Storm Stories

[dturm]

Share your stories!!

Our section of Indiana (northwest near Chicago) is under a state of emergency, all interstates (I80-94, Indiana toll road and I-65) are all shut down.

We had over a foot of snow with high winds so drifts are over 3-4 feet.

It is currently -15. Wind chills near -40.

It's not unusual to get a below 0 temp here in Jan or Feb, but high today is supposed to be around -11 (record low high temp for any date around here).

One of our doctors got stranded at the airport (she spent New Year's in NY) and the other is snowed in, so I'm "working" today. I actually had a surgery show up!! and one patient for subQ fluids.

We're shutting down early, I've got a huge pot of soup at home waiting.

Doug

[juliev]

Warmed up to almost 18 today!

[chrisnpat]

Okay I'm about 50 miles from the Wisconsin Illinois border. Waukegan ,Gurnee, Antioch area. Chicago complains they get alot, ha we get Lake Effect. It started New Years Day and snowed for 3 to 4 days. Than we got Lake Effect for a day and a half.
I now have 12 to 18 inches of snow in my yard.

Deb I believe The snow you got is the snow we Had.......lol

Our temps have been zero to near zero since New Years. Last four days its been between 0 and -15.

Today its warm, around 8 degrees. lol

Pat took the snow blower in the back yard so doggie could go, but its been so cold they won't leave the deck.......

[Deb_and_Ed_M]

dturm wrote:
That's what I expected you to say. I've seen estimates of over 3' of lake effect for parts of NY with this storm. We're just far enough west that we only get lake effect when the wind is directly from the north or northeast, any western component and it goes east of us. Still it can be bright sunny in Chicago and we're getting dumped on.

Ooooh - I'll bet a north wind brings you TONS of snow, though!! Clearly, Lake Effect depends on "fetch" (in this case, dog lovers, it has nothing to do with retrieving...LOL!). I'm east of the widest part of the lake, so we're in what the Nat'l Weather Svc calls a "Persistant Snow Belt". Most of my neighbors who own "low-slung" breeds like Doxies and Bichons, have to shovel paths through the snow to their potty-places...LOL!! One (lucky!) friend with a Bichon owns an "off-road snowblower" - it has bulldozer drive-treads instead of wheels, so she can clear paths through her back yard!

[dturm]

That's what I expected you to say. I've seen estimates of over 3' of lake effect for parts of NY with this storm. We're just far enough west that we only get lake effect when the wind is directly from the north or northeast, any western component and it goes east of us. Still it can be bright sunny in Chicago and we're getting dumped on.

[Deb_and_Ed_M]

dturm wrote:
Deb, I was wondering how much snow you got on your side of the lake???

The wind has shifted to the SW and we have a "warming" condition, it's all the way up to +1 above. Amazing, but it actually feels kind of warm at least compared to -15.

Assuming you're talking about the BIG lake (Michigan)... ;-)... it really protects us from the bitter cold. It has been colder to the south (like Indiana), than here in West Michigan. However, I live on a good-sized lake, so down here in the "bowl" - I've seen actual air temps of -10 to -18 degrees. Lord only knows what the wind chill has been - my dogs can only stand to be out for about 30 seconds.

Of course, the payback for that temperature protection is Lake Effect SNOW. At the moment, the snow is so deep that unless one is on a groomed trail - it's really NOT good to snowmobile in...LOL!! I think I just read that Grand Rapids has already had 50+ inches of snow - which is close to a "normal" winter's-worth of snow; and we're on track to get around 100" for the season??

I think my hands are permanently shaped to either grasp a shovel or snowblower handles....LOL!

[Dandy_Dan]

We are having a warmup with the temp today at 1 with a windchill of -21. Supposed to have better weather upcoming the rest of the week actually predicted to be in the 40's this weekend. Maybe that will melt some of the 6-10" of snow we have on the ground and some of the frozen drifts from the wind.
Hope all are staying warm and healthy.

[dturm]

Deb, I was wondering how much snow you got on your side of the lake???

The wind has shifted to the SW and we have a "warming" condition, it's all the way up to +1 above. Amazing, but it actually feels kind of warm at least compared to -15.

[Deb_and_Ed_M]

Well, I got paths shoveled to the 2 trees in our yard, after watching Jack bounce back and forth in a 8' line several times - it dawned on me that he was tamping down the shoulder-high-on-him snow so he could squat adequately enough to poo....LOL!!

I like winter - but this blast of Arctic air is getting old fast. I blow snow for 10 minutes, then come in to warm up. The wind chill is as bad as I can remember.....

[Scottiemom]

rav wrote:
stay safe driving. it's -11 here in Elkhart and they have also issued the travel restrictions. only a plow or two have driven by so far.

we are taking the dogs out 2 at a time (we have 2 fosters right now- great time to house break a 10 month old!)

We have apartments in your area. A tenant called yesterday to ask if our manager could come plow the drive. When we called him, he said there is a foot of snow in the subdivision that has blown and drifted (still is). The truck, while great for drives, can't plow the streets and the neighbors got stuck in front of one of our duplexes when he came home from work at 2:30 a.m. He said that once the county plows the street, he will be there with bells on. Even if he got the drive plowed, they wouldn't be able to get out to the main road. There is a snow emergency there.

I for one would not be going anywhere.

Dale

[BCSnob]

We only went down to -5F last night; the wind was howling.
Our girls were curled up in the mudroom in our house.
When I left for work at 5:30am the sheep were laying outside the barn sheltered from the wind.
I could not see Sam in the barnyard; he was likley in his spot inside the barn curled up on some loose hay.

Mark

[Deb_and_Ed_M]

"Speed Peeing" - yes! My guys are doing that, too! They seem to have about a 30-second window of opportunity before their feet start to hurt in our -5 degree actual temps and windchill is in the "OhHeckNo" zone.

Jack the Cattle Dog is impervious to the weather - he seems to have tougher feet? BUT - Mother Nature has been mean to him with this weather: at age 13, he can barely see (cataracts) to start with; and snow in general ruins his depth-of-field. And now with the wind blasting across the frozen lake and creating crazy snowdrift sculptures and maze-like paths - Jack is encountering "barriers" that didn't exist yesterday.

One more day of wind and snow - and then I can at least shovel straight paths for the poor old guy....

[juliev]

Southeastern Minnesota, currently -14 with winds around 20 MPH gusting even higher. Not sure what that makes the wind chill. My "storm story" would be going out in the c___ for a job interview today. I think they were impressed that I showed up....

The dogs all hate this stuff. I have spread around a bale of straw in the dog yard right near the door and that's as far as they'll go. They have beat all previous speed peeing records! The cats go to the door to go out and change their mind - then they'll go do a different door and ask to go out - as if it might be warmer out in that yard.

I'm with Doc on this one, time to become a snowbird!

[Code2High]

BTW if you have an enclosed porch or garage, creating an indoor potty set-up is not that difficult and at times like this where you all are, VERY worth it. All my dogs use it, including the two big ones. Really nice when it is too wet, cold, snowy, windy or whatever.

[Code2High]

DOTLDaddy wrote:

RBak wrote:
Walter, is the photo General Gretchen or Miss Inga? Whoever it is, what a beautiful doggie!

Rita

That would be Miss Inga, aka "Shorty" or "the brat".🙂

Ah, the joys of an adolescent dog.... I am suspecting that having an extra smart breed does not make this period easier?