Gearing Up For Our First Major Snowstorm This Winter

So far they're calling for 3"-10" (talk about covering your bases!) here in Culpeper, VA, starting after midnight & continuing thru Sunday morning. Possible strong winds tomorrow could produce blizzard-like conditions.

I know that my 2"-3" high daffodil sprouts will make it, but do have to feel sorry for the peony sprouts & my little blooming Snowdrops. I know the Snowdrops will also make it, but will still feel bad watching them get covered with the white stuff.

On a lighter note - I went to Wal-Mart early this morning to try & beat the milk/bread/toilet paper lunatics, & someone there must have a terrific sense of humor. They were playing Bing Crosby singing "White Christmas", as well as other "snow tunes". I seemed to be the only one who found this funny - everyone else looked grim. Folks around seem tot take snow VERY seriously - lol!!!!

Breezy, They are predicting over a foot up here.
Got your camera ready? What would be more appropriate than a pic of snow drops in the snow?
Enjoy!
Andy P

No kidding Breezy! Of all weekends to dump snow during my trip north to Critters! I'm ticked! I am planning on hosting a gathering this fall possibly (if we aren't in the middle of a move) so it will be another chance to see everyone if there is too much snow to drive in this weekend. I'm sure there will be plenty of symposiums and the like to hang out at if anyone wants!

-gert

They are talking 16'' in some parts of PA. I want to winter sow but I want to be able to get to my containers!!! From 60 to a major storm in a week!!!

Guess that groundhog was right ;)

Dea

Yup - guess the Groundhog Phil was right after all.

It's cloudy, cold, & the wind is already picking up quite a bit here. Sigh.

Darn...and I was going to borrow my brother's pickup to take a load of stuff out to the dump tomorrow. I guess I will just have to stay in my warm house and browse Dave's Garden all day long...yea right, like my wife will not have more tasks to add to my list!

- Brent

How many of you have that stupid little Weather Bug chirping every 10 minutes?
I've shut off every alert I can find and that little bugger keeps chirp-chirping.
Andy P

Well, they've just revised our forecast here down to 3"-5" total accumulation starting tonight thru Sunday.

Unfortunately, they're now saying it most likely will be sleet mixed with snow.

Somehow I think both I, my horses, & my plants would have preferred the 10" of pure snow. . . .

Breezy, I agree. Not that I look foward to ALOT of snow, but it sure would be nice to have a pretty white blanket even if for a few days! As a former 'Mainiac', I love the snow, but I always dreaded being buried with it from November to May! Best part about living in Virginia is you get to enjoy it for a few days, but it melts away so quickly you don't suffer from the doldrums of being cooped up inside for months on end.

Yes we were supposed to get about 10 now they say about 2-4. I was looking forward to a big snow but NOT this weekend~~~ I have my son's 6th birthday party and at my DH's restaurant it is the Saturday before Valentines and he is BOOKED. So I guess 2-4 will be better this time around but I do enjoy a few snowdays to get organized inside and hang out with everybody!!!

I just really prefer the snow to the snow/ice mixture. I think the snow - providing it's not overly wet & heavy - is easier on the trees, shrubs, & plants than those pretty, but lethal coatings of ice. Plus the snow melts faster, & I'm less likely to fall on my stupid head - lol!!!

Ditto Breezy!!!!!

Arggghhh - now I just heard we're back to a prediction of 6"-10" starting tonight & ending Sunday morning.

Gee - do you think perhaps they just don't KNOW what's going to happen - lol????

WHAT I better check the weather again!!! Darn hoping it would not be a huge storm have too much to do~~~~~~

Of all the weekends to have a MAJOR snow event! Doesn't the Weather Channel know that a party for Howie & Kimberley (Gardenwife) is planned tomorrow at Critterologist's (Jill)??? Sheesh, the very least this storm could have done is dump all the snow on us Monday morning, so I would have a good excuse for getting into work late, or even better, NOT being able to go to work at all! What good does it do if it snows on a weekend??? Everybody still has to go to work and to school Monday morning....bright & early!!! Ggggrrrrr!!!!

Shirley my thoughts exactly!!!!!

I know. I was contacted about that get-together & thought it would have been SO much fun to meet other folks/gardeners from the area.

Hopefully we can do it again somewhere - because I'm definitely not going anywhere tomorrow - lol!!!

I do hope beyond hope that everyone who does make it has a great time & safe travels.

How the weather changes ;) This morning it was nothing again - maybe 1", now the forecast is for the heavy stuff to start around 1'ish and perhaps get 10-12" here.

The clouds are really moving in now and it's very still - that "pre-snow" feeling :)

Dea

Yes - here too.

There's barely a dusting out there now & it's coming down sporadically & very lightly, but the weather "powers that be" are calling for the heavy stuff to start later on, with a current prediction of 7"-14" before it ends Sunday morning.

Oh well - I still think that's better than ice. And since the temps for Monday onward are supposed to be in the mid-40's at least, it should melt fairly quickly.

Well, whats going on down there? Inquiring northerners want to know!
Predictions are for 15 to 20 inches up here, high winds, drifting and coastal flooding at high tide in late morning.
Andy P

It's ugly. Very ugly. Wasn't bad earlier, but the snow has definitely picked up & I'd estimate it's dropped about 4-5 inches in just the last several hours. Current forecast is estimating 6-13 inches for us by the time this ends some time tomorrow. And since we're already closing in on 6 inches at almost 9 p.m., it's obvious we'll be getting more than the minimum predicted.

