How cold is it? And other questions:

Brando Asked: First, thanks for the real time window allowing all of us in Houston to look in on you guys in Antarctica. It the time stamp at the end of each message local (central time) or is it you local time? Also, in condition 2 weather situations, you say the wind chill can be below 75 F. The temperature is actually 75 degrees below 0? Even with the proper clothes on how long can you stay out before it becomes unbearable? What is the temperture inside the buildings? Answer: Brando, Good question, all the posts are in New Zealand time. Since it is summer here, we are currently in Daylight Savings time. So I am posting 1 day and5 hours behind. So at 6PM on Monday in Houston, it is 1PM on Tuesday in Antarctica. Yes, that is 75 degress below zero. We can get wind chill below -75 F here, but it is quite a bit warmer in McMurdo right now (-29C Windchill). This sounds cold, and it is, but when you put on all the cold weather gear, you are just fine. The problem is that when we are working on the aircraft, we usually have to take off our mittens to hold a wrench or tighten a screw, so your hands can get cold kind of fast. You just has to take frequent breaks to warm up, which makes it take a lot longer to get things done. After about 30 minutes or so (unless you are walking or hiking) you start to feel the cold and are thinking about getting back inside. Temperature inside the buildings is quite warm, same as at home in Houston. So when you are inside you forget how cold it is outside.