Will the Arctic Cold Front Cause Severe Weather and Damage to Crops?

[rewebster]

Our boys are home from school today. The county canceled it early (last night as about 6ish). We've yet to see ANY snow (it's nearly noon). Blockhead Southerners. I can't believe I've had a baby with a Tennessee birth certificate. At least they know their grits and sweet-tea.

Thus far:
Soundly defeated M in Monopoly.
Did some work-related emailing... and now goofing off on PF.
Soon to come:
We have lunch.
P gets a trolley-ride (and hence little E gets her outdoor time).

so, when school's out, there's an EMP

 

[Astronuc]

Correction:

18° F
Feels Like: 4° F
Wind: From NW at 17mph gusting to 27mph

I just walked down to the river and the wind was blowing rather strongly at about 20 mph. It felt less than 4° F.

 

[turbo]

Harsh weather for the birds. They can tolerate low temps when there is little wind, simply by fluffing up and lofting their feathers and keeping their feet tucked close to their bellies. Food was running a bit low, so I took our more seeds and suet for the chickadees. The 'dees are hitting the suet feeder pretty well, but they are being blocked out of the seed-feeder by the goldfinches. As soon as the goldfinches notice other birds at the seed-feeder they know that it has been re-filled and they swarm it and hog all the perches.

I guess we have already hit our high for the day (10 deg F) because it is cooling back down, and the winds are very strong. When the high has moved in, perhaps we'll be back to a more normal winter weather pattern (below zero every night, highs below freezing every day). I hope so. I don't want any more blizzards like the last two winters.

 

[hypatia]

Love this brisk cold, with clear sky's. The stars are going to be nice tonight.

 

[turbo]

Love this brisk cold, with clear sky's. The stars are going to be nice tonight.

And tonight's full moon will be the biggest and brightest of the year. This full moon coincides with the moon's closest distance to Earth (perigee), so it will be marginally larger in appearance than other full moons this year. Glad there are no off-shore storms rampaging toward our coast because with the moon at perigee, we get astronomical high tides and if there is a coincident storm-surge, we have coastal flooding.

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

The night before last my heater broke down. It had to be replaced and that set me back 7 grand. My wife and kids sat huddled around the fireplace while the workers installed the new heater. They finished at 11 in the evening last night and left. The new heater works, but not well. It never gets above 55 in the house now. They'll be by to fix it anytime now. It's 21 F right now.

 

[hypatia]

http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/dpp/news/local/no-power%3F-warming-center-open-in-redford

Yep that's where I live. Power came back on, now its off again. I'm so sorry that I got upset with my Hubby when he bought a second generator.

 

[Evo]

The night before last my heater broke down. It had to be replaced and that set me back 7 grand. My wife and kids sat huddled around the fireplace while the workers installed the new heater. They finished at 11 in the evening last night and left. The new heater works, but not well. It never gets above 55 in the house now. They'll be by to fix it anytime now. It's 21 F right now.

I hope you have some space heaters!

 

[Skyhunter]

Tell me about it.

I have had to wear long pants this winter.

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

I hope you have some space heaters!

No, just the fireplace. However, they came and fixed the heater today so the place is warming up. We're up to 62 now and we keep the thermostat at 65 so we'll be toasty soon enough. Thanks for your concern.

 

[Borg]

The Washington DC area is going to get 20 - 30 inches of snow this weekend.
It started at 10 am this morning and is expected to end around 10 pm Saturday night. We're going to have high winds and whiteout conditions throughout much of the night. Yeeha.

 

[Evo]

The Washington DC area is going to get 20 - 30 inches of snow this weekend.
It started at 10 am this morning and is expected to end around 10 pm Saturday night. We're going to have high winds and whiteout conditions throughout much of the night. Yeeha.

I've read about it, I hope it's not as bad as they're predicting.

We got hit yesterday with a heavy, wet snow, but with temperature hovering around freezing, it was a delight over the snow we got with temps near zero.

It took me a few tries to pull into my parking space due to the amount of snow yesterday. We're supposed to get more snow tonight through Monday with temps much colder. I will be leaving in a bit to hit the store for necessities.

 

[MotoH]

It is really warm here. I don't know the exact temperature but it makes this unshredable:

snow is too grabby and makes the pipe stick.

 

[Borg]

I've read about it, I hope it's not as bad as they're predicting.

We got hit yesterday with a heavy, wet snow, but with temperature hovering around freezing, it was a delight over the snow we got with temps near zero.

