Will the Arctic Cold Front Cause Severe Weather and Damage to Crops?

[Zryn]

Baby, I wish it was cold outside, it was 110 F Sat/Sun. The grass is always greener where temperature extremes aren't.

 

[lisab]

Baby, I wish it was cold outside, it was 110 F Sat/Sun. The grass is always greener where temperature extremes aren't.

Wow, I'll say! That's hot enough to wilt nice green grass, indeed!

 

[Evo]

A high of 7 degrees today. According to the weather channel it's been snowing over my house for over 2 hours and not a flake.

 

[Borek]

7 degrees here as well. 7 deg C, that is. But the circulation is changing, weekend should be below freezing, with nights even around your zero in northern parts of Poland.

 

[turbo]

Highs in the 30s today. Had to clean up fresh wet snow today. The next 3 nights will be below zero, so anything that's wet will be solid real soon. Either do a thorough clean-up or wait for a long thaw.

 

[dlgoff]

A high of 7 degrees today. According to the weather channel it's been snowing over my house for over 2 hours and not a flake.

It hit the high here at 6°F. Tomorrows low is forecasted for -5°F.

Let it NOT snow, Let it NOT snow.

 

[Astronuc]

This morning the temperature was about ~30°F this morning with snow, then rain, then snow - so the hard surfaces were slick. Then the sun came out about mid morning, and it was about 37°F. Fortunately, the surfaces became dry.

But this afternoon the temperature dropped to 25°F, and after sunset, the winds picked up, and the temperature is now 14°F and going down. The winds are blowing slightly with a wind chill of -7°F.

 

[turbo]

Wow! The wind is howling and the metal roof is making popping noises. Temps are plunging, so I'm pretty sure that the popping noises are from the steel roofing lifting free of ice between the steel and the underlying materials.

 

[rhody]

Wow! The wind is howling and the metal roof is making popping noises. Temps are plunging, so I'm pretty sure that the popping noises are from the steel roofing lifting free of ice between the steel and the underlying materials.

Turbo,

Are you kidding me ! I just took out the trash, 40+ mph winds with the wind chill, well below zero, this winter has long since gotten on my nerves, we put our ski days on hold to next week partially because of the travel distance and cold mountain temps. Enough already.

Rhody...

 

[turbo]

Turbo,

Are you kidding me ! I just took out the trash, 40+ mph winds with the wind chill, well below zero, this winter has long since gotten on my nerves, we put our ski days on hold to next week partially because of the travel distance and cold mountain temps. Enough already.

Rhody...

Nope. Not kidding. We will be below zero for tonight and the next two nights and all the presently un-frozen materials will get rock-hard in short order. I cleaned snow and ice diligently today so that I'll still have some options if the rest of February puts us in the deep freeze. Sometimes, its hard to find places to put all the snow.

 

[Evo]

The snow has started here.

 

[turbo]

The snow has started here.

It's been snowing all day, lady. Did you just find your glasses?

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

It's as cold as a rat's ass when hell freezes over on a cold day in July when the sun don't shine centigrade, which is 17 fahrenheit.

 

[jtbell]

We missed out on the latest storm here in SC. It's been sunny and chilly the last few days and today. But the next storm is projected to dust us with an inch of so of snow tonight before heading up the East Coast. Get your shovels ready again!

 

[WhoWee]

We missed out on the latest storm here in SC. It's been sunny and chilly the last few days and today. But the next storm is projected to dust us with an inch of so of snow tonight before heading up the East Coast. Get your shovels ready again!

No need to shovel 1" - break out the leaf blower - it's more fun.

 

[EnumaElish]

It's as cold as a rat's ass when hell freezes over on a cold day in July when the sun don't shine centigrade, which is 17 fahrenheit.

Cold day in July? South of the Great Circle? Patagonia?

 

[jtbell]

I was referring to the folks up north needing to get their shovels ready. I don't even have a snow shovel, or a leaf blower for that matter. When it snows here, it usually melts within a day or two, and in the meantime I just slog through it.

The big storm the second week of January was an exception. The college shut down for two and a half days and my wife and I stayed at home. By the third day (when I finally had to walk to campus to teach an afternoon lab) the snow had partially melted and re-frozen a couple of times, turning our deck, walk and driveway into sheets of ice. I had to use a garden shovel to whack away the ice.

 

[turbo]

Everything is frozen rock-solid here. We might hit a day-time high of 20 degrees, but we're not there yet. Anybody who didn't clean up the wet stuff from yesterday is now stuck with what they've got until the next extended thaw. The only one who is excited about the freeze is Duke. He loves climbing the frozen snowbanks, and not sinking in.

 

[dlgoff]

Yea! 50s forecasted for next week. Melt baby melt.

 

[Astronuc]

We've had a number of collapsed structures in the region. In CT, there are apparently 300+ structures which collapsed due to the snow.

