Historic winter storm ENZO
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not2old
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When I lived at the coast, my go to snow shovel was a piece of plywood attached to the handle of a hockey stick. on a smooth concrete drive it was better than any shovel I could buy.
5030
Rest in Peace
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Wife showed me a picture of northern Florida with snow. Thinking to myself, no snow removal equipment equals wholesale crashes...
No snow here at all, just real cold and windy. Up to 5 here presently.
Wife just told me Baton Rouge, LA got 7". More crashes...
No snow here at all, just real cold and windy. Up to 5 here presently.
Wife just told me Baton Rouge, LA got 7". More crashes...
jyoutz
Super Star Member
My son in Baton Rouge said there’s hardly anyone out and about and most people have been given a few days off work.
ultrarunner
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Amazing pictures that will be remembered...
Years ago I remember the citrus crop freeze in Florida and the aftermath...
Snow is rare here in SF proper but remember pictures skiing in San Francisco back in the 70's.
This morning staff arrived at work all bundled saying how cold it is... 48 and dead calm.
Years ago I remember the citrus crop freeze in Florida and the aftermath...
Snow is rare here in SF proper but remember pictures skiing in San Francisco back in the 70's.
This morning staff arrived at work all bundled saying how cold it is... 48 and dead calm.
OP
Complete Turf Care
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We are not out of the woods yet. The local weather man just said we have hit a record low temperature of 5* F this morning. The forecast was a low of 12*. The previous record was 9 set back in 1989. I remember that because we built our house the summer of 1989 and I could not keep the north bedroom warm for that event.
And, I woke up to no water this morning. I don't know if it's something frozen at my house, or if our rural water system is down. I expect I will have some broken pipes, even though I made lots of preparations for this.
I also filled several containers with water for brushing, flushing, coffee and cooking. I probably have about 100 gallons stored.
And, I woke up to no water this morning. I don't know if it's something frozen at my house, or if our rural water system is down. I expect I will have some broken pipes, even though I made lots of preparations for this.
I also filled several containers with water for brushing, flushing, coffee and cooking. I probably have about 100 gallons stored.
5030
Rest in Peace
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Welcome to the frozen club. It's -8 here this morning and no issues with anything including my diesel because up here in Michigan, it is always treated with Power Service white bottle, buggy's batteries are topped off and replaced when a few years old as well as the tractors and the SxS as well as my diesel pickup are on battery tenders and my AF coolant was checked or renewed this last summer. I always check my AF concentration with a Brix Refractometer. Inexpensive and accurate tool on Amazon, good investment as it not only checks AF but electrolyte charge level in flooded cell batteries and coolant concentrations in my flood cooled machine tools. The one I have set me back less than 15 bucks. Checked both tractors last night and the fuel bowls on the Racor's were perfectly translucent and no cloudiness at all.
I'm sure with a little bit of glo-plug action, both would pop right off, no issue. Starting batteries are also fully charged and out of circuit with master disconnect switches. Something that is SOP with me as they sit for long periods of time unused and master disconnects insure the starting batteries don't suffer discharge from any parasitic loss. Flooded cell starting batteries lose about 5% of their total charge per month of not being used and a full charged flooded cell battery is good (remains viable) to about 30 below zero (f). Discharged batteries will freeze and become useless at much higher temps, BTW. I break them out to insure they will crank the cold engines when required. Cold engines require substantial more amps to turn over and start. Finally, I always install the largest group size and cold cranking amp batteries that will fit physically, in the battery trays, always. In the case of my M9's, Group 31 with 1200 CCA. My batteries get load tested every year with a carbon pile load tester and when they start to degrade, they get replaced and that includes the vehicles as well.
Harbor Fright has a nice carbon pile load tester pretty cheap I might add. Handy tool to have.
I'm sure with a little bit of glo-plug action, both would pop right off, no issue. Starting batteries are also fully charged and out of circuit with master disconnect switches. Something that is SOP with me as they sit for long periods of time unused and master disconnects insure the starting batteries don't suffer discharge from any parasitic loss. Flooded cell starting batteries lose about 5% of their total charge per month of not being used and a full charged flooded cell battery is good (remains viable) to about 30 below zero (f). Discharged batteries will freeze and become useless at much higher temps, BTW. I break them out to insure they will crank the cold engines when required. Cold engines require substantial more amps to turn over and start. Finally, I always install the largest group size and cold cranking amp batteries that will fit physically, in the battery trays, always. In the case of my M9's, Group 31 with 1200 CCA. My batteries get load tested every year with a carbon pile load tester and when they start to degrade, they get replaced and that includes the vehicles as well.
