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skybirdforever

How's your weather?

From the looks of the NOAA weather map, I think this might be a good time to be asking this question! Denver was officially 60 degrees today (I was up to 63) Â and tomorrow nite (Sunday) itÂs supposed to be BELOW ZERO!

A COLD front is moving down out of Canada! Check out the NOAA map linked below to see all the pretty colors! North and South Dakota and half of Montana are ORANGE. ThatÂs BAD! Much of Utah and half of Colorado is pinkÂwith a little purple thrown in, and the convergence of Idaho, Washington, and Oregon are pink and purple too. Even a chunk of New Mexico is pink and purple!

So where are you on the mapÂand tell us what itÂs doing over the next few days!

Denver Metro is supposed to get 1 to 3 inches of snow in the next 24 hours. Glad I donÂt have to go out to the airport tomorrow! Snow has been developing on the western slope all afternoon according to the local weather, but the front range radar doesnÂt pick it up, and I havenÂt had the time to check the western slope radar. But itÂs getting close enough now that radar is picking up snow around Grand Lake, Vail, and Breckenridge thatÂs moving toward DEN. I got all my bird feeders filled up this afternoon, and the bird bath is filled and ready for them tomorrow.

So, whatÂs going onÂas they say on the morning showsÂin your neck of the woods?

Stay warm everyone,

Skybird

Here is a link that might be useful: NOAA US Map!

Comments (60)

  • david52 Zone 6
    15 years ago

    We whiffed on the storm as well - yesterday the noaa out of Grand Junction was talking about how the folks who report in from around the western slope had the lowest barometer readings they'd ever seen. So we got some pretty good wind about 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm, and then about 4 inches of very light powder snow, and its currently 25º, low of 7º forecast for tonight. But we have snow in the forecast for every day this week.

    From what I'm seeing out east/south, all the mountains are getting hammered, as is Mesa Verde.

    I have some of the most amazing sublimation (snow/ice - direct to vapor) around here. I shovel off the side walk on the north side of the buildings, and it leaves a skim of ice / snow. It disappears, even without the sun hitting it, in about 24 hours.

  • jclepine
    15 years ago

    four inches of snow. lovely!

    earlier this afternoon, I woke up from my cold-induced nap and asked what the temp was. 9 degrees F! it is supposed to be -1F now, according to NOAA, and -12F tonight. Oh, I am NOT taking the bus to work tomorrow!!

    Gosh, it is gorgeous out there right now.

  • billie_ladybug
    15 years ago

    Well, so much for 18, we did not make it above 2 all day, never mind the wind chill. Our water froze lastnight and I finally got it thawed just before the sun went down. Leaving that darn heater on tonight and I will try to turn it back off tomorrow. Since it never got above what tonights low was forcast to be, I am afraid to look at the new projected low. I figure -8 is a good guess. I would still rather have the cold than the ice storms everywhere.

    Billie

  • margaretmontana
    15 years ago

    Couldn't get a computer connection for 3 days. Weather! Got about 1 inch of snow on the ground. It got up to 2 degrees today and currently -5 and getting colder and wind chill is about -20. Suppose to get about-12 tomorrow night and -19 Tuesday and then gradually warm to like 10 degrees! Have friends who have frozen water I decided to keep the heat up to keep the chance of frozen pipes down but there go the heating bill! May get a bit of decorating done this week but all the boxes are in the garage and its cold out there!

  • digit
    15 years ago

    Temperatures in the 60's one day and 2°F the next morning?!? Gawwwley, Colorado is sure somethin', ain't it!?!

    Here, wind gusts above 40 mph and an overnight low of 4° !! Dang! They're still holding out that it'll be -13° Tuesday morning but I think this might be wrong. We've got almost zero snow so if there's one drop of sunlight tomorrow or if the wind backs off just a tad, I mean, the ground is mostly frost-free and our angle of sunlight is just a little, just a smidgeon, less than 20° from the horizon.

    S°

  • Skybird - z5, Denver, Colorado
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    Our weather is really something, Digit! Whenever I tell somebody from somewhere else that in Colorado the saying is, if you donÂt like the weather, just wait an hour, they tell me itÂs that way wherever they happen to live tooÂbut they donÂt have a CLUE! Out here itÂs actually true! I was 63 yesterdayÂand itÂs minus 5 right now  and theyÂre predicting minus 14 overnite! I think I heard on the news earlier that thatÂs a record low! Unfortunately it sounds like this time weÂre not gonna be back up to the 60's  or even the 50's  for the whole week! So, now when we REALLY need it, where is our "hourly" weather change! Well, at least the weather is always "interesting" out here!

