captpackrat: (Cold Weather)
The National Weather Service is now forecasting 6-9 inches of snow, which doesn't sound too terrible. But I was looking at the weather data for the huge storm of March 1, 2007, which left us trapped at home for four days with a 4 foot deep snow drift across the driveway. The NWS recorded only 7 inches of snow that day in Omaha.

Uh-oh.

Hopefully things won't be as bad. Since the fence was installed, the snow drifts differently, so maybe it won't pile up as bad. Or it might be worse. The winds aren't forecast to be as strong, either, with gusts to around 30 MPH, rather than the 58 MPH recorded during that storm.

captpackrat: (Cheer)
You don't truly appreciate indoor plumbing until you have to do without it for a day.

The water was out all day and night yesterday, but when I got up this morning, it was working again.  But it was too late, the well guy was already on his way out.  He climbed down the hole and looked around.  He said the problem was in the pressure sensor; several days of sub-zero temperatures had frozen the sensor in its open position, so the water pump thought the pressure tank was full and wouldn't pump any more water.  It warmed up enough this morning to defrost the sensor and restart the pump.

There isn't any sub-zero weather in the current forecast, so hopefully the sensor will warm up enough so it won't happen again.  We need to get some kind of heater device we can lower down there to warm things up in case the weather turns arctic again.
captpackrat: (Gadget Parts Left Over)
I went to wash some dishes this morning, and the water just came out at a trickle, then stopped.  I tried hot, nothing.  I tried cold, nothing.  I tried the bathroom, nada.  I tried the other half of the house, which has a separate water heater and piping.  Nothing.

I checked in the basements, but didn't see any leaks or obvious broken pipes.  The basements are heated anyway, so it's unlikely anything down there is frozen.  Checked the circuit breakers, and the board is green.  I power-cycled the water-pump circuit, just to be sure.

I popped the manhole on the well and peeked down inside.  It's really bright and glaring outside, and my eye has been bothering me again, so I couldn't see very clearly, but the pressure gauge on the supply line appeared to be at 0.  I couldn't see any leaky pipes, either.  I'm not about to go climbing down into a narrow, deep, dark hole by myself to make sure, though.

So either the well has frozen solid (fairly unlikely), it's dried up completely (also fairly unlikely) or the pump is on the fritz (possible).
captpackrat: (Cold Weather)
-12.8°F (-24.9°C) this morning. That's still warmer than the -15.5°F I recorded almost exactly 2 years ago, but it's enough to make this the coldest night of the season.  Windchill was -25°F (-32°C)

At least it's warmed up some.  It's a balmy 0°F (-17.8°C) outside now.
captpackrat: (Sheep)
I hate having to lock the sheeps in the barn; I prefer letting them wander in and out as they please, but with forecast temperatures dropping to -10°F and wind chills down to -30°F, I don't want to risk their health.  I gave them some kitchen vegetable scraps and a half-scoop of molasses, which I sprinkled over their kibble.  They've also got tons of alfalfa, a mineral block and plenty of water in a heated bucket.  I'll probably let them out Saturday when temps climb back above freezing and the wind dies down.

Blizzard

Jan. 12th, 2009 04:33 pm
captpackrat: (Cold Weather)
It's not really snowing all that hard, but the wind is so strong (gusting to over 40 MPH) that at times visibility is under 500 feet.  I can barely even see the barn.

I really should go out and close the barn door to make sure the sheep stay inside, but I don't have enough clothing to go outside in this.  They have plenty of food and water in there; hopefully they're smart enough not to venture out.
captpackrat: (Cold Weather)
Monday morning it got so cold (-11°F, -24°C) that a hawk froze to death.  I'd seen the body out there but wasn't sure what it was.  Today I finally got around to checking it out.  Judging by where I found it, it had been perched on the peak of the barn when it froze and fell to the ground.  It's a solid lump now and quite well embedded into the ice.  I'm surprised the dogs haven't tried gnawing on it yet.

