Storm URI Nothing to Mess Around in Very Long ! Very Rought!

[Lane Ranger 10,968]

Did my first pass on drive from winter storm URI snow about 2:30 pm today.  Wind chill freezing my finger tips through my gloves in 20 minutes!  Falling about one inch an hour !  Not thick or heavy!  Light and dry perfect for a snowblower but alas mine not hooked up now!  

[ebinmaine 67,627]

Be safe out there boys and girls.

 

 

[oldredrider 2,548]

Shame on you for not having the blower ready!!!

[haydendavid380 759]

You southerners and your snow 😆

 

 

I plowed this morning in crocs and sweat pants.

[ebinmaine 67,627]

4 minutes ago, haydendavid380 said:

You southerners and your snow 😆

 

 

I plowed this morning in crocs and sweat pants.

 

 

You know it's getting fairly close to cold out when @pullstart Kevin and I are wearing long pants instead of shorts. 

 

16 degrees when I left the house this morning and I'm wearing single layer wind pants. 

 

 

[Rusty Tinsnips 477]

I'm gonna wait till midmorning tomorrow when the temp shoots all the way up to 7 or 8 and the wind calms. Should have about 10" or so on the ground by then.

[clueless 3,005]

Going to get down to 22 tonight with a wind chill of 15  the only thing I need to do in the morning is make a pot of coffee . Ya'll stay safe up there.

Edited February 15, 2021 by clueless

[slim67 2,735]

Getting ready to do my first clearing now and expecting a lot more.

 

[Pullstart 62,912]

12 outside, feels like -3.  The storm is almost to Michigan.  When it gets here, I’ll start the Cadillac and let it warm up till the snow’s melting off and go clear snow 

[pfrederi 17,741]

These really work!!  They have the for your feet also.  i put them in a zip lock bag after use and can 2-3 plow sessions out of a pair/

[Ed Kennell 38,227]

2 hours ago, Lane Ranger said:

Wind chill freezing my finger tips through my gloves in 20 minutes!

That qualifies the Lane Ranger for a heated cab.

 

31.7F and freezing rain here.    Looks like URI will pass to my North.

Edited February 15, 2021 by Ed Kennell

[briankd 817]

it is bad here i have 2 foot drifts across my drive way 30 mph wind . come home from work and the state hwy in spots down to one lane . road crews can't keep up till the wind dies .  i love it we haven't had snow here like this in a very long time will get some seat time in tomorrow night for sure . weather radar shows i am smack in the middle of this storm    

Edited February 15, 2021 by briankd

[Lee1977 6,667]

1 hour ago, Ed Kennell said:

That qualifies the Lane Ranger for a heated cab.

 

31.7F and freezing rain here.    Looks like URI will pass to my North.

It's not passing been cold and raining here for three days. Suppose to be clear and sunny by Wednesday.

[Achto 27,609]

Enjoy the seat time and be safe @Lane Ranger. Go in and warm up several times if you need to, the snow will wait. I pushed it too long one plowing last week and had to deal with extreme finger pain for what seemed like an eternity. It was only about a half hour till they thawed out & the pain stopped but it felt like a lot longer.

 

Starting tomorrow we are finally going to start getting temps in the double digits above zero. Will be a welcome change from double digits below zero at night and maybe a high barely above zero during the day.

[Handy Don 12,237]

51 minutes ago, Achto said:

I pushed it too long one plowing

Those are dangerous temps, your talkin'

Glad to hear you warmed up ok.

[Ed Kennell 38,227]

51 minutes ago, Achto said:

had to deal with extreme finger pain for what seemed like an eternity.

I hear that Dan.     When I was outside replacing the drive belt on the 312, I got to that painful point.        I know it's so tempting to put the hands under warm water, but that makes the pain worse.

Best to hold them under cold water and slowly change to warm.

[haydendavid380 759]

Are you guys wearing gloves and still having this much trouble with your hands? 

