Hi everyone,
Mod R here, hope you’re all safe and warm.
Ilona and Gordon are experiencing power cuts at the moment, but they asked me to let you know they are ok and attached a gloriously snowy photo of their yard.
It’s 12 degrees where they are (or for us Europeans -11C). Brrrrrrrrr.
If you have hot chocolate, do not be afraid to use it.
Heh! Here in SoDak, our day started out at minus 22 degrees (F), our high today is 0. However, it’s not windy (a rarity here), the sun is shining & there are much colder spots in other states. I’m staying in today, & keep repeating to myself, “February is half gone, then we just have to suffer through the cold & snow storms of March, then maybe, just maybe we’ll have a few days of Spring in April…”
Stay warm, everyone!
Thank you, Mod R, for the post. I had wondered after weather person said this am that Texas was ground zero for latest record setting inclement severe winter weather.
I am in NC and since Friday my rain gauge has collected over 3 inches in precipitation with more to come. I lost power Saturday in all the ice and that cold breeze. Thankfully I was prepared (it’s a regular thing here due to falling trees etc) and generator kicked in until utility power was restored. Gordon is the type to be prepared and ready for any emergency so I am sure they are fine too.
Hot cocoa sounds great. I like marshmallows in mine but Titan has planted the last three bags I found and bought. ????. So I am drinking hot mint tea instead. Be safe. Be well.
Snow here in Vancouver although turning to the tradtional rain. WE HAD -8C a few days ago. Now a balmy 2C. Just wanted to also say I just bought Blood Heir and Sweep with Me in paperback
That must suck immensely, specially during freezing temps. I feel for you guys and sending you positive energy
Toronto … and waiting for the storm to hit later today/tonight. Keep safe, everyone. Know where your candles are.
Hmmmm, blackouts during a snowstorm. Great way to destress. Snuggling in front of the fireplace, cooking on the grill, more snuggling…
You know its bad when the local news here in Sydney Aus, talks about the Arctic cold snap hitting Texas. We’re heading for 25C today, but its supposed to be summer, where did our summer go “sigh”? But sure glad I’m not in the Mid West or Texas y’all.
Stay safe & warm, with good reading available. And I feel for y’all with the blackouts, we get them too occasionally.
Stay safe, I know how treacherous snow and cold can be
Sending warmth yoru way
Mary Ann (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada)
I’m in IL and we are currently getting hammered by that same storm. We are also entering week 2 of bitter cold temps (currently 9, but feels like -12). Both my district and my kids’ have already called for snow days tomorrow. Stay safe and warm everyone!
Suburbs north of Chicago: storm coming from southwest, plus lake effect snow off Lake Michigan, also wicked sharp wind-chill from the west. Forecast 4 – 6 inches of snow, between this afternoon and tomorrow night. Glad to be home and no need to go out!!
Stay warm everyone!!
Thank you for the update, Moderator R and House Andrews. I hope you are staying warm, too, Moderator R.
We have freezing rain, sleet, and lots of snow in Ohio. I love snow but I hate any form of ice. It usually results in dangerous driving and electricity outages. Everyone stay safe.
We’re dealing with sub zero temps here. Our three chickens are sharing a habitat with a myriad of other small birds. They’ve flown into the chicken run where we have a heat lamp on all the time. Inside the coop there’s a heated perch and wall heater.
The mourning doves, junkos, cardinals, and starlings are in the run, huddled around the light. There’s water and food and shelter. We provide seed and suet outside, too.
Hubby and I are huddled under blankets, sipping hot chocolate, hoping it warms up soon.
It is colder in Texas than it is in New England. That is unbelievable.
Weird for sure!
Im in manitoba canada its -30 here lol
Thought this picture (found while browsing Zoo pictures) might inspire you.
Appreciate the update. Thank you.
Southern New England here. We’re supposed to get nothing but rain…and 50F. Which will wash away most of last weeks snow dump…
Oh, and good luck with the power. Been there, done that.
Speaking of not snowing, FL temps are in the 70s this week (I’m not there though).
Please share the new FL man news with Ilona:
“Florida man steals ring from girlfriend to give to fiance”
I’ve gained 15 pounds because of the coronavirus and my inactivity. I knew it would be useful for something !! Nothing like a layer of fat to keep you warm lol
Kinda terrible in texas right now good chunk of people in the neighborhood are furious with cps right now. Just was consitent power to warm house
Wow! That’s about the same amount as we got, but for us it’s low to average.
Hot chocolate in use!
Propane on-demand whole house generator. It’s primitive appeasement: spend the $$$, and the power won’t go out.
-52 below wind chill in my area, with -35 temp. Hopefully only four more months of winter.
70°F forcast here today in Arcadia, CA (just outside Los Angeles). Earthquakes, mudslides, and wild fires aside, I’m happy to be here! ☀ ☀
In Iowa, we have 14″ of snow on the ground (of 28″ so far in 2021). It has warmed up to 9 F after a low of – 4 F last night. Which was far better than the -15 F we had a few nights ago. We won’t talk about wind chills …. HEAT IS CRITICAL under these conditions – hope they get their power back soon !!!
That’s freakin’ cold for Texas!!!
I’m happily here in Oregon. Southern Oregon, that is. Out of the Polar Vortex.
Sunny, temps to be close to 50F today. Feeling VERY fortunate.
In the NC triangle, where it’s sunny and mild, hearing stories of terrible weather from all directions. (A little jealous of not being in Seattle for the snow there, TBH? Clearly, I’ve been out of Ohio for a bit…)
Is that the 500 acre wood? Lol
We’re snowboarding, love this weather!