    Skybird

    P.S. The news just came on and said it's ALREADY 15 below out at the airport!

  • greenbean08_gw
    15 years ago

    We actually saw 10 degrees on our thermometer today. When we went out to move snow, it wasn't too horrible out there, but I was pretty well bundled up. The wind was pretty calm. We're back down to 2 deg now. Weird, I thought it said 0 a little while ago... Who knows. We had some fog roll in earlier, but it seems to be gone now.

    I think I heard earlier that Denver has a -35 windchill. I also just saw a promo for the news, and they showed Denver 59 deg colder than it was yesterday and Colorado Springs is 33 deg colder than yesterday.

    I decided tonight was a good time for some baking. I had a craving for apple pie earlier, and there were some apples in the fridge, so now I have pie! I'm waiting for bread to finish rising now, and then I have to make some treats for the dogs. Their jar is empty, and that's never a good thing...

  • highalttransplant
    15 years ago

    Well, it looks like I'm in the warm spot tonight! NOAA says we are currently at 6 degrees, with an overnight low of 1, but that's still above zero, LOL.

    ... and that 100% chance of snow, ended up being less than 1/2", instead of the several inches they predicted. So we got off easy again.

    They're still saying anywhere from 40 - 60 % chance of snow for the next 5 days, but I'll believe it when I see it.

    Geenbean, no baking for me tonight, but I did make Lentil & Sausage Soup, which was perfect for a cold evening. Lots of baking planned for later in the week though.

    Bonnie

  • greenbean08_gw
    15 years ago

    It was a bit odd, while I was typing my last post (I was distracted for a few minutes) the temp went up to 4. An hour later it was back to 0. Now we're about -3.

    Bonnie,
    My DH would liked to have eaten at your house tonight! I bought some lentils recently for some reason. I hadn't ever had them, and I decided to try them (this is unusual behavior for me BTW). We made lentil cakes from a recipe I found on the cooking forum. I think they'd make a good meatloaf substitute. My husband wants to try the lentil cakes with sausage in them (we actually discussed this tonight). He also wants to make lentil soup.

  • billie_ladybug
    15 years ago

    Still frozen. The Temp was -6 at 7:30 but now it is up to -5, yippee. Anyway, I plan to pretend I am a bear today and hibernate. Ever since I left the lumberyard, I just can't take all that cold anymore.

    Billie

  • Skybird - z5, Denver, Colorado
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    I got down to 14 below last nite, and it's ALL THE WAY up to 1 below right now. It'll be an interesting trip out to the airport! Supposed to wind up in Columbus, OH tonite, and that OH might be very appropriate! It's all purple, and expecting snow and sleet before we get there, and snow overnite! Wonder where I'll sleep tonite!

    Skybird

  • stevation
    15 years ago

    For us in Utah Valley, the storm was much lighter than expected. A bit of a disappointment, especially since I'm looking forward to some good skiing! More snow, please!

    It's definitely cold, but not at all like most of you are reporting. We got down to about 11 on Saturday night (that's positive 11, not negative!). Friday night, with the "warm before the storm," it was 45 pretty much all night long.

    We only got a half-inch of snow at our house this weekend. A bit paltry, if you ask me! But I just checked our favorite ski resort, and they got 10" this weekend. That's good, because it was pretty thin when we skied on Friday for the first time this year.

  • windwhipped
    15 years ago

    I knew our forecasts were a little too optimistic! Yesterday the high was -8 and we set a record for the low, too, at -19. I imagine we'll set another record today, last night it was -20 with a wind chill of -34. Right now it's at -7. I'm trying to think how many zone 5 plants I put in this fall. Oh well, tomorrow it's supposed to go up to 10. Funny how winter changes your perspective - "Oh boy! It's going to be 10 degrees!"

  • jclepine
    15 years ago

    "Oh boy! It's going to be 10 degrees!" -Windwhipped

    Our first winter up here was very cold with -20 for quite a few days in a row and lots of -15s. At first, I was freezing when it dropped below 60, then, after it was below freezing, oh,joy for 40 degree weather!! Then, after all the -20 and such, oh, boy, it is above zero!! I was running around in shorts and a t-shirt with just a sweatshirt and it was below freezing.

