Weatherman says ambient temps here will be -25 degrees Sunday night/Monday morning. With these nice breezes, that means wind chills will vary between -40 to -55 degrees.
While this may be shirtsleeve weather for Tallpine in his Unabomber retreat out there, it's still pretty damned cold in my neck of the Wisconsin woods. We haven't experienced stuff like this since back in 1996.
Wife #2 understands that when we walk the dogs, it's The Buddy System. We walk together, dogs stay close, and not too far from the front door. We eyeball noses and ears of both humans and dogs, and once business is done, hustle back to the house.
Grocery stores were madness today with people buying more toilet paper and french bread fixin's. (Eggs, milk, bread) I didn't see many folks buying bottled water.
That's my biggest concern. Water mains have already started breaking in the bigger cities nearby, and when that happens at -20 degrees, the crews fixing them aren't the quickest.
You can't eat all that french toast, and flush the byproducts using toilet paper, without water.
I filled the 20 gallon food-grade barrel today, and the bathtub's full with buckets nearby for flushing the commode.
Several more gallon milk jugs are full and frozen on the back deck, plus we can melt snow until spring if need be.
I don't think the power will go out, but I have the Generac fueled and oiled, 10 gallons of fresh gas nearby, and all the railroad lanterns inside are full of lamp oil just in case.
I couldn't find my magnetic engine block heater. That would've been nice come Monday. Wife #2 understands that her Jeep will require a gradual warm-up well before she departs for work Monday morning.
Otherwise, about the only inconvenience I foresee is that I can't use the gas grill on the deck for the next few days.
I'll call my elderly neighbors in the morning and see if they need any errands run, otherwise it's an experiment on my part to see how fast I can chill a 6-pack of Spotted Cow on the front porch to go with the chili in the crock pot.
To my fellow APSers in the path of this icy blast, stay safe!