Stay chill ????
Living on the edge of the White Mtns in NH we’d lose power every winter, sometimes it was for a few hours a few times. Other times for a day or two or more. Since we were in a lightly populated area we were low on the list for repairs. So we stayed stocked with food, wood for a nice wood stove, and a small generator to keep the water pump, a couple of lights,and the freezer (there’s an irony) going. To have that happen out of the blue in a place where it is not something anyone would normally plan for is a disaster. I hope they can get that sorted out fast. This isn’t just a difficulty, this is life threatening.
That sounds a mite brisk, but certainly looks pretty. I’m picturing Ilona yarn bombing everything in the house.
No dogs. No cats. Just slightly confused moving piles of knitting.
Well we are enjoying frigid 38 degree temps here in north Florida and we think We are in the midst of a terrible cold front! Our winter generally lasts about a week and then spring marches forward with determination! Hubby did not check the weather report and went to the garden shop and purchased a bunch of plants for the front garden! When he saw the cold weather moving in he got some old clear shower curtains I had and taped them around lawn chairs and made greenhouses for his plants until he can get through the bad weather. Ah, the man is creative! 🙂
Someone I know in California who tried to convince me to get solar panels for power, but in Ohio, it would take about 200 years by the calculator on the web site that is trying to sell them to make up the cost of them in power produced. But he told me that where he lives, any new construction requires solar power. I’m wondering why anyone in Texas doesn’t have that to fall back on, since they normally get sun at least 10 months out of the years. When my power went out for a week in winter a few years back, I got out my kerosene heater, set it up, kept the house warm enough, used a camping gear propane one-burner stove to cook, and heated water in big pans near the heater to wash my hands. The only real trouble I had was that the waterbed heater wasn’t working and it was freezing cold until I put blankets under me as well as over me to sleep. Kerosene lamps for light, a hand-crank gizmo that can charge through a USB port and play a radio, and also has a flashlight to charge up makes it handy, but it’s not fun to crank it for hours on end, that’s for sure.
When I lived in Houston, TX, it froze and I was shocked to find that water pipes are not buried or protected there. They ran the pipes above the ceiling, and many people ended up with collapsed ceilings when they burst. We got lucky (?) in that ours froze outside before it got into the house, so no water pressure was coming in to burst frozen pipes. Of course, we also did not have water in the house!
Right now, it’s about 15° outside, our power is on, but we had sleet on top of snow that made an ice slick across every inch of the yard, which is all on a hill. Feeding animals who live in a building away from the house was fun last night, it will be fun tonight. The big difference between those of us who live with winter every year and those who live in places that rarely get cold is that we are prepared for it. We own long johns, boots, heavy coats and gloves and scarves and hats. But I’m staying home, anyway. The roads are a mess with ice and snow outside the metro area. We don’t have any real plowing done. AWD only goes so well on an ice-covered hill.
I simply cannot wait to read what Ilona has to say about how these days are going at their house. No doubt, she’ll make me laugh. I hope it doesn’t take too long!
Some cold would be nice in Perth, Western Australia. We had almost a month of 35c and above. Thank God it is 28 today but so humid. Hate hate humid. Give me dry heat any day. But I’ve really got nothing to complain about when I see your weather report. Keep safe everyone.
Thank you for posting this. So glad they are ok.
Right now (Wed morning) Finland was at -20C/-2F… after lovely weekend with -7C/19F … Brrrrr
We got a storm up in Ottawa (Canada). But for us, -11 C and 23 cm of snow (12 F / 9 inches) is a nuisance. The snow clearing takes time but it’s something we experience every winter.
But if you’re not accustomed to it, it can be dangerous and frightening.
Bundle up and be cautious with makeshift heating/lighting/cooking. If it’s cold enough, empty your fridge and put things outside.
The longest I was without power was 3 weeks during ’98 ice storm. It’s hard, brutally so during the pandemic, but it can be done. The key thing I learned, if help is offered, accept it.
Hugs and empathy.
In Wisconsin here, so that seems normal but NOT with no electricity!!! I hope everyone has a way to keep warm (fireplace, etc)!
The one time our furnace died in the middle of winter we all hunkered down in the living room next to the obligatory fireplace. It was not pleasant.
Sending warm thoughts their way!!
This is a p.s. to my previous post–my heart goes out to all those w/o power. I hope everyone–especially all those w/o a home– finds shelter & warmth, & that this nasty weather moves on very soon.
I live in Ft. Worth, TX. I was without power for 18 hours. The temp in my apartment dropped over 20 degrees. Power came back on yesterday afternoon, I cooked up some chicken, sausage, rolls and chili while I had power since I was running out of leftover cold meatloaf in a cold apt. Yummy, not.
When I woke up this morning, the power was out again and the apartment was cold. It came on around noon, and I’ve had power since then. Stayed in bed under a stack of blankets until the apartment warmed up. My little cat Punkin is a Devon Rex and only has the inner coat of fur. She has been under the covers with me all day. My normal cat has stuck her head under the blankets long enough to snuggle and give me kisses and get petted, then she gets back out. I’m hoping the heat stays on overnight. I’m south of the boil water alerts, but plan to boil water before I go to bed just in case. Feeling very lucky.
My house in Minnesota was an earth home, which actually stays at a warmer temp than a normal house, had a heatilator system that blew out air warmed by the fireplace thru normal heating vents. With plenty of firewood, power outages not a problem, and water pipes properly insulated. I even could boil water, make coffee, cook hot dogs and even make popcorn due to gadgets picked up in antique stores. Planning for bad weather makes all the difference.
Us Europeans it is 😀