Yesterday, near where I work, I passed a house at which the front porch had collapsed due to the snow. It was a mess! It looked like a giant had swiped the front of the house - shearing the roof of the porch from the house and splintering it. Many of the houses on the street date from the late 1800's, and many have porches and gables.

 

[nismaratwork]

Wow... the snow here is no longer snow... it's depleted snowranium. I don't think I could clear what's already there with a pickax.

One thing I noticed today, now that the snow berms are no longer obscuring all views; the amount of salt and sand that had to be used... has STRIPPED almost every street sign! A yield sign that was quite vivid weeks ago is now just a triangle. You can also start to see the profound damage done to the roads by plows, but even more by flexing and freezing.

Oh... and the wind is howling from west, but... oh well.

Astronuc: 300+... kind of makes you wonder about how many years this has taken off the life of infrastructure such as highway overhangs...

 

[turbo]

Very warm and wet today. It is exactly 32 deg right now, and the rain is freezing on contact with the pavement. My wife got me up early this morning to tell me that she had skidded off the road and into a snowbank. We waited for a plow-truck to pass through, spreading salted sand, and then I drove her down to her car and returned home to get my tractor. I dug her car out as best I could and dragged it out of the ditch with the tractor. Luckily, she had only gotten a couple of miles from home, because by the time she was out and on her way to work and I had gotten back home I was chilled to the bone by the freezing rain. No cab and no heater. Maybe I should have paid a little extra.

 

[Astronuc]

Very warm and wet today. It is exactly 32 deg right now, and the rain is freezing on contact with the pavement. My wife got me up early this morning to tell me that she had skidded off the road and into a snowbank. We waited for a plow-truck to pass through, spreading salted sand, and then I drove her down to her car and returned home to get my tractor. I dug her car out as best I could and dragged it out of the ditch with the tractor. Luckily, she had only gotten a couple of miles from home, because by the time she was out and on her way to work and I had gotten back home I was chilled to the bone by the freezing rain. No cab and no heater. Maybe I should have paid a little extra.

I'm glad she was alright. Be careful going out in the cold like that. There were some buried cars in NY City during one of thoes big snow storms. They apparently recently found a body in one of the buried cars - after the snow melted.

One March morning many years ago, we had icy rain and the roads got covered. The main road was closed due to accidents and ice. I took a side road to by-pass the closed portion of the main road. I got to a point though where there was a little rise, and the only way to get up the rise was to be going fast enough to get to the top without needing traction! The car in front me didn't make it, so I had to stop half way up. Meanwhile some idiot wasn't paying attention to the situation and got close behind me. I got out of the car and started slipping on the ice. I told the car behind to back up, because I was concerned my car would slide downhill into his. He backed up. I then backup while turning so that the rear of the car went into a snow bank. Then I actually slid the front of my car around to point down hill! I ended up taking the side road further south.

It did occur to me that if I had had a shovel, I could have simply chopped through the ice to the pavement. The ice layer was about 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick, and it was on a thin layer of compacted snow. If I could break through the ice, I could have moved it off the pavement and gotten traction. But I didn't have a shovel.

Anyway, it's 49 F today, so more melting. It was in the mid-50's yesterday. However, it's supposed to cool off again over the next several days.

 

[turbo]

I'm glad she was alright. Be careful going out in the cold like that. There were some buried cars in NY City during one of thoes big snow storms. They apparently recently found a body in one of the buried cars - after the snow melted.

Thanks. Apparently, she had an exciting ride, since she ended up pointing opposite her direction of travel, and her car was thoroughly buried in the ditch. There is very little solid stuff to hook onto with modern cars, so I dug out her car as best I could before towing her out of there. The Legacy is a nice little car and the last thing I'd want to to is bend a critical structural member by applying too much force. She took only main roads all the way to work and called me once she got there. Most people at her place of work live much closer than she does, but she ALWAYS makes it to work, even in the worst conditions.

 

[dlgoff]

I couldn't believe it got up to 75 yesterday. I hope that doesn't make the trees bud too early because next week is suppose to be back to winter temps.

 

[dlgoff]

Thanks. Apparently, she had an exciting ride, since she ended up pointing opposite her direction of travel, and her car was thoroughly buried in the ditch

Those driving conditions would have been a good reason for me not to go to work. Glad she and you are okay.

 

[turbo]

I couldn't believe it got up to 75 yesterday. I hope that doesn't make the trees bud too early because next week is suppose to be back to winter temps.

We had an unseasonable warm-up early last spring, and that took my apple trees out of dormancy before I had gotten a chance to prune them. NOT good. I've got a double-dose of pruning to do this year, with some suckers that are already 2 years old. The weather is showing us some pretty wild swings the last few years, and that's making gardening, apple-growing, etc, a bit problematic.

 

[turbo]

Those driving conditions would have been a good reason for me not to go to work. Glad she and you are okay.

Thanks. It's a point of pride and diligence that she refuses to miss work due to normal weather fluctuations. In this case, she lost control on a steep hill that is shaded all day long from the sun and stays frozen all winter, with some impressive frost-heaves.

