The Killer Storm Of The Century!!! Nuclear Bomb Cyclone!!! We're All Gonna Die!!!

[casebro]

Originally Posted by Skeptic Ginger

....

It's supposed to thaw when the temp goes from 29F now to 52F tomorrow! Yep, spring is on its way.

Yup, tomorrow is going to be 8 seconds longer than today!

[casebro]

Aaand, the low death toll is because the weathermen all warned us? And NOT because the huge big deadliest storm of the millennium is another meh-burger?

[novaphile]

Originally Posted by dudalb

You on the east coast be sure you have plentyof food on hand. Remember the Donner Party.

Definitely a thing in Australia, we make them out of tourists and call them Donner Kebabs.

[novaphile]

The weather is weird on my side of the world too...

I washed and put away the winter quilt yesterday, and switched to my summer quilt.

ON THE 25th of DECEMBER!!!

In case you're wondering, that is extraordinary that it is this late in the year before I switched the quilts over.

We're expecting 38°C (100.4°F) today, and 40°C (104°F) tomorrow.

First hot days this summer.

Traditionally, January and February are our hottest months, but still...

[bruto]

Originally Posted by casebro

Aaand, the low death toll is because the weathermen all warned us? And NOT because the huge big deadliest storm of the millennium is another meh-burger?

I can't speak for the rest of the country. Around here the hype was not that bad, but the forecast was for high winds and a precipitous temperature drop and snow, and we got exactly what was forecast, within minutes of the time it was forecast for, so no complaints about the weather forecasters here. Our temperature dropped from mid fifties to below freezing in about an hour, and after a few more hours went down to the single digits, a drop of nearly 50 degrees in half a day, from rain to driving snow, and wind gusts up to 70 miles an hour, which knocked out both power and phones for a couple of days. And at least one person was killed around here, simply by a falling tree in her front yard. Maybe not the deadliest storm for some of us, but it sure was for her.

[mgidm86]

People accustomed to a cold climate don't mind cold weather.
People accustomed to a hot climate don't mind hot weather.

I learn new things here all the time. This isn't one of those times.

[Skeptic Ginger]

Our ice storm was pretty bad, lots of people and cars slipping on sidewalks and streets. And it was short lived, the temperature rising to 50F overnight and melting it all. I think weather-mageddon was at least on par with the hype.

80F in So Cal now though? Seriously weird.

[The Atheist]

Not the Apocalypse, but it's pretty clear that not giving warnings would have been a potential disaster - some areas have been hit hard.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-64091560

[Thermal]

We kind of sidestepped the Apocalypse by luck. Seems they thought that the rain wetting the roads down would abruptly freeze and be coupled with the vicious winds during one of the heaviest driving days of the year, accompanied by frozen power lines dropping out or being hit by sliding cars. By dumb luck, the roads got blow-dried as the monsoon hit, and didn't freeze over as Hell marched across us. So just stunningly cold single digits early in the season for scenic NJ.

[bruto]

Originally Posted by Thermal

We kind of sidestepped the Apocalypse by luck. Seems they thought that the rain wetting the roads down would abruptly freeze and be coupled with the vicious winds during one of the heaviest driving days of the year, accompanied by frozen power lines dropping out or being hit by sliding cars. By dumb luck, the roads got blow-dried as the monsoon hit, and didn't freeze over as Hell marched across us. So just stunningly cold single digits early in the season for scenic NJ.

Ours got pretty slippery as predicted and the next day they were still not very good. We only got a couple of inches of snow, but there were foot-deep drifts on some of the main roads.

[Thermal]

Originally Posted by bruto

Ours got pretty slippery as predicted and the next day they were still not very good. We only got a couple of inches of snow, but there were foot-deep drifts on some of the main roads.

We are still bone dry on the asphalt, although we haven't gotten near breaking freezing. Easy and safe driving. As I said, dumb luck on our end.

Losing power during single digits would put the fear of God in me, if I'm being honest. I have contingency heating (gas fireplace) but I have to admit, a long term outage would be frightening.

[Skeptic Ginger]

TX does it again.

US Declares Texas Grid Emergency in Arctic Blast

Quote:

(Bloomberg) -- The US Energy Department declared a power emergency in Texas, citing a shortage of electricity as an Arctic winter blast causes power plants to fail.

