Winter Weather Watch/Reports 2010 - Winter of 2009-2010 Could Be Worst in 25 Years

[Dark Skies]

More of the same around here, cold and some flurries. Lot's of ice fog again last night, more than usual so everything is coated with hoar frost again. Even the cat is staying inside these days so he's had enough of winter as have I.

[Delphine]

I drove to New Orleans yesterday and had to come back to Mississippi today. The water pipes in this old house are not wrapped and I have turned off the water, which I'll do for the next three or four nights until my guy gets here to wrap them. It's supposed to be 21 F for the next few nights (freezing rain tomorrow) and my wonderful neighbors asked if we were prepared...no.

The house is built up off of the ground with a crawl space; that portion is bricked in, so I may be okay.

You may laugh at this because one of my neighbors did. My guy put in a new hot water heater and put it on the OUTSIDE of the house. He lived all his life in New Orleans and people put hot water heaters outside and even washers and dryers on back porches. Hmmmm.....we're not in Kansas anymore.

Hey, VO. I have pulled out my Michigan woolens. How do I check the temps now and in the 1950s for a town so small that it has ONE stop light?

[Judee]

I drove to New Orleans yesterday and had to come back to Mississippi today. The water pipes in this old house are not wrapped and I have turned off the water, which I'll do for the next three or four nights until my guy gets here to wrap them. It's supposed to be 21 F for the next few nights (freezing rain tomorrow) and my wonderful neighbors asked if we were prepared...no.

The house is built up off of the ground with a crawl space; that portion is bricked in, so I may be okay.

You may laugh at this because one of my neighbors did. My guy put in a new hot water heater and put it on the OUTSIDE of the house. He lived all his life in New Orleans and people put hot water heaters outside and even washers and dryers on back porches. Hmmmm.....we're not in Kansas anymore.

Hey, VO. I have pulled out my Michigan woolens. How do I check the temps now and in the 1950s for a town so small that it has ONE stop light?

Oh, oh! A water heater outside there sure isn't a good idea is it Delphine? I hope you don't have any problems. In my house, I have only one worry when it's gets sub-freezing. The moron plumber (and I know who he is, and he definitely IS a moron), put a copper water pipe along the inside of an exterior block wall downstairs... And I mean, RIGHT against the block wall. Well, those kinds of walls draw cold, and of course, this pipe will freeze when temps. get below 20 degrees F. Even though those kinds of temperatures are rare here, they do happen, and I always worry about that stupid pipe!

And VO, thanks for the weather updates!!

[Judee]

More of the same around here, cold and some flurries. Lot's of ice fog again last night, more than usual so everything is coated with hoar frost again. Even the cat is staying inside these days so he's had enough of winter as have I.

I hope you have a short winter this year Dark Skies!!!

[Delphine]

Oh, oh! A water heater outside there sure isn't a good idea is it Delphine?

You have to geaux to south Looosiana, cher. It's a different world. (And quite cold tonight, I understand.)

And, no, it probably isn't the smartest idea to have a hot water heater outside, but we will forgive the geographically limited "plumber".

[Delphine]

How is everyone fairing in the cold? I'm freezing and went outside only once today. Just as was predicted, it will be 21 F in SW Mississippi tonight.

I think I heard this was caused by an Alberta Clipper? So, we are blaming Canada for our weather?

[Dark Skies]

The Alberta Clipper strikes again.

[VOguy]

Hey, VO.[/SIZE] I have pulled out my Michigan woolens. How do I check the temps now and in the 1950s for a town so small that it has ONE stop light?

It's colder than Jennifer Granholms _____ up here right now. After 4" of snow, and wind chill of -6. Jezzzzz...

The best way to check temperatures of a small town is to find a site where they would have temps for larger cities and use the "clock principle". Select 12 cities around you in a circle and record the hi/lows for temp, barometer, humidity, winds. Toss out the two top highs, and the two bottom lows. of each.

For example if you're reading in a circle around you, 50, 51, 49, 45, 41, 44, 45, 48, 48, 49, 51, and 46 .... you would toss out the (2) 51s and the 41 & 45. Then average the rest.

My meteorology professor swore by this, and damned if it's not right on the money (plus or minus 1).

An Excel spreadsheet works well.

The one thing to do is pick an average of distances as well. For where you live I would cheat and use just stats for Lafayette, Baton Rouge, Gulfport, Hattiesburg, Jackson, and Alexandia. You'll be close enough.

Also check "historic highs and lows" for the major towns, and sometimes you'll find some surprises.

[Judee]

The Alberta Clipper strikes again.

So, are you getting warm moist air, or the cooold frigid air Dark Skies?

[Delphine]

Right, VO. Thanks. I understand all of that....

Actually, I didn't sleep last night, so the brain is on PARK. You know research is my thing. I'll see what I can find...may have a question or two.

Congratulations on Ohio State. Right now I'm watching Alabama give Texas a hard time in the BCS Champ.

[Judee]

Right, VO. Thanks. I understand all of that....

[/COLOR]

I read it, and I understand too Delphine... Honestly I do...

VO, you are a credit to your profession!

[VOguy]

Not hard to understand. Take a group of data from around you, toss out the extremes on each end, and then average the rest. You would be surprised at how accurate it is.

If you're not worried about high accuracy, just take four points from the NE, SE, SW, and NW and average them together. The error might be as much as four or five degrees, but that's close enough for gov work.

The smaller number of samples, the higher the error rate.

[VOguy]

Some really bad weather is pushing through Dallas at this moment moving to the ENE and may intensify as it goes into Arkansas, and into southern Tennessee. Keep an eye out on Weather Channel or listen to NOAA weather radio.