How’s the weather?

[jjohnwm]

Well, here we go again. The weather guys and gals have been, as always, carefully monitoring the information being gathered by satellites who watch us from on high. They've been consulting computers using sophisticated programs and algorithms and other gizmos and gadgets. They have relied on their years of experience and the training education that they received that allows them to title themselves "meteorologists". It almost seems as though some of them have even occasionally gone outside or maybe looked out a window. They've been telling us for the last several days that the next week or so was going to be generally clear, sunny, warmish (around freezing or even a bit above) and pleasant.

If only...

Because, now...this morning...they have issued a snowfall warning for my area...effective right now...telling us to expect snow to start falling...right now...and to continue pretty much throughout the afternoon and night. Depending upon which egghead interprets the signs, we're supposed to get 4 to 6 inches of heavy wet snow.

That's fine; we have gotten off pretty light this winter, especially compared to much of the continent. I don't mind pulling out the snowblower and getting to work. But how...HOW...can this kind of thing just sneak up on them/us? No mention of it late last night or even early this morning...and then, all of a sudden, that big red banner across the top of the screen.

Happens regularly. The only saving grace is that they are often completely wrong; I won't be surprised, and certainly not disappointed, to wake up tomorrow and see an accumulation of a half-inch total...or maybe even none at all.

 

[esoxlucius]

There's a lot to be said about them "ologists" types. I already mentioned earlier in the thread about our legendary weatherman, Michael Fish, who got it catastrophically wrong way back in 1987.

In his defence though that was 1987, I think we were still rubbing two pieces of wood together to get fire back then in the UK, lol. His weather monitoring gadgetry probably wasn't up to much back then.

However, in 2023, there shouldn't be any slip ups. Yet only the only night I got caught in a snow blizzard whilst out on my bike. I knew it was imminent because my phone told me it was on its way. But imminent, as in two hours early, wasn't what the weather centre had forecast!

 

[jjohnwm]

The forecast-at-the-last-second four-inch snowfall hit us as expected; combined with strong winds, it left a few spots with no additional accumulation, whereas other spots have new drifts a foot deep or more. It's heavy and solid, almost like concrete. My dog (90-ish pounds) is able to walk right over top of it almost everywhere.

And now, more is being forecast to start this afternoon and continue through Thursday morning; another 6-8 inches. Bummer. But at least this was seen coming more than a day in advance.

You see a little patch of grass appear here, a little smudge of bare gravel driveway there...hope rises...you start to foolishly think that spring has arrived...and then: BAM!

Never fails to disappoint.

 

[esoxlucius]

Never fails to disappoint.

Sorry to hear about your spring set back John. With the prolonged and brutal winter you guys get you must really look forward to spring.

We're doing ok at the minute. Low double figure °C today and sunny. The plants in the garden are stirring and with the clocks going forward last weekend we have lighter nights. Dare I say it, but I have a real "spring" in my step at the minute, lol.

However, I have a bike ride planned later so I'll probably get marooned on a desolate moorland road in 6ft of snow if it's anything like that other recent ride I mentioned, lol.

 

[jjohnwm]

So last Wednesday, another fresh foot of fresh heavy wet snow fluttered gracefully down from the heavens to thoroughly bury all the little bare patches of grass and gravel and road that had finally begun to peak through to the light of day.



This, naturally, meant that Thursday was spent shoveling, plowing, blowing, cursing...

My small inground pond was buried before the storm; afterwards, it was...more buried...


But today...aah, today!...was spent digging my stock tanks out of the snow in which they have been encased all winter. Of the six, only two were actually visible before the digging began. Eventually, all were sitting atop the snow instead of vice versa. The two largest, the round ones, were placed in position and filled up with the white stuff; I use as much snowmelt as possible to fill the tanks in the spring to ease the pressure on my well.

The remaining four will be set in position and filled tomorrow. The next several days are forecast to be sunny and warm; as much as +10C for daytime highs. The black tanks will melt their contents quickly, and I should be able to top them up with more snow several times before it melts down too low on the grass. I don't want to fill the tanks up more than about 2/3 with meltwater to minimize the shock when i bring my fish up from the basement fishroom and its hard, higher-pH water. The remaining third will be from the well, to "cut" the soft neutral meltwater and allow a shorter easier acclimation.

This is the single period during the year when I have to worry about differing water parameters when doing a water change or moving some fish; I don't like it much...

 

[jjohnwm]

After our last idiotic dump of snow a couple weeks ago, we were treated to a series of beautiful warm sunny days, at the end of which virtually all of our snow was gone except for a few of the largest, deepest drifts. I had spent the last few days of snow cover laboriously shovelling it into my 6 stock tanks, filling them to overflowing as fast as they melted down. As of this morning, the results were as follows:


The temperature when I took this shot earlier today was about 60F, which feels pretty tropical right about now. The tanks are all 70-80% full of snowmelt, waiting for the addition of hard, alkaline wellwater to bring it a bit closer in parameters to my indoor tanks. Fish are palpably waiting to go outside; you can feel the tension in the air when you go downstairs to the fishroom. My planted tanks haven't been pruned in weeks and are pretty thick, in hopes of getting a good start on the outdoor growth.

I just came in from taking the dog out for his last poop of the evening. The snow has started again; forecast calls for another 4-6 inches over the next couple days.

Dang.

 

[RD.]

Man you guys just can't catch a break this year. Looks like some areas of southern Sask & MB are going to get a serious dump of snow in the next day or two.
Thankfully we are just off the mark of this storm, maybe a shower or two, but no snow.

 

[jjohnwm]

It's actually been a pretty easy winter for us overall; a couple decent snowfalls, a couple cold snaps, but the accumulation on the ground at the beginning of this month was less than average, and it started to melt pretty much on schedule. But then we got that last dump a couple weeks ago that was likely the worst of the season...and then it all melted, lifting hopes...and now this morning I woke up to three inches on the ground with as much as another foot in the offing. Enough already!

Oh, well, at least the dog loves it! The Lab side of his heritage has gifted him with that amazing weatherproof coat and he loves nothing more than romping in the snow. When we went for our daily walk at dawn today, he stepped out the door and instantly turned into a pup when he saw the fresh snow.

Fingers crossed for you, RD. , that you do indeed miss the brunt of this storm.

 

[esoxlucius]

What the hell! I thought Betelgeuse may have finally gone supernova but then realised it is actually the sun!!! We haven't seen much of it lately. It's been out all day today, can't complain about that.

 

[jjohnwm]

We too had several nice warmish days, melting all that latest snow...again.

And now...it's back. Snowing heavily, big wet flakes, for the past hour, seems to be tapering off now. Temp sits at 38F. The forecast calls for increasing warmth for the next week, with a temp of 68F called for next Tuesday.

I am about as likely to believe a forecast for a week in the future as much as I am to listen to a palm-reader telling me how to invest my money...but it is spring and it has to start warming up sometime...doesn't it...?

Stocktanks are all between 40 and 45F; at this rate I will need to bring the fish back inside a week after I take them out...