Winter in the temparate zone

[crfriend]

Well, Western Europe and the Isles are getting smacked pretty good right now, and we're about to get our first biggie of the season. The weather forecasts are (typically, mind you) dire, and posit almost two feet of snow, high winds, and whiteout conditions for the night. We're more or less used to this sort of thing here, which our pals in the "European Maritimes" are not.

The State of Massachusetts declared a State of Emergency at about noon (Eastern Time) today to make the reserves of the National Guard available and to increase Law Enforcement power. Sapphire and I are happily at home waiting for our second large roast beef to come out of the oven; she's watching the Weather Channel, and I'm writing this and having way too much fun with a device that was issued to my team at work as a paging device but which can do lots more -- like play snippets from You-Tube (which my machines cannot by virtue of a lack of raw horsepower). So, I'm listening to some wonderful recordings of organ and harpsichord music using the ultra-modern device, my own wireless LAN, and Sapphire's late dad's old-school "pot" headphones.

I'll make the final call as to whether I'll go into work in the morrow when I get up, and if I decide that I don't feel I can make the trip safely, already have a "to-do" list that I can execute from my keyboard here. If we get anything more than about six inches, the driveway needs shovelling (much more than that and my car's wheels won't touch the ground as the floor-pan bottoms out), and I'll need to breach the inevitable ice-dam that the town ploughs leave at the foot of our driveway.

In the meantime, I think I'll have another Bass Ale, wait for the roast to be done, have another listen at E. Power Biggs playing the "Maple Leaf Rag" on a pedal harpsichord (it's absolutely believeable on the instrument, even though was composed for the piano!). Then it's back to organ music; maybe I'll even fire up my big system for some audio fireworks if Sapphire feels like sharing.

So, even if the weather outside is dreadful things indoors are pretty good. I can deal with snow -- even feet of it. This is quite unlike the ice-storm of a couple of years ago that left us without power for three days, a litter of newborn orphaned kittens that needed warmth, two feet and change of water in the basement, and a general cleanup of (fallen and injured) trees that took weeks for the initial work and then months of touch-up afterwards.

[sapphire]

Snowing and blowing, snowing and blowing. The force of the blizzard has diminished a bit, but it continues. Hard to say how much has fallen because of the drifting, but it is probably about 12inches with another 2-4 to come. As blizzards go, this one isn't too bad, albeit uncomfortable. We have power, heat, water, food and drink. The critters have food and water. TV is working, internet is working, Nintendos (Wii and DSi) and Nook are working.

I see absolutely no reason to venture out today, but Carl did go out for a little bit. Surely a case of masochism.

We can go out tomorrow night to the favorite watering hole and commisserate with the regaulars about all our woes.

[crfriend]

I see absolutely no reason to venture out today, but Carl did go out for a little bit. Surely a case of masochism.

Well, some poor sod has to dig us out and I don't have much faith in elves and fairies. So, out I went, bundled up like a pillow, and still froze my keister off even whilst engaging in rather strenuous activity (wind-packed snow is not light, and this stuff was packed).

Jack -- Do you have a room to let for the season?

We can go out tomorrow night to the favorite watering hole and commisserate with the regaulars about all our woes.

I'm rather looking forward to it, but if there's lodging someplace in the antipodes I'm on the next freighter out!

[ChrisM]

Well Carl, I spent Christmas with the kids in Brockton MA and got to enjoy the snow fall. I even put on an extra pair of tights under my wool skirt and helped to shovel the driveway a little!

Made it out of Logan on schedule today, and am now sitting in Dallas awaiting onward transportation home to New Orleans, where the forecast for New Years Eve is 73F.

Best wishes to all,

Chris

[john62]

New Years Day down here in Aust. is predicted to be 38C, far to hot.But the day after back to 23C and rain. It is long been said that in Melbourne we can have 4 seasons in one day.

John 62

[crfriend]

Twenty-Two January, Two Thousand Eleven. We're a pair of two-foot snowstorms into the season and got another eight inches yesterday. If I had wings I'd fly south.

The weather is predicted to get down to negative 10 (F) tonight, and we've got a pile of snow on the roof. This means one thing: ice dams. For those who are lucky enough to have never experienced one, these dratted things form when the snow atop a roof melts from the heat inside the house then refreezes near the eaves blocking the water from further melt; the net result is that the pile of solid ice "backs up" the slope of the roof and at some point the melt-water starts leaking into the house. We have tools to deal with the snow (called "snow rakes") and I had to find mine this afternoon.

I spent a good two hours shovelling around outside trying to find this implement which is a flat blade about two feet wide and eight inches tall attached to a 25' telescoping handle. The sad part of this is that although I found the thing, and was able to get some of the snowmass off the roof, I managed to injure the back of my leg on ice-atop-snow at about 8 inches above ground level. So, now I have a nice little pressure-cut on my achilles tendon that'll necessitate opaque legwear if I opt for skirts for the next few weeks. At least the bleeding has stopped.

I go out to clear some more of the roof in a few minutes after I catch my breath and get slightly warmer.

I hate New England winters.

[Kirbstone]

Very interesting Carl. In Europe in snow regions, (ski resorts &c.) the roofs are equipped with vertical fences about a foot tall up off the roof tiles to hold the snow in place and prevent it sliding down a burying people in the street....a sort of domestic avalanche control.

