How’s Your Weather?

[Alton]

Got all the usual weather warnings and the hype as if it was time for the apocalypse. Got a double whammy...a system snow came through followed by a "lake effect event". Threat was 6" when all was said and done. I am being generous when I say we got an actual 3" total.

The really scary part about the first snows of the seasons are the people on the road. It's a clown circus in bumper cars. People just find it difficult to adapt to radically changed road conditions. The can't seem to keep their foot out of the carburator so when it comes times to stop at an intersection or to slow down for the guy in front of them who's turning, well, the cops get no time to chase criminals. Crash! Bam! Thank you m'am!

Being that it's the holiday season I had to work yesterday... another dance recital, and on the way in I passed by Discount Tire and they were PACKED! No. Not going to find any tires under the Christmas Tree. After the clown circus in bumper cars many realized it was time to get either new tires or some snow tires to help get/keep their vehicle under control.

Being a practical guy I scare poor Mrs. Alton and head off to any good sized unused parking lot and proceed to doing a ballet with my vehicle across the open lot. I drive like Fred Astaire dances, gliding across the snow like I actually knew what I was doing, spinning donuts, fishtailing, doing skids and just having more fun than I should. This way I get re-accustomed to icy road conditions and I know pretty much how my vehicle will respond. It ranks high in the Top Ten fun things to do with a vehicle.

I also get to play with my snowblower later today when the sun gets higher in the sky. Got it gassed up around thanksgiving, fired it up and let it run a while. No snow at that time but a great confidence boost for me knowing it was going to run as it should when I needed it. At this point I do have to say that an electric starter on this snowblower is just the cat's meow! No more yanking on ropes breaking either or both the rope or the hand grip. I can't believe I survived this long without one and I AIN'T GOING BACK! Yeah, you betcha! I wonder if they make a weedwacker with an electric starter? This is why we have winter, so we have time and can research important questions like this.

 

[DodgebyDave]

LDG will not ride with me on a motorcycle in the snow

 

[dozer99]

Last two weeks here, it's 13 or 14 for the low and high of around 35. Ice can't melt during the day and just gets thicker over night. I love the High Desert!

 

[Alton]

So we got hit with another system snow storm late yesterday which provided a miniscule bit of snow...less than an inch. However, the winds on the backside of the storm are providing yet another lake effect event. We're at 4" now and more is on the way.

It's weird because 2-3 storms ago it was like what we would normally get in mid to late Novemeber and today it's more like a mid-January snow. Oh well! Off to battle the flakes!

 

[ErrosionOfAccord]

North wyoming despite the bonus month of winter has been somewhat mild. We generally get two really bad cold snaps per year but neither of them has reared their ugly head yet. I hate when it gets so cold that the roads don’t thaw for three weeks. Nothing worse than having to pussyfoot everywhere you drive.

 

[michael59]

Just a cold snap. Valley floor. Must make sure water runs all night and all day, must make sure to dump chicken water at night and fill in morning. Frick'n horsie and goats are pissed that chickens get so much attention. Oh yeah, I have eggs but they are froze to the ground.

 

[Irons]

Nothing worse than having to pussyfoot everywhere you drive.

Pussyfooting as we speak sir. It's brutal and getting worse cold as feck and snowing like the old days here.
Roads are iced over with snow being added by the hour.

I must admit I still get great happiness listening to soft city people whine like little girls over things they cannot control.
I wish they would all move to Florida.
Their fancy AWD SUV's will get them going on ice but none of them have figured out that all wheel drive does nothing to help them stop. The roads and highways are littered with their crash marks as they slide off the road one after another.
As long as none of them hit me on their way in it's all good!



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[hammerhead]

We got our first snow fall a few days ago. Then yesterday, it snowed, then rained, then snowed, then...froze. And we won't be seeing sun or temps above freezing soon. I have noticed lots of torn bumpers and am seeing towing company flatbeds carrying cars. Last year the auto body shops were slow with mostly deer run in damage. Looks like they are off to a good start for their bread and butter this year.

 

[hammerhead]

We got our first snow fall a few days ago. Then yesterday, it snowed, then rained, then snowed, then...froze. And we won't be seeing sun or temps above freezing soon. I have noticed lots of torn bumpers and am seeing towing company flatbeds carrying cars. Last year the auto body shops were slow with mostly deer run in damage. Looks like they are off to a good start for their bread and butter this year.