Harbor Fright has a nice carbon pile load tester pretty cheap I might add. Handy tool to have.
John_Mc
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Cute shot!
Just remember: the smaller the kid, the quicker the cold will get to them. They just don't have the body mass to hold on to heat well, So while an adult might walk out and not feel much after any given length of time, a child will be getting chilled much more quickly, and an infant or toddler won't have much tolerance for cold exposure. If there is much of a breeze, that will suck the heat out of them all that much quicker. Their extremities will experience problems well before the rest of their body. A few quick visits outside with some time indoors to warm up and do a thorough assessment of how they are doing is better than one long play session, especially if you don;t have all of the winter gear for the child that folks up north take for granted.
My apologies if this is obvious. Having lived all my life in places that regularly see stretches of -10˚ to -20˚F for a week or two most winters, it's second nature to me and my neighbors. Just thought I'd mention it for those with young children and who may not experience this regularly.
I remember a few years ago our schools announced a "wind chill day". Like a snow day: no school, but in this case it wasn't because it was unsafe to drive or because the school busses couldn't get through, it was because they were concerned about kids out waiting for the bus. Temperatures were below zero, and with the high winds, the wind chill was supposed to be -40 or -50. When I mentioned to my sister in Minnesota that the kids had no school that day, she just laughed. They had -40 on the thermometer, without even factoring in the wind chill, and still had school. It's all a matter of what you are prepared for.
CloverKnollFarms
Super Member
Global cooling
Rustyiron
Super Member
Way up here in Maine they say that every inch of foam over a buried pipe equals 12" of equivalent cover.
So if you're ever thinking about digging in your we'll or water line remember this.
I hope you guys are able to enjoy this snow event and the few pictures that have been posted say that's the case.
You have more snow on the ground than we do, although it was -14 this morning at 7:30!
ruffdog
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...not in Alaska. It is a balmy 40 degrees F up there right now.
tallyho8
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I am a short distance out of New Orleans. We didn't just break the record, we smashed it.
BEFORE
AFTER
Nine inches of snow is unbelievable here!
Everything is still shut down today.
I have to get my Kubota out to clear the driveway because my electric gate can't open.
BEFORE
AFTER
Nine inches of snow is unbelievable here!
Everything is still shut down today.
I have to get my Kubota out to clear the driveway because my electric gate can't open.
ultrarunner
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Global Warming must have relocated?
OP
Complete Turf Care
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I got a message from a friend of mine in Australia where it was 110F yesterday.
ruffdog
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To what other planet?
What Earth is doing:
What are the hottest years on record table?
Annual Global Temperature Records
- 2024 Was the Warmest Year on Record. ...
- Five Factors to Explain the Record Heat in 2023. ...
- 2022 Tied for Fifth Warmest Year on Record. ...
- 2021 Continued Earth's Warming Trend. ...
- 2020 Tied for Warmest Year on Record. ...
- 2019 Was the Second Warmest Year on Record......
Last edited:
John_Mc
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Some tips for those of you whose homes might not be built for this sort of cold. Most of these were shared to me by a plumber friend who really does not enjoy making emergency calls when it's -20˚F outside.
Make sure all hoses are disconnected from outside spigots. A hose left connected can hold water in the spigot and the bit of pipe running through the house wall. If it gets cold enough that pipe can burst when the water freezes and expands. (What many don't realize is that even an open hose can hold enough water in the spigot to become a problem.) At least in our northern climates, the actual shut-off mechanism on a good outdoor hose spigot is inside the wall (even though the knob is outside, and the pipe running through the wall is downsloped so that when shut off, the pipe drains out the spigot.
