Your current weather? [Archive] - Page 4

NEOWatcher

2010-Feb-05, 02:01 PM

Looking at the NWS stuff, it looks more like 2 inches. But we could be reading it wrong, as it was a massive e-mail with all sorts of charts and graphs and such, and not all of it was easy to understand. Guess we'll see.
Probably not enough of the timeframe was reported. (this will be going on through tomorrow)
We're not supposed to get that until this afternoon, and even then, we are only going to be on the fringe of it. They are calling for 2-4 here, and more as you go south.
For once, it's nice to see Columbus slammed instead of us.

Fazor

2010-Feb-05, 02:11 PM

Probably not enough of the timeframe was reported. (this will be going on through tomorrow)
We're not supposed to get that until this afternoon, and even then, we are only going to be on the fringe of it. They are calling for 2-4 here, and more as you go south.
For once, it's nice to see Columbus slammed instead of us.

I always remain skeptical 'til I see it. They're still calling for 5-10 inches, but don't show any real snow moving in until like 11:00PM. Who knows? I don't have any plans for the weekend anyway. I'd like it to wait 'til after 5:00 so I can make it to the grocery store though.

I'll take some snow though; gives me an excuse to play Mass Effect 2 all weekend :lol:

Hornblower

2010-Feb-05, 07:59 PM

Heavy snow is falling now, and the forecasters are predicting 20 to 30 inches here in greater Washington.

Buttercup

2010-Feb-05, 08:31 PM

Sunny, clear as a bell, probably 60 F.

Lianachan

2010-Feb-05, 09:19 PM

I forgot to mention it, but there was a tornado observed from my work on Tuesday. Well, a waterspout. But immensely cool, and a pretty rare sight.

Fazor

2010-Feb-06, 01:52 AM

When we walked into the grocery store around 6:15 the parking lot was wet. When we came out 30 minutes later, they had the plows going by and I had to clear my car. It's still snowing, but I haven't looked to see what it's up to at the moment.

But it's the weekend, so let it snow!

tdvance

2010-Feb-06, 02:54 AM

About a foot of snow in Bowie. It's dry and powdery, so I just went out and used a broom to get it off the pickup (garage has space for the car only), good 30 second job, save time if the snow gets wetter by tomorrow. I have the generator next to the house so I wouldn't have to drag it through 2 feet of snow--just in case. Maybe the power won't go out, but South Bowie really has a problem with power going out. We have burried lines....it's the lines feeding it and/or transformers going kerplewie that does it. Mostly plows and salt trucks on the road now, occasional "civilian" vehicle--accumulation on road so smaller cars would have some trouble.

Gigabyte

2010-Feb-06, 11:49 AM

It's Snowmageddon in Washington DC and surrounding areas right now. ToSeek may be out of action, massive power outages in Maryland, with extreme blizzard conditions east of DC and parts of the district.

And the snow is far from over. They are already saying this will break the 1922 all time record for snowfall, and I can believe it.

Combined with the previous storm in December, as well as the other snowfalls, we are at 50 to 60 inches already for the winter. And the winter is far from over here. Worst hit areas have 30 inches from the last 24 hours, but the wind is causing drifts. It's heavy wet snow, and trees and power lines are down all over.

Smaller snow plows are getting stuck, and to sum up, the weather here is pretty much Snowpocalypse Now.

tdvance

2010-Feb-06, 01:03 PM

it looks like 30 in outside my house now. And the snow is still falling. This is quite unusual for Maryland!

Buttercup

2010-Feb-06, 02:59 PM

Mostly clear and sunny, bits of wispy clouds here and there, chilly; probably 48 F. Should warm up to low 60's.

Gigabyte

2010-Feb-06, 03:33 PM

Oh sure. The weather on Coruscant is always nice.

tdvance

2010-Feb-06, 04:02 PM

Ok, can open back door but not front. I have a feeling "neither snow, sleet, rain, hail" won't apply today and am not expecting mail. No traffic, not even plows, on the road outside. Traffic cams show Maryland pretty much snowed up, even on major highways, but VA suburbs still have moving traffic and partly-plowed roads. BGE power outage map shows a fairly random spread of outages throughout, no specific areas getting the concentration, and for once, I still have power. It's almost like living in a cabin in the woods---nearest neighbors are for practical purposes inaccessible (or only in an emergency would I walk through THAT).

Eta C

2010-Feb-06, 04:14 PM

I cleared off the deck and driveway last night and this morning there is probably about as much as we had for the December storm. The Heart of Darkness is looking very white. We had a plow come through my development, but digging out the driveway will be an all day chore. Keep warm out there, and don't shovel for extended periods.

Hornblower

2010-Feb-06, 05:48 PM

My yardstick is showing 18 inches with the snow still coming down heavily. That is on the low side for the general area so far. I am scheduled to deliver Meals on Wheels on Monday, but I don't think it will happen. Perhaps some neighbors can step up and help these folks get something to eat in the meantime.

Buttercup

2010-Feb-06, 06:26 PM

Oh sure. The weather on Coruscant is always nice.

Yes, it is. :) So was the kiss Anakin gave me before departing to the Jedi Temple for the day. *sigh* (Okay, so he eventually turned to the Dark Side...but currently he's gorgeous and nice).

danscope

2010-Feb-06, 06:35 PM

Hi, 24 ° f and substantially better than Baltimore. No snow. :)

Trebuchet

2010-Feb-06, 10:22 PM

Unseasonably warm and dry here in the Great Northwet. That seems to be something that happens in an El Nino year. Lots of the spring plants are starting to come out weeks earlier than usual. There's concern that some of the berry crops, in particular, could be lost if it cools down and we have a hard frost.

Paracelsus

2010-Feb-06, 11:46 PM

Heh. Snowpocalypse here, and I'm not trying to be political--it's an accurate description of what has transpired. We are just buried. I spent my grad school years in Rochester, NY; and this crap would inspire a state of emergency even in those parts. In fact, they did, way back in the winter of 1999, when we got 2 ft in one day. This is truly horrible. I just hope and pray that we don't lose power.

TheOncomingStorm

2010-Feb-06, 11:51 PM

Most of the storm will probably skip us. :p

I think because of the long winter and not having a job is the reasin right now the gardening bug is started to infect me.

Gigabyte

2010-Feb-07, 12:23 AM

My buddy in Alexandria just got power back on. The news says we may get the road plowed by Thursday.

Atraveller

2010-Feb-07, 12:50 AM

My buddy in Alexandria just got power back on. The news says we may get the road plowed by Thursday.

Sounds like you guys in the US are havng a fun winter...

Well - I have an 11:50 Tee off time. Temp is 28 C (87 F) and there is a chance of showers. Hope it doesn't spoil my game - but the little white ball will probably do that for me...

tdvance

2010-Feb-07, 01:56 AM

Part of the US anyway. The snow has stopped, my power (so far) is still on. I actually made a measurement this time instead of estimating....total 30in snow. I went out an hour ago and broomed the stuff off my truck again--took a bit longer this time. I'm still wet from walking through that snow the 10 feet to get to the truck.

Gigabyte

2010-Feb-07, 09:51 AM

My power went out at around 9:30 Saturday night. Just came back on, 4:30 am

I was just getting ready to start preparing the house to prevent pipes from freezing (and bursting, a terribly expensive event).

It is 17 F outside, with a bitter north wind. The sub basement was reaching 35, the more exposed parts of the house had dropped to 45, and it was becoming clear I really should have had the fireplace repaired.

Went outside, a beautiful moon, everything is white and shiny, the wet snow now solid ice, the trees and shrubs that suffered the most from the record snow have some damage, branches cracked and on the ground.

The piles of snow from shoveling the walk and drive are 6 to 7 feet high now. Only another 12 feet to go before reaching the unplowed road.

The 30 or so inches have compacted down to about 2 feet of actual snow, but it is heavy as sin. Because another 6 to 8 inches are predicted for Thursday, they are waiting to plow after that fall. The large dump trucks with plow blades have been getting stuck, the smaller plows are all but useless. Front end loaders are on the way, but there is still the problem of where to put the snow.

The local Giant parking lot would have a pile of snow 30 feet tall if they tried to clear most of it. But the small loaders won't reach that high. Schools, churches, all parking lots are a disaster, there simply isn't room to put this much snow away. And it isn't going to melt in the near future.

With out power the enormous disaster of it all was clear. Those with out back up power or good fire places are facing dangerous temperatures tonight, and with no roads out, it is a deadly combination. With out power this is a real danger.

Because with out power the gas furnace won't run. And with out heat the weather isn't just a topic to discuss, it is something that seeps through the walls and windows and starts wrapping itself around your heart.

Of course now that power is back, I can wax poetic about it. But for those still sitting trapped in the dark, no heat, no light, and the promise of a high of 28F today, weather is a much more real experience.

That you can't flee to a warm sanctuary, due to impossible road conditions, makes it so real there is little funny about it.

sabianq

2010-Feb-07, 12:11 PM

hi!
well, our power went out yesterday at about 3pm, as of this writing, it is still out.
there is about an accumulated 30 or so inches of snow on the ground.
i spent all day shoveling a 150 foot "pipe stem" kinda like an ally/cul de sac but wider than the normal ally and lacing the tell tail circle like one finds in a cul de sac.

there are 3 houses that share the drive.

i have to wonder if they will have close the government on Monday.
all of this snow is such a mess..

here is the interesting thing
i said we have no power, but i got the generator running, i hooked it up the the house central air heater (its gas, it just needs electricity to run the fan and electric igniter), the reefer so the milk wont spoil or freeze by putting it outside. and the verizon fios ONT and router..

i was curious to see if there is still light on the fiber optic cable that comes to the house.

well, since i can post, there is still light in the pipe..
(i always wanted to write that)

apparently, the fiber optic cable is run differently than the power grid.
if this connection was broadband over power line, id be sleepin...

sabianq

2010-Feb-07, 12:14 PM

in colorado, when the temp got realy really cold, we would leave a faucet running, this seems to keep them from freezing...

Atraveller

2010-Feb-08, 02:02 AM

in colorado, when the temp got realy really cold, we would leave a faucet running, this seems to keep them from freezing...

That will work, but is fairly wastful. Better solution is to shut off the water at the basement entry valve - and then drain the system. (Canadian experience speaking.)

While you guys in the US are shovelling, and freezing, we managed to cop up to 400mm of rain over the weekend. Widespread Floods (http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/two-dead-as-widespread-floods-sweep-across-qld-regions-20100207-nkcb.html?autostart=1)

There were only 5 holes at the golf course that weren't under water - Riverlakes golf course was just that.

Hornblower

2010-Feb-08, 04:41 AM

Atraveller

2010-Feb-08, 07:04 AM

Here are some pictures looking up and down my street.

Excellent Pictures. Thanks for posting those.

Happy shovelling?

tdvance

2010-Feb-08, 02:11 PM

Went out to McDonalds to get a Deluxe Big Breakfast and a Hot Mocha---breakfasts are one thing McD does well.

