A little perspective, please; it's not that cold

Monday morning was so cold the cows were milked for ice cream.

Coffee was being sold on a stick. Politicians had their hands in their own pockets, and they stopped blowing hot air. A guy chipped a tooth on his soup.

That’s what the internet said, anyway.

And there were reports of parents teaching their children to play with matches, and people kissing flu victims in hopes of catching a fever. One comedian said it was colder than his ex-wife’s heart.

But while it’s been colder than usual around here this winter — several mornings in the single digits compared to a 100-year average low in the mid-20s — it’s been warm compared to Feb. 1, 1951.

That’s the coldest day ever recorded in eastern New Mexico — 20-degrees-below zero in Melrose, according to weather observer J. L. Coffey.

Clovis was a balmy 17-below zero that Thursday morning, and schools closed to conserve gas.

“With the tremendous load on natural gas lines caused by the sub-zero temperatures, gas pressure in some school buildings was reported too low for adequate heating,” the Clovis News-Journal reported.

“To conserve gas and aide in raising the pressure throughout the city, it was decided to dismiss all classes.”

Light snowfall across the region contributed to the troubles, and travel was hazardous “both in cars and on foot,” CN-J reported.

Portales schools also closed. Texas-Panhandle schools decided to call off classes until Monday. Water pipes froze across the area. Some telephone service was out because lines were iced.

The National Weather Service reported 13 states in the Midwest and West had recorded sub-zero temperatures. Borger, Texas, recorded 12-below zero; Yellowstone in Montana was 50-below zero. The coldest temperature in New Mexico was at Eagle Nest — 42-below zero, with 17 inches of snow.

That make you feel warmer?

You’re welcome.

David Stevens is editor for Clovis Media Inc. Contact him at: [email protected]<./strong>

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