Here comes the RAIN !!!

[Bird]

So that's where our rain went. Eddie got it all. We had a 40% chance forecast, but instead of we had partly cloudy, a high temperature of 74, and now a forecast for a 90% chance of thunderstorms and a low of 38 tonight, but it's still clear and warm here.

 

[Western]

Looking at the NOAA weather maps it's coming. Looks like it is around Abilene right now.
I could use the moisture without all the "extras" they got in east Texas.

 

[EddieWalker]

2 1/4 inches of rain today. Still some coming down, but it's pretty much over for now. The forecast was 100 percent for tonight and 40 percent for tomorrow. That's changed to 80% tonight and 70 percent tomorrow.

From wha they said on the local news, there might have been three tornadoes touch down, but no serous damage. I don't know what is serious with these things, but most of what they reported is severe wind damage to some buildings and hotels.

They have to be confirmed before they are officially called tornadoes. For half an hour, the radio weatherman was tracking it and describing it based on what he saw on his radar images, and from people calling in on the ground. They had crews trying to catch up with it, but they didn't make it in time. There still might be some pics of it, but I haven't seen any yet. That was the main one in Longview. The others were further North East, towards Texarkana.

Eddie

 

[Western]

We finally got the rain this morning, haven't checked the gauge yet but sounded like a fair one. Now their saying a 90% chance today and 40% tonight for some snow, they kind of threw that one in at the last minute.

Watched the news last night, they showed some of the damage in Longview, didn't look that bad from what they had to show, few trees tore up and some tin and signs blown around, not to bad unless it was "your" tin.

 

[Uncle Doug]

Had a hard driving rain on the way to work this moring about 0430. It has slacked off now to a slow rain. It has been a very wet fall down in this part of the state.

 

[Western]

Now we are getting the light snow...seems like this storm will loop back around. Hopefully the roads will dry before it freezes tonight..

 

[Bird]

We got about .3" of rain this morning, starting between 5:30 and 6:00 a.m. (right after I got a turkey in the smoker). Fortunately no wind problems early. But then later, the rain turned to snow and the north breeze blows it all the way through our breezeway (which is where the smoker is). And it's still snowing; not sticking hardly at all, of course.

Sure am glad I had already decided against frying a turkey this Christmas. Now I know (from all the movies and TV shows I've seen and they have to be right, don't they?) that you're supposed to put a perfectly browned turkey on a platter in the middle of the table and carve it right there during the meal. However, I don't want that job and don't know anyone else in the family who does, so I cook'em a day early, carve (well, "bone" might be a better word), put a little broth on the meat, and seal it with foil so it can be reheated tomorrow and is ready to serve and eat.

The first picture is a 19.88 pounder when it came out of the oven in the kitchen. The second picture is a 14.16 pounder when it came out of the smoker out on the breezeway.

 

[Western]

Wow Bird,
Those 2 ladies look like they are right off of a cookbook cover, nice color.......

We are close to 3 inches of snow so far,,,wind is awful..

 

[jinman]

The first picture is a 19.88 pounder when it came out of the oven in the kitchen. The second picture is a 14.16 pounder when it came out of the smoker out on the breezeway.

Those are some sweet lookin' birds, Bird.

We came to Denton at noon today to deposit a check from our real estate closing yesterday. We stopped at the Cracker Barrel restaurant on I35 and Hwy 380 for lunch. As we were leaving, Randy Mcilwain of Channel 5 was there and interviewed us about the weather. We weren't concerned, but before we got back to Sunset, it was near white-out blizzard conditions. The last 5 miles, we saw at least 6 cars off in the ditch, but they were all 1-car accidents and none with damage. Between here and Wichita Falls, Hwy 287 is locked down. We just had a call from friends who are stuck, not moving, for over 1/2 hour just south of Wichita Falls. Up here, it ain't pretty.

 

[Bird]

Since the temperature has finally dropped below freezing, the snow has started to stick now. And with the wind, it does look like a light blizzard out there.

The radar does make it appear to be much worse out your way, Jim, than here.

Just 5 days ago (the 19th), I raked leaves and packed 5 big contractor bags as tight as I could with leave from our 4 Bradford Pear trees, but they still had quite a few leaves on them and a few falling at the time. But right now, those trees are swaying in the breeze and I don't see a single leaf left on them.

With a low forecast of 23 tonight, we might have a white Christmas tomorrow morning, although it's supposed to get up to 42. We only have about 30 miles to go to our daughter's place tomorrow morning, but with my brothers coming from Waco and a nephew from Mexia, I hope they don't have slick roads.