Since my street was well plowed, I assumed that meant the rest of town was too...but nope, as soon as I got to the "main" road, I'm back in 4-wheel drive, passing a couple cars and a minivan stuck in drifts. I can't figure that one out--we have no HOA fees, so it's not like the subdivision has its own plows. Strange they plowed out the subdivision's main road but not the major avenues connecting subdivisions and shopping centers.

Yesterday, on the assumption I might be called in to work (happily, they gave me the day off), I spent a few hours shoveling the driveway to get the truck out.

tdvance

2010-Feb-08, 02:12 PM

One thing, it was much safer driving today than in the usual snow/ice conditions---almost no traffic. And the few that were out were smart enough not to pass people on narrowed, snowy roads at speeds too high for dry roads.

sabianq

2010-Feb-08, 08:19 PM

Here are some pictures looking up and down my street. No motor vehicles have been along here since early Saturday.

[img=http://img190.imageshack.us/img190/3093/dscf2851r.th.jpg] (http://img190.imageshack.us/i/dscf2851r.jpg/)
[img=http://img62.imageshack.us/img62/1262/dscf2850g.th.jpg] (http://img62.imageshack.us/i/dscf2850g.jpg/)
[img=http://img689.imageshack.us/img689/9004/dscf2849w.th.jpg] (http://img689.imageshack.us/i/dscf2849w.jpg/)
[img=http://img716.imageshack.us/img716/1089/dscf2846.th.jpg] (http://img716.imageshack.us/i/dscf2846.jpg/)

My final measurement was 19 inches, consisting of 6 inches of light, fluffy snow over 13 inches of wet, dense snow. After measuring with a yardstick, I pushed an inverted 5-gallon bucket straight down, all the way to the ground, and carefully turned it upright to collect all of the snow that had accumulated on the 11.2 inch circle covered by the bucket. I then weighed it on a kitchen scale, which showed about 8.8 pounds over the empty weight of the bucket. This calculated to between 2.4 and 2.5 inches of water, which was the equivalent of over 24 inches of dry snow in the upper 20's. The temperature was about 33 or 34 for most of Friday and into Saturday morning, thus explaining the extreme density. This easily was the heaviest snowfall I have experienced.

hi,
i am not able resolving the images u posted.
do you have a direct link?
i live near you (north arlington) 1 mile west of EFC off of 29.
our total accumulation was around 30"

but it packed down as the snow fell so the measured snow seems to be around 24 inches.

my front awning on my house collapsed from the weight.
i had to shoe up the breezway between the house and garage with 2x4s and beams to prevent collapse.

did you lose power?
we did for 25 hours..

lol

i am glad work was shut down today, i am wiped out from shoveling..
now we can expect 5~7 more inches?

lol

Gigabyte

2010-Feb-08, 08:52 PM

Yeah. Or 8 to 12 inches.

Of course that was the prediction for the Dec 19 blizzard, so who knows.

Fazor

2010-Feb-08, 09:06 PM

Went outside, a beautiful moon, everything is white and shiny, the wet snow now solid ice, the trees and shrubs that suffered the most from the record snow have some damage, branches cracked and on the ground.

Saturday night was beautiful here. Our snow was done (probably 6 inches where I am, between 10-14 most parts outside the city). Sky cleared by nightfall, and it was gorgeous. I only stood outside briefly though, as there was a moderate wind and it was cold.

I probably should have toughed it out and bundled up for a quick star-gaze, seeing as we've had a distinct lack of suitable skies. But I didn't. Now they're calling for another 4-8 inches throughout the day tomorrow, with some freezing rain thrown in during the afternoon.

Normally I'm slow to accept that we'll really get the bad weather. Half the time it's sensationalized alarmism aimed at getting people to watch the news. But I have to travel for work on both Wed and Thur, so chances are the roads will be terrible. That's just how it works.

NEOWatcher

2010-Feb-08, 09:23 PM

Now they're calling for another 4-8 inches throughout the day tomorrow, with some freezing rain thrown in during the afternoon.
We're getting a few inches more, but without the freezing rain. Therefore; I think we're going to come out ahead.

Anyway, you have the 8th worst weather in the country anyway, so expect anything.
Cleveland Ranks High For Worst Weather (http://www.newsnet5.com/news/22499701/detail.html)
Ranks high?

...ranked Cleveland number one on its list of worst weather cities

Yep; I would agree. Number one does seem high.

I guess that's why I'm not that impressed at some of the stories here.

But; I don't think cooler summers bringing down the annual average temperature is really a bad thing.

Fazor

2010-Feb-08, 09:27 PM

I've met a lot of people in the upper mid-west that would disagree with that anyway. What limited the scope was using only the 50 largest cities / "places or civil divisions". I'd say many of the places with the worst weather aren't going to be on that list, as people tend to not want to populate those areas. :)

tdvance

2010-Feb-09, 06:51 PM

Predicting another 16-20 (or 20-28 depending on which station) tonight...gets tiring.

Today I went out to a bookstore (found a copy of Protector, but since I already ordered from amazon....will have to wait, don't want to get it then send it back and all that). Apparently cabin fever came to a head, that combined with the prediction of more snow: people were out unlike yesterday. That was bad news. Not so bad going to the bookstore, but coming back home, took a while because of the amount of traffic combined with......:

small cars driving through snow, they really should have stayed in. They kept getting stuck, and traffic was backed up as far as I could see, waiting for people to dig out or be pushed out by people in the area (hired by the shopping center maybe? or just passersby?) so we could move again, then it happens again, another stuck car blocks everyone....rinse, repeat.

I have this funny feeling SUV sales (and other trucks) will take off again in the next couple years, just like they did after the blizzard of '96. Those going for fuel efficient cars are realizing now, you can't have everything--it's a tradeoff. Many will do like me: I have a Toyota Camry and a Dodge Dakota, best of both worlds.

tdvance

2010-Feb-09, 06:53 PM

oh yeah, I can think of a handful of people at work, 2 or 3 really, who griped to those of us with trucks (I confess, I baited one--his boss was standing there, and I happened to know the boss drives an SUV, so I got him railing about SUVs and the idiots who own them...ain't I a stinker :)), we're mean, tearing up the environment, all that. Now, I can go "nyah nyah" to them.

HenrikOlsen

2010-Feb-09, 06:58 PM

Fazor

2010-Feb-09, 07:02 PM

The SUV's and big trucks are what cause most of the problems around here. People think that the weight combined with 4WD means they can handle the icy roads better than everyone else.

4WD is nice for starting off of slippery conditions. If one wheel doesn't have traction, hopefully the other three will.

But you guys understand physics. Once the car is moving along at speed, if you hit a patch of ice, you hit a patch of ice. 4 wheels without traction aren't any better than 2 wheels without traction. And the increased weight? Increased momentum.

4WD helps, but it's not the magic ice cancellation device that a lot of people around here seem to think it is.

NEOWatcher

2010-Feb-09, 07:04 PM

I'd say that's all a matter of using the vehicle where appropriate
I would also add that it's a matter of using the vehicle appropriately.

I see plenty of stuck SUV's off the road because those particular idiots don't know how to drive them.
4 wheel drive is called that for a reason. It's not called 4 wheel stop.

I haven't experienced a lot of difference driving in my SUV than I have in a front wheel drive car.

SeanF

2010-Feb-09, 07:26 PM

I'd say that's all a matter of using the vehicle where appropriate, when it's snowing, the SUV/real off-roader comes in handy, but driving it regularly, in town, in the summer doesn't really count as appropriate use.
When one only has one vehicle, it's pretty much appropriate anywhere, anywhen. :)

4 wheel drive is called that for a reason. It's not called 4 wheel stop.
I like that one - going to have to remember it. :D

Fazor

2010-Feb-09, 07:31 PM

I tried to pull some statistics out of our current claims from the storm. Sample size is too small to mean anything (seven claims; we've been lucky so far) but in at least 4 of them, the at-fault vehicle was a 4WD SUV or Truck.

Statistically unimportant, but at least it falls in line with my opinion that people in 4WD vehicles are at least just as likely to get into an accident as people in 2WD vehicles.

Of course, there's many-a-factor that could throw those numbers off too. For instance, young inexperienced drivers tend to have cheaper, non 4WD vehicles. Transversely, people may be more likely to drive even in bad conditions if they have a 4WD vehicle because they "feel" safer. Also, many work trucks for people who are required to be on the road regardless of condition are 4WD, so there may just be more of them out when it's bad. List of factors goes on and on.

Really what's important is to laugh at someone when they say "Who cares if you can't see where the roads are, *I* have 4WD!"

NEOWatcher

2010-Feb-09, 08:16 PM

... Half the time it's sensationalized alarmism aimed at getting people to watch the news....
You'll get a kick out of this one in Baltimore...
Wild Weatherman Screams Forecast (video) (http://www.newsnet5.com/video/22509782/index.html)

Accuweather.com's Jim Kosek really belts it out when forecasting last Friday's winter blast for Baltimore.

Not that he's trying to alarm anyone...

TheOncomingStorm

2010-Feb-09, 09:46 PM

Today it was 5 C and sunny. The melting has started. It looks like the high temperature will be around the 0 C or above for next while.

Atraveller

2010-Feb-10, 12:22 AM

Predicting another 16-20 (or 20-28 depending on which station) tonight...gets tiring.
.

So how are you doing? That makes it what 18' or 20' of snow so far this year doesn't it?

ToSeek

2010-Feb-10, 04:27 AM

This calculated to between 2.4 and 2.5 inches of water, which was the equivalent of over 24 inches of dry snow in the upper 20's. The temperature was about 33 or 34 for most of Friday and into Saturday morning, thus explaining the extreme density. This easily was the heaviest snowfall I have experienced.

Some of the National Weather Service model runs for that storm were scary, with 3-4 inches of precipitation forecast. Fortunately, it wasn't quite that bad.

ToSeek

2010-Feb-10, 04:29 AM

So how are you doing? That makes it what 18' or 20' of snow so far this year doesn't it?

DC has had 45 inches of snow so far this winter. If we get another 9.5 in the storm that's hitting us now (which is less than most estimates), that will be a new all-time record, beating out the 54.4" of 1898-99.

Atraveller

2010-Feb-10, 04:35 AM

DC has had 45 inches of snow so far this winter. If we get another 9.5 in the storm that's hitting us now (which is less than most estimates), that will be a new all-time record, beating out the 54.4" of 1898-99.

:lol: I was exagerating ToSeek - but thanks for filling me in with the details.

I haven't seen snow in most of ten years (I DO NOT miss shovelling or driving in the stuff) and I was just rubbing it in a little...:lol:

jokergirl

2010-Feb-10, 09:04 AM

It's snowing here as well, but seeing as we're in Scandinavia and it's winter, that's hardly the surprise these big city folk make it out to be.

