
Here’s Why -40 Degrees is Such a Magical Number in Maine, Massachusetts & New Hampshire
It's no secret that it has been wicked-friggin-cold here in New England this week, am I right? In fact, I told myself I wouldn't use the word 'balls' in such a professionally crafted article as this, but to hell with it, it has been balls cold out.
Sorry for saying balls.
But for real, the temps have been lower than my self-esteem in a shirtless poolside selfie in July- and that's pretty low! And, if you start to factor in the wind chill values, it's actually been much colder (per the feels-like temp) than what the weather app is telling you.
Okay that's cool and all, but what is so special about -40?
Well, as a bit of a nerd, I used to ride around on my Mongoose MGX mountain bike as a kid and 'chase' storms around. I would follow dark clouds and take notes about what they were doing. In fact, after the Bill Paxton thriller 'Twister' came out, I was convinced I was going to be a meteorologist.
READ MORE: Why are Maine stores running out of eggs?
News flash, I didn't become a meteorologist on account of I'm stupid, but I did still retain my love for interesting weather facts. And here is where -40 comes in to play in the fascinating world of weather.
I have stuff to do, will you PLEASE get to the point?
Okay, okay. Basically what this all boils down to is that -40 degrees is the ONLY temperature where Fahrenheit and Celsius line up in perfect unison. No matter what the temperature is, -40 is the only time that the two metrics of measurement line up perfectly.
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If, like me, you're a nerd who wants a quick conversion formula for this fun rainy day activity, I found a *fairly* simple explanation from ThoughtCo.Com. They explain to take the F temp, subtract 32, then divide that number by 9.
Wait... are you really still reading this?
Badda bing badda boom (or however you spell that), you have your temp in Celcius. Do you feel smarter for knowing this information? That's a rhetorical question. Any who, I hope it doesn't actually get to -40 this winter in New England, but if it does, let's all meet back up here. Promise?
In closing, I apologize for saying balls back at the beginning.
Editor's note: Sorry for saying balls at the end.
Publisher's note: Sorry for saying balls in the editor's note.
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