Open the cabinet doors under kitchen and bathroom sinks and any other water-using appliances on the outer walls of the house. You want the heat to circulate to any pipes under there. Unless your house is very well sealed and insulated, it can get substantially colder inside closed cabinets along outside walls. This is especially true on the upwind side of the home and in corners where two outside walls come together or where natural air circulation is poor.
Move couches, beds, pillows, etc. away from heaters. You want the air circulating unrestricted around them.
Keep heat circulating to any colder parts of the home where there are water pipes. If you find a cold spot, find a safe way to get heat to it. You may have to rotate space heaters to different areas of the home to keep things from freezing up.
Don't decide to save money by turning off or turning down your central heat and firing up your wood stove. If you have any way to keep your central heating system going, do so. The problem with turning it down is that your wood stove can keep your heating system from coming on. That may sound great until you realize that your woodstove on one end of the house is fooling the thermostat in the middle into not coming on. Now that baseboard heat on the far end does not have any circulation. Those water filled pipes are just an inch from an outside wall. Gaps in insulation can cause cold spots (especially corners where you may have just studs with little more effective insulation). Keep the water circulating in your heating system to keep a cold spot from freezing up. Once an are turns to slush, it will stop circulating.
Turn on faucets to check water flow. If it doesn't flow, get heat to it safely and soon. Some folks will leave a faucet dripping to help keep it from freezing up (interior faucets only!) If you do this, remember to check that your drain is functioning properly.
Know where your main water shut off is. (and hopefully any secondary shutoffs). If you hear a bang, your pipes have probably frozen. (A metal pipe sounds almost like a gun going off when it bursts. I have no idea what a plastic pipe sounds like.) Minimize damage by shutting things off as quickly as possible, so you don't continuously pour more water into the problem.
Make sure all hoses are disconnected from outside spigots. A hose left connected can hold water in the spigot and the bit of pipe running through the house wall. If it gets cold enough that pipe can burst when the water freezes and expands. (What many don't realize is that even an open hose can hold enough water in the spigot to become a problem.) At least in our northern climates, the actual shut-off mechanism on a good outdoor hose spigot is inside the wall (even though the knob is outside, and the pipe running through the wall is downsloped so that when shut off, the pipe drains out the spigot.
Open the cabinet doors under kitchen and bathroom sinks and any other water-using appliances on the outer walls of the house. You want the heat to circulate to any pipes under there. Unless your house is very well sealed and insulated, it can get substantially colder inside closed cabinets along outside walls. This is especially true on the upwind side of the home and in corners where two outside walls come together or where natural air circulation is poor.
Move couches, beds, pillows, etc. away from heaters. You want the air circulating unrestricted around them.
Keep heat circulating to any colder parts of the home where there are water pipes. If you find a cold spot, find a safe way to get heat to it. You may have to rotate space heaters to different areas of the home to keep things from freezing up.
Don't decide to save money by turning off or turning down your central heat and firing up your wood stove. If you have any way to keep your central heating system going, do so. The problem with turning it down is that your wood stove can keep your heating system from coming on. That may sound great until you realize that your woodstove on one end of the house is fooling the thermostat in the middle into not coming on. Now that baseboard heat on the far end does not have any circulation. Those water filled pipes are just an inch from an outside wall. Gaps in insulation can cause cold spots (especially corners where you may have just studs with little more effective insulation). Keep the water circulating in your heating system to keep a cold spot from freezing up. Once an are turns to slush, it will stop circulating.
Turn on faucets to check water flow. If it doesn't flow, get heat to it safely and soon. Some folks will leave a faucet dripping to help keep it from freezing up (interior faucets only!) If you do this, remember to check that your drain is functioning properly.
Know where your main water shut off is. (and hopefully any secondary shutoffs). If you hear a bang, your pipes have probably frozen. (A metal pipe sounds almost like a gun going off when it bursts. I have no idea what a plastic pipe sounds like.) Minimize damage by shutting things off as quickly as possible, so you don't continuously pour more water into the problem.
ultrarunner
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Also seeing record low temps…
Some areas dryer and some wetter.
Friends that pioneered Washington State wine industry say every year the harvest improves…
When he was a new grad with plans to grow grapes conventional wisdom 50 years ago is Washington climate not suitable and he has proven the neigh sayers wrong.
With change often comes opportunity…
jyoutz
Super Star Member
Climate change