;)

Gigabyte

2010-Feb-10, 01:59 PM

It's snowing like crazy, (DC) with wind gusts and the occasional white out. Only 30 degrees though. After the last two blizzards, I'm not even that worried. Only if the power goes out again will it be a big deal.

At least it's powder this time. Not like the wet snow three days ago. My unofficial total for snowfall for the last two months is 48 inches.

But because snow isn't all the same , it's hard to say how much it really is. The roof only has two feet of packed and very heavy snow and ice on it. Well, except for the shed, which collapsed from the weight days ago.

The three foot long icicles are pretty. I just wish the ice damns on the roof weren't ruining the shingles.

Fazor

2010-Feb-10, 02:23 PM

Some of the National Weather Service model runs for that storm were scary, with 3-4 inches of precipitation forecast. Fortunately, it wasn't quite that bad.

You know . . . my co-worker is also holds a job with her township, and thus is involved with coordinating the road-clearing there. She showed me the NWS briefing she received, though I only got to glance at it. We wondered why the guys on the news were saying 10-12 inches, and the maps from the NWS said 3'ish. I guess that makes sense.

Gigabyte

2010-Feb-10, 03:30 PM

I was in error about my snow totals. It is actually 62 inches so far.

GalaxyGal

2010-Feb-10, 07:26 PM

Within the last 30 minutes the Governor has ordered some of Pennsylvania's major roadways to be closed.

At present PA Interstate 78, 81 & 83 have been ordered to be closed due to the snow storm.

NEOWatcher

2010-Feb-10, 07:41 PM

Within the last 30 minutes the Governor has ordered some of Pennsylvania's major roadways to be closed.

At present PA Interstate 78, 81 & 83 have been ordered to be closed due to the snow storm.
Sure, all it takes is one tiny little 50 vehicle pile-up (http://www.wpxi.com/news/22521783/detail.html?hpt=T1) on an interstate in the western part of the state, and they start shutting down the highways. :rolleyes:
;)

korjik

2010-Feb-10, 07:46 PM

fixing to sleet tonite. In Houston.

Gigabyte

2010-Feb-10, 08:17 PM

Blizzard is over.

GalaxyGal

2010-Feb-10, 08:20 PM

Sure, all it takes is one tiny little 50 vehicle pile-up (http://www.wpxi.com/news/22521783/detail.html?hpt=T1) on an interstate in the western part of the state, and they start shutting down the highways. :rolleyes:
;)

NE Pennsylvania started out 2009 with a large pileup on Route 78 that closed 30 miles of interstate that left motorists stranded for 17 hours. ....guess we're slow learners.

Gigabyte

2010-Feb-10, 08:31 PM

I spoke too soon. The snow has ended. The blizzard is still going strong.

Swift

2010-Feb-10, 08:32 PM

By the way, I wanted to thank Forbes Magazine (http://www.forbes.com/2010/02/05/weather-snow-storm-lifestyle-travel-winter-snowfall.html) for naming Cleveland, Ohio as the worst city in America for winter weather.

Yep, much worse than Buffalo, or Minneapolis, or Fairbanks.

Thanks to their fine work, we've received about 3" of snow from this storm, compared to the blizzard conditions east or west of us.

Now, maybe they'd name us worst city for professional sports teams or economic development.

GalaxyGal

2010-Feb-10, 08:35 PM

I also spoke too soon.....in NE PA, it just gets more interesting

I-78 is now shut down and no vehicles are able to pass. ALL on and off ramps of I-78 are being plowed shut as to facilitate an effective snow removal from the interstate itself.

Okay, keep people from getting ON I78....but close down the off ramps?

LookingSkyward

2010-Feb-10, 08:41 PM

Aaarggh! Hang in there, folks, were sending a team of resuce penguins...

NEOWatcher

2010-Feb-10, 08:55 PM

By the way, I wanted to thank Forbes Magazine (http://www.forbes.com/2010/02/05/weather-snow-storm-lifestyle-travel-winter-snowfall.html) for naming Cleveland, Ohio as the worst city in America for winter weather.
You're a day late (http://www.bautforum.com/1677171-post788.html) on that one. Although, yesterday they didn't specify it was just winter weather.

Yep, much worse than Buffalo, or Minneapolis, or Fairbanks.
I'm having a hard time determining which cities were actually considered. Forbes only has the top 10 on thier site, and they say they ranked the 50 largest cities.

Thanks to their fine work, we've received about 3" of snow from this storm, compared to the blizzard conditions east or west of us.
Yeah, a far cry from the 6 to 12 inches they said we'd get. Maybe they meant worst winter weather forecasting. :think:

Mister Earl

2010-Feb-10, 09:01 PM

Lovin' the Blizzard. I'm in a very eastern part of Pennsylvania. So far I've got about a foot of snow or more, and it's snowing so hard right now that the streetlights are turning on. (4pm EST)

Swift

2010-Feb-10, 10:41 PM

You're a day late (http://www.bautforum.com/1677171-post788.html) on that one. Although, yesterday they didn't specify it was just winter weather.
The story of my life. :neutral: Want my lottery number picks for last week? ;)

Yeah, a far cry from the 6 to 12 inches they said we'd get. Maybe they meant worst winter weather forecasting. :think:
:lol:

Actually, their whole study seems stupid. For temperature, they based it on average annual temperature, not winter temperature. We were something like 48F average for the year (which sounds about right). But the fact that we don't have 100F summers (and thus a lower annual average) means we're worse for winter weather? :confused:

Frankly, I'll take 6 inches of snow in Cleveland, rather than 1 inch in Atlanta or Dallas or anywhere else not used to it.

Buttercup

2010-Feb-10, 10:45 PM

Overcast, probably 60 F, chance of rain, calm (no breeze).

GalaxyGal

2010-Feb-10, 11:26 PM

By the way, I wanted to thank Forbes Magazine (http://www.forbes.com/2010/02/05/weather-snow-storm-lifestyle-travel-winter-snowfall.html) for naming Cleveland, Ohio as the worst city in America for winter weather.

Congratulations? Pennsylvanians can empathize with being recipients of dubious distinctions.

Pennsylvania has been recognized as having the worst roads in the nation for decades. PA is now the second worst in the country. We lost that title to Louisiana in 2009 and are anxiously awaiting the 2010 results.

Fazor

2010-Feb-11, 03:30 AM

Here's some pictures Tara took of our snow. If they look weird it's my fault, I was playing with them in photoshop.

Spoons

2010-Feb-11, 05:18 AM

Nice photos Fazor! Well, well done Tara really. I really like the one on the left. My left, your righ... err... left? The twiggy tree one. Very cool! I might use that one to test out the new hand-me-down photo printer.

We're experiencing an extended run of fairly gentle weather here, 25 degrees C, ever so slightly humid. We just broke our 77 day run of no rain the other day (last Saturday night / Sunday morning, I think).

Atraveller

2010-Feb-11, 06:33 AM

Fazor

2010-Feb-11, 02:47 PM

Nice photos Fazor! Well, well done Tara really. Thanks, I'll pass that on to Tara. I blew-out the one on the right. I was playing with some new HDR filters, but the image on the right has too much white for that, methinks. I dunno, I'm just a fiddler. Tara could have probably done better with it.

The original sized photo of the shot on the left is really cool, but way too big to post on BAUT.

GalaxyGal

2010-Feb-11, 07:42 PM

Here's our Pocono Winter Wooded Wonderland. We had a LOT of snow on the trees, but the high winds knocked it off before I put down the shovel and brought my camera out.
http://img708.imageshack.us/img708/7738/dscn0698x.jpg http://img693.imageshack.us/img693/7404/dscn0695g.jpg
http://img716.imageshack.us/img716/4429/dscn0693.jpg

Dgennero

2010-Feb-11, 09:46 PM

Fazor

2010-Feb-11, 09:57 PM

@Galaxy Gal:
I NEVER thought I'd like snow until I saw these fabulous, romantic pictures...
Unfortunately there is no chance to see snow in Key West - unless it is ice thrown away by late night bartenders.
Thanks a lot for showing those beautiful pictures.

Hey, have I got a deal for you! You can come to Ohio and have all the beautiful snow we have all winter long* and I'll move down to Key West, so long as you pay me for the difference in cost of living!

*"Snow all winter long" is subject to change, and may include sleet, rain, mud, bare trees drooping in an unpleasant visage of death and decay, bitter cold, still raining somehow despite the single digit temperatures, and a monotonous, unchangingly gray sky. Night comes too soon and lasts too long. All sales are final. Offer not valid in Rhode Island or Kentucky. See terms of use for additional legal disclaimers as well as a long list of moderate to sever side effects.

GalaxyGal

2010-Feb-11, 10:19 PM

@Galaxy Gal:
I NEVER thought I'd like snow until I saw these fabulous, romantic pictures...

During and for a few days after the snow, it's simply & quietly beautiful. Winter bird watching is amazing right after the snowfall.

Dgennero....I won't spoil the illusion by posting updated pictures when the crystalline, white, pristine snow has thawed & refrozen x 3 and degenerated into a brownish slushy mess.

Gigabyte

2010-Feb-12, 12:14 AM

I will. :D

Fazor

2010-Feb-12, 12:59 AM

Here's some more snow. Just don't tell Tara I'm messing with her pictures ;) I guess that's sort of like letting a highschool art student "touch up" the Mona Lisa.

GalaxyGal

2010-Feb-12, 01:30 AM

Thanks Fazor and Tara,

Gorgeous shots! Don't you just love when the snow covers each little twig.

Fazor

2010-Feb-12, 03:09 AM

Don't you just love when the snow covers each little twig.

Most of the time, yes. In the not to distant past, there were a few storms that covered them each so well that all the weight of the little twigs added up, and the hundreds-of-pound limbs came down all over the place. Lots of home damage and car damage and mass power outage.

Mother Nature needs to upgrade her trees to be snowload-bareing compliant in the winter. :)

Atraveller

2010-Feb-12, 03:15 AM

Most of the time, yes. In the not to distant past, there were a few storms that covered them each so well that all the weight of the little twigs added up, and the hundreds-of-pound limbs came down all over the place. Lots of home damage and car damage and mass power outage.

Mother Nature needs to upgrade her trees to be snowload-bareing compliant in the winter. :)

A blast from the past - remember the Ice Storm of 1998?

Talk about load baring - not just mother nature:

http://montreal.metblogs.com/archives/images/2008/01/BRI%20Ice%20storm%201.jpg

http://images.usatoday.com/weather/photos/canice.jpg

http://windupradio.com/hydro1.gif

Winter - I SO DO Not Miss it...

TheOncomingStorm

2010-Feb-12, 03:24 AM

A blast from the past - remember the Ice Storm of 1998?

Yes I do. I read prelude to foundation by flashlight while the power was out for 3 days.
Atraveller what part of Canada are you from?

