There are a couple of counties in Virginia where 100% of the homes are without power due to the snow-then-ice storms.My area was [surprisingly] stable, but the other side of the county got hit hard. Out here, No Power = No Water. That's the downside of wells.
I hate to be a party pooper, but we up here are starving for some snow.. Please be kind to us and send us up here about 50cms of snow and even more would be greatly appreciated.. We just are getting over a cold spell that we also needed very very badly..
I have been talking to my family who live in northern Idaho, and they have way less snow than usual out there this winter, although it has been very cold. It seems like the southern states have had more of a struggle with winter storms than the northern ones. We actually missed the brunt of the storm as it passed through here, and we were right on the line between rain and freezing rain until it got to cold for rain at all. This morning it is 13, feels like 3, and Bobby said it was zero earlier; but we still have power here; I am thankful for that. We have a light dusting of frozen-on snow/ice; but that seems to be the worst of it so far.
We also have had a winter with less snow than average and not as cold either.. Our environment needs snow as well as the waterways to keep up the water levels.. with lots of snow, we eliminate the possibility of forest fires as the forests have lots of moisture.. We also make lots of $$$ in our village with snow as the snowmobile trails will remain open longer.. Cold freezes the lakes for ice fishing..
There is a ski resort not far from me (Wintergreen) that obviously lives and dies with the weather. It's a funny place for one to be, since Virginia winters can often be extremely mild, so they often go an entire season without being able to even blow their own snow. I was just remarking to a friend that all these unusual successive storms will at least get the ground ready for planting this spring. And most of us around here have wells as our water source...to the extent the groundwater will find its way through the regional geology and into our aquifers. I hope you all get your cold...and your snow...before the season's over. There's only a month or so left of winter here (although the first week of May is the informal "absolutely safe from frost" planting season around here.)
Today is a bit messy. We got a few inches of snow this morning, followed by sleet, nothing as brutal as I've seen in past winters but uncomfortable. I had to clean off the back roof during the sleet; otherwise, it would freeze tonight and I wouldn't be able to get it with the roof rake and would have to hire someone again. I hate doing that, not so much because of the money, although that's a part of it, but because they never do as good a job of it as I'd like, and they dump all the snow in the driveway, on my back landing, and on my paths, which I then have to clear. It was pretty miserable on the ladder, with ice in my hair. I'll probably have to do it again before dark.
We've had several snow events, an ice storm, then tons of rain last night. The snow is usually gone by the next day, but the past couple of weeks have been cold enough for the weather events to accumulate. It's 50° out and the snow is finally washed away, but now we got flood warnings...with another ice storm coming Thursday. At least my power hasn't gone out.
Okay, they changed our forecast. We had the heavy snow followed by sleet that we were scheduled to have today and may have some more sleet tonight, but we are no longer forecast to have snow tomorrow. In fact, tomorrow and Thursday are supposed to be okay, then a 70% chance of snow again on Friday. I've done the shoveling twice today. I hope that's enough. Michelle has a 7 am doctor's appointment tomorrow and I really don't want to have to get up at 5:30 to shovel the car out.
John.. ... Up here we don't plant till the first week-end in June and even then, frost isn't impossible.. The only thing that goes in the ground befo0re June is seeds and bulbs like onions.. Guaranteed that by the second week-end in September we already had a frost.. Often the last week of August..
That's a pretty narrow growing season, although in this zone folks do have winter gardens. I've done the tomatoes/peppers/melons thing, but once the fall hits I've turned everything under.
John.. somehow we manage to have quite a good crop of different veggies up here.. We start the plants in the house pretty soon, and come planting time, they are quite advanced and ready to be planted.. Just as an example, we grow up here tomatoes, lettuce, zucchini, carrots, parsnips, turnips, cucumbers, spinach, onions, green beans, peas,..… just to name a few items.. The root veggies can stay in the ground after a frost, but the rest must be picked before..
So here's the [redacted] latest mess that's headed my way: Tonight Snow, mainly after 4am. Total nighttime snow accumulation of 1 to 2 inches possible. Thursday Snow, freezing rain, and sleet before 1pm, then freezing rain between 1pm and 5pm, then freezing rain and sleet after 5pm. The sleet could be heavy at times. New ice accumulation of 0.1 to 0.3 of an inch possible. New snow and sleet accumulation of 1 to 3 inches possible. Thursday Night Freezing rain and sleet before midnight, then freezing rain between midnight and 5am, then snow and freezing rain likely after 5am. New ice accumulation of around a 0.1 of an inch possible. Little or no snow and sleet accumulation expected Friday Snow and freezing rain likely before 10am, then a chance of rain and snow between 10am and 1pm. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible First, I hope our "haven't lost power yet" streak continues. But all it takes is one felled tree... Second, this forecast got me to wondering: What's the difference between sleet and freezing rain? They obviously are not the same. Maybe everyone else but me knows this. Sleet is frozen precipitation that falls as ice pellets that you may see bouncing off your windshield, roof or the ground. Depending on the intensity and duration, sleet can accumulate much like you see with snow. Freezing rain on the other hand, falls just like normal rain only it freezes on contact with roads, trees, power lines and other structures since temperatures are 32 degrees or below at the surface. Even light accumulations may cause dangerous travel, while heavier amounts can be damaging. SLEET------------------------------------------FREEZING RAIN So sleet causes fewer issues than freezing rain. I had no idea. And that forecast is chock-full of freezing rain. Crap.
Sleet is also very heavy.. When it accumulates on a roof for example, it does have quite a weight.. Snow on the other hand is much lighter in weight.. Freezing rain is also very heavy.. Can cause severe damage because of its weight..
None of it is good. I'm not anticipating power staying on for the duration. There are going to be lots of trees down. I just hope it gets repaired quickly, and that no one gets hurt.