The Fora: A Higher Education Community

-28C (-18ish F) as a high today; -32C (-25ish F) as a high tomorrow.
I'm always sad when the scales converge.

Tuesday afternoon and evening, the park across the street flooded up to the opposite curb. Luckily, the rain stopped in time to avoid having a streetwide inundation, as happened a few years ago after five full days of rain.

Friday, we're supposed to have even more rain. Fortunately, we have matching paddleboards (still in boxes), so if necessary, we have . . . transportation. :)

I got the end of the driveway cleared out after the foot of snow we got Mon-Tues.  15 minutes later, the plow came by again and filled it back up.  Starting tonight, we're supposed to get another 6-10".  I'm already sick of this sh!t.

It's supposed to be mildly wintry, although my island's microclimates could mean something radically different from the mainland. There were some serious whitecaps out there today, though.

We had a thunderstorm pass through early this morning.  Evidently the winds weren't too bad.  No local damage reports.  Elsewhere in the state the weather was more severe, with thousands of power outages and at least one suspected tornado.

We're looking at extraordinarily low overnight lows and a chance of snow in the next few days.  People are really freaking out over the possibility.  I'll believe it when I see it.  We've come to get snow only once every three or four years. 

We don't so much have a winter anymore as three straight months of wildly variable March weather--a few days of more or less seasonable temperatures, then a spike into the 60s or 70s (unheard of in the winter months here until about ten years ago; now getting to be common), then a couple more days of winter-ish temperatures.  It was warm enough late yesterday afternoon for me to ride my motorcycle in tolerable comfort, and I'm cold-natured!

And yet, as actual winter weather has become so rare, I hear more fear and loathing of it expressed than ever before.  You'd think to hear some people talk that we lived in Minnesota!  Maybe it's because I'm around older people more.  I've come to think of winter as a welcome break from what is otherwise turning into year-round summer heat, but others keep expressing a wish that we would never have a cold day again.  Me, if I'd wanted to live in Florida-type weather I'd have moved there.

Getting another foot today.  Second storm in a week.  I figure it's easier to do 6" twice than 12" once, so I go outside and start up the snow blower.  Making good progress, start going up the front walk and I manage to run over the dog's tie out that was buried under the snow.  Now I've got 20 feet of cable wrapped around the auger.  Is it May yet?

Miserable out.  Wet slush falling in bit icy splats plummeting though wind gusts----the news said the wind could gust as fast as 46 mph tonight. 

Raining. It started earlier this evening.

Quote from: apl68 on January 12, 2024, 07:23:19 AMWe're looking at extraordinarily low overnight lows and a chance of snow in the next few days.  People are really freaking out over the possibility.  I'll believe it when I see it.  We've come to get snow only once every three or four years. 

We don't so much have a winter anymore as three straight months of wildly variable March weather--a few days of more or less seasonable temperatures, then a spike into the 60s or 70s (unheard of in the winter months here until about ten years ago; now getting to be common), then a couple more days of winter-ish temperatures. 

Cold is now rare

It was supposed to be in the 50s and windy today, but there was a surprise rainshower for about 15-20 minutes. Forecast for Monday is for the low 30s, and snow for the following day. Never a dull moment! As predicted there were heavy rains and flooding for a few hours last night, as evident from the flooded streets this morning.

We have actual snow!  The roads and streets and sidewalks are completely blanketed.  Most grassy areas aren't coated very well.  Looks like there won't be very much more, but with below-freezing temperatures forecast until Wednesday our local roads are going to be pretty messed up. 

Looks like our MLK closing will last an extra day.  I can't ask the staff to risk driving in tomorrow.  Most of them live anywhere up to  half an hour from here.  "Here" being the library, which I currently have all to myself.  I'm pretty much bound to check in even on a holiday.  So far no indications of power outages here in town.

Apparently an ugly, wintry mix for here in the NYC Metro area tonight through tomorrow.  Once I ended even adjuncting (due to COVID), when I was supine enough to take 8 a.m. lecture sections, I have become grateful at not having angst about the roads on the way to campus--and tomorrow is first day of the spring semester.  Take that, peons!  So, now, I can sort of "turn over," stay warm, and wait to see just what is what, and ignore some of the "whats."

Snow day here in the Baltimore/DC area:
https://wtop.com/local/2024/01/winter-weather-leads-to-vehicle-crashes-messy-roads-around-dc-region/
Most county school systems are opening on a 2 hour delay or closed all together tomorrow.

It started out as flurries then changed to snow. I plan to shovel the driveway tomorrow morning.

Fairly minor snowfall (3-4 inches expected in my snow-experienced area, but almost all schools have closed, and roads are untreated.

Schools closed here in metro St. Louis, too--just a coating of snow, but -25 wind chills this morning. No first day of class for us today (fine with me!).