whats the weather where you are?

With the genuinely serious weather some Autopians have to deal with, ours never seems all that significant even if it does take me hours to clear it (despite working with great equipment too). Got done in under three hours today and I bet that would barely get things started in some locales!
 
Well, we just had 3-1-/2" of wet snow on Thursday when it was about 29°F. I shoveled Thursday night just to stay ahead of the heavy snow . Early Friday morning added another 2-1/2", which I again shoveled, but the temp dropped to 8°F, and I literally froze my legs, turning them into big, red hives (Cold-induced urticaria). I have 4 driveways to shovel, my own and 3 neighbors. Sunday morning it was -15°F on with a Windchill Index of -32°F. At least now it looks and feels like a Wisconsin winter. So cold even the tunnel car washes shut down and the salt laid down to prevent Thursday`s wet snow from turning to ice as it`s run over by cars, well, it just does not work at such cold temps so the side streets and intersections are ice-covered and a little treacherous to drive on. Just got to be "sensible" about driving speeds and when to apply the brakes, even with anti-lock brakes. Best tip for stopping on ice? Apply as little pressure to brake pedal to keep it from locking up or engaging the anti-lock feature. Yeah, I know most driving schools tell you just smash the brake pedal and let the anti-lock do its thing.
ALL the vehicles driven since it snowed now look ermine-white and are covered in a chalky white powder of salt dust, including mine. Cleaning or washing them will have to wait and temps do not look to warm up for the next 7-10 days (5 to 13°F about 0 during the day and -5°F to -15°F at night). If fact, next weekend is forecasted to be even colder than this weekend! We`ll see.

By the way, if you wondering how cold -15°F is, I once saw a local morning newscaster take a banana outside the previous day and let it freeze overnight.The next morning he then took that hard, frozen banana like a hammer and drove a small nail into a pine board.

More food for thought on the cold? Since today is Super Bowl Sunday, the National Football League has long considered playing the Big Game in a cold-weather OUTDOOR football stadium and did so with Super Bowl XLVIII (48) when it played at the Meadowlands Sport Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey on February 4, 2014. That day was a "balmy" 48°F. It did NOT go well with the NFL owners or then commissioner Pete Rozelle. Imagine playing the Super Bowl today, Sunday February 7, 2021 at Lambeau Field. Kickoff temp will probably be -5°F with a Windchill Index close to -15°F. Still warmer than the Ice Bowl played at Lambeau on December 31, 1967 for the NFL championship. That day the actual ambient temp was -12°F and based on the new Windchill Index, it is factored to be at -30°F to -35°F, making it the coldest day for an NFL game. (The AFC Championship game in Cincinnati, OH on January 10, 1982 was -8°F with a new Windchill Index of -34°F for the next coldest game. Ask NBC Football analysts Cris Collinsworth who played in that game as a rookie wide receiver what it was like!) At that time, Lambeau Field held about 50,852 fans. It is common Packer football lore that 90,000 Packer fans will tell you they were there for that epic game and will show you some permanently damaged frost-bitten body extremity they suffered at that game to prove they were there!
Needless to say, the NFL is no longer considering playing the Super Bowl outdoors at an NFL cold-weather stadium ever again.
 
I`m genuinely envious of you guys getting all the snow.

My family really likes snow and it doesn`t bother me a bit. Right now we`ve got the temperature in the teens and single digits at night, but it dry with gray overcast skies. There may be few flurries to put a dusting of snow on the ground, but nothing meaningful. If I`m going to deal with cold, gray weather for weeks on end, I`d be much happier if I had some snow to go along with it!
 
Lonnie said:
...
By the way, if you wondering how cold -15°F is, I once saw a local morning newscaster take a banana outside the previous day and let it freeze overnight.The next morning he then took that hard, frozen banana like a hammer and drove a small nail into a pine board.

...
Click to expand...

Sunday here was -18, -29 windchill. How cold is that? Cold enough my younger dog (1yo Dane mix) was proving she could in fact do her bathroom duties outside on 2 (diagonal) feet...
 
All I know is that this extreme cold is very hard on vehicles. Vehicles that are older in age and have neglected maintenance will not start or have starters break or flywheel ring-gear teeth break, suspension parts snap, 5-year old batteries that just don`t have the oomph to turn over a motor filled with conventional 10W-30 oil, or fuel lines that freeze because water got in the gas tank, OR tires that literally roll off of rims as vehicles go around corners because they were never checked for air pressure and are now grossly under-inflated (see a lot of that on vehicles driven around in extremely cold temps.) It is "good weather" for tow shops and vehicle repair shops or even new and "pre-owned" (AKA, used) car & truck sales, proving when something is bad of one group its good business for another.

One other aspect that EVERY vehicle driver experiences in extreme cold: it takes FOREVER to fill up their vehicle with gas as gas pumps do not pump as fast and gas does not flow as well as it becomes more "viscous" or jelly-like. Yes, winter blend gasoline have additives to their formulations to negate or mitigate this gelling, but the viscosity does increase as the temps go down. That and the internal-combustion engine looses its `efficiency" and gas mileage suffers accordingly and the thicker gas does not have the same BTU-rating due to reduced evaporation and volatility combustion efficiency (Its ability to burn and produce power in the combustion chamber during the ignition and power stroke of a 4-cycle piston-driven engine) My wife`s 2015 Ford Taurus 3.5-liter V-6 will drop to about 13 Miles per gallon when driven around town in sub-zero weather, requiring more frequent fill-ups. You do NOT want to run your gas tank below 1/4 empty; you are just asking for trouble with frozen gas lines or making the gas pump inside the gas tank (yes, most newer vehicles have the gas pump INSIDE the tank, not on the engine!) work too hard. Food for thought if you live in shadows of "The Frozen Tundra of Lambeau Field" (literally now!).
 
