerbating the risk of rapidly spreading wildfires.

Residents are urged to take immediate action to secure property, avoid outdoor activities this is an extreme risk, and failure to prepare could lead to catastrophic consequences

Earth’s temperature hit new milestones in 2024: reaching record-breaking levels and rising to more than 1.5C above pre-industrial levels.

That last year was going to be the warmest on record became clear a few months ago, when global temperatures did not fall as predicted after El Niño subsided last June. The weather pattern, which is associated with the warming of sea surface temperatures in the central-east equatorial Pacific, pushed global temperatures “off the charts” in 2023, making it the hottest year on record.

But while conditions in the equatorial Pacific returned to normal mid last year, global temperatures did not.

“All of us who made projections at the start of the year underestimated just how warm 2024 would be,” said Zeke Hausfather, a climate scientist at Berkeley Earth.