 

[Oldmansmith]

Same here Hammerhead, though the rain was brief and we got mostly snow. Road is a sheet of ice. Went out cross country skiing yesterday for the first time this season. 13 this morning.

 

[Lt Dan]

I'm already starting to hate winter - and it's officially not here yet - another week and days will begin to turn around, probably still be 3 months until spring gets here.

 

[ttazzman]

i am right in the middle of the country....we are having a unseasonable warm fall/winter.....and drought conditions...just now this last week we got lows in the high 20s ...and highs in the high 30s/40s .... the big thing is we have had a total of .5 inch of moisture in over 60 days which is far far below normal

my springs are still running but i am taking this opportunity to do clearing and repair work in areas that are normally wet year round and cant handle heavy equipment.....been busyer than a one armed paperhanger :) ....keeps this up i might even build a pond etc..

 

[arminius]

:) ....keeps this up i might even build a pond etc..

Life sounds tough there. Hope you prevail with all spirit through the christmas season.

 

[Bottom Feeder]

OK, back to the regularly programmed weather after our short respite of somewhat clear skies:

BF

 

[Bottom Feeder]

Wahoo! MERRY CHRISTMAS

One inch of snow here in Seattle for Christmas Eve. It's snowin now.

​

BF

 

[nickndfl]

Put the a/c back on yesterday. It's been warm and humid. I washed my car and motorcycle and got some sun.

 

[GOLDBRIX]

Central KY 32 F and sleet / Graupel @ 8:35pm EST.

EVERYBODY HAVE SAFE TRAVELS AND A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS.

 

[Bottom Feeder]

Nic! GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!

when's hurricane season, again?

BF

 

[nickndfl]

Nic! GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!

when's hurricane season, again?

BF

The struggle is real, man.

 

[Irons]

Probably not going to get any warmer than 20 degrees until February. Then it's looking like another early spring which would be great!
In the meantime I am going to do the whole 30 diet and my normal winter working out until I can get back to treasure hunting.
As I get older I do appreciate the couple months of down time to heal some pulled tendons, shed some weight and get into better shape for the next Gold hunting season.

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[ttazzman]

Probably not going to get any warmer than 20 degrees until February. Then it's looking like another early spring which would be great!
In the meantime I am going to do the whole 30 diet and my normal winter working out until I can get back to treasure hunting.
As I get older I do appreciate the couple months of down time to heal some pulled tendons, shed some weight and get into better shape for the next Gold hunting season.

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we dont get winter like you guys do....but i really enjoy fall thru about the first of april........easy walking through the woods...no bugs...no alergys...no poison ivy...no snakes...etc......always can put on more clothes .....great time to clean up brushy areas ....or wet areas (ground freeze).....no real sweating ........our snow comes n goes so its not a lifestyle changer...

this is how its probably going to look around here tommorow :)

 

[smooth]

• Been in the low twenties at night for the last few weeks warming up to the mid thirties or low forties. When it does warm up it simply rains. All depends on the winds. When it comes from the north we get some pretty fridged weather from the Canadian Fraser valley. And amazingly, it comes straight through this area of mine before dispersing through out the little valley We live in. I can drive down hill 3 miles into town and have it easily warm up 7 or 8 degrees. Still fairly mild to what some of you folks deal with. A real cold night around here is in the low teens. Living in the foothills to the Cascades We just deal with a lot of precipitation till around July.

 

[Agavegirl1]

Disgustingly, dangerously cold! Coldest Christmas in 17 years. 20 below last night with wind chills near -40. Same forecast today. Got the silk long underwear and warm parkas out.

 

[Irons]

-5 this crisp Tuesday morning! Roads are like a polished skating rink! It would be colder if we didn't have a 36 degree 300 mile long lake between us and Wisconhoovia!

...

 

[Lt Dan]

36 degree 300 mile long lake

Lake effect snow!

We had 18 degrees this morning. Light snow, no accumulation to shovel. We're a bit south of having that lake effect us much, but parts of northern Ohio will get hammered by it.

 

[Bottom Feeder]

OK, holiday weather over — back to our regularly scheduled rain;

BF

 

[Irons]

Pulled a neighbor guy off a snowbank with my S10 today, first rescue this year!

.

 

[DodgebyDave]

cold enough to make you pee!

 

[Lt Dan]

cold enough to make you pee!

Just the thought of going out in the cold..., Now I think I gotta pee!

 

[brosil]

Somewhere in the -1 range today.

