Stay dry no sweat, layers work well, keep head feet and hands warm and it makes a difference. Best thing is two roaring fires on either side of you with a couple of naked spooning buddies.

... toughen up a little. I'll bet you see people still wearing shorts, am I right?

Shed that parka, stocking hat and gloves and soak it in. By January you'll be used to it.






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January of 2040 that is.

Also:
Down
long johns (wool or silk)
balaclava
gloves

you will learn to love it

And, you will acclimate in time. I made a move years ago to Minnesota as winter was starting. Yikes. Invested in a down coat, and good hat and gloves. A nice scarf to wrap around the exposed parts of your face too. Find some smartwool socks on sale on Sierra Trading website too. You will survive and find a Tom and Jerry to drink when it's really cold some night.

The good news is that if and when you ever move south of Madison! you'll be running around in winter without a winter coat. Your body will adjust.

Take care.

before the next snow. You want this person to not be introduced to you while the snot is freezing on your face.

You want him/her to laugh at the site of your red cheeks, eyes tearing from the cold and wind (this will happen once you're in love). Once you fall in love, then there will be no need to leave the apartment (except for classes) & your partner will keep you warm all winter.

with keeping warm.

This s from a quick search.

http://www.backpacker.com/gear/ask_kristin/103

But I don't mind the cold at all. It is easier to get warm in winter than it is to get cool in summer. In winter, you can always bundle up with lots of clothes when you go outside. But in summer, there is just so much you can take off without being arrested for indecent exposure. I love the cold weather, so I am not complaining. I lived in South Florida most of my life until I moved up here to North Georgia. At least we have seasons and not just year-round summer.

here.

Like others said, layering.

Wool is good.

Hot cocoa.

For around the house, I have a pair of flaxseed filled booties. Microwave them for a few minutes and slap those babies on your feet...instant warmth for at least 30 to 45 minutes.

Also, like others said, by the time January rolls around, you'll be a bit more used to the cold. If you get midwinter thaws out there (we do), then a 40 degree day can feel like summer.

All this winter crap makes springtime even more enjoyable when it finally comes.

we are from down here and lived in Lansing MI for 8 years.
You get used to it.
If they can handle it, you can handle it.
You find out it isn't the depth of the cold, it is the breadth of winter.
Right now, they think it is fall. You think it is winter. And you are going to think it is winter until April. That's the hard part.
Here's what helps.
Find an outlet mall and buy some fleece.
Fleece is your friend.
Layer that stuff.
Fleece in layers keeps warm but on the top you want something to break the wind. Because the wind can cut right through the fleece.
So layers.
Fleece vest. Fleece jacket. outer coat. Fleece gloves. Fleece hat.
Long underwear under your jeans. I still love my fleece pants.
All that stuff you've heard all your life - wear layers, wear a hat, well, this is what they were talking about.
Find some reasons to be outside. Find an interest in winter activities and get out. You can't stay inside all the time. You'll start to get used to it. If you stay inside you'll get depressed. Get out.
In the snow keep your feet dry. Get some slip on snow boots. Lined in fleece.
Don't wait to shovel that smack, just get out and shovel it.
Oh, beer outside in the cold is wonderful. get a beer glove. It is so great when you have a cold beer and it just stays almost frozen because it is so damn cold. You'll get used to it.
It gets really gross when it starts to melt. These first snows are so white and so pretty, but soon it will be dirty and black and nasty. But then a new snow will cover it again.

I heat with wood and refuse to light a fire until after Halloween at least. It's not unusual to be reading DU in a forty five or fifty degree living room. I just wear lots of clothes in the house and sleep under an electric blanket. I have a fancy I'm getting used to cold weather.

And when it starts to snow, don't wear jeans; cotton doesn't hold heat and you will really freeze your nuts off if your pants are wet. Wool sweaters and socks are good. Get a good quality down or synthetic down jacket, a pair of warm gloves, a hat and a scarf, and boots. Sneakers are not good in the snow.

Also, liquor will make you colder, not warmer. Coffee is much better for staying warm.

I've lived in Wisconsin or Minnesota all my life. You do get used to it. I might get around to wearing a hat and buttoning my jacket some time in January. Right now a windbreaker is plenty warm. But if you're not used to it, it will seem a bit nippy for the first couple of months. Lots of clothes and hot coffee is all you need.

trap air. trap lots of air

I have lived in places where I wore 2-3 layers of socks in the winter.

Also, get something to cover your as much of your face/head as possible.

long underwear/base layers. Also invest in flannel lined jeans/pants - they are the BEST!

Don't worry, you'll toughen up in no time. 40 degrees will soon seem balmy to you!

Good luck with degree - Madison is a great town!

I grew up in the midwest and I never really got used to it. I'm already one of those people who are cold all the time, so it hits me pretty hard. The long underwear comes out in October & comes off in April (in a good year). I have found that how I feel about the cold has a lot to do with how I feel about the rest of my life: if I'm generally happy, I deal with the cold better than when I am unhappy. So try to be happy, I guess?

I have a friend who lives on Lake Monona, and I know what you mean about the cold winds blowing off the lakes. It can be so intense it almost makes me panic.

Anyway, someone already suggested long underwear. Also keep your head covered. Don't watch the weather forecast unless people are talking about a blizzard and you really need to know what's coming, because it's all just going to be varying degrees of yuck & it's worse if you dread it. Sometimes you just have to focus on doing what must be done, and try not to think about how cold it is. Good luck!

