CONCORD, N.H. (AP) – At times like this, Thom Perkins likes to quote an old Norwegian saying: “There’s no such thing as bad weather; only bad clothing.”

So bundled up with plenty of good clothing, Perkins, 54, and his wife, Denise, 55, expected to spend an hour cross-country skiing Wednesday on one of the coldest days in years.

The temperature at the Jackson Ski Touring area in northern New Hampshire, where they work, was expected to drop to about 15 degrees below zero, and with the wind blowing 15 to 25 mph, the wind chill could approach 30 to 35 below zero.

It’ll be much of the same across northern New England. In Maine, forecasters say extreme cold and high winds will produce dangerous wind chills of 30 to 60 below zero Wednesday night across the state.

“Cross country skiing is an adventure. Some days it’s more an adventure than others,” Thom said Tuesday.

For Denise, it will be her 108th straight day on the trails.

“It’s a challenge, you know. I do like getting outside every day. It’s keeping me healthy,” she said.

Forecaster Steve Broumas said he hoped Lieberman wouldn’t be shaking hands outside. “He won’t be able to press the flesh.”

The National Weather Service in Gray, Maine, is predicting temperatures in northern New England to drop as low as 10 degrees below zero with winds up to 25 mph that could produce winds chills as low as 50 below zero.

The temperature in many places was not expected to rise above zero, something the weather bureau calls the mini-max. In Concord, the record mini-max was 2 below zero in 1981.

Broumas said the service doesn’t keep wind chill records, and he didn’t expect any temperature records to be broken. The wind actually keeps temperatures from going lower, he said.

Usually, when it is below zero, it’s “pretty rare to have 10 below with the wind blowing,” Broumas said.

The all-time record cold in Portland, Maine, was 38 below in 1943 and 37 below in Concord, N.H., the same year.

So why is this happening?

Broumas blamed the jet stream for dipping south farther than usual.

Usually, the jet stream will take the cold air first into the northern Midwest, and by the time it reaches New England, it has warmed a little, he said.

“This one is a direct hit” on New England, he said.

“The jet stream can change pretty drastically and pretty rapidly.”

That doesn’t mean anything about weather for the rest of the winter, he said. The jet stream is too unpredictable.

AP-ES-01-13-04 1731EST