Solar Flares; I was thinking

[DrPizza]

Suppose a solar flare knocked out the power grid in the U.S. for an extended period of time. Who would be more screwed? The North if it happened during the winter when it was around zero degrees (F)? Or the South, if it happened in the summer when it was in the triple digits?

 

[LOL_Wut_Axel]

Suppose a solar flare knocked out the power grid in the U.S. for an extended period of time. Who would be more screwed? The North if it happened during the winter when it was around zero degrees (F)? Or the South, if it happened in the summer when it was in the triple digits?

I think that as a general rule being somewhere extremely hot is a lot worse than the opposite when there's no electricity. To avoid being cold, you can put a lot of clothing on until it goes away. For the heat, what are you supposed to do? Get naked? Even then the heat would be unbearable, perhaps even more so than before. If you get a bath you'll be sweating in 10 mins again.

 

[dud]

With the recent problems with our Government, the stock market, etc. ... just considering this scenario would cause my brain to explode. It wouldn't be pretty.

I think I'd rather make pizza from scratch!

 

[PieIsAwesome]

I've gone through 110F weather without air conditioning, not a big deal.

Okay, it was horribly uncomfortable, but I wasn't afraid of dying or anything.

 

[Bateluer]

I think that as a general rule being somewhere extremely hot is a lot worse than the opposite when there's no electricity. To avoid being cold, you can put a lot of clothing on until it goes away. For the heat, what are you supposed to do? Get naked? Even then the heat would be unbearable, if not even more so than before. If you get a bath you'll be sweating in 10 mins again.

I imagine if you're inside your house, you could stay warmer too, assuming the winter scenario.

 

[BoomerD]

I imagine if you're inside your house, you could stay warmer too, assuming the winter scenario.

Definitely if your house has a fireplace.

You could easily run a couple of space heaters with a gasoline-powered generator, but an air conditioning unit, especially if it's a central air unit...not so much.

 

[xanis]

I'd say wintertime in the North. Heat is uncomfortable, but if you stayed hydrated you wouldn't die. Cold weather, on the other hand... that could easily kill you if you weren't fortunate enough to have a fireplace or extra warm clothing like some people.

 

[LOL_Wut_Axel]

I imagine if you're inside your house, you could stay warmer too, assuming the winter scenario.

This.

Definitely if your house has a fireplace.

You could easily run a couple of space heaters with a gasoline-powered generator, but an air conditioning unit, especially if it's a central air unit...not so much.

And this.

I don't really think there's any contest here if we're to presume there's no electricity.

 

[ussfletcher]

In the cold you run a real risk of freezing even with layers of clothing. In the heat (110 or so) you should be fine if you stay hydrated and out of the sun.

 

[LOL_Wut_Axel]

I'd say wintertime in the North. Heat is uncomfortable, but if you stayed hydrated you wouldn't die. Cold weather, on the other hand... that could easily kill you if you weren't fortunate enough to have a fireplace or extra warm clothing like some people.

LOL, why would you NOT have warm clothing in a Northern state where it's typically snowing? If you're going out it's pretty much a prerequisite. You don't even need to use clothes made to warm you up. All you need is to pile them up and put on some gloves and the cold will go away. With extreme heat all you can do is drink water and take baths every 10 minutes. Heat sucks a lot more.

 

[Bateluer]

LOL, why would you NOT have warm clothing in a Northern state where it's typically snowing? If you're going out it's pretty much a prerequisite. You don't even need to use clothes made to warm you up. All you need is to pile them up and put on some gloves and the cold will go away. With extreme heat all you can do is drink water and take baths every 10 minutes. Heat sucks a lot more.

This. If you live in a northern state or any cold weather place, you'd better already own winter clothing.

I don't own much 'winter' clothing.

 

[xanis]

This. If you live in a northern state or any cold weather place, you'd better already own winter clothing.

I don't own much 'winter' clothing.

I own plenty of winter clothing, I just feel like cold kills a lot more people than heat every year. I could be wrong though. *shrugs*

 

[LOL_Wut_Axel]

In the cold you run a real risk of freezing even with layers of clothing. In the heat (110 or so) you should be fine if you stay hydrated and out of the sun.

The same thing could be said of staying inside and if you have a fireplace. Given no electricity, though, the heat is worse. If you want to keep comfortable in the cold, you get inside your house and put on a lot of clothes. If you're in the heat you get naked, go outside, come back in, drink water, and take a bath. Rinse and repeat in that order.

 

[lxskllr]

Cold is more threatening to life, but more pleasant.

 

[Modelworks]

The south would be worse off. You can make a fire to get warm but if it is hot it is hard to get cooler. Food spoils faster too.

 

[DrPizza]

Gas powered generator. Gasoline, I'm guessing (not natural gas) - where are you going to get more gasoline when the generator runs out? Such an event would knock power out for an extended time.

I was thinking about it - heat kills more people than tornadoes, hurricanes, etc., combined (or so I read somewhere recently.) Seems that it might be the South that suffers more. Plus, if it's zero up here in the winter, it's in the 20's or 30's throughout a lot of the South, and they can't tolerate that very well.

 

[fatpat268]

Depends how prepared you are. If you're unprepared in both situations, the cold will probably kill you quicker (assuming you don't have shelter and the ability to make fire).

The heat, while dangerous and unpleasant, does let up a bit at night. As long as you stay out of the sun and stay hydrated you should be fine.

 

[jersiq]

I think that as a general rule being somewhere extremely hot is a lot worse than the opposite when there's no electricity. To avoid being cold, you can put a lot of clothing on until it goes away. For the heat, what are you supposed to do? Get naked? Even then the heat would be unbearable, perhaps even more so than before. If you get a bath you'll be sweating in 10 mins again.

Plenty of people live in tropical climates without electricity. No one lives in Antarctica without electricity.

 

[LOL_Wut_Axel]

Plenty of people live in tropical climates without electricity. No one lives in Antarctica without electricity.

Antarctica is used as a place for scientific research mostly, from what I can gather.

 

[jersiq]

Antarctica is used as a place for scientific research mostly, from what I can gather.

Tap your meter.

 

[Bateluer]

I own plenty of winter clothing, I just feel like cold kills a lot more people than heat every year. I could be wrong though. *shrugs*

Not sure how the numbers stack up, but it seems like I read stories of fatalities every time there's a heat wave.

 

[LOL_Wut_Axel]

Tap your meter.

I didn't detect it.

 

[Cuda1447]

Suppose a solar flare knocked out the power grid in the U.S. for an extended period of time. Who would be more screwed? The North if it happened during the winter when it was around zero degrees (F)? Or the South, if it happened in the summer when it was in the triple digits?

North, no doubt. I can live in the shade in Florida. But I can't live in the snow with 0 degree temps and a strong wind.

 

[zinfamous]

solar flares....pshhh..

I'm far more worried about all those stray microwaves roaming the planet, unregulated, cooking babies left and right.

 

[Scouzer]

I think that as a general rule being somewhere extremely hot is a lot worse than the opposite when there's no electricity. To avoid being cold, you can put a lot of clothing on until it goes away. For the heat, what are you supposed to do? Get naked? Even then the heat would be unbearable, perhaps even more so than before. If you get a bath you'll be sweating in 10 mins again.

You've clearly never lived in a cold climate... none of you have.

Hot climate... if you have shade and unlimited water you can survive a very long time.

Cold climate...you will die in less than a day regardless of how many layers of clothing you have.