It took me a few tries to pull into my parking space due to the amount of snow yesterday. We're supposed to get more snow tonight through Monday with temps much colder. I will be leaving in a bit to hit the store for necessities.

It was. We got about 24 inches where I live and there are some places west of here that got closer to 40. We finally got a plow through here this morning but, he dumped a five foot wall of snow at the end of our driveway. Snow is predicted again on Tuesday night. Time to shovel again...

 

[Astronuc]

Apparently the area around Dulles Airport in northern Va got 32 inches of snow! Reagan National Airport reported about 18 inches.

We didn't get any snow - just got cool weather - ~16 F.

 

[turbo]

We're inching up toward 15 deg, though the north wind is brutal. I'll take the arctic high pressure instead of snow any day, though. I can always bundle up for it - heavy gloves, Air Force helmet liner to protect the ears, etc.

 

[WhoWee]

We (N.E. OH/W. PA) caught the northern edge of the front and averaged 12" to 20" across the region.

 

[rewebster]

Phil (the large rodent) says 6 weeks until spring--I just checked--he speaks the tooth

 

[rewebster]

we're supposed to get a 4-8 inch snow tonight and tomorrow in Illinois --then its supposed to move off to the east (maybe the northeast again)

 

[mgb_phys]

Warm and sunny here no sign of snow since before christmas - unfortunately we are also trying to hold a winter olympics !
http://www.nbcolympics.com/mm/photo/sports/general/40/57/10/405710_m03.jpg

 

[rewebster]

Warm and sunny here no sign of snow since before christmas - unfortunately we are also trying to hold a winter olympics !
http://www.nbcolympics.com/mm/photo/sports/general/40/57/10/405710_m03.jpg

is that snow that they're trucking in?

 

[turbo]

They're bringing in snow to make the special terrains for the xtreme sports. Practice time will be strictly limited, to keep the courses in the best shape possible for actual competition.

 

[Dolphiney]

I am wellinformed guys I am happy to realize that I am not liveing in a desert right now. I like snow to ski on

 

[Evo]

It was. We got about 24 inches where I live and there are some places west of here that got closer to 40. We finally got a plow through here this morning but, he dumped a five foot wall of snow at the end of our driveway. Snow is predicted again on Tuesday night. Time to shovel again...

Aaaarrgh, that reminds me of when I lived in upstate NY. I had a contract every winter for a private plower that would follow the street plow and he'd plow out the wall created by the street plow. It only took one storm for me to realize that this was an excellent idea, I lived in an area that got lake effect snow.

 

[Borg]

Aaaarrgh, that reminds me of when I lived in upstate NY. I had a contract every winter for a private plower that would follow the street plow and he'd plow out the wall created by the street plow. It only took one storm for me to realize that this was an excellent idea, I lived in an area that got lake effect snow.

I managed to catch the plow on Sunday morning and got him to clear out what was left.

we're supposed to get a 4-8 inch snow tonight and tomorrow in Illinois --then its supposed to move off to the east (maybe the northeast again)

Unfortunately, we might get another foot from this one on Tuesday night through Wednesday. I really didn't think that I needed a snow blower in DC but, I might have to rethink that.

 

[turbo]

Thanks to the cold Northwesterly winds, we might be able to dodge the two systems coming east this week. Hooray for arctic air-masses!

My crabby old neighbor next door ran into me when I was walking Duke this morning and immediately started moaning about the cold and the wind. I listened a bit and then asked him if he was going to have to shovel this weather. Considering that angle slowed him up just a bit.

 

[Borek]

On Saturday we were driving back home:

Dark thing on the right is my side mirror.

 

[Gokul43201]

When I woke up yesterday morning, it was -10F (-23C) on the outside of my "bedroom", and probably close to 0F (-18C) inside.


PS: And here's a picture of the "bedroom", a few minutes before completion.

 

[turbo]

When I woke up yesterday morning, it was -10F (-23C) on the outside of my "bedroom", and probably close to 0F (-18C) inside.


PS: And here's a picture of the "bedroom", a few minutes before completion.

Nice! My buddy (former Chief of the Maine Warden Service) used to spear-head back-country winter camping treks, when his boy (now a warden Sgt himself) was of an age to learn and benefit. His boy would be all breathless (even when he was a "cool" teen) telling me about how far they trekked, how they sheltered, what they ate, etc. Even as an "unflappable-age" teen, his winter treks with his dad were wonderful bonding experiences. When he was commissioned as a warden, he requested Estcourt as his first posting. It is at the very northern tip of Maine, and you have to get there through Canada. Any trouble, and back-up is a LONG time coming. I'm proud of him.

