Share Your Perception of Cold: A Science Fair Project

[KaryCam]

My son has a hypothesis he is trying to prove for a Science Fair project and I need your help.
He needs people from all over to answer this question:At what temperature do you consider it "cold" outside?Meaning, what is the highest temperature at which you think, "it is now cold outside."When you answer this question, please also list which state/providence/country you live in.Thanks so much.

 

[funmom]

I would consider it to be 'cold' at anything under 10 degrees celcius (don't know what it is in fahrenheit!)
I am in Essex, United Kingdom x
hope that helps

 

[mgoodson]

I consider anything under 60 to be cold. I'm not good with cold From Texas! A better idea for help is to ask the scientists at http://www.physicsforums.com Good luck!

 

[sklay723]

Kind of silly, since it's not very "scientific" of me, but I live in Florida, too, and I consider it "cold" when we can see our breath in the air. I love colder weather!!!

 

[doughmama]

55 is as cold as I ever want it to be.Katie, you love the cold weather because you don't live in it. When your nostrils are frozen together as you are scraping the ice off your windshield, you'll be changing your mind. Our Fall has been mild but I still can't wait for May...

 

[chefcharity]

I'm from Indiana and I think it is cold at 40 degrees... unless the sun is shining, then we can get to like 35

 

[jbondr]

I'm in Missouri. I think it is cold outside when the temperature is 25. Brrr!

 

[Becca_in_MD]

40 degrees is cold enough for me. From Maryland but raised in Connecticut with no heat in my bedroom most of the winter.

 

[lisasfuncooking]

I live in upstate NY. I think it is cold when it falls below 55 degree Farenheight. Yes, I am a whimp!

 

[leslieprichett]

I live in Alaska, and to me, cold is when it drops below 30. Super cold is the negative numbers LOL.

 

[Tropicalburstqt2]

I'm from PA & think it's cold when it's 60, unless its been 30 for a week, then 60 is the new 80!!

 

[Chef Kearns]

It kinda depends on if there's wind or humidity. LOL! I know I'm making it tough for your son.

Sometimes I'm cold at 65 and sometimes not til the 50s. So I think I'll put 57F. And I'm in SA, TX.

 

[dannyzmom]

I live in South Florida and as soon as we hit 70, I am pulling out the heating blankets & sweaters!

 

[NayNay]

50 and under is cold to me I'm from missouri

 

[nikked]

I with the 50ish crowd. Albuquerque, NM

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

Wusses. 40 is chilly.20 is cold.When it gets below 10, I start wearing my flannel-lined pants.

(This is the, um, cleaned up version of this sign.
The original is not suitable for a family site but
expresses the sentiment in a more appropriate,
albeit obscene, way.)

 

[Maragib]

I live a bit farther north than Leslie in North Pole, Alaska and I went outside in a sweatshirt and crop workout pants to run to the gym and store. It was about 9* and I was comfortable. I think it is cold when it is about -10 cause it gets more uncomfortable to breathe. In my town the longtime locals can be caught in shorts at 20*, no lie especially in the spring. I usually dont pull on my coat unless it is below 0.

 

[pamperedpartridge]

For me if it is 50 or under it is COLD! I'm in southern MS. However for my husband it is closer to the 30's-40's for him to think it is cold.

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

I live a bit farther north than Leslie in North Pole, Alaska...

Say hi to Santa, and tell him I've been more good than naughty this year.

... I went outside in a sweatshirt and crop workout pants to run to the gym and store. It was about 9º and I was comfortable. I think it is cold when it is about -10º cause it gets more uncomfortable to breathe. In my town the longtime locals can be caught in shorts at 20º, no lie especially in the spring. I usually don't pull on my coat unless it is below 0.

You've pointed out the unspoken obvious, and that is the relativity of temperature in the area, and of the time of the year.

Around here, this time of the year, 30º seems downright cold. In mid-February, 30º is a heat wave. In July or August, if it gets down to 50º it seems chilly. In March, when it hits 50º, people are stripping down and celebrating the arrival of Spring. (To which I remind them that we'll still probably get another 8" of snow before the tulips come up.)

 

[KaryCam]

I live a bit farther north than Leslie in North Pole, Alaska and I went outside in a sweatshirt and crop workout pants to run to the gym and store. It was about 9* and I was comfortable. I think it is cold when it is about -10 cause it gets more uncomfortable to breathe. In my town the longtime locals can be caught in shorts at 20*, no lie especially in the spring. I usually dont pull on my coat unless it is below 0.

Oh my gracious! But hey, I'm a Florida girl.
In my southern Gulf coast town, when it once a year gets down in the 20's, the town basically shuts down.
My dream vacation is actually a trip to Alaska. I like the cool weather.

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

A Couple of Weather StoriesA couple of years ago, I was in Branson, Missouri when it snowed. I've been driving in snow for forty years, and a few flakes just don't bother me. If you've ever been in Branson, you know that if you're down at the river front, you have to climb a significant hill to get back up to the other part of town.

The main street was just gridlocked, so I went around and started going up side streets. I watched someone with a four wheel drive SUV slide backwards down the hill. I was driving a little Pontiac rental car, with New York plates on it, and I saw my chance. I drove around the SUV while it was still sliding backwards, climbed the hill, and got outta Dodge.

You should have seen the looks I was getting, from utter "How did he DO that?" amazement to "Who does that **&^%#! New Yorker think he's doing?!?"

It was kinda fun, actually.

Several years ago, I was at a conference in San Francisco in early December. I was with a group of people that was mostly comprised of temperature wusses from Atlanta and other parts of the south. While they were huddled together inside a cable car,

complaining about the cold (it was about 50º) I was hanging on the outside of the cable car with my jacket hanging open.

 

[straitfan]

Here in Kansas, I think it's cold when it gets below 40F. Add to that we nearly ALWAYS have wind, and that makes a wind chill which is much colder than the actual air temp.

 

[leslieprichett]

Oh my gracious! But hey, I'm a Florida girl.
In my southern Gulf coast town, when it once a year gets down in the 20's, the town basically shuts down.
My dream vacation is actually a trip to Alaska. I like the cool weather.

You should definately come! I especially love the summers here. In the Anchorage area the highest it usually ever gets is in the high 70s. We do have a few days of 80's but they are rare. And we have no humidity (which is super nice...........I come from Baltimore origionally and humidity is a bear). Anyway, if you ever make it up here, be sure to let me know, I can give you some ideas of great places to go

 

[robochick84]

I live a bit farther north than Leslie in North Pole, Alaska and I went outside in a sweatshirt and crop workout pants to run to the gym and store. It was about 9* and I was comfortable. I think it is cold when it is about -10 cause it gets more uncomfortable to breathe. In my town the longtime locals can be caught in shorts at 20*, no lie especially in the spring. I usually dont pull on my coat unless it is below 0.

This is true on many levels.

I grew up on the upstate New York boarder in the snow belt from the lakes. During winters in high school, you did not see black top from Nov 1 - May 1. It rarely got above 30 and I thought nothing of walking out the door with just jeans, a sweater, gloves, and maybe a hat or scarf.

However, for 3.5 years I have lived in Delaware now near the Chesapeake Bay. It has to be drastic for the weather to change as the bay on one side and the ocean on the other keep our temperature static. I see people in parka's at 50 degrees down here though.

In those three winters that I have lived down here, I have probably given in and put on a jacket less than 10 days (mostly just for fashion, or for people to think I am not nuts!!).

I will go with 32/30 as my comfort level being outside, and agree completely on the humidity levels affecting comfort.