    Very funny how winter changes your perspective!!

    I tried some new plants this year and I hope they come back! I took a chance with a couple of Lanvandula angustifolia "munsteads" as they are the ones that were recommended to me for the cold. Oh, please come back next year!!

  • digit
    15 years ago

    Single digitS° here . . .

    Weather Service is now in better agreement with me after a blue sky day with plenty of sunshine: -6° tomorrow morning rather than -13°.

    Here's a little something linked below that I happened on a year or so ago and still haven't explored much. MesoWest is evidently a University of Utah service. It give you the chance to select a state and "mouse over" to get current temps, wind, etc. for a number of realtime locations.

    I think I got upset with them before because the ID map doesn't show anything north of Lewiston. Like the panhandle doesn't exist and there aren't any stations supposedly up here at all. But, if you go to Wunderground.com you can find all sorts of little "stations" including MesoWest places!

    I like Wunderground.com for getting the current local scoop. The Weather Service digital map for forecasts must be cutting-edge. But, MesoWest has instant realtime state-wide maps that are kinda fun.

    Western CO sure is a lot warmer than eastern . . .

    Here is a link that might be useful: MesoWest

  • digit
    15 years ago

    I did find a couple of North ID sites by "grabbing" and moving the google map.

    Still, there are plenty more MesoWest sites on wunderground . . . ?

    S°

  • bpgreen
    15 years ago

    Stevation--Which part of the valley only got 1/2 inch? We got at least 10 inches of snow (maybe lake effect?).

    I thought the mountains got 15 inches or more. Which ski resort got only as much as I did?

  • highalttransplant
    15 years ago

    We actually got about 1 1/2" last night, and I see that the plows are already out. First time of the season!

    Chances of snow remain in the forecast through Saturday, with predicted lows in the teens, until Saturday when it's supposed to drop to 0.

    Bonnie

  • david52 Zone 6
    15 years ago

    We've received 10" over night, and the schools are closed, and winter storm warning out until 5 am Thursday. So lets see, that makes tuesday day time, tuesday night, wednesday, wednesday night worth of snow. The wind was out of the south, so all the south sides of buildings are covered with snow.

    OTOH, DS16 is home and can shovel. I think he needs to learn to pace himself, since he just came in saying "your turn".

  • stevation
    15 years ago

    BP, you're up in Bountiful or somewhere north of SLC, right? You get a lot more snow up there because of the lake effect. I'm in Cedar Hills, and the lake effect gets all squeezed out by Traverse Ridge before it gets to us. But a co-worker in Orem said she didn't get any measurable snow out of that storm, so it looks like it just didn't come very far south.

    TODAY, however is a different story! We had 3-4" on the car this morning and slick roads. The drive to downtown SLC (35 miles) took an hour and a half, most of the way on ice, but I heard that if I didn't have the carpool lane pass, it would have been two hours.

    The ski resort I mentioned is Solitude. I don't think the other Cottonwood Canyons resorts had much more than that from the weekend storm, but that was enough to cause avalanche problems all over the place, including the woman who died at Snowbird on Sunday. They're getting even more snow up there today.

  • jaliranchr
    15 years ago

    The thermometer at the airport got cold and decided not to work here. :) It has been pretty nippy and the ever-present wind. It barely got about 5 Sunday and a little snow. Monday wasn't quite as cold, but 2 late last night. Nice melting going on now -- about 38 -- a heatwave.

    Hey, I'm not griping after recalling the week-long pre-Christmas freeze of '83 when we didn't get above 0! :) All a matter of perspective. :)

  • bpgreen
    15 years ago

    I'm actually a little north of Bountiful (Farmington), but I thought they were calling for the amount we got throughout the valley.

    I had to look at a map to find Cedar Hills. I guess the snow must not have gotten very far south.

    But it sounds like you got more snow this morning. I think we only got another inch or so.

    It's kind of surprising how much difference there is in snowfall amounts in different parts of the valley.

  • margaretmontana
    15 years ago

    It is warmer - only suppose to be -12 tonight! We only have about 1 inch of snow but expecting 7 inches tomorrow night. The ski resorts should be happy as most haven't had enough snow to open and the one that did had such high winds that they closed it down. Unfortunately it looks like -3 to -12 for the next week at nights and maybe in the single digits during the day. I want to be a snowbird!! 6 months in Hawaii is sounding real good about now!