 

This year I found deerskin work gloves. Forever I couldn't stand working with my hands in gloves. Once I've found these I bought a pair of insulated and non lined ones. They look thick and bulky, but they're warm and I could pick up a needle if I had to. 

[oliver2-44 9,761]

Sunday night to Monday morning I had about 3-4” of dry fluffy snow on top of the ice we had Friday. It was 9F this morning. I’ve never seen that low a temp here in 50 years. 

Two of the grandsons are staying with us They were dying to go out in the snow.  We bundled up and they lasted about 10 minutes. It was 15f with a 10mph N wind 

 

The Texas power grid has been hit hard by this record cold. Of its 80,000MW capacity about 34,000 MW’s went off line today. About 50% (5000MW’s) of the states 10,000MW’s of wind went off line due to blade icing and other causes  Several gas and coal plants and a nuclear unit tripped due to various causes.  About 20,000 MW’s of natural gas generation were curtailed due to gas supply issues such as pipe line icing and supply directed to home heating priority. Solar was also down about 30% below daily forecast. This storm is a good example why we need a mix of all forms of electric power. The grid operator has used rolling blackouts to keep the grid from crashing. We were without power sometime during the night, then from 11am to 3pm and the power just went out at 10 pm. I’ve been using my fireplace for supplemental heat.  We bundled up and warm for the night. Interesting times. 
My C-160 would not start this morning at 18f in the garage. I have a block heater but it’s on the boat. 

[8ntruck 7,016]

Currently 10 degrees, headed for 5.  We are expecting single digits tomorrow's morning and maybe 3" of snow.  Looks like Mr. 2 cycle Toro will get some exercise tomorrow.

[WildHorses 382]

Stay warm Lane!

[Lane Ranger 10,968]

11 hours ago, pfrederi said:

These really work!!  They have the for your feet also.  i put them in a zip lock bag after use and can 2-3 plow sessions out of a pair/

 

 

Paul I used those for the very first time last night on my 6:30 clearing.   My wife Ruth has been after me to try these for years.  My finger tips were so cold after the first 45 minutes of snow moving at 2:30 that I was complying I had pre frostbite.  Ruth slipped two of those in my gloves to wear on the palm side and I had warm hands all the time I plowed last night.   I will have to go out again this am at daylight but I can use the same hand warmers from last night.  If you store the used one still warm in a sealed ziploc they can retain their heat properties.

 

pics from the 6:30 pm run  at about 12 degrees. 

Edited February 16, 2021 by Lane Ranger

[ebinmaine 67,627]

Two days ago we were forecast to get 6+ inches of snow. 
Every few hours the National Weather Service was changing their forecast and putting it so there was less snow and more sleet and freezing rain. Last I checked yesterday evening we were aiming for two or three inches of snow but I get up this morning and all there is is about a quarter inch of sleet.... 

[Pullstart 62,912]

We got hammered pretty good.  I shoveled the deck off at 9:30 last night!  Now the lowest part of the drift is about 6” deep... and it goes up to about 2’!

 

There’s a wicked drift in the driveway,  yet it’s too dark for a good picture.  Time to go start the Cadillac!

 

 

[Pullstart 62,912]

8 hours ago, haydendavid380 said:

Are you guys wearing gloves and still having this much trouble with your hands? 

 

This year I found deerskin work gloves. Forever I couldn't stand working with my hands in gloves. Once I've found these I bought a pair of insulated and non lined ones. They look thick and bulky, but they're warm and I could pick up a needle if I had to. 

I have a couple pair of leather mittens lined with wool.  Mittens allow your fingers to be in the same airspace as your palms and stay warm much longer!  I have to admit, working with mittens on a loader tractor in the dark is a bit of a challenge in itself, but easy to deal with while staying warm!

[Pullstart 62,912]

Hey y’all!  If the cold is getting you down, here’s the forecast for Okeechobee, FL!  There’s a nice camper for rent down there!