 

[Irons]

- 13 and sunny! Yee Haa the cheekins are headed to Florida, God willing they'll stay there this time!

.

 

[Alton]

-3 = cold enough to get out my Russian mink hat...too warm when above zero.

First we got hit with a minor system snow ~2" then the lake effect kicked in and added another 8". Friend of mine lives in the next county to the west right at the bottom of Lake Michigan. Depending where you lived in the county you got somewhere between 10" and 20". Had to bring in the cat last night so I wouldn't wake up to a kittycicle this morning.

Used to love this weather when I was kid. Now I'm thinking of becoming a "snowbird" and going to bother Arizona residents in the winter. Cold like this seems a lot more brutal now than when I was a chilren.

Just got back from a run. You've heard of "black ice"? Well, how about clear ice? Freshly well plowed road, could see lots of pavement and a fine dusting of ice particle that were freshly melted by the vehicles in front of me by about 10 car lengths. Froze so fast that I hit it there was thin layer of ice that my tires dutifully slid on! It's really pretty but very dangerous. It was a movie with constantly changing sparkle patterns as you're going down the road. If you're fortunate enough to actually stop at a stop light there's a constant stream of ice particles flowing between you and the sun. No it wasn't after 4:20 either! Just ice particles wafting on the endless breeze. Lovely! But a fine day to stay inside where it's warm.

 

[DodgebyDave]

Truck doors are frozen shut!

 

[Irons]

Truck doors are frozen shut!

My truck's starter solenoid is disengaging slowly @ first start up causing a slight quick grind.
No noise after it warm up to -2 or so.
Too gadtdamn cold for me to change it outside. Mechanic Tim will be making a few bux off me.

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[Bottom Feeder]

Yeah, my old ford powerstroke is a real bitch to start when it gets a little cold. When it gets down to freezing I need to plug in the block heater for a couple hours before it will start up. After that we're good for all day unless I leave it shut down for ten hours.

BF

 

[Lt Dan]

Truck doors are frozen shut!

Yes! The lock on my workshop froze. The hand torch I would have used to thaw it was in the shop. Had to drag the big torch out of the barn to get in there. By the time I got the shop unlocked, I decided it was time to go back in the house and thaw out my fingers.

 

[TAEZZAR]

Freezing rain.
Windows frozen shut, couldn't open until heater ran for 10 minutes.

BUT it surely beats the smog of big shities !

 

[Alton]

For those who live somewhere other than around the Great Lakes, here's what lake effect snow looks like from a satellite:

Stunning satellite image shows lake effect snow over the Great Lakes
Brian Manzullo
USA Today
Thu, 28 Dec 2017 20:38 UTC

© NOAA
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Satellites Twitter account released this image of lake-effect snow and its impact across Michigan, the Great Lakes and the Eastern United States and Canada on Wednesday, Dec. 27, 2017. The satellite image was taken Tuesday, Dec. 26, 2017
Chances are, you've seen a satellite photo similar to this one that shows Michigan and the Great Lakes during a snowstorm with lake effect. But the snowfall was especially amplified over the last week in places such as Erie, Pa., which was buried in more than 50 inches of snow over a 30-hour span. As of Wednesday, the area has seen more than 63 inches of snow since Saturday.

On Christmas Day, a stationary snow band off Lake Erie dumped nearly 3 feet of snow on Erie, Pa., more than four times the previous Christmas record and 14 inches more than the city's all-time record that has stood for more than 60 years.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Satellites Twitter account tweeted this image Wednesday that shows just how much of a lake effect the Great Lakes had on snowfall across Michigan, lower Ontario and several Eastern states such as New York and Pennsylvania.
Check out these "cloud streets" over the #GreatLakes, seen by the #SuomiNPP satellite's #VIIRS instrument. These parallel rows of clouds are what's behind the heavy lake effect #snow hitting parts of PA, MI and upstate NY. More imagery: https://t.co/mbgRYot60Apic.twitter.com/roKtDAj9Eu

— NOAA Satellites (@NOAASatellites) December 27, 2017 Another blast of snow is forecast for Thursday in places such as Des Moines, Minneapolis, Chicago, Milwaukee, Detroit, Cleveland and Pittsburgh, AccuWeather said.

 

[DodgebyDave]

17* and lake effect snow squalls, later turning to blowing snow. Then......it gets cold! And Snows some more!

almost as good as saudi drifting!

 

[Irons]

It's warmed up to 12 or 14 degrees today! Hell it feels like springtime don't even need gloves out in this.


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