Well actually, I might be. The storms bands go past us to the south and turn just past Kauai and head over us. The rain flows in on the prevailing winds which have been switching around more than usual. If the moisture mass is large enough it circles the gyre and ends up near Alaska.
The hurricane season for the worst storms are past I hope, but we are still getting rain almost every week with just a few days of sun in between. When the cold front comes then it feels to me like I am in Alaska. It is strange because some days are the usual 62 degreees and then there will be a night in the 50's all of a sudden. It is still cool now at 72 degrees at 12:30 and the winds are very light. The palm leaves are barely moving.
I just finished cleaning the house. It is going to take a long time for the floors and clothes to dry.
I am going to try to fill a few bags of weeds before the end of the day.
I divided and planted out a pot of cilantro from Walmart this morning. I think I got 19 plants from the one pot. It is actually one of the few things that makes sense to buy starts instead of seeds. The seeds would have cost as much as the starts. They are not the easiest things to transplant so I may lose a few.
I've just been for a walk in the winter sunshine and thought I'd better get my "observations" in here because I think there should be some posts, soon!
Our snow is melting and the Big Deal is that the ice finally seems to be gone out of the house gutters! I think it is likely that the ice dams on the roof will go very soon
.
The temperatures are supposed to rise into the 40's during the next few afternoons with no freezing overnight!
I don't think it's gonna get crazy because the chance of rain isn't real high and predictions are 1/10th of an inch, or so. It also looks like there will only be brief rain then snow again and only one night above freezing in the higher river valleys of Idaho & western Montana (2500'). Fortunately!! We don't need our mountain snow to rush out of here in January!
Now, I imagine that there should be reports of more wintry weather, elsewhere
.
Steve
Our snow is melting and the Big Deal is that the ice finally seems to be gone out of the house gutters! I think it is likely that the ice dams on the roof will go very soon
.The temperatures are supposed to rise into the 40's during the next few afternoons with no freezing overnight!
I don't think it's gonna get crazy because the chance of rain isn't real high and predictions are 1/10th of an inch, or so. It also looks like there will only be brief rain then snow again and only one night above freezing in the higher river valleys of Idaho & western Montana (2500'). Fortunately!! We don't need our mountain snow to rush out of here in January!
Now, I imagine that there should be reports of more wintry weather, elsewhere
.Steve
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HoneyBerry
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It is 68 degrees right now. It was overcast and cool most of the day with breezes that made it seem even cooler. Last night it was again close to 59 degrees. January is our coldest month of the year. I know it isn't cold for most of you.
It is just a little crazy El Nino weather. One day it is warm and breezeless with volcanic haze and the next it feels like a cold front coming through. I was wet outside when I got up and it sprinkled a light rain. The clouds have been threatening but so far are not moving and not dropping. I haven't watered my yard because I have been out all day and because it was so overcast the media was actually still damp. Hopefully, I will not find limp cabbage tomorrow. I am counting on a few more sprinkles tonight.
It is just a little crazy El Nino weather. One day it is warm and breezeless with volcanic haze and the next it feels like a cold front coming through. I was wet outside when I got up and it sprinkled a light rain. The clouds have been threatening but so far are not moving and not dropping. I haven't watered my yard because I have been out all day and because it was so overcast the media was actually still damp. Hopefully, I will not find limp cabbage tomorrow. I am counting on a few more sprinkles tonight.
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HoneyBerry
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applestar
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We have a blizzard warning in effect from Fri night to Sun morning. In reality, our particular area is not usually affected as severely as areas west and north of Philadelphia, but we are all part of the same general area news reporting stations.
DH stopped at the grocery store on his way home, and he said most of the store shelves were already emptied out by the shoppers getting ready to hunker down and weather the storm. He was shaking his head, mostly put out that all the Nutella was gone.
DH stopped at the grocery store on his way home, and he said most of the store shelves were already emptied out by the shoppers getting ready to hunker down and weather the storm. He was shaking his head, mostly put out that all the Nutella was gone.
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!potatoes!
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rainbowgardener
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We will get very little of the "epic blizzard" here in Chattanooga, a lot of rain today and then a cold snap, going down to 21 deg tomorrow night, which is cold for here (I know, don't laugh, it is why I am here!).
But unfortunately we will be driving back to Cincinnati TODAY! We are putting on a fund-raiser dinner and concert in Cincinnati tomorrow, to help me raise money for my Peacemaker Teams Delegation trip to US Mexico Borderlands trip in Feb.* This has been planned for a month and can't be rearranged. The weather in Cincinnati will be wintery, but not extreme, windy with about one inch of snow expected.