  • david52 Zone 6
    15 years ago

    We should be working up to a major accumulation here, because I don't have much fire wood up by the back door - its all 150 odd feet away where it stays because so many woodland creatures - squirrels, mice, snakes, wasps, etc, like wood piles for happy homes / condo development, and flogging time shares to their relatives.

    When I get down to a one or two day supply on the back porch, that should mean at least 3 feet of snow will fall that night.

  • greenbean08_gw
    15 years ago

    David52,
    Are you in the "several feet" forecast area?
    Do you have a sled for bringing in your wood in the snow?
    That's how we used to do it when I was a kid when it was snowy (and wood was our only heat source).

  • david52 Zone 6
    15 years ago

    Greenbean, I live is in the precipitation 'shadow' of Sleeping Ute Mountain, so the heavy stuff goes east, north, or south, but very rarely dumps here. Five miles away is another story. NOAA has the forecast for the immediate area at 2 - 4 " tonight, and the same tomorrow. The 'feet' stuff is higher up the hill. Not much higher - every hundred feet in altitude gain seems to add another inch of snow.

    Re sled for the wood. *Sigh*. I tried this last year. We have an ancient sled and a saucer. I tried the saucer first, and that holds about 3 pieces of wood. Not much, and it all fell off on the trip up to the house. So I tried the ancient sled. Discovered I needed half a dozen bungie cords to hold the wood on. By the time I got the wood strapped on so it wouldn't fall off, like 30 minutes later, I started off and then the sled broke.

    Now, the technique is to go out early in the morning after it snows and push an empty wheel barrow up and down a few times to pack down a snow trail. Let it set up for a few hours to get hard, and then go out and wheel up the wood. A full wheelbarrow load lasts 24 hours when it's really cold.

    It's all good fun. Propane would cost me north of $300 a month for heat, this is about $80 a month.

  • greenbean08_gw
    15 years ago

    We used the regular red plastic kind. Once we broke one sledding down the neighbor's hill, we used it for firewood. Won't hold as much as the wheelbarrow, but as a kid the wheelbarrow was really hard to push through the snow (I grew up in Vermont). I think we stacked it a couple feet high. This may have required 2 kids to get to the house though, one to pull it and the other to make sure it didn't tip over sideways going over the snowbanks.

    I actually bought a red sled several years ago. I would make wreaths for Christmas presents, and after trekking through the snow with an armload of boughs, I thought I'd try the sled. It wasn't that much easier for boughs, but I did use it to take the straw bales I got after Thanksgiving from the truck to the garden in about a foot of snow. I tried taking 2 at a time, but that was too much and they tipped over along the way.

  • digit
    15 years ago

    O My Heavens!! I have never seen so much snow fall in a single storm!!

    This one storm is apparently dumping the most snow in the Selkirks of Washington and the mountains of the Idaho Panhandle. Just 60 miles away, there's much less snow and the schools are even open.

    I'm about 300 feet from an elementary school. I think if a Mom showed up (somehow) and dumped off a kindergartener today - the fire department would have to come in for a rescue operation.

    For an area with less than 20" of annual precipitation - we didn't need to get it all in 24 hours! Okay, I just learned about the 10% rule - snow is calculated at 10% water so one inch of water amounts to 20 inches of snow. There's a controversy about this rule of thumb since snow ranges from 5% to 15% water content.

    There's no question that the 22 inches of snow in my yard is dry stuff - it began falling with the temperatures in the single digitS°.

    Warmer now but the snow continues and with it . . . the wind.

    digitS°

  • windwhipped
    15 years ago

    Good grief, Digit, keep that to yourselves over there. Don't need 22 inches of snow here! They do say a new cold front is on its way, but they aren't predicting much snow. And things were just starting to get good again (in the 20's).

  • digit
    15 years ago

    Watch the TV news for Spokane and points, hereabouts.

    At 7:30 this morning, Coeur d'Alene had an all time record of 25 inches over a 24 hour period. This "shatters" (according to NOAA) the previous record of 16 inches set over 50 years ago.