Fazor

2010-Feb-12, 03:26 AM

The last real bad ice storm I remember was Christmas 200...5(?) Probably. Maybe 2004. Parts of central Ohio were without power for 3 weeks. And that was in Columbus, not out in the sticks. Though I'm sure there was some extended power outage in the boonies as well. As for us, we got it back after 3 days.

The only good part was that it was before me and Tara lived together, but she was down visiting. The storm forced her to stay for nearly a week, rather than just the weekend like she had planned.

Spoons

2010-Feb-12, 08:04 AM

Ah yes... there's nothing like Mother Nature to force a woman to stay near you.

(Is that creepy? That's creepy isn't it? Yeah...)

Black Op weather control programs - the lonely scientist's crutch!
"Three more days and she'll have to love me!"

GalaxyGal

2010-Feb-12, 11:45 AM

Most of the time, yes. In the not to distant past, there were a few storms that covered them each so well that all the weight of the little twigs added up, and the hundreds-of-pound limbs came down all over the place. Lots of home damage and car damage and mass power outage.

Well, yes....then there's that. Been there, done that....got the t-shirt.

We don't have many evergreens in our section of the state, so our neighbor planted a row of trees and shrubs. Several years passed without incident, Until.....during one big snow/ice storm they bent to the ground under the weight. As it warmed, they would snap back to attention, flinging deadly frozen missiles. He had all kinds of damage to recover from.

Gigabyte

2010-Feb-12, 01:42 PM

It's a warm day today. 32F and little wind. It's supposed to get up to 35F later.

Buttercup

2010-Feb-12, 01:53 PM

Around 1992 southern Iowa got smacked with a nasty ice storm. Huge power grids like those posted in pics above came crashing down north of Des Moines; I can't recall how many -- but just 1 would be enough. When I was a kid blizzards were the norm; but then temps warmed and we got more ice storms -- which are the worst. :( It's absolutely paralyzing.

It's clear and sunny (sun has just risen). Currently probably 38 F and we should warm to lower 60s.

Swift

2010-Feb-12, 03:25 PM

I mentioned this in the other weather (snowstorm) thread, I guess I need to say it here also.

It would be much better if people used links to photos, or attach them as thumbnails as Fazor did, instead of embedding the photos themselves. Even if you took the picture and there is no copyright issue, some users have slower connections and multiple big pictures in a thread really slow things down for them.

Thanks everyone.

Gigabyte

2010-Feb-12, 03:29 PM

Is there a hide tag we can use here?

test
test

Hmm, guess not.

HenrikOlsen

2010-Feb-12, 03:29 PM

Gigabyte

2010-Feb-12, 03:39 PM

If you have a slow connection, you can turn images off. Really speeds things up.

http://www.bautforum.com/profile.php?do=editoptions

uncheck the box that says, show images

Fazor

2010-Feb-12, 03:41 PM

One solution is to attach the images, that way there's a thumbnail image in thread which shouldn't affect the download too much.

Alternatively, have a separate thread for showing images, clearly marked as such so people on slow links can know to avoid it.

I wasn't sure if attaching images was preferred, as I didn't know about server-space usage and bandwidth and such. I just don't have a photo-sharing site, like flickr or imageshack or whatever that I can use.

The drawback to attaching images is that the file size is restricted, which in essence restricts photo size. The ones I posted, for instance, lose a lot of detail when sized down to 640x480ish.

tdvance

2010-Feb-12, 04:51 PM

Attached is my photo of the canyon my truck is currently parked in.

NEOWatcher

2010-Feb-12, 05:45 PM

Alternatively, have a separate thread for showing images, clearly marked as such so people on slow links can know to avoid it.
I'm sure plenty of people would love to see the images anyway, they just would want to decide which ones to slow down with, and not be burdened with an entire download just to see the latest one.

I got the speed, but I hate the scrolling and the fact that the size is fixed.

Besides, these pictures seem to mess up my "go to last unread". It sometimes doesn't hit the right post, or ends up in the middle of a post.

Swift

2010-Feb-12, 06:10 PM

OK, enough discussion about attaching pictures. I was saying it nicely, but it wasn't really open for debate.

Dgennero

2010-Feb-12, 09:23 PM

@tdvance: Yes it always sounds smart in Latin ;)

Back to the weather: In the Florida keys we have sunshine and temperatures in the 70s, but the national weather service says we have to prepare for some nasty thunderstorms this evening.
Until then: "Carpe diem quam minimum credula postero."

NorthernBoy

2010-Feb-15, 06:00 PM

I just came back from Dubai where it was 28c and sunny the whole time. London was 2.5c and clear this morning, but has clouded over now.

On the plus side it was light at 07:30 on the drive in, for the first time this year, so the lighter nights are just around the corner.

Fazor

2010-Feb-15, 08:00 PM

We're getting 3"-9" inches this afternoon, depending on what station you listen to. It was bad enough and sudden enough that everyone is closing down. I, however, am lucky enough to be stuck in the middle of a bunch of problems at work. So while everyone else is going home early while the roads are still somewhat visible, I'm stuck here watching it get deeper and deeper. Bah humbug!

Swift

2010-Feb-15, 08:13 PM

We're getting 3"-9" inches this afternoon, depending on what station you listen to.
What kind of radio station produces the most snow? I would guess talk radio, maybe followed by light rock. If everyone would just listen to their local reggae/calypso radio station, we might get through this winter.
:whistle:

:shifty:

Gigabyte

2010-Feb-15, 08:19 PM

More snow in DC. It's only a couple of inches, so nobody really cares.

tdvance

2010-Feb-15, 11:00 PM

Ah...DC has so much snow because it has so many radio stations.

sarongsong

2010-Feb-15, 11:22 PM

73° F, clear and sunny in SoCal... (http://www.wunderground.com/cgi-bin/findweather/getForecast?query=33.1959,-117.3795) :eek:

ABR.

2010-Feb-15, 11:31 PM

Upper 60s F and sunny here in NorCal.

The sandhill cranes have been flying over town today -- what a racket!

GalaxyGal

2010-Feb-16, 12:48 AM

31° F, Snowing with accumulations from 3" - 6" predicted by morning. For this storm, our radio stations are consistent with each other - all giving the same range.

I wish when my boss asks me about my assignments and deliverables, I had the option to respond...."well, the models are converging...we'll just have to see how it all pans out" :whistle:

Gigabyte

2010-Feb-16, 01:28 AM

So I'm skyping with my cousin who is in Boston, it's snowing here, and she is like outside with the kids riding bikes, it's sunny, and she is laughing how we got all the snow and they haven't got much at all.

I checked, and they are expected to get 5 to 7 inches in the next few days. :D

Meanwhile we got like an inch which is mostly melted already. I took some small pleasure in this.

I know it's wrong. I blame the snow.

Atraveller

2010-Feb-16, 03:52 AM

What kind of radio station produces the most snow? I would guess talk radio, maybe followed by light rock. If everyone would just listen to their local reggae/calypso radio station, we might get through this winter.
:whistle:

:shifty:

I'm listening to a top 40 station - that does a retro hour of top 40 from some other decade once or twice a day.

And we are drowning... Brisvegas is flooded...

Flash Flooding hits Brisbane (http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/flash-flooding-as-storm-hits-brisbane-20100216-o3d9.html)

At least it is nice and warm - 31 C (88 F) and nearly 100% RH - and we aren't even in the tropics...

Spoons

2010-Feb-16, 05:42 AM

Jeepers... whoever's got the Main Roads maintenance contract over there must be sitting back sipping some top shelf scotch and rubbing his or her hands with glee.

Hope all the kids stayed or are staying inside during that. I know I would've been keen to get outside in that but a light frame would get swept away by that.

I'd like to see some really heavy rain over here - I absolutely love getting out in the rain with the mp3 player and going for a good walk.

Atraveller

2010-Feb-16, 05:58 AM

Jeepers... whoever's got the Main Roads maintenance contract over there must be sitting back sipping some top shelf scotch and rubbing his or her hands with glee.

Not just the roads - the trains are flooded out too... No way to get to the Gold Coast by public transit tonight.

So I'm going to have people camping at my unit in town. Glad I bought a slab of beer yesterday. I wonder if we can get pizza delivered tonight? I guess we will sit around on the floor and watch the olympics on tv.

And more rain on the way.... Big thunder boomer going on right now.

Spoons

2010-Feb-16, 06:22 AM

Atraveller

2010-Feb-16, 06:38 AM

Sounds like a fantastic time! I wish that was happening over here, because my daily commute is such that I would happily call in for a day of leave.

An hour on the freeway would not be too safe in that kind of weather. Eleven extra hours to sit at home drinking beer sounds much more to my liking.

Enjoy the pitter patter! You guys over east are getting a lot of it lately.

The only thing I'm worried about is losing power - Although I sell them, my home UPS will only provide power to the TV for about 15 minutes.

I guess we could watch tv on my 10" net book - that will last for two or three hours (I can just see us all squinting at the little screen.) After that it will just be sitting around in the dark, listening to the rain, drinking beer... hmmm that actually doesn't sound too bad - :lol: (burning incense and candles - could turn into some impromptu pagan ritual... )

on the upside - they are forcasting the dams will pass the 80% mark - so we will be able to go 5 years without any rain...

Gigabyte

2010-Feb-16, 02:30 PM

Beautiful crisp morning here in the Capital of the Greatest nation on Earth. Sunshine, 28F (or -2C for you backward metric countries), snow and ice as far as one can see, ice dams melting on the roofs, three foot icicles hanging down from gutters choked with a foot of global warming, children walking on ice sprinkled streets, with the sidewalks covered with 8 foot piles of ice and snow, the faint sound of sirens from the accidents, fox and lynx and coyote tracks in the fresh snow, a beautiful day in the middle of winter.

swampyankee

2010-Feb-16, 06:25 PM

Gigabyte

2010-Feb-16, 08:01 PM

After surviving Smowmaggedan I and II, 7 inches of snow seems like nothing.

Atraveller

2010-Feb-16, 11:36 PM

The big wet continues in Brissy:

More wet weather for Brisbane (http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/more-wet-weather-to-hit-brisbane-20100216-o8ta.html)

It was a fun adventure last night - six people camping out in my little 2 bedroom unit (the trains and roads were flooded to the south) and we spent a lot of time on the balcony watching the "little" creek that flows near by - it crested 4 meters above it's bank (that would be about 12' in the olde language) It was back down to within it's banks this morning...

Trebuchet

2010-Feb-17, 12:00 AM

Snow? What's that? I've been running around without a jacket all day here just south of the "winter" Olympics!

Gigabyte

2010-Feb-17, 12:58 AM

Canada called, they want their snow back.

tdvance

2010-Feb-17, 02:30 AM

Some people at work went to Anchorage for a conference of some kind, but were delayed getting back because of the Maryland weather. They had to stay in Alaska to avoid the snow.

Gigabyte

2010-Feb-17, 03:06 AM

In other news, California is at 115% of their snow levels.

Thanks Canada, we needed the water.