 

[hypatia]

Looks like we might get a big snow here sometime today and over night.

 

[turbo]

Looks like we might get a big snow here sometime today and over night.

Please keep it!

 

[Gokul43201]

The name 'Estcourt' sounded vaguely familiar, so I looked it up. Looks like it is the northernmost point in the Northeast, though not in the continental US, and I wouldn't be surprised if people speak more French there than English. Not sure where I could have come across it before, but it sure looks like a tough spot to pick for a posting.

 

[turbo]

The name 'Estcourt' sounded vaguely familiar, so I looked it up. Looks like it is the northernmost point in the Northeast, though not in the continental US, and I wouldn't be surprised if people speak more French there than English. Not sure where I could have come across it before, but it sure looks like a tough spot to pick for a posting.

Yep. English is a second language for many of the inhabitants of that little place (not that there are many inhabitants). A warden investigating moose-poaching or some other offense 'way up there could easily get drawn into an international incident, and back-up could be a very long time coming. He and his wife had not been married long when he got his initial posting, and they were both very close to their parents, so I was pleasantly surprised when he told me that he requested and got that posting for his initial placement. It was a VERY long way from central Maine, so visits with family were not frequent. Winters can be long and wearing up here - even more so when you are young and close to your family, and can't easily get to see them or your school-friends. His wife works with developmentally-challenged children, so she had to put her new career on hold for the duration of that posting.

 

[Jack21222]

Ugh, I have 30 inches of snow in my yard here in Baltimore, and this afternoon through tomorrow night, they're calling for another 20 inches on top of that. Schools have been closed since Friday afternoon, and the way things are going, will remain closed until next week.

I've now missed two days of work due to my car being snowed in. I tried escaping yesterday, but once I got my car's tires in the tire tracks carved out in the road, I was stuck, because the lump of ice in between the tire tracks was taller than the underbelly of my car. I thought it was snow that could be moved out of the way, but no, it's hard-packed ice.

It took me over an hour just to get it back in my parking spot.

 

[turbo]

Ugh, I have 30 inches of snow in my yard here in Baltimore, and this afternoon through tomorrow night, they're calling for another 20 inches on top of that. Schools have been closed since Friday afternoon, and the way things are going, will remain closed until next week.

It will probably take a week of nice warm weather to get your roads passable. MD is ill-equipped for real snow-falls. Up here, every little town has at least a couple of 10-12 yd dump trucks with plow frames, plows with side wings, and sand-spreaders. You'd need a fleet of such snow-plows to clear Baltimore, plus lots of front-end loaders to remove the massive snow-banks afterward. It's too expensive for your city to spend all that money for equipment, training, maintenance, etc, just to let it sit around year after year when you have "normal" winters.

 

[Borg]

One reason that I love my neighborhood is that people are so conscientious. I shoveled out the drain so that the meltwater had somewhere to go, someone cleared a path for the mailman to the mailboxes, and another person even cleared the fire hydrant.

 

[Evo]

One reason that I love my neighborhood is that people are so conscientious. I shoveled out the drain so that the meltwater had somewhere to go, someone cleared a path for the mailman to the mailboxes, and another person even cleared the fire hydrant.

That is very nice.

 

[Borek]

Over a month ago I posted a picture of our house - this one was taken today. Not much have changed, perhaps just the shoveled snow hill is a little bit higher.

But we have a problem - frozen gutters and icicles building.

After taking the pictures I decided to try shovel the snow from the roof. I did half only and I was spent - snow is hard, heavy and wet (not to mention I had to be careful, after all it is a roof). Luckily it wasn't as dangerous as it may sound & look, we have a metal roofing with very rough surface, so it is not slippery. However, now we have a rather unexpected view through the back yard door.

Our floor is about 40-50 cm above the ground.

 

[hypatia]

Seems you need a roof rake. I did my whole roof in under 30 minutes, with no danger to myself.

http://www.roofrake.com/

 

[Borek]

I will check if something like that is available here, but I doubt it will work that easy in this case - too heavy, too frozen, too deep snow. We live here for 10 years and so far ice in gutters was never a problem, so I never thought about cleaning the roof.