    And, it has continued to snow . . . a lot!

    digitS°

  • greenbean08_gw
    15 years ago

    Any of you in the Great Falls area? -10 at noon today said our weatherman. Brrr...I hope the sun is shining and the wind is quiet...

  • digit
    15 years ago

    You've seen my little side yard before - filled with buckets of flowers. Then we worked on a "reseeding the lawn in October, 'o7" scheme.

    It's protected not only by the house but by 2 trees and a board fence. Much of the snow tends to blow somewhere else. Of course, there wasn't a whole lot of "somewhere else" for it to go this time. I was deep into my snow storage and angle of repose physics yesterday.

    Yesterday was all about snow moving. Then I got the chains on the pickup and at 6:30 this morning headed for a pharmacy about 5 miles away. After I dug the pickup out of the road 5 feet from the end of our driveway . . . we set off.

    To and from - what a mess, I won't say that every side road was blocked with a stuck car but it almost seemed like it. After detouring (with held breath) around a firetruck and ambulance about 1/2 mile from home, we made it back - crashed into banks on both sides of the driveway and arrived here:

    Madam squirrel is having real trouble finding her buried walnuts. I had to take her some chicken scratch.

    digitS°

  • vrie
    15 years ago

    Greenbean, I am in Great Falls- Fred Pfeiffer is NOT our favorite person right now! I would love the snow and even tolerate -10 if that %&^&(%&*$^ wind would just go away!

  • greenbean08_gw
    15 years ago

    Digit,
    That's quite the snow you've got there! I like when it snows like that (as long as I don't have to be anywhere that is). Reminds me of when I was a kid. I don't envy your getting stuck and bouncing off snowbanks...I knew that well too...

    vrie, ooohhhh, the wind is blowing... I feel for you...
    (I lived in GF for 7 years). Did Fred at least warn that it was coming?

    The wind blows here like it does there, when you get just outside of town - pretend you're on the way to Belt. We're just not as cold here though, and our wind does stop more often than yours I think. We had a front come through a couple weeks ago, and I swear I saw the wood blinds INSIDE my house swaying in the breeze (and my house was built in the 90's). I keep hoping I was just tired and my eyes were playing tricks.

  • vrie
    15 years ago

    the more Fred talks, the more we do NOT like him! Unfortunately, he warns us! I was a kid in Fairfield, and recognize snow like this, but still!
    On the plus side, we could get positive numbers for Christmas! My other half grew up in the desert- never saw falling snow til we were on vacation up here one summer- This'll be his and his kids FIRST white Christmas ever- and they all are furious, since the teens hate to drive in it!
    I'm in a 60 year old house, and I KNOW the curtains are moving- I swear it! I'm just glad we replaced doors!
    I'd post pics, but I refuse to go out there that long!

  • jclepine
    15 years ago

    Gee, it was so nice today...finally! It got up to at least 20F. Yesterday was so cold and the wind was unbearable. I doubt it was as bad as you guys had it, but it did move the curtains inside the house and we have fancy double panes. Today, seeing as how it suddenly felt like summer, I shoveled the little snow dune. Gee, the wind really likes to pick up the snow and drop it right in the middle of our path. Doesn't it know we walk there?!!!

    I have to admit, I love it!! We have had only one power outage (or two?) so far this winter that I think they did something to fix the power grid. I don't mind the wind so much when the power stays on!!

    Wishing everyone lovely weather...

    J

  • greenbean08_gw
    15 years ago

    How much snow did you get vrie?
    My stepdaughter lives there still. DH is quite worried about her this week. She lives in an old apartment, and we're hoping she pays her utility bills better than her phone bills...

    Our house there was built in the early 50's. Thankfully, the previous owner had updated the windows on the main floor at least. We had a picture window that I used to put the plastic stuff over. Made the LR so much warmer. Those plaster walls were just plain cold most of the time. When I got a heated mattress pad for Christmas one year, I was SOOOOO happy. Shivering for 10 minutes when you get into bed isn't so conducive to falling asleep... I'm convinced it was the cold walls. I rarely used the bed heater when we lived in Alaska...

    Yesterday (Sat) started out snowy at our house, but then we went to town, and it was clear and sunny. Of course, by mid-afternoon, it was getting really cold. The temps had been dropping a little bit all day, but I don't remember how cold it got. We're hovering at 1 degree tonight so far...

    I hope the forecast for later in the week holds out, they're saying mid-40's for Christmas day...

