Current temperature is -9C/16F on its way to -15C/5F tonight amid predicted wind chill temperatures to -26C/-15F. So I have surrounded the Japanese false holly (Osmanthus heterophyllus 'Goshiki') with crumpled newspaper pages and covered them with black plastic held with bricks and stones. While above-freezing temperatures are forecast for Wednesday, the mercury is expected to remain below freezing for at least the following week. Hopefully this covering will protect the plants as it has done in previous winters.

#garden #gardening #WinterWeather #BitterCold #Osmanthus #OsmanthusGoshiki

Portland Opens Remote #WarmingCenter for the #Homeless as #BitterCold Moves In

By Jon Fetherston, December 4, 2025

"With temperatures expected to plunge into dangerous territory beginning Thursday, Portland officials will activate the city’s winter warming center, a facility located well outside the downtown core and accessible primarily by shuttle.

The warming center, housed at 166 Riverside Industrial Parkway, will open on any night when temperatures fall to 15 degrees or below or when 10 inches or more of snow is forecast. On activation nights, the facility operates from 7:30 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. and can serve up to 60 adults needing emergency overnight shelter.

The site, already used as an migrant shelter, doubles as a winter refuge through a divided layout that separates the two populations. Those staying overnight will have access to beds, restrooms, and showers.

Because the building sits roughly five miles from downtown, the city will again rely on a free shuttle system to transport people to and from the warming center – a point of ongoing criticism from residents and service providers who say the remote location presents accessibility challenges.

Shuttles will operate from 7:30 p.m. to midnight and again from 4:00 a.m. to 6:30 a.m. Riders can request pickup by calling 207-810-6727. During shelter hours, the General Assistance contact line is 207-482-5122.

City officials have defended the location, calling it the only workable option heading into winter despite continued concerns about distance, transportation gaps, and the strain on staff and emergency resources.

For now, with freezing temperatures approaching, the city’s temporary warming center will again serve as a critical, if imperfect, lifeline for Portland’s unhoused residents."

https://www.themainewire.com/2025/12/portland-opens-remote-warming-center-for-the-homeless-as-bitter-cold-moves-in/

#PortlandME #WarmingCenters #Maine #Unhoused #ExtremeCold

#tunetuesday this week says it's #bittercold - hard to imagine that it was 80F in Chicagoland today.

Still, I'm dreaming of winter with the Red Elvises today!

"It's minus 40 in December
It's cold and windy outside...
Natasha singing reggae
And I don't sleep at night
Natasha singing reggae
It makes me feel all right!"

The Red Elvises - Winter Reggae
https://tidal.com/browse/track/10241834?u

This was the first song that sprang to mind for this week's #TuneTuesday theme of #BitterCold

Trapped Under Ice - Metallica
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foZL6fRfNWI

#TuneTuesday #BitterCold

🌨️ ❄️ 🏂

Cold Flavor

• YouTube
• Spotify
• Apple Music
• Amazon Music
• YouTube Music
• iTunes
• Invidious

@music

Brrry cold next week! #Milwaukee #Wisconsin #bittercold

From: @nwsmilwaukee_bot
https://m.ai6yr.org/@nwsmilwaukee_bot@m.ai6yr.org/113838776460195686

Last night, it went down to 56 degrees Fahrenheit in my apartment and it was because I fell asleep with the window open.

Fortunately, I woke up and shut the window. Winter is fickle over here sometimes.

#bittercold #freezing #lmao

Second Born upon leaving for her morning walk around the lake:

“Well, say goodbye to my eyelashes.”

#MNastodon #cold #reallycold #bittercold #north

https://twitter.com/WMUR9_Weather/status/1621277084936032256

"Extremely low and dangerous wind chills begin Friday afternoon and hit their lowest Friday Night into early Saturday. Frostbite times under these conditions: 5-8 minutes! #windchill #bittercold #arcticcold #frigid #nh #nhweather #coldestinyears via @MikeHaddadWMUR"

DO NOT WANT.