Our neighbor's daughter called the school-bus driver who told her that she had tried to get out onto this back road and found 4 vehicles off the road, and conditions so slippery that she refused to make her run until the road crew had salted and sanded the roads enough to make them safe for "her kids".

Part of the delay was probably due to the fact that we have a new plow-truck driver this year, and he was unprepared for conditions, including needing time to put chains on the truck.

 

[nismaratwork]

Thanks. It's a point of pride and diligence that she refuses to miss work due to normal weather fluctuations. In this case, she lost control on a steep hill that is shaded all day long from the sun and stays frozen all winter, with some impressive frost-heaves.

Our neighbor's daughter called the school-bus driver who told her that she had tried to get out onto this back road and found 4 vehicles off the road, and conditions so slippery that she refused to make her run until the road crew had salted and sanded the roads enough to make them safe for "her kids".

Part of the delay was probably due to the fact that we have a new plow-truck driver this year, and he was unprepared for conditions, including needing time to put chains on the truck.

Wow... losing control on a steep hill... FUN! Your's is the only state I've ever skidded-out in.

 

[Astronuc]

Thanks. Apparently, she had an exciting ride, since she ended up pointing opposite her direction of travel, and her car was thoroughly buried in the ditch. There is very little solid stuff to hook onto with modern cars, so I dug out her car as best I could before towing her out of there. The Legacy is a nice little car and the last thing I'd want to to is bend a critical structural member by applying too much force. She took only main roads all the way to work and called me once she got there. Most people at her place of work live much closer than she does, but she ALWAYS makes it to work, even in the worst conditions.

I spun out one time between two lanes of cars and ended up going backwards on the shoulder. I hit some ice or slush on the road while going ~ 50 mph. The traffic ahead was stopped! My rear started sliding around and I lost traction. I was lucky.

Another time, I spun out on a curved exit ramp when I hit ice. I then proceeded to slide down the ramp backwards. Fortunately, I did not slide out into the intersection and crossing traffic. I stopped at the bottom of the ramp. Exciting way to start the day.

 

[Evo]

Turbo, glad your wife is ok. Driving on icy roads scares me, it's also the reason that after I moved north I switched from a stick to an auto transmission. Sitting on icy hills with a stick was just too scary. Some people say they prefer a stick in that situation, I just feel like I have less control trying to move forward when I'm sliding backwards.

 

[turbo]

Turbo, glad your wife is ok. Driving on icy roads scares me, it's also the reason that after I moved north I switched from a stick to an auto transmission. Sitting on icy hills with a stick was just too scary. Some people say they prefer a stick in that situation, I just feel like I have less control trying to move forward when I'm sliding backwards.

Thanks. That's one reason that she insists on a standard transmission, though. Control of shift-points. I was thinking about maybe getting her a new Legacy last year, but Subaru had gone to larger wheels, AND a 6-speed tranny (more shifting and clutching). We'll wait a bit and see what shakes out. I'd like to buy a 2nd automatic Forester for her, like mine, but she's more comfortable in the Legacy. I must admit that with aggressive snow-tires and studs it handles much better than my Forester in winter conditions.

 

[nismaratwork]

I spun out one time between two lanes of cars and ended up going backwards on the shoulder. I hit some ice or slush on the road while going ~ 50 mph. The traffic ahead was stopped! My rear started sliding around and I lost traction. I was lucky.

No... You're... UNBREAKABLE! ... and yes... I just referenced an M. Night Shamalamadingdong movie.

Another time, I spun out on a curved exit ramp when I hit ice. I then proceeded to slide down the ramp backwards. Fortunately, I did not slide out into the intersection and crossing traffic. I stopped at the bottom of the ramp. Exciting way to start the day.

Um... have you ever considered a treaded vehicle?! Please stay alive...

 

[turbo]

No... You're... UNBREAKABLE! ... and yes... I just referenced an M. Night Shamalamadingdong movie.


Um... have you ever considered a treaded vehicle?! Please stay alive...

You might be confusing Mr. Astro with Chuck Norris. There are similarities...

 

[nismaratwork]

Thanks. That's one reason that she insists on a standard transmission, though. Control of shift-points. I was thinking about maybe getting her a new Legacy last year, but Subaru had gone to larger wheels, AND a 6-speed tranny (more shifting and clutching). We'll wait a bit and see what shakes out. I'd like to buy a 2nd automatic Forester for her, like mine, but she's more comfortable in the Legacy. I must admit that with aggressive snow-tires and studs it handles much better than my Forester in winter conditions.

So help me, I've still never driven stick in my life, and given my age I have no excuse. Seriously though, having been to Maine in winter, I find it hard to imagine anything short of those monsters they ride around McMurdo station would help. I would guess it's all driver skill and knowing the roads, and the limits of whatever vehicle you're driving.

You need to ride IVAN! (not Seeking, don't worry). http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/04/Ivan_the_Terra_Bus.JPG