  • highalttransplant
    15 years ago

    This past week we have gotten several inches of snow, just not all at once. An inch one night, a couple inches the next night etc. Today it's been snowing pretty much all day, it will come down hard for a while, then let up, and repeat. Unfortunately, I had to get out in it. Needed groceries for Christmas dinner, and it's supposed to snow through tomorrow night. I figured the roads were only going to get worse. At least the plows were out. We live up on a mesa, and if they don't put some sand on the hill, it is pretty treacherous. Although the place I always manage to get stuck is the driveway, or the alley behind the house, which is always the last place to get plowed.

    Not planning on going anywhere tomorrow, making sugar cookies with the kids, so it can snow all it wants now!

    Bonnie

  • stevation
    15 years ago

    Utah Valley got a whopper yesterday, well at least it seemed like a whopper to us, but not compared to some of you! We got about 8" of snow, which is probably the second highest amount in one day since I've lived here (2001). Meanwhile, up in Salt Lake, it was raining for part of the day. Once in a while, we could see a warm band come through and our light snow would turn to sleet, then those little round ice balls, then back to snow. I had to work at home yesterday and Friday, because the freeway was such a mess. Glad to actually be at work today, funny as that sounds! I can't get enough done when I work at home, especially with little kids running around!

    Anyway, I'm sure glad it wasn't 20"+ or minus-10 or super windy like some of you are talking about! I think I'd move back to California if it was that bad! :-(

  • vrie
    15 years ago

    We have several inches of snow built up-- about 7 the 13th, with a bit more here and there as it went along- yesterday another couple probly- all i know is we keep shoveling walks and the piles at side are at my knees! yeah our house is early 50s as well, but windows NEED updating badly- big picture window is at least inside the sunroom so there is a barrier- although the sunroom is unheated and uninsulated. Plaster walls and wood floors-- BRRR here!
    The hardest part is that there has not been a chinook to melt this in 2 weeks- we don't think we'll get one til at least after the new year- when we can begin to think of freezing temps.
    Sugar cookies is on my list too-- cookies and pumpkin pie tomorrow morning! then pizza for dinner!

  • digit
    15 years ago

    My house was built in 1901, or at least the front part of it was.

    We bought new windows a couple years ago. The problem is that with a 100 year old house, the window frames aren't square. Three-eighth inch molding around the windows? Come on!!

    I talked to a retired building supply neighbor. He says that I could always go with 1/2" quarter round. I don't knooooooww. That sounds really ugly. Of course, being able to see the caulking here and there doesnÂt look so great either. At least, it seems to hold out the wind . . . well, the entire wall probably leaks air like a sieve.

    Fortunately or unfortunately, the house is so small that it's comfy, made especially so by 3+ feet of snow around the foundation walls. Coeur d'Alene has now had over 50" of December snow. There must be more on the ground than here but I'm not driving in to see.

    digitS'

  • Skybird - z5, Denver, Colorado
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    Well itÂs up to 56 in my backyard today! Supposed to get up to 60 tomorrow/Monday, and then stay in the 40's all week. ItÂll be a nice break from the cold. I never got much snow, and what I did get is all gone againÂeven on the north side.

    On NOAA it looks like the snow has moved out of most areasÂexcept Idaho and far western MontanaÂDigit how are you doing up there?

    And I know Silverton is totally buried, David, but how are you doing down there?

    Is everybody else enjoying somewhat warmer temps right now?

    Skybird

  • highalttransplant
    15 years ago

    Well, the sun came out today, and it got up in the upper 20's today, I guess that's a warm up from yesterday's high of 15 and a low of - 9!

    The BIG winter storm we were supposed to get Christmas Day mostly missed us, but we probably still have 5 or 6" on the ground. At least the sun helped melt the snow off the roads today though.

    Our forecast calls for highs in the 30's this week with a chance of snow again by New Year's Day.

    I've been wondering how bad David got hit by that storm too?!

    Bonnie

  • digit
    15 years ago

    We had some melting with some rain! Temperature didn't even drop to freezing last night!

    I shoveled off the carport & deck roofs yesterday and boy was I sore - 27 inches of compacted snow. It was a good time to have done that and now I'm a little more prepared for the 80% chance of snow tomorrow. There's no longer a chance of more melting. The major roads are suddenly clear but covered with water and deep puddles in places. It will get icy and snow covered, high temp of 33° tomorrow and that's the last we'll see of liquid water outdoors for Heaven knows how long.