But we will be driving through Lexington, KY and sounds like it may be pretty fierce there-- winds up to 30 mph, chance of snow 100%, 5-8 inches predicted.
I managed to pick the worst weekend of the year to do this! Sigh....
* There's more information about this on my donation page in my signature line.
But unfortunately we will be driving back to Cincinnati TODAY! We are putting on a fund-raiser dinner and concert in Cincinnati tomorrow, to help me raise money for my Peacemaker Teams Delegation trip to US Mexico Borderlands trip in Feb.* This has been planned for a month and can't be rearranged. The weather in Cincinnati will be wintery, but not extreme, windy with about one inch of snow expected.
But we will be driving through Lexington, KY and sounds like it may be pretty fierce there-- winds up to 30 mph, chance of snow 100%, 5-8 inches predicted.
I managed to pick the worst weekend of the year to do this! Sigh....
* There's more information about this on my donation page in my signature line.
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sweetiepie
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It does seem like we have to pick the worse time to travel. But how exciting to be going on a trip. You will be in my thoughts.
I do find the whole grocery store thing sort of unbelievable. But I see pictures so it must be true or the stories where people have food stocked up for two days and think that is good. I clearly am out of touch with the world.
Like right now I am going through my pantry and if I have less than 2 years of garden produce canned, then I need to be planting more of that this year in my garden. I make sure I have enough for an extra year encase this summer a vegetable doesn't produce like it should. The same goes for anything else on the farm.
But that is my full time job I quess, and I love it. Doesn't bring home much money but sure brings home the bacon.
I do find the whole grocery store thing sort of unbelievable. But I see pictures so it must be true or the stories where people have food stocked up for two days and think that is good. I clearly am out of touch with the world.
Like right now I am going through my pantry and if I have less than 2 years of garden produce canned, then I need to be planting more of that this year in my garden. I make sure I have enough for an extra year encase this summer a vegetable doesn't produce like it should. The same goes for anything else on the farm.
But that is my full time job I quess, and I love it. Doesn't bring home much money but sure brings home the bacon.
RainbowGardener, I hope you are leaving yourself lots of extra travel time and arrive at your destination and back home safely.
In this corner of the US, I have just checked the Cascade Mountain pass reports. It looks like the State Transportation people are doing a good job. I know there are avalanche concerns and the precipitation is currently a mix of snow and rain, right at freezing. We don't want this snow to go away quickly and we don't want to jinx the fact that it's here and more coming. The relief from drought conditions look real, https://www.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/snow/snow_map.html .
DW has a special interest in fresh produce (me too) so we make trips through the produce aisles about once a week. The vegetables carried from afar, or out of storage, usually ends up in noodles or on rice. There is also a freezer, well-stocked by the end of each growing season. Even with "warmer" conditions right now, it would not be difficult to keep things in there frozen.
All those noodles and rice, I don't know how many weeks we could go without the need to restock -- many. A little oil, a sprinkle of this or that - many, many meals right here at home.
Steve
In this corner of the US, I have just checked the Cascade Mountain pass reports. It looks like the State Transportation people are doing a good job. I know there are avalanche concerns and the precipitation is currently a mix of snow and rain, right at freezing. We don't want this snow to go away quickly and we don't want to jinx the fact that it's here and more coming. The relief from drought conditions look real, https://www.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/snow/snow_map.html .
DW has a special interest in fresh produce (me too
) so we make trips through the produce aisles about once a week. The vegetables carried from afar, or out of storage, usually ends up in noodles or on rice. There is also a freezer, well-stocked by the end of each growing season. Even with "warmer" conditions right now, it would not be difficult to keep things in there frozen.All those noodles and rice, I don't know how many weeks we could go without the need to restock -- many. A little oil, a sprinkle of this or that - many, many meals right here at home.
Steve
I hope everyone is safe on the east coast. It sounds like it is going to be a little uncomfortable for awhile.
I am always stocked up, my family says they can always shop at my house. I bought some bottled water for the hurricane season and canned goods. It will take me a while to drink the water ( I only bought three cases, I just don't like water, and I have been eating the canned beans and pasta. I went shopping Wednesday at Costco and yesterday at the local market (Well, it is not so local. It is 'far' by some people's reckoning since it is 4 miles away.) I got some meat, onions, banana (3), soda,carrots, cat food, dried noodles,canned beans, spices, and bread. I haven't opened up my jar of nutella yet, so I did not need more and I buy garlic at Costco so that lasts a few months. I have about 50lbs of rice so I should be good for awhile even if I have to refill the rice bin. I have green beans, grape tomatoes, komatsuna, cutting celery, and mizuna in the garden so I have a enough for a makeshift stir fry. My freezers are packed. I made a small hole but after putting the meat in the freezer they are full again. Oh yeah, I have 3 containers of salt and a six month supply of toilet paper and paper towels, and more than 10 years supply of chopsticks.
