So now the weather site I use has us at 10", but the NOAA forecast is nowhere near that. WeatherUnderground (I believe owned by Weather.com) is calling for 6" starting Sunday night into Monday, while NOAA says wintry mix with 1" to 3". Then for Monday W.U. says 4" while NOAA says 1/4" to 1/2". This is for the exact same Forecast Area (the weather stations at our country airport.) 10" versus 3 1/2" is a big darned difference. Either way I'm prepared. I've got lots of diesel fuel for my tractor, and I picked up a fresh box of pancake mix and some blueberries.
For those who know the Washington DC region,this forecast may as well be an asteroid hitting: I worked 3 miles from home at my most recent job there. When we had a snow storm of 5" or so, I walked home because (a) it was faster than sitting in the mess, and (b) there may have been too many abandoned cars blocking my way for me to even get there. It only took me an hour or so, and I was passing cars the entire way.
Now, the weather guessers are saying we are supposed to have more of an ice storm then snow. Ugh! We may get approximately ¾ of an inch of ice and 4+ inches of snow. Who knows! My biggest concern is always the winds with the ice. I worry about the power lines snapping with the ice that settles on them and then losing power. We do have a fireplace and a small generator but that can only help so much. Better than nothing though. I worry about water lines freezing and the stupid people that think they have to be out on the roads. (I’m a worrier) Also, an arctic blast is moving through all of next week. Brrrr. I guess we will hunker down and try to stay warm for the duration.
I forget if you mentioned what part of the country you live in Krystal. (You don't have to mention it if you don't want to.) I never had freezing water line issues here until I installed a water softener. Before I did that, the water lines were at least 6' away from the exterior walls. I put the water softener in a corner of the house, so the supply line and the return line run maybe a foot or so along an exterior wall. Apparently, being 5' closer is enough to make a temperature difference. I've only had a problem once in this house (frozen pipes were an habitual issue in the 1800s house I grew up in.) I decided to have a cup of coffee and wake up a little before going into the crawl space with a hair dryer to fix it. I had left a faucet open so I could hear the water flow when it got thawed, and the pressure unplugged it all by itself. I bought pipe insulation but have not felt like going into the crawl space to install it. I guess you know that when the temps get real cold like this, you can leave any faucet b-a-r-e-l-y dribbling overnight to keep the water slowly moving through the lines so it won't sit & freeze.
When the temps dip below 10 degrees with North winds, we leave the lower cabinet doors open in the bathrooms with a dribble of water out of the facets. Our water lines are insulated and protected by the block foundation with some shrubs that surround some of house. Our water lines have never frozen, and we have had some cold weather -20 degrees a few times over the years. Still, I worry there is always that chance. The Mr. says I worry too much. He’s probably right but I will never admit that. Illinois-- the Southern end boarding Kentucky, Indiana, and Missouri.
I spent the first 9 years of my life in Indiana...roughly 30 miles northwest of Indianapolis. I remember the winter snow never melting, so sled riding was always available. And neither you nor I worry...we anticipate all possible outcomes with a moderately less-than-optimistic demeanor. Those around us benefit from our predictive powers.
We are supposed to have temps in the 30s with the "winter blast" and everyone is freaking out. Centerpoint Energy is posting crap about "how to prepare" and the general response is "How about YOU being prepared??" since we seem to lose power when a black cloud goes over. Today is 70 and overcast, so an ordinary day in Houston. Cold front should be here tomorrow night.
-15 F. overnight, but the wind picked up and it rose to 0 F. by the time I got up. Still clear and sunny as long at the sun is up. We are gaining a couple minutes of daylight each day, so the sun now rises around 10 AM and sets around 4 PM. I lived in a cabin in Havana, Illinois for a couple years (if you know where that is @Krystal Shay). I only heated one room there and there was no insulation whatsoever. The water used to freeze inside the house in the kitchen. I was young then and it didn't bother me much, just no washing dishes until it thawed. No pipes ever broke. I heated the bathroom with an electric heater when my wife-to-be came for a visit.
Sounds like you were ruffing’ it in that cabin, Don! Havana is along the IL River. I think It is roughly border line to Central and Northern IL. It’s probably about and 1.5 hours to Springfield and 200 miles to Chicago, maybe. We don’t head up state if we don’t have to. Too many liberals.
I have been watching the country's weather via youtube and they have been warning warning warning of the terrible storms coming through. And a polar vortex. Get out of the way Will Robinson I have dealt with a polar vortex and just below zero F is not one in my opinion. It is no longer an Oklahoma winter but we have seen worse cold and no precipitation will be darkening our door soon. My friend with horses will now start fretting about drought which is not a threat here--unless hay is at issue. I kind of like not having to move quantities of snow. Been there, done that got the t-shirt except for the auroras which we seldom see.
-20 to many in the South is like +90 to us. We ain't ready for it and have no facilities to deal with it.