Once again, you Autopians dealing with *real* winter weather are reminding me that ours is easy-peasy by comparison...just awfully time-consuming.
 
Well, it`s Wed. February 10th, and I am just wondering if there are any Autopians experiencing ice storm warnings where they live and what it is like for them. Nothing to fool around with, as the National Weather Service has labeled it as "Life-threatening".
Just hope the best for those of you who have, are, or will go through this weather disaster and hope that the electrical power stays on and that you do not have to drive in it.
 
We`ve got that problem right now.

We`ve had light snow overnight the last two days. We`ve been getting about 2" each night. Temps have been in the teens since Sunday.

None of that is really all that bad except today, AFTER I drove to work, it starts to rain and the temperature was 18F. Never seen it rain when it`s that cold before. Looking out my window I can see the snow is now under a nice layer of ice and sleet and it`s still coming down.

My daughter has it worse in Northern Oklahoma. It`s been raining for two days now and the temps have been well below freezing the entire time. She can play hockey in her back yard.
 
I was out using the roof rake this afternoon. Quite an accumulation now :( I have huge entertainment from running the snow blowers, but it`s really starting to feel cold and I kinda wish winter would end.... NOW.
 
76 degrees, blue skies, and sunny...

BeachGirls.jpg


Do you feel better now?
 
Power Outage? Check..but at least it wasn`t out for too long this time.

Cold snap from a Polar Vortex? Check...perfect timing for one of our furnaces to die :o

Desertnate- Ah, yeah...we have the "solid ice under the snow" in a big way here too.

tom p- Heh heh, my "Snowblower-use entertainment" wears thin after a few hours, but when I consider the alternative..at least my roofer insisted I wouldn`t have to use the roof rake any more (we`ll see about that).

Merlin- Gee, that l looks awfully appealing to Yours Truly at present!
 
Been running on Briggs & Stratton power and gas logs for the last 5 days
ice storm has put a hurting on our county. 1 tree fell on my 12x28 shed, caved the roof in
weather man says another ice storm starts tonight lasting 14 hours, supposedly worse than the first one
 
Fishroes said:
Been running on Briggs & Stratton power and gas logs for the last 5 days
ice storm has put a hurting on our county. 1 tree fell on my 12x28 shed, caved the roof in
weather man says another ice storm starts tonight lasting 14 hours, supposedly worse than the first one
Click to expand...
Ouch! Sorry to hear that. Stay safe and warm!
 
Thanks
as long as the generator keeps going we will be ok
down to 38% propane. Should be good for a couple weeks
i don’t run generator or gas logs at night
got down to 25 last night. It was chilly when I woke up today. Didn’t want to get from underneath the covers Lol
 
To all of you in the south and the mid-east who have gone through this once-in-500-year winter-weather event, my heart and prayers go out to you all, especially Texas. it may be a long road to recover and back to "the new normal in midst of a pandemic" life we know.

There are some issues that will need to be addressed in the aftermath of this historic weather event:
1) Green energy does not work in weather like this. Solar panels covered in ice and snow and ice-frozen wind turbines don`t produced the electrical energy when it is needed the most as a dependency back-up to "traditional" electrical power generation. That`s a glaring and, quite frankly, life-threatening weakness in an extreme weather event like this.
2) Frozen water pipes both commercial and residential will need to be fixed and this repair will affect millions of homes and businesses. It is not a localized disaster, like a tornado or even a hurricane; this is a multi-state widespread disaster that will take an extended period of time to repair.
3) Home and business insurance companies will suffer huge financial blows, as will utilities trying to repair or replace damage electrical distribution and grid infrastructure. Who is responsible for what loses will, not doubt, end up in very costly and protracted legal litigation and the end-loser will be the customers who will have to pay for this all in some way. This one historic winter weather event, could become a tipping point to an already fragile US economy impacted by the COVID pandemic.
 
Lonnie,

Regarding #1 I think most agree that green energy’s current standing is as a supplement as opposed to being a primary energy source. The real problem with Texas’ power issues was with a power system that wasn’t prepared for such cold weather. Natural gas, which is the backbone energy producer had major issues with freezing gas lines and other issues that was the real source of their power issues. I’m sure they will learn out of this to better winterize their systems. Add in the fact that the majority of Texas home heat is provided by electricity as opposed to natural gas, propane, or heating oil as is more common up north and you can see how these cold snaps cause power issues.

I shutter to think how bad #2 or #3 will be.

EDIT: I remember seeing wind turbines in Canada so I know they can operate in cold weather. Take a look at this GE cold weather package that allows them to work in weather down to -30C. This was 12 years ago so the fact is that Texas just didn’t plan/pay for the cold weather option.
https://nawindpower.com/ge-wind-turbine-now-available-for-extreme-cold-weather-capabilities
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top