TheOncomingStorm

2010-Feb-17, 01:52 PM

We were suppose to get some snow last night but didn't. For all these having worst winter then usual I feel for you but I am also glad it isn't here.

Fazor

2010-Feb-17, 03:03 PM

Our "light snow throughout the day" yesterday turned out to be a few more inches (4 or so?) We're supposed to have "light snow throughout the day" again today, though I'm more apt to believe that today.

Yesterday there was a large storm cell that sort of swung north and even circled back on us at one point. Today the radar looked pretty clear.

I don't hate the snow, although it has broken our shrubs out in front of our house. The latest of it has been the light fluffy kind, so it's not too difficult to shovel. I guess the problem is that the wind has picked up over the last few days, so this light fluffy stuff is also prone to drifting.

It still beats the rain and mud we usually get though. Nothing wrong with a little snow in the winter.

Spoons

2010-Feb-17, 03:33 PM

I love the snow, it reminds me of the family in Germany and the holidays there. I think it's beautiful, though I can understand some of the drama that comes with it.

Would you say that it's one of those "nice place to visit" type of things? Has anyone moved from a non-snow area into one who could say whether the novelty wears off?

Buttercup

2010-Feb-17, 03:39 PM

Big blue sky, sunny, clear as a bell, probably 55 F.

swampyankee

2010-Feb-17, 03:41 PM

Sunny, albeit a bit cooler than 55°F.

Gigabyte

2010-Feb-17, 04:16 PM

Has anyone moved from a non-snow area into one who could say whether the novelty wears off?

This is my first ever winter in the cold. The first snowfalls were fantastic. Light powder, a few inches. The first blizzard on Dec 19th was fun. Only two feet of powder. The locals were freaking out.

It all melted by the time the next snow came. More powder, more shoveling, not bad.

Snowmaggedan I was awful. Wet heavy snow, 2 feet, then another foot of powder and wind and extreme cold. I was so over it at that point. Snowmaggedan II, three days later pretty much put the hammer down on enjoying it.

Now hundreds of thousands of homes have dangerous ice dams on the roofs. the sidewalks are covered in 4 to 7 feet of ice and snow (from the streets), it's extremely cold, and I can go the rest of my life with out ever seeing another snowstorm, and be quite happy.

My first winter up north and it is the worst one in recorded history.

Lucky me.

danscope

2010-Feb-17, 04:41 PM

" It is the decision of this court that you shall be made to be taken to a place with lots of snow and cold, and a wind biting your face and slush flowing around your shoes , and be made to shovel and chip for the remainder of winter and most of the spring,..... and may God have mercy on your soul."

danscope

2010-Feb-17, 04:44 PM

And we have 42° today.... with an occasional patch of blue sky,
and it isn't snowing. :)

Dan

Gigabyte

2010-Feb-17, 04:57 PM

I have become acclimated. Yesterday it was sunshine and I am outside going, "Oh, so nice, it got up to 32 today!".

(That is 0 for you backward people in the world who still use the antiquated French method of measuring temperature)

thoth II

2010-Feb-17, 05:01 PM

For S Florida quite a cold winter so far, many days in the 60s and nights in 40s with dewpoints in 20 and 30s (usually the dewpoints are always over 60 or 70 here, and it's a very muggy climate)

Gigabyte

2010-Feb-17, 05:16 PM

The cold winter is due to it being the warmest year ever.

NEOWatcher

2010-Feb-17, 06:29 PM

Our "light snow throughout the day" yesterday turned out to be a few more inches (4 or so?)...
And our forecast said we'd have a few inches, but Columbus was going to get buried.
I think you need a new weather source.

Although; I used to relie on the weather channel, but the 36 hour forecast yesterday said:
Today: Snow showers ending in the evening
Tonight: Snow showers
Tomorrow: Snow showers.

It seems that can't even keep a single forecast consistent.

Fazor

2010-Feb-17, 08:11 PM

And our forecast said we'd have a few inches, but Columbus was going to get buried.
I think you need a new weather source.

Although; I used to relie on the weather channel, but the 36 hour forecast yesterday said:
Today: Snow showers ending in the evening
Tonight: Snow showers
Tomorrow: Snow showers.

It seems that can't even keep a single forecast consistent.

:lol: Customers are saying we'll get more snow on Sunday. One said more tonight as well, but I know the guy, so I don't believe him ;).

I think I prefer rumors from random customers over television weathermen, as the former seems more accurate than the later.

tdvance

2010-Feb-17, 09:27 PM

This is my first ever winter in the cold. The first snowfalls were fantastic. Light powder, a few inches. The first blizzard on Dec 19th was fun. Only two feet of powder. The locals were freaking out.

It all melted by the time the next snow came. More powder, more shoveling, not bad.

Snowmaggedan I was awful. Wet heavy snow, 2 feet, then another foot of powder and wind and extreme cold. I was so over it at that point. Snowmaggedan II, three days later pretty much put the hammer down on enjoying it.

Now hundreds of thousands of homes have dangerous ice dams on the roofs. the sidewalks are covered in 4 to 7 feet of ice and snow (from the streets), it's extremely cold, and I can go the rest of my life with out ever seeing another snowstorm, and be quite happy.

My first winter up north and it is the worst one in recorded history.

Lucky me.

And--I came home yesterday to find a paper on my door, could see it was quoting Bowie ordinance about keeping sidewalks clear, and I thought...geez, they're actually enforcing it under these circumstances? Of course, I looked closer and it said, if you don't want to do it your self, call Jim at xxxxxx -- and looking around, all the doors had them. Advertisement made to look like an official notice.

Fazor

2010-Feb-17, 09:31 PM

And--I came home yesterday to find a paper on my door, could see it was quoting Bowie ordinance about keeping sidewalks clear, and I thought...geez, they're actually enforcing it under these circumstances? Of course, I looked closer and it said, if you don't want to do it your self, call Jim at xxxxxx -- and looking around, all the doors had them. Advertisement made to look like an official notice.

There's a fine line between being clever and being deceptive. I'd say that advertisement is on the wrong side of that line. Whether that was the intent, I couldn't say.

But I have no respect for businesses that have to advertise or operate under deceptive business practices.

LookingSkyward

2010-Feb-17, 09:32 PM

I remember, as a kid in Wyoiming, asking "Mom, it's up to 0(F), can I go outside and play?" That's why I live here, now :) Sunny, 50F, the spring birds - redwing blakcbirds, Canada geese and robins are showing up and doing their srping stuff.

tdvance

2010-Feb-17, 09:38 PM

I agree Fazor--years ago, I got a handwritten letter on my door offering to mow my lawn. Thinking, some neighborhood kid wants to make some money, I was about to call the number. But...wait, what is this exchange? I looked up the number, it was a landscaping company in a different county. grrrrr.....

Swift

2010-Feb-17, 09:40 PM

Big blue sky, sunny, clear as a bell, probably 55 F.
I've always thought that a strange expression. No bell I've ever seen is clear. I guess if the sky is "clear as a bell" it must be bronze colored. ;)

Footnote: I assume, that the clarity so described references the clarity of the bell's sound, not its color.

tdvance

2010-Feb-17, 09:45 PM

that's funny, since a bell's sound seems to be rather complex---far from a pure tone, or even a clarinet tone (note the root syllable) in clarity.

BigDon

2010-Feb-17, 10:03 PM

Classic dense San Francisco fog the last couple of days and nights. Even with wind speeds up to ten miles per hour, so you know it really wants to be foggy. Looked like ghosts blowing past the street lights last night. This morning was still and I couldn't see the sidewalk across the street until 10 AM. It's 2 PM atm and still hazey

Fazor

2010-Feb-17, 10:11 PM

redshifter

2010-Feb-17, 11:53 PM

Sunny and 50 F. We've had such a warm winter here in the NW (lots of 50+ F days, about 5 - 10 degrees above average) that we have tulips coming up, the cherry blossoms are coming in already, and my lawn actually needs mowing. Supposed to get well into the 50's and sunny the next few days. The upshot is that tonight I'll actually be able to take my scope out for a night of observing for the first time this winter.

Atraveller

2010-Feb-18, 12:29 AM

Would you say that it's one of those "nice place to visit" type of things? Has anyone moved from a non-snow area into one who could say whether the novelty wears off?

Hey Spoons, I grew up with winter - and began to dislike it as soon as I was big enough to start shoveling the driveway. I began to hate it when I was old enough to drive in it...

I haven't seen a winter in the last ten years - and I really don't miss it at all.

Brisbane is Goldilocks land - never too hot, never too cold (although it can be a little too wet at times, and a little too dry other times...) As close to paradise as you can find on this planet...

NEOWatcher

2010-Feb-18, 02:17 PM

I remember, as a kid in Wyoiming,...
Gee; you'd think you could learn to spell the state you lived in while growing up. :whistle:

Gigabyte

2010-Feb-18, 02:22 PM

Hey, anybody can make a typo.

But back to the important stuff. My weather, or in this case, the consequences of a beyond all record amount of snow and cold temperatures.

The ice dams on the roofs have led to roof failure. Water is dripping into the house in multiple places.

This is being repeated on hundreds of thousands of roofs in the area. Some are really bad.

The ice is over a foot thick in the worst spot. I have already gone up on the roof twice this morning. I am going back up now.

If you don't hear from me again, I probably fell off.

Spoons

2010-Feb-18, 02:34 PM

Spoions says no to typos!

That ice on the roof does sound rather critical - if the roof design doesn't allow for that it can be treacherous!Good luck to you and others dealing with that.

What is the best way to deal with that anyway? If this global warming keeps up I may be facing the same in ten years.

Fazor

2010-Feb-18, 02:46 PM

I hadn't realized just how much snow we got. Part of it is because I only walk the sidewalk, which I've been shoveling each time it snows. Part of it is because I think our small fenced yard acts as a "snowcatcher"; the snow's drifting into the yard from over the fence, but it doesn't seem to be drifting out. When I stopped to really look at it, I realized just how much our yard seemed like a bowl or a box that was filling with snow.

I took a few quick pictures with my cell phone, just to attempt some scale. The first shows the snow on our back deck: you can see that the snow has just about buried our little table and is about "chair height". The second shot may not look like much, until you realize that the lattice that is showing above the snow is actually about 3'6".

The icicles in the back corner of our house finally reached the ground (and while it's only a single story house, keep in mind it's got a high roof and the whole house sits a little over 2' off the ground on it's foundation. I really should have taken a picture of that, but I was more interested in breaking them off before my gutter came down.

Gigabyte

2010-Feb-18, 04:13 PM

If you have ice in the gutters and hanging off, you have melting. Probably from the heat of the house. If the ice builds up at the edge, it's called an ice dam. Meltwater builds behind it, then freezes at night.

If it builds up enough, you get ice under the shingles, lifting them, then under the paper, then it is dripping into the house.

Each day/night cycle builds it up, until it is a serious roof damage situation. (Like mine)

I'm about half way through, I stopped the leaking area at least. I shoveled the snow off, then took a pick axe to the ice. It's warm enough to melt today, so every bit of snow I get off is less water running down.