 

[Evo]

Since yesterday we've been getting snow storms with huge flakes. The temperatuire is hovering between 30-34F and while the flakes fall they start clumping together, making some 2" across. They were on the news last night becuase they were so big. We're getting more of the same today. Fun to watch.

 

[Astronuc]

We're having a balmy (44°F) sunny day. The ground is wet and muddy.

Tonight the temp goes back down to the mid-20's °F.

 

[turbo]

A sweatshirt was plenty of insulation today. Now that the sun is setting, we're down to about 40 degrees. I would prefer normal cold weather instead of a warm stretch, because I want my garlic to remain dormant and not get a false start. Today felt like April.

 

[Astronuc]

It was mild today, but a bit windy in places.

We went out to pick up a small wheelbarrow for the garden project at the local intermediate school where my wife works. I've got to stabilize the frame though. It was stored outside, and some of the wooden frame disintegrated.

They guy who gave us the wheelbarrow is a farmer, and he gave us some tips on where to get aged (seasoned) cow manure.

 

[turbo]

They guy who gave us the wheelbarrow is a farmer, and he gave us some tips on where to get aged (seasoned) cow manure.

I have a wonderful source. He'll deliver 14 yards of black rotted manure for $200. Even if he runs low, I'll still get whatever I want, because I'm getting his wife started with Red Russian hard-neck garlic. I gave her a couple of dozen bulbs last fall - enough for probably 200 cloves which will turn into 200 bulbs next summer. If she does well, I'll get her started with the white German garlic next year. It propagates more slowly than the Russian because there are usually only ~5 huge cloves/bulb.

 

[magpies]

Would you believe I don't consider it really cold out until its -100 with windchill?

 

[Evo]

We're having an ice storm now, supposed to get a mix of ice and snow all day. :(

 

[Astronuc]

We had 2.36 inches ( 6 cm) of precipitation in the last 24 hrs, and before that about 1 inch (2.5 cm). It was a variable pattern of snow and freezing rain. The snow on the ground was more or less slush. When shoveling the snow, it's become a shovel of ice. We now have about 10-12 inches of snow (25-30 cm), most of which is actually granulated ice.

One of our small trees is bent or broken, and there are several branches broken, and two trees are leaning toward the neighbors property.

Half the electrical customers are without power, and we're supposed to have the same weather pattern for the next 36 hrs. Several of our friends are without phone service in addition to not having power (either phone and cable lines are down, or without power, internet phone goes out).

Should be interesting today.

 

[turbo]

I have to get outside today and shovel slush. I moved the snowbank yesterday in the pouring rain, so my wife could get in and out of the driveway, but now the whole driveway, walk, and back deck need to be cleared. This is back-breaking stuff, and I may resort to moving it with a square-end spade instead of a snow shovel so that I don't get over-enthusiastic. Every shovel-full feels like a concrete block out on the blade. We lost power repeatedly, but not permanently, last night, and this morning a line truck, and a tree-service truck roared by. Apparently, people farther out on the road weren't so lucky. Most folks out here have wood stoves, anyway, so losing power isn't such a hardship. More rain and snow are in the forecast, though the worst is probably over.

Maine Emergency Management Agency is warning about more rainfall. The snow-pack is saturated, as is the ground, so any more rain would be run-off. The lower reaches of the Kennebec are already swollen, and that has allowed much of the ice-jam to clear, so the dangers of flash-flooding are eased somewhat.

 

[Evo]

I have to get outside today and shovel slush. I moved the snowbank yesterday in the pouring rain, so my wife could get in and out of the driveway, but now the whole driveway, walk, and back deck need to be cleared. This is back-breaking stuff, and I may resort to moving it with a square-end spade instead of a snow shovel so that I don't get over-enthusiastic. Every shovel-full feels like a concrete block out on the blade. We lost power repeatedly, but not permanently, last night, and this morning a line truck, and a tree-service truck roared by. Apparently, people farther out on the road weren't so lucky. Most folks out here have wood stoves, anyway, so losing power isn't such a hardship. More rain and snow are in the forecast, though the worst is probably over.

Maine Emergency Management Agency is warning about more rainfall. The snow-pack is saturated, as is the ground, so any more rain would be run-off. The lower reaches of the Kennebec are already swollen, and that has allowed much of the ice-jam to clear, so the dangers of flash-flooding are eased somewhat.

I hate dense wet snow, I've had shovels break under the weight.