Oil guage in red

[Clueless]

So although I finally got my car running today, it keeps beeping and the check gauges light keeps blinking. The oil sensor is in the red. Is this temperature or oil pressure? I did not see any leaks where she was frozen in place the past couple of weeks and the dipstick reads full. She had a oil change only a couple hundred miles ago. Would this be caused by the wrong viscosity of oil for a sub zero winter? Is there an additive I could use instead of changing the oil again after just a couple hundred miles?

[MKMike]

Oil gauge measures oil pressure only--not oil temperature.
If you have a very cold temperature and are using too high a viscosity oil, it can cause low oil pressure.
There are many causes of low oil pressure, however.
Read this http://www.aa1car.com/library/us1097.htm

[RJolly87]

It's also imperative to confirm the low oil pressure with a mechanical gauge.

The oil pressure senders are known to be problematic, and can give erratic readings when faulty.

[Clueless]

Okay so yesterday I was having issues with my oil pressure guage, not the temp:) thanks for clearing that u, my name says I am clueless when it comes to cars...
Also once my car started I drove it to the napa to return the old battery, then to get gas and bak. The whole driving time was ten to fifteen minutes.
Last night I parked in the garage for a change, there are two garage spots and six people in the apartment so most of the time I have to park in the driveway with wind, melting ice etc. I don't know if that makes much of a difference.
So today when I was shoveling snow I turned Bonnie on and the oil guage was in the red and the check oil level light went on. I checked the oil level and she is still full and looks ambery clear, not blackish. I dug out some of the driveway and by then the guage went straight to the middle! Came back after ten minutes of idling and was still in the middle:) then I revved her some and the guage dropped but not to the red.
So, what would you do? Would money, that is limited, be better spent on a mechanical guage to double check preassure, or an oil change for higher viscosity oil? I am not sure if I can afford either until my next pay so is it safe to assume that even thou I got her started again she isn't safe to drive? Or just to check the oil level before during and after each trip?

[RJolly87]

Oil pressure is not something to be taken lightly.

Many local parts stores have Loan-A-Tool programs, some of which include mechanical oil pressure gauges. For a "deposit" (IE, you buy the thing at a stupid price, then take it back for a refund when done) you can usually pick one up, and confirm the issue. If the oil pressure is where it should be, and behaving properly, then the sender is the most likely culprit, and can be replaced when convenient.

What you do not want to do is increase oil weight on a perfectly fine engine (especially when cold), or continue driving with a legitimate oil pressure issue. Collateral damage as a result of these can often surpass the initial fix.

If you really want to start throwing parts at it, throw a sender at it, and see what happens, but, given that money is a concern, it could be $40 thrown into the wind. Oil pressure does not typically decrease with an increase in engine speed with most any issue, which is also why it is imperative to confirm the problem is what it appears to be.