That's just the pollution angle. This is the fun part: Texas power prices spike more than 400% in one day as bomb cyclone sends energy demand soaring

Quote:

Forecasts for below-freezing temperatures in Texas sent power prices surging more than 400% in the span of just one day.

In some parts of the state, prices for power to be delivered on Friday evening more than quintupled from the prior day, topping $500 per megawatt-hour, according to Bloomberg. ...

The cold spell is a callback to February of 2021, when a power grid meltdown killed 200 people in the state while outages forced some Texans to burn furniture in their fireplaces to stay warm.

... Officials remain confident that the power grid can handle the increased demand. But the grid has already come under strain. Outage data showed roughly 53,000 Texas residents were experiencing a loss of power on Thursday night. ...

[shemp]

Good old Texas, where people die from the cold but Jesus Guns Babies!

[catsmate]

Originally Posted by Mike!

1991. I got a 486DX66, with a whopping 8 meg of ram and a 250 megabit hard drive . A friend of mine who'd gotten into computers shortly after high school came over, looked at it, gently patted the top of it's giant tower, and declared, "Dude, this machine will carry you into the next century!"

ETA: On topic. It's minus three freaking degrees Fahrenheit outside. Not with 'wind chill', or any other fancy name enhancements, just plain old fashioned stupid kill-yer-ass cold!

660MB drive, 5.25" full height. ...

[catsmate]

Fifty dead and things aren't helped by the crazies attacking electrical infrastructure.

[novaphile]

Originally Posted by Thermal

We are still bone dry on the asphalt, although we haven't gotten near breaking freezing. Easy and safe driving. As I said, dumb luck on our end.

Losing power during single digits would put the fear of God in me, if I'm being honest. I have contingency heating (gas fireplace) but I have to admit, a long term outage would be frightening.

Hmm...

It is extremely unlikely that I'll ever have to manage temperatures in the single digits, or below freezing, but I still have cold-weather survival gear for myself and the dog.

In a pinch, I could even pitch my tent in the lounge (or on my bed) to have an indoor igloo.

Under a long term outage, couldn't you just wear all of your clothes to keep warm?

(I'm thinking that this may be another example where my lack of familiarity with the cold, other than high country walking, could be setting me up for epic fail).

[Trebuchet]

Originally Posted by catsmate

Fifty dead and things aren't helped by the crazies attacking electrical infrastructure.

A literal killer storm.

[catsmate]

Originally Posted by Trebuchet

A literal killer storm.

It was rather wet here.

[sarge]

Originally Posted by novaphile

Hmm...

It is extremely unlikely that I'll ever have to manage temperatures in the single digits, or below freezing, but I still have cold-weather survival gear for myself and the dog.

In a pinch, I could even pitch my tent in the lounge (or on my bed) to have an indoor igloo.

Under a long term outage, couldn't you just wear all of your clothes to keep warm?

(I'm thinking that this may be another example where my lack of familiarity with the cold, other than high country walking, could be setting me up for epic fail).

I have owned clothes that allowed me to lie still in sub-zero(F) temps and remain relatively warm. They would not be comfortable to sleep in, or even wear, for long stretches.

There is something cozy and pleasant about sleeping outside in very cold weather if you have the right gear. I suppose it would be as pleasant indoors in very cold weather with the same gear.

[CORed]

Originally Posted by TragicMonkey

I've never heard of those side effects for vitamin C! Is the giggling and ******** completely uncontrollable, or can you manage to rein them in when they'd be inappropriate?

I think I read somewhere that the ***** actually is a side effect of very high doses of Vitamin C. IIRC, you have to get in the 2000 - 3000 mg/day range before that happens, which is a ridiculously large dosage. AFIK, giggles are not a side effect, though.

[Thermal]

Originally Posted by novaphile

Hmm...

It is extremely unlikely that I'll ever have to manage temperatures in the single digits, or below freezing, but I still have cold-weather survival gear for myself and the dog.

In a pinch, I could even pitch my tent in the lounge (or on my bed) to have an indoor igloo.

Under a long term outage, couldn't you just wear all of your clothes to keep warm?

(I'm thinking that this may be another example where my lack of familiarity with the cold, other than high country walking, could be setting me up for epic fail).