I am always stocked up, my family says they can always shop at my house. I bought some bottled water for the hurricane season and canned goods. It will take me a while to drink the water ( I only bought three cases, I just don't like water, and I have been eating the canned beans and pasta. I went shopping Wednesday at Costco and yesterday at the local market (Well, it is not so local. It is 'far' by some people's reckoning since it is 4 miles away.) I got some meat, onions, banana (3), soda,carrots, cat food, dried noodles,canned beans, spices, and bread. I haven't opened up my jar of nutella yet, so I did not need more and I buy garlic at Costco so that lasts a few months. I have about 50lbs of rice so I should be good for awhile even if I have to refill the rice bin. I have green beans, grape tomatoes, komatsuna, cutting celery, and mizuna in the garden so I have a enough for a makeshift stir fry. My freezers are packed. I made a small hole but after putting the meat in the freezer they are full again. Oh yeah, I have 3 containers of salt and a six month supply of toilet paper and paper towels, and more than 10 years supply of chopsticks.
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applestar
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We're in the thick of it. Sub freezing (upper 20's) since yesterday, lots of gusts and drifting. My rabbit fences around garden beds are starting to disappear, and almost can't tell where the pond edges are now. Overnight, the snow drifted past roofed front porch against the front storm door about 8" above the sill and 1-1/2 ft high on the porch at highest. Supposed to snow until midnight....
...plenty of food etc. In the house, though not systematically stocked like some of you...
...plenty of food etc. In the house, though not systematically stocked like some of you...
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HoneyBerry
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applestar
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Before and After photos.... 
Knee high fences are now buried and useless. If the snow crusts over the rabbit fences will be no more than about 6 inch high borders and 4 ft high fence surrounding the garden area will be the knee high fences. The white picket fence is *supposed to be* 5 ft high.
all the backyard snow was blown/drifted onto the patio and against the back door. If I let THAT freeze, there'll be no getting out.... 
Well that blanket of snow and ice should take care of many future garden pests for you. Seems to me there just has to be a lot of good to have the garden blanketed like that.applestar wrote:Before and After photos....
Here in central Alabama we had WIND WIND and more wind. I was able to hobble to the greenhouse to hang out yesterday. Was nice, and the greenhouse faces south for the sun and has a larger building on the north to fend off the wind.
Stay safe in all that white stuff!
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rainbowgardener
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O M G. We were trying to drive to Cincinnati Friday. We got just North of London KY (not too far past the KY border) and got stuck in a big line of traffic going nowhere. It turns out that a 31 mile stretch of I-75 was closed down. We were amongst thousands of people stranded out there. We got stuck about 2:15 in the afternoon. Did not get under way again until 7:45 the next morning, 17.5 hours later! More than 17 hours sitting in the car in 25 degree weather! We would turn the engine on to warm the car up and then turn it off to conserve fuel--off and on in 15 minute cycles all night. Thankfully we had some food and we brought blankets and we had just filled the tank slightly before we hit the stop. Without all that , the situation would have been more dire. We didn't have water. We brought in cups of snow and ate it like ice chips, but by the end we were pretty dehydrated. But we made it and are fine!
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sweetiepie
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rainbowgardener
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HoneyBerry
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"Sat images of the 2015 and 2016 Sierra snowpacks. CA officials report this year's snowpack is the deepest in 5 yrs." https://t.co/PjeHmHOiD1
Let's keep our fingers crossed for California.
And, on the other side of the US: "From Arkansas up through New Hampshire, the January 22–24, 2016, snowstorm affected nearly 103 million people—around one-third of the entire U.S. population. The storm dumped over 20 inches of snow on 21 million people in the Northeast and over 10 inches on about 5.6 million people in the Southeast."
https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/news/january-2 ... al-context
Steve
The National Weather Service has something new ... at least, new in the western, contiguous US.
https://www.wrh.noaa.gov/wrh/travel/mobile/index.php
Travel forecasts in 6 hour increments. I thought initially that only US highways were shown. Zooming in, it goes right down to street level. I even used Mapquest layer.
Steve
https://www.wrh.noaa.gov/wrh/travel/mobile/index.php
Travel forecasts in 6 hour increments. I thought initially that only US highways were shown. Zooming in, it goes right down to street level. I even used Mapquest layer
.Steve
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sweetiepie
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Well this weekend we were in the 40's, had rain turning to snow as temperatures plummeted into the teens with 40 mph sustained winds and gusts up to 70mph. Of course we had to travel 720 miles in it. Glad to be home as the last hour was mostly ice on the road. Of course my husband had to have a trailer with a bunch of junk on it to pull home too.