Yakity Yak

Dec. 22nd, 2008 01:34 pm
captpackrat: (Deerpr0n)
I'd never actually used my YakTrax on ice before; this is the first winter I've had them and this was the first ice storm of the season.  I've tried other brands of slip-on traction devices, but they didn't fit securely on my boots.  YakTrax are different.  YakTrax stretch to fit over the bottom and around the sides of your shoes, then a Velcro strap goes across the top of your shoe to secure it.

When I let the dogs out this morning, it was like beginners night at the skating rink.  They were skidding and slipping all over the place.  Our Dane actually fell down and slid on her ass for several feet.  The driveway is pretty much a ribbon of ice between the house and the barn, and if anything, the lake of ice in front of the barn door had gotten bigger.

I strapped on my YakTrax and headed out with food and water for the sheep.  Not once did I feel like I was losing traction, even walking across hard ice.  When I got to the barn, I found that the cinder block holding the door closed had frozen into the ground.  I tried lifting it, then prying it with my fingers, then pushing on it with my boot, but it was stuck fast.  I finally managed to break it loose by kicking it.  The whole time I was doing this, I was standing on a sheet of ice and I felt totally secure in my footing.


YakTrax Pro run about $23 a pair on Amazon.com (The Pro version has the velcro strap, the Walker version does not.)  They're available in 4 sizes to fit your shoes.
captpackrat: (Cold Weather)
It's about 2°F (-17°C) outside, and the windchill is -10°F (-24°C).

I was carrying a large bucket of water and half a bucket of feed to the barn for the sheeps.  I didn't realize the ground in front of the barn door was solid ice, so I wasn't wearing my YakTrax (crampons).  I went down hard.  I banged my knee on the hard ice; it hurts like hell but fortunately I don't think I broke anything.  The bucket of water spilled all over me and almost immediately froze.  I was literally frozen to the ground and had to fight my way free, not an easy thing to do when you're on solid ice and have no traction.  My roommates were so engrossed in their computers they never heard my cry for help.  If I'd broken something or been unable to get up, I'd have frozen to death.  Thanks guys.

The sheep got their food, but water bucket was empty, so I guess I'm going to have to venture out there again.  I don't know how, all my cold weather gear is soaking wet.  I used a piece of a broken stall door to make a bridge across the ice on my way out of the barn, so hopefully I won't fall next time.  I'll be sure to wear my YakTrax too.
captpackrat: (Weather - Dr. George)
There was still an inch or two of snow on the ground last night when the freezing rain began.  We got about a 1/2 inch of ice, followed by about an inch of snow, so there was a sandwich of snow, ice, snow.  Walking on it was a bit tricky; as soon as you put your foot down on what looked like the surface, the ice would collapse with a loud crunch and your foot would keep going.  It was also rather slippery if you weren't careful.  When I let the dogs out this morning, both of them fell down as they ran out the door.

The ice also played havoc with our front gate. my SO insisted on going to work, so I offered to open the gate for him so he wouldn't need to stop (once you stop on ice, it's hard to get going again).  But the latch and guide wheels had frozen solid with a layer of ice, so I had to stand out in the cold and dark chipping away the ice and then manhandling the gate to break it free.  I left the gate open and locked the sheep in the barn so our other roommate could also leave for work without needing to stop.  I'll probably leave the gate open all day so they can return without a problem.

Shoveling ice off the walkways is a lot harder than shoveling snow.

I have to go out and check on the sheepies.  With the barn door and barnyard gate closed, their only source of water is a heated bucket inside the barn, which I have to keep topped off. 

Snow day

Dec. 16th, 2008 10:57 pm
captpackrat: (Sheep)
We got a couple inches of snow this morning and the high temperature was 15°F (-9°C).

I let the dogs out and they ran around and around and around like they'd never seen snow before.  One dog likes it when I dump snow on her, the other hates it.  I finally got them back in the house and started out with my chores.

I carried water out to the barn for the sheep, then set out some alfalfa and filled their food bowl (during the winter, we give them a mix of sheep kibble, beet pulp, crystallized molasses, oats and cracked corn).  Then I filled the outdoor water buckets.  I have to carry water in buckets from inside the house, since the cold makes the hoses and outdoor spigots useless.