The gutters have over a foot in them. But hey, a gutter is cheap to replace compared to the roof. They go next.

Gigabyte

2010-Feb-18, 04:22 PM

If you have a new house, or are in an area with known ice problems, the roof may have a bladder system designed to prevent ice damns from causing damage. In which case no worries.

While the terrible snowmageddan seemed bad, this roof failure business is going to be far worse.

NEOWatcher

2010-Feb-18, 04:26 PM

I hadn't realized just how much snow we got.
More than us. I heard on the news this morning that this is the first time Columbus and Cinci has more snow than Cleveland. Although; I was half listening, so I don't know if thats season, month, or system.

If you have ice in the gutters and hanging off, you have melting. Probably from the heat of the house.
Probably, but there is still some melting from the sun even when it's cold out, and that melt will be insulated by the layer of snow.

Good luck on your effort though. I had a section of Living room ceiling come crashing down in my last house. And that was with a house that had some serious insulation. Unfortunately; I was trying to sell it at the time, which made repairs vital.

I seem to be fairly lucky in this house, even though the insulation is woefully inadaquate.

Fazor

2010-Feb-18, 04:50 PM

If you have ice in the gutters and hanging off, you have melting. Probably from the heat of the house. If the ice builds up at the edge, it's called an ice dam. Meltwater builds behind it, then freezes at night.

Hrmph. I was in a good mood until you reminded me of all the claims we'll be dealing with over the next couple of weeks (and months, as many times the problems mentioned don't become apparent until the heavy rains of summer storms hit).

It looks awesome though. I've been keeping an eye out for water in our house. So far, so good. This weekend I might have to crawl up into the attic and check around there. I'm clumsy though and always worry about slipping off the joists and through the ceiling. :doh:

It's been warm enough the past few days to melt the snow on it's own. The fluffy stuff we got is melting and refreezing into that crunchy, hard, icy snow. Good for making snowballs (that will cause permanent injury to people). Good for sledding (if you want speed and a sore body that feels like it's been drug across bumpy concrete.) Bad for shoveling; it's heavy.

NEOWatcher

2010-Feb-18, 05:30 PM

Now, maybe they'd name us worst city for professional sports teams or economic development.
Nope, with one catagory, they got everything covered.

Cleveland tops list of most miserable U.S. cities (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35449611/ns/business-us_business/):rolleyes:
:mad:

Fazor

2010-Feb-18, 05:34 PM

I love Cleveland, but that's from an "I don't live there and don't want to" perspective. ;)

You guys do have Chef Michael Symon (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Symon), at least. This summer I want to plan a road trip to go to one or both of his restaurants*.

Edit: It appears he has four places up there now; Lolita, Lola, The B-Spot, and Bar Symon, though the last is in Avon Lake.

tdvance

2010-Feb-18, 07:20 PM

I got a call from Balto-gas-electric today, saying they couldn't read my meter and estimated my bill this month. Gee...can't even walk around to the side of the house through several feet of snow that has partly melted and refrozen.... :)

At least the mailman can come through the path I shoveled to my door.

Gigabyte

2010-Feb-18, 09:54 PM

Well it wasn't the ice dam on the gutter, but higher up. Roof is clear, some ice is still there, but not the one causing the leaks.

Much melting, it got up to 43 degrees today!!! (43F)

It was like spring time! Except then I went to Bethesda and shoveled out a friends driveway.

So tired now. Weather good. No snow.

ABR.

2010-Feb-18, 09:56 PM

It appears as if tomorrow has arrived here in Northern California because the sun has come out.

Atraveller

2010-Feb-18, 11:52 PM

Another fine week forcast for Brisy

Brisbane Forecast
Issued at 4:50 am EST on Friday 19 February 2010

Warning Summary
Nil.

Forecast for Friday
Mostly fine. Just the chance of a brief shower or two, mainly bayside. Moderate
SE winds, fresh at times about the bayside.

Precis: Mostly fine
City: Max 29
Bayside: Max 27
UV Alert: 8:10 am to 3:50 pm, UV Index predicted to reach 12 [Extreme]

Saturday Shower or two, mainly morning. Min 22 Max 29
Sunday Shower or two, mainly morning. Min 22 Max 29
Monday Mostly fine. Possible shower. Min 22 Max 31
Tuesday Shower or two. Min 22 Max 32
Wednesday Few showers, mainly morning. Min 21 Max 28
Thursday Mostly fine. Morning shower. Min 20 Max 29

29 C = 84 in the Arcane temperature scale invented by a 17th century Prussian based on the temperature of his wife's arm pit - Farenheit's wife's arm pit (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farenheit)

Gigabyte

2010-Feb-19, 12:07 AM

29 C = 84 in the Arcane temperature scale invented by a 17th century Prussian based on the temperature of his wife's arm pit - Farenheit's wife's arm pit

I really got to you didn't I? :D

Atraveller

2010-Feb-19, 12:30 AM

I really got to you didn't I? :D

:lol:

a phrase including kettle's and pot's comes to mind...

Gigabyte

2010-Feb-19, 12:43 AM

I find using F when people are used to C is annoying.

You tell somebody it is 17 degrees, most people in the world think that is not bad. But in the US, 17 degrees is friggin cold!

Gigabyte

2010-Feb-19, 12:44 AM

Of course they still describe their airspeed as knots, so it all balances out.

Atraveller

2010-Feb-19, 01:22 AM

Of course they still describe their airspeed as knots, so it all balances out.

Knots make sense... if you are trying to navigate. And all sailors love knots...

But about the weather.... lovely fluffy clouds, and 28 degrees out there this morning...

Gigabyte

2010-Feb-19, 01:34 AM

tdvance

2010-Feb-19, 01:45 AM

Atraveller

2010-Feb-19, 01:46 AM

Continuing the slight off topic. I recently converted to metric in construction. It is so superior it isn't even funny.

Converting means getting everybody to use a metric tape measure. I love it.

Now, back to your local weather

Growing up in Canada in the '70's we had to learn to speak in both languages - Metric and imperial.

But I'm now in a country that hasn't had the Olde language for two generations... And you are right - metric make much more sense in most things.

now cold beer is 4 degrees while hot weather is anything over 34...

HenrikOlsen

2010-Feb-19, 02:00 AM

I've heard two explanations for "knots" referencing speed of a watercraft:

1. short for Nautical Miles Per Hour

2. at one time, someone threw an anchor overboard attached to a rope with equally-spaced knots, and counted how many knots passed in a fixed interval of time to determine speed (and this must have been a quantum method, as when you run out of rope, the anchor drags the boat to lower speeds, so measuring speed would cause a change in speed).
Both are correct, 1 is what's being measured, 2 is how (modulus implementation) it was measured.

For 2, it wasn't an anchor but rather a triangular plate with ropes in each corner, so it was held perpendicular to the pull of the rope, and with a doohicky in one of the corners to let it release at a sharp tug of the rope, for much easier retrieval and no dependents on shallow water.
On the other hand this meant that correctly mapping sea currents was a major part of being a seafaring nation as the speed reported was relative to the water, not to the bottom.

Atraveller

2010-Feb-19, 02:08 AM

Both are correct, 1 is what's being measured, 2 is how (modulus implementation) it was measured.

For 2, it wasn't an anchor but rather a triangular plate with ropes in each corner, so it was held perpendicular to the pull of the rope, and with a doohicky in one of the corners to let it release at a sharp tug of the rope, for much easier retrieval and no dependents on shallow water.
On the other hand this meant that correctly mapping sea currents was a major part of being a seafaring nation as the speed reported was relative to the water, not to the bottom.

Well said...

and Set and Drift are the bane of our lives...

The other advantage to Knots - or Nautical miles per hour - A nautical mile equals one minute of latitude, so speed and distance can be easily calculated without the use of a GPS (yes - it is possible to navigate without a GPS - I can hear the gasps...:lol:)

Spoons

2010-Feb-19, 03:07 AM

I got in trouble with the law for trying to measure my knots on the freeway just now. Apparently it's not good for the surfacing.

HenrikOlsen

2010-Feb-19, 06:36 PM

Found a page that had the doohicky illustrated (http://www.physlink.com/education/AskExperts/ae400.cfm) together with some more explanations.

Buttercup

2010-Feb-19, 07:07 PM

Hazy-white overcast and warm. Probably 68 F. :D I've got the front door open to enjoy the fresh air!

chrissy

2010-Feb-19, 08:13 PM

Well I had to take my little kitteh to the vets this afternoon and it started snowing in very, very small flurries, by the time I got back here the visability was reduced dramatically :rolleyes: I shouldn't have stopped off at that McDonalds before it got that bad. :D Oh! well at least I wouldn't have gone hungry if the roads became too bad.

Dgennero

2010-Feb-19, 08:58 PM

Since all the contiguous states had at least some snow, may I restate that it hasn't snowed in Key West since time immemorial :)
We "suffer", though, from these awful cold snaps with temperatures in the low fiftys at night.
Spring break is near - how about spending it in Key West?

@chrissy: This is a cookie :)

chrissy

2010-Feb-19, 09:12 PM

Would love to go to Key West and probably try out some surfing too. Sooooo tempting is that cookie. :eek:

Buttercup

2010-Feb-19, 10:17 PM

chrissy

2010-Feb-20, 12:47 AM

Yes it was, the silly kitteh was trying to escape from bunneh and she injured her leg, a long trip to the vets had to be taken, and then the snow that had been promised two days ago came with vengeance. The McDonalds was a last minute thing and I enjoyed it. :D The poor kitteh hates the vets and the nasty tablets he gave her. :(

Spoons

2010-Feb-20, 02:07 AM

Nice, cheers Henrik!

Well, the weather here this fine morning is... fine! More than fine actually.

I just got back from a lovely walk, and I've never been so happy to go to the bank and extract rent money.

24 degrees C, clear skies! Sadly, no pizza. *wink*

This is the kind of weather that could make even a mojor smile!

megrfl

2010-Feb-21, 05:46 PM

Gorgeous, but rain this evening -- which means no shuttle landing probably tonight.

danscope

2010-Feb-21, 06:47 PM

Pretty good. Blue skies, 42 ° with a light wind. Rain coming Tuesday/wed.
Doesn't look like snow. I think I'll buy a lottery ticket! :)

Dan

John Jaksich

2010-Feb-21, 07:02 PM

Clouds with a chance of showers and or rain:(

GalaxyGal

2010-Feb-21, 07:06 PM

Lovely! 41°F, sunny, imperceptible wind, crystal blue sky. So nice to be able to be outside.....without a shovel in hand!

Supposed to be clear tonight, may be able to get in some naked eye stargazing.

chrissy

2010-Feb-21, 09:29 PM

More SNOW! :( It has not stopped all day since 08:00am.

Gigabyte

2010-Feb-22, 02:49 AM

Welcome to Global Warming!!!