I would rather put up with the cold than the ice. What a goofy winter.
I would rather put up with the cold than the ice. What a goofy winter.
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applestar
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Low of 6°F windchill -11° 
garage is down to 35°F in V8 Nursery just outside the laundry room door to the garage despite the space heater. Not sure how Siberia and the dormant sweet peppers at far uninsulated end near the garage door fared. 
Pond is a sheet of BLACK ICE. Hopefully didn't freeze all the way to the bottom and kill the goldfish and shiners.
garage is down to 35°F in V8 Nursery just outside the laundry room door to the garage despite the space heater. Not sure how Siberia and the dormant sweet peppers at far uninsulated end near the garage door fared. Pond is a sheet of BLACK ICE. Hopefully didn't freeze all the way to the bottom and kill the goldfish and shiners.
Help is on its way. Although most of this warm air right here looks like it's heading into southern Canada ...
When I got up this morning, it was 41°f. I checked, if this holds, it will be the warmest morning since mid-November. It's not as though it's been raining, 1/100" over the last 24 hours. Of course, there are 40mph wind gusts! The Pacific air mass has arrived ... and, is continuing east ...
By the way, I checked way south in San Francisco. They may have a record 77°, today! That's also the warmest since mid-November, when it was 10° above normal. So, if any of that can get over to you ...
Steve
When I got up this morning, it was 41°f. I checked, if this holds, it will be the warmest morning since mid-November. It's not as though it's been raining, 1/100" over the last 24 hours. Of course, there are 40mph wind gusts! The Pacific air mass has arrived ... and, is continuing east ...
By the way, I checked way south in San Francisco. They may have a record 77°, today! That's also the warmest since mid-November, when it was 10° above normal. So, if any of that can get over to you ...
Steve
Wet and warm, those are the conditions here this morning. This will raise the rivers rather than the mountain snow pack. The WS thermometers on the mountain nearest to me shows that the temperature hasn't dropped below freezing the last 72 hours. It's okay; the snow has been right at 100% of normal for quite some time. Yay!
It will be the warmest morning since October and we hit 59°f on Friday afternoon for the highest temperature since October. Wenatchee set a record on Saturday. I hope they don't have flooding. That location in central Washington State is about where the terrible fires have been the last two summers. This winter, their nearby mountains have had an abundance of snow.
I don't know that there is a shovel full of snow even in the corner of the largest parking lot within a half hour drive of my home right now ... okay, I could be going uphill to a ski resort. It's been a fairly warm winter but the higher elevation snow has sure been appreciated.
https://www.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/snow/snow_map.html
Steve
It will be the warmest morning since October and we hit 59°f on Friday afternoon for the highest temperature since October. Wenatchee set a record on Saturday. I hope they don't have flooding. That location in central Washington State is about where the terrible fires have been the last two summers. This winter, their nearby mountains have had an abundance of snow.
I don't know that there is a shovel full of snow even in the corner of the largest parking lot within a half hour drive of my home right now ... okay, I could be going uphill to a ski resort
. It's been a fairly warm winter but the higher elevation snow has sure been appreciated.https://www.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/snow/snow_map.html
Steve
Cool with a light breeze but there is still a lot of vog. It is 63 degrees right now. The wind should be picking up later up to 15-25 mph and it is coming from the East so hopefully it will push the vog out.
Vog= volcano smog. It hangs over Oahu when the Kona winds arrive from the south and they usually are 3-5 miles an hour so vog can make mountains disappear. The volcano on the Big Island has been erupting since the 1980's and is not likely to stop anytime soon.
Vog= volcano smog. It hangs over Oahu when the Kona winds arrive from the south and they usually are 3-5 miles an hour so vog can make mountains disappear. The volcano on the Big Island has been erupting since the 1980's and is not likely to stop anytime soon.
East coast US and Canada had snow. Colder on the Spring Equinox than at Christmas. How you doing?!
Our afternoon high yesterday was the warmest of 2016 at 62°f.
There was sunshine through the haze in the morning and I was cookin' in the greenhouse! Seedlings nearly all out there this morning and heat turned on for the first overnight ... and now, the rain ...
Steve
Our afternoon high yesterday was the warmest of 2016 at 62°f.
There was sunshine through the haze in the morning and I was cookin' in the greenhouse! Seedlings nearly all out there this morning and heat turned on for the first overnight ... and now, the rain ...
Steve