When does the beer freeze on the terrace? Ten questions about the current cold

The spores themselves are not a major problem, even if they are occasionally damaged by large temperature differences. Ice points, on the other hand, can block the operation. About 60 percent of the points on the SBB main route network are therefore equipped with heating. These work at temperatures down to minus 20 degrees. The other switches must be de-iced by hand. Long periods of cold weather also affect train traffic through frozen water pipes or ice build-up in trains – and commuters have to watch out for slippery platforms. As a rule of thumb, the SBB communicates the following rule: If the road to the station proves to be difficult, trains may be delayed. In this case, it’s worth checking out the SBB app. (eh)

Rabbits can withstand cold better than heat. It is important that they are outside in the summer so that they can get used to the falling temperatures. Most rabbits can stay outside down to minus 20 degrees. Excluded are long-haired breeds such as lionheads and Rex rabbits, as they do not have such a dense outer coat. All rabbits kept outside need a dry, sheltered place to eat and sleep. To prevent the drinking water from freezing, it is best to use a larger drinking bowl or place tennis balls or pieces of wood in the water. When it comes to food, make sure it is richer in carbohydrates and fat in winter. (from)

The answer is simple: you have no nerves and no blood vessels in your feet. So you don’t feel the cold – and it doesn’t hurt your feet. Other animals lower the temperature in some parts of the body by at least a few degrees – deer up to 15 degrees Celsius. Bats are about to hibernate. Temperatures that are too low in the extremities are not necessarily a problem for people either – but warming up is often fatal: people who are hypothermic and already apathetic should not be moved or encouraged to move. Warming up too quickly from the outside is also extremely dangerous: The reason is that the blood that is too cold then flows in the direction of the heart and leads to cardiac arrest there. (kiss)

“Chuenagel” refers to the pain in the cold hands that occurs when they are warmed up too quickly. Blood vessels constrict in the cold. If the hands are quickly warmed up from the outside, there are big differences between the already warm and still cold spots, which is registered by the nerves that are now going back to work in the warm spots – and that stings. If your hands are cold, swinging your arms helps to get the warm blood flowing into your hands. And of course, exercise is generally best when it’s cold – as long as only your feet or hands are cold (see also answer 3). (kiss)

It looks critical for the beer on the terrace at night. It can already reach freezing point at temperatures of minus two to minus five degrees. This varies depending on the alcohol content. Basically, the higher the alcohol content, the lower the freezing point. However, it is not the beer itself that is crucial, but the carbon dioxide, says Fabian Ehinger, founder of the Kitchen Brew brewery. The carbon dioxide expands when it’s cold – and in extreme cases, it can cause the bottle to explode. And even though the beer survives the cold, it is not always drinkable. Defrosted again, it often tastes stale and hardly foams. A simple trick helps: “A cardboard box or the patio cabinet insulates the beer,” says Ehinger. The beer must be able to withstand a few degrees below zero. (woe)

A few degrees below zero is no reason to panic. Even Mediterranean potted plants such as oleanders or citrus varieties are usually more robust than expected. The frost first destroys young, water-rich leaves and shoot tips. The woody part is less endangered. Nevertheless, the non-hardy plants should now be moved to a sheltered place at the latest. Take them inside and put them in a bright, cool place where it is no more than seven degrees. Yes, not in the heated room. Watch the plants, but water sparingly. Cut off shoot tips that no longer stand up. You can leave the frozen leaves on initially and take them off in winter quarters once they’ve completely dried out. Check the roots. If these are in order, the plant usually recovers. (sc)

If the temperature drops below zero, vegetables should no longer be stored on the balcony. According to Daniel Bachmann of the Strickhof Agricultural Competence Center, the optimal storage conditions for the vast majority of vegetables are slightly above freezing and with high humidity, but without fogging. This is difficult to prevent in a Styrofoam box, which is why such storage is not recommended, according to Bachmann. Exceptions to this temperature rule are fruiting vegetables from subtropical-tropical regions of origin: cucumbers, peppers, aubergines, courgettes or pumpkins. Keep it at a temperature of about ten to twelve degrees, because cold damage can occur well above freezing. (from)

Compared to the 1970s, there are today up to a quarter fewer frost days, depending on the weather station. In Bern, between 1970 and 1979, there were an average of almost 120 days when the thermometer fell below zero. In St.Gallen there were almost 110. Now there are still 97 (Bern) and 83 (St.Gallen). This corresponds to more than three weeks less frost days per year. In Basel, one of the warmer places in the Mittelland, the number of frost days fell from about 70 to 56 in 50 years. (trs)

The blizzard in New York is over and moving on. The meteorologists are warning of blizzards west of New York, in the northern “plains” to the Rocky Mountains and “Midwest”, the US Midwest to the Canadian border. “Both in New York, further west in the US and here it is cold because of the polar cold air that has moved south,” says Regula Keller of Meteo Switzerland. There is currently a blockade high over Greenland, favoring the advance of cold air into both North America and Europe. “But there is no direct connection between the two cold air outbreaks,” says Keller. (kn.)

Our lungs are very sensitive to cold air – and exercise increases stress. Because if we inhale and exhale quickly, it becomes a huge task for them to warm and humidify the air quickly enough. When we overload our lungs, the result is a dry cough, wheezing and sore throat. To keep the load as low as possible, you should not do heavy workouts, but short endurance runs at a moderate pace. To prevent frostbite, it is also important to wear insulating and moisture-wicking clothing and to protect your face with a pulled-up scarf. Likewise, the hands should be wrapped in gloves and the head in a cap. (sny)

A catalog of questions Stefan Ehrlich, Bruno Knelwolf, Sabine Kuster, Deborah Stoffel, Stefan Trachsel, Sharleen Wust, Stephanie Schnydrig, Silvia Schaub. (cpf)