Personally ... I rarely venture out after the sun goes down in winter months. I'm a transplanted southerner living in upstate New York. Twenty five years ago, I'd bundle up and track animals through the snow just for the fun of it.

You could say that I've been acclimated to it, however having never lived elsewhere; I guess I've dealt with it.

The best advice not yet given: have a sense of humor about it!

You cannot change the weather, but you sure as hell can adjust your sense of humor to roll with it.

Enjoy the transplant experience!

immediately dress in all the clothing that the aforementioned folk have suggested for either indoors or out. Put clothes in the dryer for a few minutes prior to wearing. The point is, avoid that first chill at all cost. Don't bunch up and raise your shoulders to your neck. Move!

I live in northern New York. I'm a pro.

All best,
Yankeepants

cause LOTS of body head escapes via heads, and don't worry about wearing one/them around the house.

Have fun!!!

My best advice? Layer up. If you're going to be outside for any length of time, wear some thermal undies, then your jeans, then snow pants. Hoodies are great over your thermal top and regular shirt, then get a nice down parka. Something on your head. Gloves inside of mittens. A scarf around your neck. That ought to do it. Sorels or some other kind of lined boot works well, although my feet stay pretty warm if I wear some kind of sneakers with thick soles.

I've spent hours outside dressed like this at subzero temperatures and lived to tell.

I'd love to be able to go to bed in October and wake up in April.

Booze is stupid. It actually makes you more susceptible to cold weather.

Cold wind chill is so much worse than much lower temperatures with no wind chill. It royally sucks. Wear warmer wind resistant clothing on the outside and layer your clothing underneath. Invest in a good pair of long johns both tops and bottoms, warm socks (double them up if necessary without making your footwear too tight since that will make them colder faster by restricted blood flow), warm gloves or mittens. Try to keep your hands in your pockets or tucked up your sleeves as much as possible so they can suck up the body heat of the warmer midsection of your body. The worst is the face though since other than a ski mask which makes people nervous there's not much else to do other than invest in a good long warm scarf to wrap around as much of your face as you can and still be able to breath and see. WEAR A HAT. Most of our body temperature escapes through the top of the head, so wear a good warm hat with earmuffs or that covers your ears.

Get used to having to bundle up like a mummy and still try to walk. Eventually your body will acclimate. I froze my ass off walking the dog tonight in only slightly less clothing that I wear in the worst of winter though it was only 34 degrees with no windchill. By January when it's 17 or less with constant winds it actually won't feel as bad since I will have acclimated to it.

Invest in a good quality real flannel shirt with a quilted or faux fur lining. They keep you amazingly warm. I even sweat in mine sometimes in the winter and have to unzipper my coat. I also wear it around the house all the time during the winter so I don't have to put the heat up so high. I think I got mine in the mens' department at Sears last fall since the one I had for ages finally fell apart though I'm still kind of bummed about that since it used to be my Dad's. This one even has faux fur lined pockets to put your hands in, but I just like them for putting keys, smokes and stuff like that in though it still has the usual front pockets with the flaps on the chest.

After my parents met in Hawaii at the end of WWII, my Dad took my Alabama raised Mom to Houghton, Michigan so he could finish his engineering degree at Michigan Tech. Mom told us stories about the cold - none of their children opted to live farther north than Florida!

One of the best stories was that they had no refrigerator in their uninsulated attic apartment, so Dad came up with the idea of putting their perishables on the windowsill outside. That worked until the window froze shut and Mom couldn't make dinner, LOL!

It doesn't help that our family carries a gene that makes our blood flow slow when cold - probably from Mom's side since Dad's side was from Escanaba, Michigan. It's called Raynaud's syndrome and makes it very hard to deal with cold.

Mom taught us Floridian children to use layers - and the few times it's gotten very cold here that worked - we layered up with all the warm clothes we owned. We may have looked like Peanuts characters, but we stayed warm. I live farther north than my sisters - in North Florida - and ran a horse farm so had to be out in the weather more.

Invest in sweaters and in a good outer coat that will block the wind - get one a few sizes larger than you'd normally need so you can wear several sweaters or sweatshirts underneath. Long johns help, silk and/or thermal - layers help there, too. Good water proof boots - if your feet get wet, you will feel colder.

Good luck!

in the mean time I recommend a Spotted Cow, a couple hits of good smoke, and lots of red hot sex to stay warm.

I like them because they are soft and fit under clothing without adding bulk like thermals.

http://www.duluthtrading.com/store/mens/mens-outerwear/headwear/75030.aspx

Have gloves - if your fingers get cold, get some silk liners.

Warm socks and dry feet are a must!

A quilted jacket that covers your butt and has a windproof shell is what you need.

Long johns under your jeans.

Also - check out your apartment - you may need to seal the windows and base of the door. The home supply stores ghenerally have a plastic film that you can shrink wrap your windows with for an extra layer of insulation.

All kidding aside - alcohol plus cold temperatures can kill people. Be careful when bar hopping!

You didn't mention if you're driving - but - here in Upstate New York at the end of Lake Ontario, we generally get several wet snowfalls at the start of winter. This snow is greasy and packs to ice under your tires - very slippery! Also, once it gets much below 15 degrees (correct me on this, someone) the road salt doesn't do any good and the packed snow can be slick.

Finally - if the locals tell you to stay in, listen to them! They know the conditions better than you!

The best is yet to come

a heating pad, the kind that shuts off after about 2 hours. Put this at the foot of your bed and turn it on a few minutes before bedtime. It will keep your feet toasty no matter what the temperature is. I've found that if my feet are warm, so is the rest of me. Best $12 I ever spent.