Bomb Cyclone!!!

[pokey1416]

Yesterday mornings cleanup. Same with today! Maybe we’ll get a break tomorrow. Merry Christmas everyone!

 

[5030]

No snow here, just cold.

 

[TractorTYMe]

I had -38F in Montana on Wednesday, -30F on Thursday and yesterday it was ONLY -10, today Xmas eve it is 10F. Had to get a new battery from my Chevy Cruze Diesel, the cold killed it. But it was an original Delco from 2014, so it was time.

 

[oosik]

3:15pm and +28F. Things are getting soggy here.

 

[dodge man]

The wind chill is -3 here now, it’s amazing how much better it feels compared to the -37 wind chill yesterday.

 

[fatjay]

Last night it was 3f, and my oil line froze between the tank and the house. I was going on the wood stove alone, but it could only keep the house at 60 on full tilt. Today I went to home depot and got a pipe heater and some insulating tape. Wrapped it good and plugged it in. Tonight and the next few days is the same.

Frost King 6 ft. Electric Water Pipe Heat Cable HC6A - The Home Depot

Frost King Electric Water Pipe Heat Cable helps to protect cold-water and hot-water pipes from freezing. Comes with grounded plug for safety and easy to use.

www.homedepot.com

 

[BravoXray]

Went down to the shop and fired up the JD430 this afternoon, as it had warmed up to a balmy 6°F. I let it warm up for 10 minutes or so and then cleaned up all the drifts in front of the shop and the house. Also cleaned up the drives of three of my neighbors, only took about 30 minutes to do it all. We only got about 3 or 4 inches of snow from the big blast, and that was blown around so much the grass is still showing in a lot of the yard.
The forecast shows 50° for next weekend.

 

[AnotherBueller]

The National Weather Service and the local TV forecasters really love to exaggerate these "killer storms" that bear down on us from time to time. There has been a blizzard warning for SE Minnesota since Wednesday night. We got one inch of snow and minimal winds and the work commute Thursday morning was close to normal. Of course all of the schools were closed and every event cancelled to prepare for the storm. I understand the idea of providing some warning but to the degree they hype this is almost embarassing.

A storm hit north central Minnesota several years ago where I nearly spent a day or two stranded in my car when the storm gave us 17" of snow with 70 mph winds. Ladies and gentlemen, that is the definition of a blizzard. Of the course the term "bomb cyclone" was not available at the time.

The winds are expected to pick up today and no doubt that will create some visibility issues. But when we live in the upper midwest and get some snow with wind it doesn't have to be an "armageddon" or "end of days" event.

I recall a heavy snowfall in Fairbanks in 1971. Went from clear sky to 2+3 feet of snow in the middle of a 30 minute trip into town. They didn't call that a blizzard for that area.

 

[AnotherBueller]

Nothing to plow here, storm was all rain (and wind!). A little dusting of snow when the temperature dropped, maybe 1". Was 5° when I got up this morning, it's 9 now. Historically, the last week in Dec. has been quite cold, I remember some really brutal new years eves. Glad the wind died down.
Before I went to bed last night made sure to open/close all the car doors so they didn't freeze shut.

My family has been spraying silicone spray lube on all the car door seals for years, don't forget the seal on the bottom of the doors. Keeps them from freezing shut. Must use a spray shield when going near glass and upholstery, hard to get of glass and makes seats very slippery.

 

[Jstpssng]

Last night it was 3f, and my oil line froze between the tank and the house. I was going on the wood stove alone, but it could only keep the house at 60 on full tilt. Today I went to home depot and got a pipe heater and some insulating tape. Wrapped it good and plugged it in. Tonight and the next few days is the same.

Frost King 6 ft. Electric Water Pipe Heat Cable HC6A - The Home Depot

Frost King Electric Water Pipe Heat Cable helps to protect cold-water and hot-water pipes from freezing. Comes with grounded plug for safety and easy to use.

www.homedepot.com

A little diesel conditioner added to your fuel can prevent that from happening. My father changed his 3/8 inch fuel lines to 1/2 inch to keep it flowing. Up here they always recommend kerosene in outside tanks during winter to keep it from gelling. With two greenhouses he preferred to save the expense.

We still have over 500 gallons in two tanks which I would LOVE to get rid of. It's old, possibly pre-low sulfur. My brother won't let me mix it into my mother's tank because he found "someplace" on the internet which said it would spoil; and all that the home heating assistance places want is cash.