What to wear by temperature
What to wear in 30 degree weather
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30°F is about −1°C
30°F is below freezing, so puddles turn to ice and windshields frost over. My call is the full winter kit: a heavy coat, a hat, gloves and a scarf, with a warm layer under the coat. Jeans alone feel thin at 30°F once you are out for more than a few minutes.
The 30°F kit, as I see it
- Heavy winter coat or long puffer
- Sweater or fleece underneath
- Hat, gloves and scarf
- Thick socks and boots with grip
What 30°F feels like in the wind
- 10 mph wind: feels like 21°F
- 20 mph wind: feels like 17°F
What I think of 30 degree weather
30°F: the sky’s way of asking whether you really needed to go outside.
Below freezing and still not snowing. Just cold for the sake of it, like a grudge.
At 30 degrees your nose files a formal complaint and nobody reads it.
Where 30°F is a normal winter afternoon
- Madison, Wisconsin: 30°F
- Dubuque, Iowa: 30°F
- Sioux Falls, South Dakota: 30°F
- Green Bay, Wisconsin: 29°F
- Waterloo, Iowa: 32°F
- Burlington, Vermont: 32°F
- Binghamton, New York: 32°F
Where 30°F is a normal winter night
- Louisville, Kentucky: 30°F
- Tulsa, Oklahoma: 30°F
- Asheville, North Carolina: 30°F
- New York, New York: 30°F
- Richmond, Virginia: 31°F
- Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: 29°F
- Lubbock, Texas: 29°F
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: 28°F
Questions
Is 30 degrees cold?
Yes. 30°F is two degrees below freezing, cold enough for ice on paths and frost on cars, and any wind makes it feel well below that.
What is 30°F in Celsius?
30°F is about −1°C.
What to wear running in 30 degree weather?
Runners’ rule of thumb says a run feels about 15 to 20°F warmer than the reading, so a 30°F run feels more like a 45 to 50°F walk: tights, a long-sleeve base layer, a light jacket, gloves and a hat is the usual kit.
Weather by name
City figures: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991 to 2020. Wind chill: the National Weather Service formula.