How to survive extreme cold temperatures
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Here's your extreme cold survival guide. Hi there, everyone. It's Jeff and this is Plain English. This is the best podcast for learning English if you like a storytelling approach. On each episode, we tell a new story that will help you expand your vocabulary and start thinking in English.

So as you may know, I live in Mexico City. But right now, I'm in Chicago, where I lived for many years before. And one day recently, I woke up and looked at the temperature on my phone. It was minus 7 degrees Fahrenheit. That's about minus 22 degrees Celsius.

And it occurred to me that many of you might not know what that feels like. So on today's episode, I'll tell you what we have to do to survive outside in temperatures that low.

Now, others of you, we have listeners in Finland, Russia, Norway. You're used to this, but we need to tell the people from Brazil, Colombia, Egypt, Taiwan. They need to know what we have to do to survive this weather. So that's today's story. This is episode number 751.

So you can find the full transcript, built-in translations, and more at plainenglish.com slash 751. Before we start today's story, I'd just like to remind you that the podcast is just one part of how we can help you upgrade your English skills.

At plainenglish.com, you can make faster progress with active learning strategies. You can take quizzes, do activities, listen to the fast version of the audio, watch video workshops, practice what you learn, and even join a live call with JR and me. It's all about helping you build your skills to become a better, more confident English speaker.

Sound good? Go to plainenglish.com to start your free 14-day trial today. Now, let's jump into today's story. There's no such thing as bad weather, the saying goes, only unsuitable clothing.

The quote is used to encourage people to go outside, even if the weather is bad, because there's always equipment that can protect you from the elements. It's February, so many residents of the Northern Hemisphere are suffering through the coldest part of the year right now.

How do people survive extremely cold temperatures? Let's define extreme cold as 0 degrees Fahrenheit or colder. That's about minus 18 degrees Celsius or colder. Being outside in weather like this is more than just uncomfortable. It's dangerous.

Without the right equipment, you can suffer frostbite or hypothermia. Frostbite is damage to your skin. Your skin cells can freeze, and this can be very serious.

Hypothermia is when your body loses heat and drops below an internal temperature of 95 Fahrenheit or 35 degrees Celsius. You don't want either of those things. So if you ever travel and encounter the extreme cold, make sure you go prepared.

It's probably fine to run across the street in a city in your normal clothes, but if you're going to be outside for more than a few minutes, you should have the right equipment. Here, then, is what you need to do to prepare if you're brave enough to go outside in the extreme cold.

The first thing you need is a proper winter coat. Not all winter coats are created equally. Many of the "winter" coats sold in more moderate climates are not suitable for extreme cold. Likewise, many fashion coats like pea coats are no match for very low temperatures.

When you choose a winter coat for extreme cold, you want one with good insulation, either down feathers or a synthetic filling that will trap and preserve your body heat. Your coat should also have a windproof and waterproof outer shell.

When the temperatures drop, leave the stylish wool coat at home. If possible, find one that at least covers your thighs. If your coat only goes to your waist, you're leaving your entire lower half exposed.

The key word in extreme cold is layers. And your winter coat is just one layer. Here are your other layers. You should have a base layer that's close to your skin, top and bottom, that does not absorb moisture. You want to go for thin synthetic material, not cotton as your lowest layer.

After that, you'll want to add wool or cotton middle layers. There are a lot of great stylish options for your top half, but don't ignore your bottom half. A pair of normal pants or even sturdy jeans is usually not enough.

Wear a base layer below your pants too. And you can find some work jeans with flannel lining that makes it more wind resistant. There's another saying. Well, I think I'm discovering that extreme weather is full of sayings. If your feet are cold, put a hat on.

Your body sends a lot of heat to your head. And if you don't have a nice warm winter hat, then you're letting a lot of your body heat escape from the top. At minimum, you want an insulated hat that covers your head and your ears. If you'll be outside for a while, consider a trapper hat.

These are thicker with better insulation and flaps that cover your ears. Gloves are important and like winter coats, not all gloves are created equally. The wind can cut right through a lot of cheap gloves.

You know those gloves that are thin enough to let you tap on a smartphone? Leave those at home. You want thick, insulated gloves with a weather-resistant exterior. Frostbite can strike any part of exposed skin. You've got your winter coat, a hat, and gloves. Are you fully covered?

No, you are not. As soon as you walk out that door, you'll feel the cold right in your face. And if you'll be outside for more than a few minutes, you should have a plan to cover your face too. You can use a scarf. There's also a gaiter that's like a glove for your face. It covers your neck, nose, and cheeks right up to your eyes.

If you're planning on wearing your sneakers, think again. Even if there's no snow on the ground, you're going to want some boots. Wind and cold can go right through normal shoes. If there's precipitation, you want your footwear to be insulated to keep your feet from getting wet.

They don't have to be specifically for snow, but you do want some well-made work or winter boots to keep your feet dry and warm. It's common to wear two layers of socks, too. One thin layer made of synthetic material that repels moisture.

and thicker wool socks on the outside. And here's a tip. Choose boots that are a little loose, maybe a half size larger than what you would normally get. That way, you can leave room for fluffy socks.

A couple other tips for you from experience. Believe it or not, your eyes can get cold. You can tear up if the cold wind hits your face in these temperatures. So goggles or sunglasses can protect your eyes.

Hand warmers are a good accessory. These are little chemical packs. You shake them and activate the chemical reaction and you have a source of heat that fits nicely in a pocket. They make USB charged hand warmers these days too.

If you're skiing, all these tips apply, but you want to make sure that there's no way for snow to get under your outer layers. So make sure everything is tight and tucked in. If you'll be out in the snow, you can get snow pants, which have a snow-resistant outer shell. They're like a winter coat for your bottom half.

And if you're anything like me, when you're out skiing, you'll be on your bottom half a lot. Look, just to be clear, I'm not recommending you spend time in the extreme cold. I'm not saying I like it. I'm just saying if you don't know what it feels like to be out in that cold, you don't want to just walk outside in the clothes you got at the mall in a moderate climate.

Now, I hope you learned a lot in this episode. Sometimes I do episodes that I know will just have a lot of good vocabulary for you to learn, and this was one of them. And a great way to learn vocabulary is with our built-in translations.

So if you go to plainenglish.com/751, you'll see the transcript, but we also have built-in translations into nine languages. So if you hear the word, I don't know, "down feathers," you can hover over the highlighted word and see the translation into your own language.

And you can see it instantly without stopping the audio, without opening a new tab, none of that. So check that out at plainenglish.com slash 751. And it's on all of our transcripts. Well, that's all for today. See you back here on Monday.

Listen up if you speak Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, German, French, Italian, Japanese, Polish, or Turkish. One of the most frustrating things about listening and reading in a second language is being confused by unfamiliar words or phrases.

When you listen to plain English, or when you read the transcript, you probably encounter some words you don't know. When that happens, you have a few options. You can stop the audio, go look up the definition, then return to the episode, find your place, and press play again, but that's exhausting.

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All you have to do is hover your mouse over the highlighted word and you'll see the translation instantly. It works great on mobile too. It really makes listening a lot more satisfying and it's a great way to expand your vocabulary in English.

The best way to see these translations is to sign up for a free 14-day trial at plainenglish.com. During your trial, you can read as many transcripts as you like, all with the translations into your language. So sign up for your free trial today at plainenglish.com.