captpackrat | Snow and ice

Last night the NWS issued a Winter Storm Warning with dire predictions of 7 to 12 inches of snow, 40 mph wind gusts, wind chills of -37°F, blowing and drifting snow and whiteout conditions. Fortunately none of that has come to pass, yet.

This morning we've had a tiny amount of freezing rain and sleet, just enough to make a paper-thin ice sheet on the steps and to coat the bare trees with a glistening coat of white.

When I let the dogs out this morning, they kept skidding and sliding around on the ice. It was rather amusing to watch.

Less amusing was having to walk through this stuff to feed and water the sheep, but my ice cleats work extremely well in this kind of weather. I don't like wearing them inside the barn because they pick up crap (literally), but they're too tricky to remove and reattach easily so I just leave them on and remove my boots on the kitchen porch.

The radar is pretty much empty, except for a sliver of a return around Norfolk. If there's any snow coming, it won't be for several hours at least.