Thread: How cold does it get in Southern California really?

With the sudden news on HERCULES and ION plunging brutal cold in decades across the Midwest and North East lately, and believe me, it is quite brutal right now and in two days, the North East will be getting what the midwest is getting now, I ask this question. How cold is cold? Lets put this in perspective. Take SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. A nice quiet little town like TWENTYNINE PALMS CALIFORNIA. Maybe not so quiet with bombing range in the Marine Corps base at Marine Corps Air and Ground Combat Center, but nonetheless, the winters are the envy of people from the North Eastern section of the USA. Take a look at the weather channel online and punch in 29Palms, and you will note, that the average is pretty much in the 60's for a high and a low average of about 40. But lets be honest, it does have its moments when the weather could turn colder and plunge the temperatures in the Desert to the mid 20's or the freezing mark of the low 30's. Even that is quite bearable for anyone retired in the Mojave area of Southern California. Right? Right? MAYBE!!!!!

Contemplate this scenario. Here you are, a Marine stationed in 29Palms and as you are laying in your nice and warm comfortable rack, the corporal of the guard comes to wake you up at 2 AM in the morning informing you that you have GUARD DUTY for two hours a some isolated undisclosed location on the base. Temperature probably around 30 with a strong desert night wind kicked behind those temperatures. You have a few minutes to get in uniform, and whatever else you can shove underneath those utilities to keep you warm. And then you throw on your FIELD JACKET which does NOT HAVE A LINER because liners are a luxury and you must buy them on your own dime, you don't save up to buy because that cuts into your beer money. So you sacrafice some cold pain buy throwing down some sweat shirts underneath, but you must stay in uniform, and none of this stuff better be showing. Your field jacket best stay zipped up and keep it that way because the Marine Corps is big on being in uniform.


So you have your weather gear on, your rifle and you get dumped by the Corporal of the guard at this location after you walked a mile to get to it. None of this give you a ride in a heated car thing. Then its SAYONARA. Good luck and REMEMBER YOUR GENERAL ORDERS. One of which is "To talk to noone except in the line of duty". Talk to who? There aint jack out there but wind, cold and some building you are protecting from who knows what? Ok, so your two hours of walkin your post is done, your face is red, your freezing like a popsicle, your feet are cold when you finally get relieved by another poor Marine that is also wondering why in the world he joined the Marine Corps to put up with this abuse. Then I get to my warm heated barracks. I thaw out for a litte bit, just to lay back in my rack when in two hours later, I get woken up again to start the day.......YES, 29PALMS CALIFORNIA, sunny beautiful as it may seem in the movies can be a MIGHTY COLD PLACE when pulling guard duty at night......have a nice day.