Oddly, one forecast has also predicted 30 mph winds for tonight & tomorrow, while another has not. I am truly hoping the "has not" is the accurate one.

Am just about to go out & give extra hay to the horses, & wrastle the hose into the basement. Guess it will be a night where I'll be wearing my ear-flap "Mad Bomber" hat + many layers of clothing.

Oh Breezy, have someone take a pic!
I'd love to see you as the 'Mad Bomber'!
Thanks for the update.
Andy P

they said I would start to see the worst at about 9 --- snow so hard --- but it seems oddly light now.

we only have about 4 inches now maybe 5 .
I have a party for my son tomorrow with 22 kids so hoping at the very least it stops early enough for everyone to dig out and get there.

still waiting for the heavy snow if Breezy is right maybe I am just a bit behind in times right now ~~ they said 9 but if you are just getting the heaviest snow now maybe we will not see it til about 11 or so....
Keep checking in

Argghhh!! Well, I just crawled in a little while ago (10:22 p.m.) & man, it is UGLY out there. I'm guessing we have somewhere around 6-8" already (it was over my ankles) & it's still coming down hot & heavy.

I thank the Lord that the hose wasn't frozen, so I was able to give all the horses nice full buckets of warm water for the night. Also gave everyone a full bale of hay apiece. Not that my barn is old or full of holes, but the snow is coming in every available tiny spot. I have a feeling I'm going to have tiny mini-drifts in there by morning. What fun!!!

AndyP - I'd eat worms & die before I'd let anyone see me in my ear-flapped rabbit-fur-lined Mad Bomber hat. Only my dogs & horses get that treat. And I must say that the 1st time the horses saw me in it there was nearly a stampede!!!!!

Snow??? Did you say SNOW???

I'm happy everyone got home alright after the party... we were a bit worried about Garity driving back to Fredericksburg, as the storm was clearly worse to the south... well, we know she could handle the conditions, since she's lived in CO, but we worried about the drivers on the road with her! It's amazing to me how a few falling flakes will turn local drivers into maniacs or complete ditzes, even before the road is wet.... I guess it's a phenomenon related to the mad rush to buy milk & TP at the grocery store, LOL.

OH no Breezy are you telling me hard snow is on it's way??? seems to have let up here now .....

not like they said it woud be ~~~~~ so heavy you could not see.... and 1-3 inches per hour.


Seems here to have let up but OH may be just for a bit huh???

Yes - I too can never figure out the milk/bread/toilet paper stampede at the grocery stores. Heck - if I'm going to be housebound because of a storm, I want some nice wine, a few good cheeses, perhaps fixings for a nice hot buttered rum. . . .

You mean that white stuff falling from the sky??? We just had 60 degree temperatures last month!!! How can Mother Nature do this to us????

This message was edited Feb 11, 2006 11:10 PM

They're still calling for at least 10" here, & the worst of it is, later on tonight the winds are supposed to pick up to 20 mph with gusts up to 30 mph.

If that dire prediction comes true, I'll be out in it in the middle of the night closing up the barn. I don't like closing the barn windows unless it's absolutely positively necessary - but neither do I like shoveling snowdrifts out of horse stalls. . . .

Magoobu - maybe you won't get as much bad weather as us. I'm really close to the Blue Ridge Mountain foothills & we seem to get blasted more than other spots.

How much does everyone have, so far? It was over a foot in the middle of our driveway this morning, so we had to shovel a spot out for the little dog. Even the big dog (he's mostly legs :)) was moving slowly through it.
It's still coming down and we're in the middle of a cloud (as is often the case here.)

Looks like about 10" here - that heavy wet stuff that makes everything look so pretty......until it's shoveling time ;) Luckily, we have a plow for the truck so it's just the sidewalk out front that will need attention :)

I haven't been outside yet (but will soon since I can see the barn from here & the horses are hanging out their windows giving me the hairy eyeball - lol), but from the looks of what's piled on our deck railings, I estimate we got around 10-11". And yes, it's heavy & wet here too - enough to have the power going off & on, I guess from bowed tree branches against the lines.

Unfortunately - or fortunately, depending on how you look at it - there will be no shovelling here, as the snow shovel has apparently gone on hiatus somewhere & we can't find it. Gee - what a shame - lol!!

That's my attitude, too, Breezy. But DH doesn't let any grass grow under his feet; so it's get right out there! And I can't let him do it all even though we'd agreed when we moved up here that getting snowed in is just that! Crank up the blower!

Dea, That looks like the storm we had in December. Heavy wet stuff that sticks to everything. Makes for great pics though.
Here we have 6 - 8 inches if my guess is right, it's hard to tell with the drifting. It's light and fluffy here. Temp is now 23F. Some spots in the driveway are bare and others are over a foot. It's coming down fairly hard now but not too bad. The worst is expected between noon and 3 PM.
My dog, Sidekick Sarah, loves it. She has asked to go out 3 times already, not for long though. LOL.
I'm happy this is a daytime storm here. I enjoy watching it.
Ah Breezy, No Pic?
Andy P

No - sorry, no pics. I'm too busy lying here trying to restart my heart after lugging 200 feet of "Mr. Hose" from his warm home in the basement thru 11" of wet, heavy semi-drifted snow to the barn - lol

And anyway, my camera isn't good enough to have gotten the only worthwhile shot - 15 Turkey Vultures, one to a fencepost, wings spread, drying off.