Spoons

2010-Feb-22, 03:08 AM

It seems I've overdone it a little in combatting global warming by leaving the AC on all day with the windows open. Sorry all you guys in the northern hemisphere. My bad.

Atraveller

2010-Feb-22, 03:24 AM

The First day of Aussie "Autumn" is next Monday - ah yes the beginning of the cooler weather. But the rest of this week looks nice:

Forecast for Monday
Fine. Light to moderate SE to NE winds.

Precis: Fine.
City: Max 31
Bayside: Max 30
UV Alert: 8:10 am to 3:50 pm, UV Index predicted to reach 12 [Extreme]

Forecast for Tuesday
Fine. Light to moderate NW to NE winds, freshening a little during the
afternoon.

Precis: Fine.
City: Min 21 Max 32
Bayside: Min 21 Max 31

Wednesday Showers. Min 23 Max 28
Thursday Few showers, mostly morning. Min 22 Max 29
Friday Few showers. Min 21 Max 29
Saturday Few showers. Min 21 Max 28
Sunday Shower or two. Min 21 Max 28

28 C = 82 in the Arcane temperature scale invented by a 17th century Prussian based on the temperature of his wife's arm pit

Trebuchet

2010-Feb-22, 03:35 AM

The First day of Aussie "Autumn" is next Monday - ah yes the beginning of the cooler weather. But the rest of this week looks nice

Surely your Autumn begins on the Equinox, like our Spring! You can't go balancing eggs on March 1! :lol:

Spring weather here in the Puget Regions, of course, began a couple of weeks ago. It was positively balmy today. I can't help thinking we'll pay for it later. I've mowed my lawn not just once, but twice!

Atraveller

2010-Feb-22, 03:57 AM

Surely your Autumn begins on the Equinox, like our Spring! You can't go balancing eggs on March 1! :lol:

Spring weather here in the Puget Regions, of course, began a couple of weeks ago. It was positively balmy today. I can't help thinking we'll pay for it later. I've mowed my lawn not just once, but twice!

Aussies care nothing for solar equinoxes and such things - They just declare the day on which summer starts (December 1st) the day Autumn starts (March 1) etc. but in Brisvegas there is very little actual change in the seasons. The night time lows get a little lower in winter and the highs don't get so high.

The only difference in wardrobe is the addition of shoes (sometimes) in winter, and a sweater on the coldest days.

And then in September and October the Jacarandas bloom - something which would beat the cherry blossoms blooming on the mall any day...

Trebuchet

2010-Feb-22, 06:11 AM

Atraveller

2010-Feb-22, 06:19 AM

Actually I've long thought changing the seasons on Dec 1, Mar 1, June 1, and Sep 1 would make better sense and perhaps even better align with the weather. At least it would more or less align with the usual US school year.

The BA has suggested making the solstices and equinoxes the middle of the seasons. I don't care for that one, it really doesn't align with the weather well at all.

Growing up in Canada, I always though December 22 or such was way too late for the first day of winter - we usually had a couple feet of snow on the ground by then, and all the trees had lost their leaves. And it was almost christmas/saturnalia/hanukka what ever... I always associated those with almost the middle of winter...

December 1st makes much more sense.

Spoons

2010-Feb-22, 07:39 AM

Being a sheltered Aussie, busily weaving corks onto string for my hats, cleaning out the kangaroo pouch for a trip up to the shops for Vegemite and rodeo riding Great White Sharks, I had never even heard of the seasons changing any time other than Dec 1, Mar 1 etc until now.

It nearly blew my mind when I moved across to Trinidad on October 13th, near the end of our school year, and found out the school year was only just starting. "What have I done to deserve this?"

Woe was me.

What a crazy world we live in, huh?

HenrikOlsen

2010-Feb-22, 08:01 AM

Actually I've long thought changing the seasons on Dec 1, Mar 1, June 1, and Sep 1 would make better sense and perhaps even better align with the weather. At least it would more or less align with the usual US school year.

The BA has suggested making the solstices and equinoxes the middle of the seasons. I don't care for that one, it really doesn't align with the weather well at all.
That (the first suggestion) is the way the seasons are defined in Denmark.
It's still based on the solstice/equinox in the middle idea, but delayed 3/4 month to adjust for the weather lagging behind solar influx due to the land and sea acting as heat reservoirs and to make it whole months.

If the seasons were defined by average weather instead, and winter was defined as the period with average temperature below freezing we would have winter from mid January to mid February, whereas a definition of average lowest night temperature below freezing would make it late November to mid March.
I think December 1st to March 1st makes sense.

TheOncomingStorm

2010-Feb-22, 02:56 PM

Another slush day here.

One thing about starting spring here on Mar.1 we still have a couple of snow storms and usually the worst.

Spoons

2010-Feb-22, 03:01 PM

Well, I don't see how it could tie into the international financial world so I don't suppose international conventions need to butt in and mess with what works locally.

Atraveller

2010-Feb-23, 01:53 AM

Being a sheltered Aussie, busily weaving corks onto string for my hats, cleaning out the kangaroo pouch for a trip up to the shops for Vegemite and rodeo riding Great White Sharks, I had never even heard of the seasons changing any time other than Dec 1, Mar 1 etc until now.

Hey Spoons, you sound just like my next door neighbor - except I've never seen him without a fag in one hand, and a can of XXXX in the other...

Spoons

2010-Feb-23, 02:03 AM

Atraveller

2010-Feb-23, 02:46 AM

I only drink XXXX Gold when in Port Hedland. My brother is a bad influence that way - darn midstrength.

Anyway, weather-wise, it's warming up after a mellow 30 degree C spell recently and we're looking at high 30's to 40 odd degrees over the next week or so. Very nice!

I find there is a great difference between 34 and 35. 34 is tolerable - but warm. 35 is hot - and when hot, my consumption of Carlton mid increases exponetially with the increase in temperature - somewhere around 40 I reach a saturation point (ie. can't see to open the next beer...) at that point I have to resort to the pool or the beach. Pacific temp at Miami beach (Queensland - not the one in the US) is currently 26 - how is the indian ocean these days?

Trebuchet

2010-Feb-23, 08:59 PM

Normal has returned to the Great Northwet. You should hear all the complaining, as if we've never seen rain before! May make for an interesting day in Vancouver.

Buttercup

2010-Feb-23, 09:34 PM

Sunny, chilly, windy. Probably 45 F.

ABR.

2010-Feb-23, 09:47 PM

Here comes the rain again....

korjik

2010-Feb-24, 12:14 AM

Snow!?! in Houston!?!

Atraveller

2010-Feb-24, 12:52 AM

Just another day in Paradise here in Brisvegas.

Min 21 Max 29 - chance of showers later today. (but they are always lovely warm showers - none of that sleet grey sky type of showers I was used to in Canada. )

Trebuchet

2010-Feb-24, 12:53 AM

Snow!?! in Houston!?!

Why not? I've seen it in New Orleans, on my very first visit to the place! The natives were freaking out, and preparing to close the freeways. It never actually stuck to the ground, of course.

Jim

2010-Feb-24, 01:43 AM

Snow!?! in Houston!?!

I'm actually disappointed. Yesterday we were told to expect 1-3" in northern Houston and up to 1" in my area; it was supposed to fall between 3 and 6 pm, with an overnight freeze just to make things really nasty.

So I spent this morning moving the tender potted plants into the garage and covering the somewhat tender garden plants with sheets for the cold and plastic for the wet.

We got the rain, but no snow. And they're forecasting a low of 33F.

BigDon

2010-Feb-24, 01:52 AM

50F, 20 mph wind and raining. Going to get colder and wetter. Not a fit night out for man nor beast.

Spoons

2010-Feb-24, 02:34 AM

how is the indian ocean these days?

You know, I really couldn't tell you. I just run the tub and chuck some sand in there. I am my very own wave-machine.

GalaxyGal

2010-Feb-24, 02:36 AM

Drove home through 'wintry mix'....not the refreshing minty treat it sounds like....2.5 hours of white knuckle driving. Now we're getting another snowbardment.....6 inches so far

Very pretty....now that I'm safe at home.

Atraveller

2010-Feb-24, 02:45 AM

You know, I really couldn't tell you. I just run the tub and chuck some sand in there. I am my very own wave-machine.

Have to admit the visual isn't that appealing... I guess what you do in the privacy of your own tub....

:lol:

Spoons

2010-Feb-24, 02:45 AM

Very pretty....now that I'm safe at home.

Well... if you don't say so yourself! ;)

Spoons

2010-Feb-24, 02:47 AM

Have to admit the visual isn't that appealing... I guess what you do in the privacy of your own tub....

Actually, it looks much like this (http://sircolby.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/Darth_Bather.jpg).

Atraveller

2010-Feb-24, 02:48 AM

Very pretty....now that I'm safe at home.

Snow is only "pretty" when gazed at through tripple glazed glass - with a burning fireplace behind you, and a hot toddy in hand...

Atraveller

2010-Feb-24, 02:49 AM

Actually, it looks much like this (http://sircolby.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/Darth_Bather.jpg).

AAGGGHHHH.... (I think I'm blind...) :lol:

Spoons

2010-Feb-24, 02:50 AM

I'm sure I was blind when I posed for that artist. :D

GalaxyGal

2010-Feb-26, 01:57 AM

korjik

2010-Feb-26, 04:23 AM

Why not? I've seen it in New Orleans, on my very first visit to the place! The natives were freaking out, and preparing to close the freeways. It never actually stuck to the ground, of course.

Twice this winter and three years in a row. Pretty unprecedented.

Heck, our highs are supposed to be almost 70 F.

korjik

2010-Feb-26, 04:25 AM

I'm actually disappointed. Yesterday we were told to expect 1-3" in northern Houston and up to 1" in my area; it was supposed to fall between 3 and 6 pm, with an overnight freeze just to make things really nasty.

So I spent this morning moving the tender potted plants into the garage and covering the somewhat tender garden plants with sheets for the cold and plastic for the wet.

We got the rain, but no snow. And they're forecasting a low of 33F.

I'm all the way up in Cypress, and we got a good shower for a while, but no accumulation. It was a let down for me too.

danscope

2010-Feb-26, 05:20 AM

Ah....39 ° f with lots of Rain....sans snow. :) Barometric pressure: 29.07.
Quite low for a noreaster. Poor Philadelphia got a ton of snow out of this one. We'll see some flooding in low lying areas .
The good news is that I didn't have to shovel snow. Gnite all.

Dan

megrfl

2010-Feb-26, 03:11 PM

29°F In the middle of yet another snowstorm. This one includes high winds. We're expecting up to 25 inches .... and high likelihood of losing power.

Getting prepped for a 'blizzard bash' Our house is where the neighbors (esp those with kids) gather when the power goes out for an extended period.....woodstove and an open floor plan. The sleeping bags, games and s'mores ingredients are ready, just in case we have guests. Love the folks here - we take care of each other.