Here our roofs are too steep to hold any weight of snow, and the recent stuff, up to a foot thick slid off onto the ground before it could melt & refreeze. Thick ice on the roof must be a real sod to deal with.

[DALederle]

Don't the houses in the Swiss Alps all have steeply peaked roofs. I beleive they are called Alpine house. They do this so snow is easier to get off the roof of sharply peaked houses. A good idea, I guess, for heavy snow areas.
So maybe that's the solution to snow of the roof.
A frame houses.
I know that houses in and around this neck of the woods, the far NW and N subburbs of Chicago, used to all have peaked roofs, not A frames, but even mine has a peak. I guess designers thought it was easier to deal with flat roof. But a couple of places I lived and companies I worked for, where they had flat roofs, the roofs always leaked.

Dennis A. Lederle
Grok?

[crfriend]

I guess designers thought it was easier to deal with flat roof. But a couple of places I lived and companies I worked for, where they had flat roofs, the roofs always leaked.

Flat roofs are, and always have been, an engineering challenge; first and foremost, one needs to have some slope to them so water can find the drains, and if you're dealing in a climate where it freezes one needs to make sure that the drains don't freeze up.

Our house has a peaked roof with each of the sides at about a 45 degree angle -- and the snow still piles up at that eaves (and forms ice-dams) because of the gutters that, in summer, carry the heavy rains to downspouts and thence away from the foundation.

Three months and counting: I am so ready for spring and warm weather. Yes, the groundhog may say "six more weeks of winter", but it feels more like six %$@($# months.

[Kirbstone]

Re: roof slopes: Any ski-brochure would show 'typical' wooden Alpine architecture with chalets and hotels &c all sporting roofs with 30-odd degree slopes, complete with the aforementioned fences to keep the snow on throughout the Winter. It perversely acts as insulation against more severe cold!!

At home we have 48 degree roofs, mainly for the aesthetic and nothing to do with Winter snows

[crfriend]

[Snow] perversely acts as insulation against more severe cold!!

Indeed, snow is a surprisingly good thermal insulator which is precisely why we get ice-dams on our roofs in the northern parts of the Colonies. Dismantling one as it sits on a roof is proof-positive of what happens -- the snow melts from the surface of the roof upwards, the melt-water then refreezes where the "snow blanket" ends, and creates a chunk of solid ice that blocks further melt; the net result is a void between the roofline and the top of the snow above and a ruddy nasty berg farther down the roof-slope.

At home we have 48 degree roofs, mainly for the aesthetic and nothing to do with Winter snows

That's not a house, that's a mansion.

As an aside, we're under a wind-chill warning here at home with expected values to be between -25 and -35 (F, both, but -35 is close to where the scales converge) by the time I leave for work in the morning. At this point in time, I am seriously wondering whether I'd be warmer in trousers with heavy tights under or heavy tights, a slip, a petticoat, and a heavy skirt; the top will likely be taken care of with both a fleece and a windbreaker capped off with a knit hat and gloves.

I hate winter -- and there's still three months of it to go...

[DALederle]

Eskimos live in houses made of ice, don't they?
I guess the ice can keep below zero cold out.
But it's a real stretch for me to imagine myself staying in one! Br-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-!

Personally, the day after Christmas I want it back to 70 deg. F again. It can snow and look picturesque on Dec. 24th for the Santa Claus followers. We can all sing White Christmas and watch the movie one more time. But please, let the warm up begin by Dec. 26th at the latest.

I'd rather be a beach bunny then a snow bunny!

I haven't ice skated in years and NEVER skied or snow boarded. So winter really is nothing for me.

Dennis A. Lederle


Pitchers and catchers are soon to report and we can follow the CUBS again!

Grok?

[kingfish]

Indeed, snow is a surprisingly good thermal insulator which is precisely why we get ice-dams on our roofs in the northern parts of the Colonies. Dismantling one as it sits on a roof is proof-positive of what happens -- the snow melts from the surface of the roof upwards, the melt-water then refreezes where the "snow blanket" ends, and creates a chunk of solid ice that blocks further melt; the net result is a void between the roofline and the top of the snow above and a ruddy nasty berg farther down the roof-slope.

I hate winter -- and there's still three months of it to go...

My roof has a 17 degree peak, and I missed turning on the gutter heater cables when it was warm last week.
Discovering water coming in through the back windows caused me to recheck them, and I found that
the plug had partially pulled out.

At least the blistering cold has stopped the meltdown altogether.

I'm really glad that winters like this only happen about once a decade or so.

[Since1982]

Dennis said: Eskimos live in houses made of ice, don't they?

Those "houses" made of ice are called Igloos by the Eskimos. Same name as the world famous IGLOO refridgeration hand carried COOLER. The Igloo Cooler has another benefit. If you fall overboard and you HAVE an IGLOO cooler within reach, you can climb inside of it with the top up and paddle to shore with your hands if you're not too far out.

[DALederle]

Skip:
My favorite is the Eskimo Pie ice cream bar! Beats an igloo any day and tastes a lot better!


Dennis A. Lederle
Grok?