    We visited Dad for the 1st time in a couple weeks - missed Christmas and he & his GF shared with elderly neighbors who weren't able to spend time with their families, either. I found Dad out moving snow into a huge pile on the front lawn with his tractor. He sure is a tuff old fellow - 91, in February. He paid a college kid to shovel his roof. First time he didn't go up there himself - I'm very proud of him.

    digitS°

  • david52 Zone 6
    15 years ago

    Pretty much dodged the bullet again, maybe 8" at the '52 Estates, but much more elsewhere. Telluride broke their record for Dec. snow fall (100 inches) and Silverton is something else again. When I drive 5 miles north, they got twice as much snow as we did - maybe 20 inches on the ground in just north of Dolores, where I take my kids XC skiing. Still cold during the day, so not much is melting.

    Today is snow fort day. We'll see how that goes......

  • digit
    15 years ago

    Windy here . . . 2 days ago, it was even worse. I'd just commented how the most recent snow fall (of about 6") had coated the power lines. There are lines all over the sky on one end of the lot - feels like I'm under a fishnet out there.

    Suddenly, and I mean suddenly, the wind came up with gusts to nearly 50mph!! "Snow balls" were blowing off the garage chimney horizontally and began crashing 40' away into my window beside the 'puter. I was actually leaning forward thinking that the next thing hitting that south window could be the tree in the yard.

    Today it is 35 degreesF. The little skiff of snow we got last night would have melted on the paths if I hadn't scraped it off before 6AM. This is a GOOD thing. The wind isn't strong enuf to be dangerous, the snow isn't light enuf to blow around, and it isn't warm enuf to cause flooding.

    Tomorrow and the next day look like a different story. This is supposed to be the overnight LOW, tomorrow. And with this above-freezing overnight temperature - - (get ready for it . . .) rain.

    "The rain could be heavy at times. Snow level 3100 feet rising to 4200 feet. Low around 37. South wind between 13 and 20 mph, with gusts as high as 31 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%." So says, NOAA. And this is after "heavy" snow on New Years Day! Oh, oh, oh, oh!!

    digitÂãS

  • david52 Zone 6
    15 years ago

    Looking at the satellite photo of the PNW, it would appear there is a giant fist of clouds about to hit the coast.

    Just when you were putting the final touches on the float for the local rose parade, and then this.......

  • digit
    15 years ago

    Darn, I never know who I can believe . . . Walla Walla & points south got our rain. Grangeville got 40 & 50 mph winds and temperatures in the 40's. I think they are alright - it is HERE that has so much snow on the ground.

    Our temps over the last 48 hours barely dropped below freezing, winds were minimal, and there was never rain that I know about! Instead, there's about 6 inches of new wet snow. Supposed to be below 0°F by tomorrow morning.

    It's kind of incredible around here. New records for Coeur d'Alene: 24 hour total: 25 inches 12/18/08 and December 2008 snowfall total: 56.1 inches. An average for December is 15 inches!

    digitS°

  • windwhipped
    15 years ago

    Geez, digit, you're hogging all our snow! Not that I want what you guys have over there, but I'm starting to get a little worried. We had about 1/2 inch of precipitation in December and I haven't been out with the snow blower once this year (OK, what is it I'm complaing about again???). The plants all did so well with the nice, wet winter we had last year and everyone was so happy that the drought was breaking. Well, sigh, so much for that. Even the ski resort up on Casper Mt. is having trouble; they only have about 10 inches of base.

    Oh, well, another chance tonight/tomorrow for snow. They are predicting 4-5 inches. I'll take it, otherwise it will be time to get out and start watering.

    Oh yeah, today it's 52 degrees with 35-40 mph winds, gusts to 60. I'm getting a little tired of that wind.

  • margaretmontana
    15 years ago

    We are getting snow then rain then snow the past two days and there is nowhere for the water to go so it freezes at night. Towing trucks are doing a booming business and Lost Trail has had to close some of its runs after finally getting a lot of snow because of avalanches! I think we are down to 2 feet of snow now. I have watched a lot of movies, read and quilted as I really haven't been much of anywhere for the past 3 weeks because of the bad roads. It looks like next week will be more of the same!