This is the middle of February. In my youth here on the Plateau, February was a month known for wicked weather. People seem to have forgotten.
It is the August of winter. While January is the coldest month on average, that is only because February treacherously throws in a few warmer days to raise false hopes. The next few days here will not be among those. This is February's true nature -- six inches of snow over a layer of sleet with another round predicted in the next couple of hours. The temperature will likely not get above freezing until Friday and Saturday when we will get more sleet. Single digit lows for the next couple of days while Thursday morning the temperature will be below zero.
I'm not too concerned. I can get to work (ha-ha, as my mom would say). I have water and heat. I stocked up additional coffee Friday, and I also picked up a six-pound can of peanut butter. Food is not a problem anyway. The pantry shelves are loaded with quarts of apples, green beans and tomatoes, and the freezer is full.
I hate to drag the tractor out and hook up the blade just for the driveway. I'll probably just shovel out around the house and see how I feel about the tractor this afternoon.
Keep in mind that a week ago this past Saturday, I was out riding my bike in a t-shirt. A couple of years ago, Branson -- not too far from here -- was hit by a Valentine's Day tornado.
Forget it, Jake. It's February.
That's cold enough, I think. It's practically a heat wave around here at 38F, at the moment. Yesterday got up to 68F. Pretty strong El Nino keeps the arctic air out of Washington.
ReplyDeleteBut a La Nina will have the opposite effect. Still, rarely gets colder here than it does there except in the summertime.
Bleh. 6 degrees last night here in central VA. Lost power Saturday night for 12 hours but heated the house with the woodstove. Man, that was some wind! Snow today and cold nights for... looks to be forever from the forecast. You're right February is a tease. Do you have heat that doesn't rely on electricity?
ReplyDeleteI think we got maybe 4 inches or so up here. Not enough to motivate me into even plowing the driveway with the tractor. February here in Missouri is always a toss up as you say but hell we get 70 degree days even in January I can remember wearing shorts on New Year's eve a couple years back. I really enjoy those long dry false Springs we get from time to time too.
ReplyDeleteYes, I do have non-electric. When we built the house, I put in a furnace-rated direct-vent propane fireplace. It's not quite as efficient as the furnace, but everybody loves it. You could hardly get my late mother-in-law away from it in the winter -- my wife, too.
ReplyDeletePlus I have the generator which will run everything if it's really cold.
You are right, PP. This has got to be one of the toughest places to be a weatherman.