 

[EddieWalker]

We had snow flurries off and on all day today. None of it stuck, but we were still excited just to see it falling. Big fat snowflakes too!!!

What was strange is the temp was 46 this morning, then it went down to 44 and then 40 and then into the 30's. It was 34 outside when it was snowing.

It's just rare to see the temps droping during the day.

Eddie

 

[Bird]

The news media is saying the DFW Airport got 2.3" of snow yesterday, which is the first measurable snow on Christmas Eve since the NWS started keeping records in 1898. I think we probably got that much or more, so it's the first white Christmas I can remember.

 

[jinman]

Merry White Christmas to all!

Here's a couple of photos of the storm here in Sunset. The first is looking down across our gullys and the second is just across our driveway with our wood stack and garden in there somewhere.

Here's a link to some more photos:

White Christmas in Texas

 

[Bird]

Yep, Jim, it looks like it was heavier in your area than ours. These pictures were about 5:30 p.m. yesterday. Our 4 year old chihuahua was comical last night. She goes in and out frequently, not because she needs to but just wants to, and cold doesn't seem to bother her. But last night, she went to the back door, and I opened it, she took one look and backed up. The same thing happened at the front door. She wanted to go out until she got one look, and then decided no, no, not in that white stuff. Finally, late last night, Margaret put on her boots and bundled up and went out in the yard and the dog followed her and took care of business, but that dog wasn't going out in that white stuff alone.

 

[Western]

We ended up with 7-8 inches depending where you measure...My 300# fertilizer spreader looks like a snow cone!

Bird, I am like your pup on occasion when its cold out...

 

[jinman]

By the way, I guess I'll have to get busy and get my tractor started. Its industrial tires aren't gonna be ideal, but I think I have several neighbors who got stranded on the road last night and had to walk home. Here's a picture of a couple and some more pictures I took this morning, just a few minutes ago.

 

[Bird]

We ended up with 7-8 inches depending where you measure...My 300# fertilizer spreader looks like a snow cone!

Bird, I am like your pup on occasion when its cold out...

Our son-in-law in north Ft. Worth sent a picture of a ruler stuck in the snow in one spot in their back yard; seven and a half inches. He said they hadn't thought about it being nearly that deep until they lost Scooter. Scooter is their little white maltese.

And Jim, that tractor seat sure looks like it's going to be cold.

 

[EddieWalker]

Jim,

The picture off of your deck looks like it could be in the Rocky Mountains somewhere just below the mountain. Kind of amazing how awesome it looks!!! Did you get pictures of your pond or the lake? That's what I'm hoping for if it snows enough here one of these days. Seems like this is the year that it's going to happen!!!!

Eddie

 

[jinman]

Eddie, I just got back home from 2-1/2 hours of plowing our road all the way to the highway. It was drifted over a foot deep in many places and people could not get through. In front of our house was one of the worst spots because there is nothing to stop the snow from drifting onto the road. Because of that, I didn't get anymore photos of the lake or my ponds. I'll have to uncover the Mule and take a ride down there.

We are supposed to leave and go to my daughter's house in Hurst in about an hour and I don't think we are going to make it. We could get there, but I'm afraid of road conditions and a refreeze. Highway 287 was shut down to one slow lane while I was out plowing this morning and they had crews sanding and wreckers pulling people out of the ditch under our overpass. I don't know if I want to take a chance or not.

 

[Bird]

We are supposed to leave and go to my daughter's house in Hurst in about an hour and I don't think we are going to make it. We could get there, but I'm afraid of road conditions and a refreeze.

You were probably smart, Jim. We just got back from our youngest daughter's place in north Fort Worth. We left here about 9 a.m. and it's 31.9 miles from our house to hers; at least 31 of that is I-35E and I-35W. Wow, the streets in our neighborhood were icy and slick! Then in that 31 miles, we counted 39 vehicles off in the ditches. I think that included four 18-wheelers and one SUV that wasn't in the ditch, it had knocked a hole in the center guardrail and was still there.

The bad part was that Margaret was keeping count and for awhile she thought we were going to be number 25. First time in my life, I ever lost control on ice. I've done 360s on ice for fun stunt driving, but this one wasn't planned. I was doing 30-35 mph on a straight road (I-35W) southbound, relatively flat, neither accelerating nor decelerating when the back end of the Crown Vic started to the left. I steered into it properly, but obviously overdid it a bit and it whipped around so fast we were going backwards. The good news is that there was no other traffic anywhere close and I got it stopped and turned back around without leaving the pavement.

But the sun today melted most of it off and the roads were clear, except a little damp in places, when we came back home.