Just So You Know: How Cold Is It?

By Library Barry, Senior Archivist

Back in the 1970’s during the failed push to convert the United States to the metric system, a lot of information and measurement agencies re-evaluated their traditional practices. The National Weather Service, realizing that temperature numbers were really rather meaningless once they got below a certain level, attempted a more holistic approach to reporting for a brief period. This new system never got out of the planning stage, but a memo detailing it made its way to their microfiche center:

October 26, 1974

RE: Proposed Method For Reporting Colder Temperatures

Since simple numbers don’t really convey the level of perceived atmospheric coldness, nor are we sure which temperature scale will be official soon, we have decided to test a more descriptive temperature reporting system for colder environments. Below are the standards and parameters currently under consideration:

15.1 to 20F (-5.9 to -3C) - Cold
10.1 to 15F (-8.9 to -6C) – Damned Cold
5.1 to 10F (-11.9 to -9C) – Real Damned Cold
0.1 to 5F (-14.9 to -12C) – Freezing
Below 0F (Below -15C) – Fuckin’ Freezing

Thus, if the temperature on New Year’s Day 1975 in Chicago is 8F, but the wind makes it feel more like -10F, the official report will be “Downtown Chicago today will be Real Damned Cold, and Fuckin’ Freezing with the wind chill.” We feel this conveys the level of coldness more thoroughly than mere numbers, as well as eases the general population into the conversion from the Fahrenheit to the Celsius scales…

Weather Canada embarked on a similar program in the latter half of the decade…

17 Septembre 1979

RE: Temperature Reporting

The Canadian public deserves a more complete picture temperature-wise in the winter months – just barking out numbers doesn’t do much, eh? Below is a proposed revision to radio weather reports that we feel Canadians will find much more practical:

-9.9 to -5C – Better grab a sweater…
-14.9 to -10C – I’d think about a hat and maybe even some gloves, eh?
-19.9 to -15C – Oh, we’ve had worse, but it’s pretty cold out there.
-24.9 to -20C – I don’t think she’s gonna start, Dougie… better just stay in with no car, eh?
Below -25C – Cripes… it’s an ass-biter out there!