By the time I was finished taking care of the mammals, it had stopped snowing, so I started shoveling the steps and the walkways.  The sheep got curious and came over to watch.  Then I started sprinkling salt on the sidewalk to prevent the snow from turning to ice.  The sheep seemed to think I was doing this for their benefit and starting nibbling at the salt pellets.  It shouldn't hurt them since we use just plain rock salt, but I tried to shoo them off anyway.  But they kept coming back.  I finally gave up and went back inside; my hands were freezing from handling the cold salt (I take off my gloves to avoid ruining them).

The current forecast still calls for sub-freezing weather through at least next Tuesday.  There's a 50% chance on sleet and freezing rain on Thursday and small chance of more snow Saturday and again next Tuesday.  So much for getting to golf any time soon.

Chili dogs

Dec. 15th, 2008 03:45 pm
captpackrat: (Cold Weather)
So it got down to -5°F (-20.5°C) this morning, with windchills down below -30°F (-34°C); not the coldest I've ever experienced but with the windchill it's pretty close.  Tonight is supposed to be even colder, with 2-4 inches of snow forecast for tomorrow.

It's interesting that the dogs don't waste any time when it's this cold, they run out to the lawn, do their business and run back inside as fast as they can.

The wind stopped blowing this afternoon and the temperature managed to climb up to 5°F (-15°C), which wasn't nearly as horrible as this morning.  The sheep, who were cuddled up in the barn last night were out and about munching on grass.  They got really excited when I came home from shopping and started running around the yard like the dogs sometimes do.  They can be so cute some times.
captpackrat: (Cold Weather)
Noon and the temperature has already fallen to 10°F (-12°C).  The windchill, however, drops the temp down to -15°F (-26°C).
captpackrat: (Cold Weather)
Oh, I hope they've got this week's forecast wrong.  Tomorrow will be the warmest day of the entire week, with a high of just 35°F (1°C), and that's going to be in the morning.  The rest of the week with be sub-freezing, with a low of 2°F (-17°C) Sunday and Monday nights.
captpackrat: (Fail - Bob Barker)
Sunday night, the National Weather Service issued a Winter Storm Watch, predicting 3-6 inches of snow, heavy winds and white-out conditions for Tuesday.  Monday evening it was down to a Winter Weather Advisory with 1 inch of snow and reduced visibility.

I haven't seen a single flake yet today.
captpackrat: (Cold Weather)
First time I've ever seen a Wind Chill Advisory here.

Temperatures tonight will be around -5°F, with wind chills down to -25°F.  The "high" tomorrow will be a whopping 7°.

It's going to be so cold many schools have canceled classes tomorrow.
captpackrat: (Weather - Dr. George)
There has been snow on the ground here since late November.  The weather has been very cold, with temperatures below freezing and snow falling almost every other day for the past two weeks.  A couple nights ago it got down to -10.8°F.

Things turned around yesterday, with the high finally climbing above freezing.  Today the high reached 48.2°F and the forecast is for 2 more days of 40+ weather, with Sunday's low predicted to be 34°F.

In a single day, large patches of bare ground have appeared where the snow is rapidly melting.  With two more days of warm weather, hopefully the majority of the snow will disappear before temps plunge back below freezing Monday night.

It'll be nice to be able to pull my car out of the garage without getting stuck.

A-salted

Jan. 21st, 2008 02:49 am
captpackrat: (Cold Weather)
Last winter we went through a single 10-pound bag of salt for deicing the front steps.  The whole winter, one small bag.

We're barely half-way through the winter this year and we've already gone through an entire 45 pound bucket.  Yikes.
captpackrat: (Cold Weather)
It got down to -8°F (-22.2°C) this morning.    As of 8:45 PM, it's already down to -4.0°F (-20.0°C)
captpackrat: (Cold Weather)
2:30 in the afternoon and it's only 11°F (-12°C) outside!  Wind chill is -2°F!  The forecast calls for it to drop down to -3°F (-19°C) tonight, with a wind chill down to -21°F!

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