Ah, a good ol' woodstove. Love em. I lived in Delaware Co. and So. Chester Co., Pennsylvania combined for a total of 28 years. When we moved to So. Chester Co. we had 5 wooded acres, and a woodstove. I have great memories of helping my dad cut and split wood. I got pretty good at splitting with a wedge (exhausting). I loved coming in from sledding or ice skating and thawing out in front of the woodstove.

My in-laws lived in Canton (north-Central), Pa., they have since moved to Greeneville, Tn., much milder, but regarding Northern, Pa.-- what a cold, bitter cold area. While traveling to their home for Thanksgiving we had ice building up on the inside of our Jeep's windows, I'd never seen that before or since. My point, I wouldn't want to live in those areas without a woodstove.

Have fun with your blizzard bash. :)

Lianachan

2010-Feb-26, 03:20 PM

Snow, snow, snow. The third period of heavy snow this winter. The BBC were reporting yesterday that the Glencoe Ski resort in the Scottish Highlands had seen more snowfall in the preceding 24 hours than any other resort on Earth. Difficult to substantiate, I would guess, but there's certainly loads of it. Hundreds of people stranded in cars, all major roads closed for various periods of time, etc... Long may it last. Should have had the Winter Olympics here!

GalaxyGal

2010-Feb-26, 03:51 PM

Ah, a good ol' woodstove. Love em.
Have fun with your blizzard bash. :)

When we built the house, we searched for a zero-clearance woodstove that could be built-in like a fireplace, so you can sit on the hearth and safely cozy up to the heated stones. Great for thawing out quickly from snowcapades.

I'm not much of a woodcutter or hand-splitter, but I'm one heck of a stacker & firestarter.

It's still snowing....supposed to continue through Sunday. We have the longest icicles I've seen to date on our house.

To our delight, we still have power! Neighbor's are coming over today for games and other assorted nonsense. megrfl, you're right that it can get bitter cold....but the people are amazingly warm. Guess I better clear icicles off the porch before someone's impaled.

Fazor

2010-Feb-26, 04:31 PM

Most of our snow melted at the beginning of the week, leaving just barely enough to hide the grass. Now it's gotten colder again and has been snowing off an on (mostly on) since yesterday . . . but this is a real fine snow. I doubt we even got a half an inch yesterday, and they're saying about the same for today and then again tomorrow.

Periodic gusts of wind kick up what snow we do have. It's cold, but not really bitter cold. More winter cold, if that makes sense. I think it's beautiful. Walking from my car to the office, I had to fight the urge to turn around and drive somewhere to go for a hike. Hopefully it'll be nice enough tomorrow so me and Tara can go for a walk somewhere.

TheOncomingStorm

2010-Feb-26, 05:57 PM

Rained earlier, now snowing.

BigDon

2010-Feb-26, 09:51 PM

2 PM and raining hard.

TheOncomingStorm

2010-Feb-26, 10:26 PM

I wash there was less wind in the past couple of weeks so I can burn some branches. Found one apple tree that was hanging by one branch and that branch finally came off sometime in last couple of months, plus a couple of other trees that the tops came off so now I have a huge pile in the garden.

ABR.

2010-Feb-26, 10:48 PM

2 PM and raining hard.

Same report from this side of the valley.

chrissy

2010-Feb-26, 10:52 PM

We have had heavy rain until lunch time then sleet and full on snow, the snow has finally stopped (hasn't laid though) and then back to rain.

Buttercup

2010-Feb-26, 11:06 PM

Sunny, still/calm, perhaps 60 F.

GalaxyGal

2010-Feb-26, 11:15 PM

Sunny, still/calm, perhaps 60 F.

Sounds lovely, and you don't have to shovel sunshine! What's it like to see the ground?

I'm holding a serious grudge against Punxsutawney Phil (http://www.punxsutawneyphil.com/) Come on SPRING!

tdvance

2010-Feb-27, 01:50 AM

nothing but wind here, a few flakes this morning. THis time we were spared, but Frederick County and surrounding areas to the west (Catocton or however you spell it mountains, where Camp David is) got it, though.

BigDon

2010-Feb-27, 01:58 PM

Cold rain with a chance of tsunamis by this afternoon.

ABR.

2010-Feb-27, 05:29 PM

Cold rain with a chance of tsunamis by this afternoon.

Yep. I'm not in Colorado or Arkansas anymore. I just checked the weather forecast on NOAA and under Special Weather statement, is a tsunami advisory. Looks like it will hit the Bay Area just before 1:30pm PST, if it hits, that is. Stay out of the water today, BigDon.

Gigabyte

2010-Feb-27, 08:24 PM

I'm watching Hawaii live right now.
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/hitsunami#utm_campaign=unknown&utm_source=3184136&utm_medium=social

Atraveller

2010-Feb-28, 11:17 PM

I'm sure I was blind when I posed for that artist. :D

And welcome to the first day of Aussie Autumn.

Hey Spoons, I heard you had the hottest driest summer on record. You still melting at 42? (too bad we couldn't arrange to export some of that heat to the US...)

We had one of the wettest summers on record here on the east coast. Currently raining - with a chance of more rain - increasing to heavy rain tonight. (but it is a nice warm rain... 27 C)

42 = "Way Hot" in the scale invented by an unnamed surfer dude in Perth

Torsten

2010-Mar-01, 12:13 AM

About 5C. Coldest it's been in weeks is ~ -10C. There is hardly any snow about, and most of the ice pack on my driveway has melted.

Apart from that bit of -42 in December, one of the lamest winters I can remember.

El Niño.

Hrmmph.

GalaxyGal

2010-Mar-01, 03:20 AM

Cold rain with a chance of tsunamis by this afternoon.

How'd you make out?

LookingSkyward

2010-Mar-01, 03:30 AM

El Nini has been great here for us - it was 60F today and sunny - I took my oldest daughter on a motorcycle ride and then we all barbequed burgers for dinner. Typically this time of year would be cold rain or slushy snow :)

GalaxyGal

2010-Mar-01, 03:42 AM

Spoons

2010-Mar-01, 04:40 AM

And welcome to the first day of Aussie Autumn.

And right back at you! Best part of the year, I think.

Hey Spoons, I heard you had the hottest driest summer on record. You still melting at 42? (too bad we couldn't arrange to export some of that heat to the US...)

I hadn't heard that myself, though I'd believe it.

I don't watch news, rarely read the paper, only occasionally listen to ABC AM radio - I can't stomach the sensationalist stuff.

If summers keep up like that one every year I might have to seriously consider moving south to Denmark or somewhere around there.

redshifter

2010-Mar-01, 04:51 AM

I hate to rub it in to all those suffering from snow and actual winter, but the trees are in full blossom out here, they started blooming the earliest I can remember. It's quite pretty, but my sinus' aren't very happy.

HenrikOlsen

2010-Mar-01, 07:31 AM

If summers keep up like that one every year I might have to seriously consider moving south to Denmark or somewhere around there.
After half a week of thaw with rain, which wasn't enough to remove undisturbed snow from the gardens (my cabbages are still snug under a blanket of snow), we have snow again and just around freezing with strong winds today followed by more frost from tomorrow afternoon until the weekend.

mugaliens

2010-Mar-01, 08:00 AM

28 deg F, mostly cloudy, 40% chance of snow tomorrow.

So much for a bike ride. I guess I'll be heading to the gym on base when I wake up. The local gym (apartment) is ok for cardio, but I need to get back to a nautilus-type workout and round out the musculateur. (sp?). Went hiking on Sat for two hours scampering around, up and down trails, rocks, steps, and a lot of snow and ice. I'm surprised I was only a little sore today. Nothing this evening. Must be doing something right. Still, I felt a bit unsteady, and I think a better-rounded regimen would help fix that.

Spoons

2010-Mar-01, 10:24 AM

After half a week of thaw with rain, which wasn't enough to remove undisturbed snow from the gardens (my cabbages are still snug under a blanket of snow), we have snow again and just around freezing with strong winds today followed by more frost from tomorrow afternoon until the weekend.

Not your Denmark then... I'll go for our Denmark (http://www.google.com.au/search?client=opera&rls=en&q=Denmark+Western+Australia&sourceid=opera&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8), where moderate weather is all the rage.

TheOncomingStorm

2010-Mar-01, 01:09 PM

windy and little snow.
Why is it when it sunny I get no mail but the next when it stormy there is mail?

Atraveller

2010-Mar-02, 12:58 AM

Well it is official - Queensland had the hottest and wettest summer on record.

According to theory - the wet season ends in February - but someone forgot to tell the rain. It is bucketing down out there. 60mm in the last 24 hrs, with another 100mm forecast before the rain stops - that is more rain than Queensland usually gets the whole Autumn (March to May). The tropics are moving south...

And Western Australia had the hottest driest summer on record.

Spoons

2010-Mar-02, 01:00 AM

Build a channel?

Atraveller

2010-Mar-02, 01:10 AM

Build a channel?

Yeah - would be good to send a little water over there... (our dams are mostly full and spilling now - considering we were down to only %15 water reserves two years ago - and now we have more than 5 years of reserves...)

Spoons

2010-Mar-02, 01:22 AM

Atraveller

2010-Mar-02, 02:44 AM

The idea of that sort of thing just within WA was shot down by the voting public about 5 years back in a state election, so the chances of getting support across 3 states minimum (assuming the plan would even work) are incredibly low.

Nice for you guys to have some water though. If only you could manage to hold it 'til you need it.

I wonder if anyone has compared the price of a pipeline from QLD to WA, vesus a desalinization plant?

But then - who knows how the weather will change in the future? You guys may get all the rain for the next few years, and we may go back to drying out...

I saw an article somewhere that blamed the Indian Ocean oscillation for our weather changes (not El nino)

Middenrat

2010-Mar-02, 04:10 AM

For Met Office purposes the Winter conforms to the three months of December, January and February in the UK and these were the coldest and snowiest for 31 years here, nearly 50 for Scotland and N.I.
So when the sun dawned and stayed out on Monday I was very nearly ecstatic! Tuesday's forecast is similar, we might even reach 8 degC.
The conditions could not be more awful in Continental Northern Europe however, where an Atlantic storm gusting 100mph whacked Portugal, France, Belgium, Poland and killed dozens.

GalaxyGal

2010-Mar-02, 12:42 PM

33° F, Sunny. Last night - magnificently clear skies.

Atraveller

2010-Mar-03, 02:02 AM

Brisbane - The Big Wet continues

Dams over %80 (http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/environment/dams-break-80-per-cent-capacity-20100303-phat.html)

Brisbane has received 400mm of rain in the last two months (over 100mm in the last 48 hours.)

That would roughly equate as a snowfall about two stories tall - if it had come in the form of snow - luckily it is summer here, and the temperature is way warm...

400mm = 15 1/2 inches in the scale invented by King David I of Scotland in about 1150 and defined as the width of an average man's thumb at the base of the nail