Prolonged exposure to cold is no joke. Hypothermia can creep in on you in weird ways. But yes, if you know what you are doing with fabrics and heat retention, you can survive in outrageously cold temps. Hell, I do the Polar Bear plunge thing and used to surf in freezing temps for fun.

But that's not what would scare me. It's the house itself. Most modern houses are not made to plunge below freezing temps for long. While a fireplace will keep you relatively cozy in it's immediate range, it won't prevent pipes from freezing (then bursting when it warms up again). Fine woodwork can be badly damaged by being subjected to wild extremes.

For instance, some plumbing fixtures in a home are designed to hold water pretty much all the time at +/- room temperature (toilets, sink and tub traps, condensate traps). If these fixtures are far away from the fireplace, it is possible for them to be badly damaged during a sub freezing snap with no power. Cooking food goes into survival skills without power, unless you have an open fireplace and ample wood reserves. And of course, the know-how to do so safely.

My century+ old house was never built for cold weather use to begin with. It was designed specifically as a summer home, and didn't even have a heating system at all when we bought it. I actually have a plan in place to drain the water out if indoor temps fall below a certain point. But that means I am camping out indefinitely in a place with no heat or power. Hence the fear of what could go wrong to the crib, more than myself.

[Carlotta]

Originally Posted by Thermal

Prolonged exposure to cold is no joke. Hypothermia can creep in on you in weird ways. But yes, if you know what you are doing with fabrics and heat retention, you can survive in outrageously cold temps. Hell, I do the Polar Bear plunge thing and used to surf in freezing temps for fun.

But that's not what would scare me. It's the house itself. Most modern houses are not made to plunge below freezing temps for long. While a fireplace will keep you relatively cozy in it's immediate range, it won't prevent pipes from freezing (then bursting when it warms up again). Fine woodwork can be badly damaged by being subjected to wild extremes.

For instance, some plumbing fixtures in a home are designed to hold water pretty much all the time at +/- room temperature (toilets, sink and tub traps, condensate traps). If these fixtures are far away from the fireplace, it is possible for them to be badly damaged during a sub freezing snap with no power. Cooking food goes into survival skills without power, unless you have an open fireplace and ample wood reserves. And of course, the know-how to do so safely.

My century+ old house was never built for cold weather use to begin with. It was designed specifically as a summer home, and didn't even have a heating system at all when we bought it. I actually have a plan in place to drain the water out if indoor temps fall below a certain point. But that means I am camping out indefinitely in a place with no heat or power. Hence the fear of what could go wrong to the crib, more than myself.

I had wondered why "Thermal".

[bruto]

I suppose it depends on circumstances, but as weather becomes more unpredictable, I think if I were in the position of someone like Thermal, I'd start saving up for a generator. It's kind of expensive if you think of it per kilowatt hour, but if you compare it to the hardship of freezing in the dark and fixing burst pipes, it becomes pretty attractive. A semi portable one of 30 or so amps is plenty for near-seamless running. Skip the clothes dryer, schedule the electric hot water heater and oven. Mine runs through a transfer switch and lives in a barn so it's always under cover.

Even a small generator not hard-wired into the house could keep the refrigerator running, provide some light and heat, and make life a little less stressful.

By the way, Thermal, I lived long ago in the real north country, up near the Canadian border, and can state with unfortunate authority based on multiple samples that frozen pipes can easily burst before any thawing occurs, and if the freeze is fairly local, the leakage will be immediate, loud, and very wet.

[Rolfe]

You think that's "real north country"? What about your actual Canada? What about me? My house is at 55 degrees north, which is the equivalent of the middle of the Hudson Bay. (Though in my case, let's hear it for the jetstream and the North Atlantic Drift.)

[plague311]

Meh, I'm like 80 miles from Canada. We got pretty cold up here, but nothing that put us in any real danger. I do have to get the roof rake out and get some of the snow off before it heats up too much and makes it all heavy as hell.

That's about the biggest fear up here is the snow accumulation will cause roof weakness. Other than that, we were snug as bugs in rugs up here all weekend long. Then again, we're built for this. Nothing in this recent cold snap was anything out of the ordinary for us.

[bruto]

Originally Posted by Rolfe

You think that's "real north country"? What about your actual Canada? What about me? My house is at 55 degrees north, which is the equivalent of the middle of the Hudson Bay. (Though in my case, let's hear it for the jetstream and the North Atlantic Drift.)

True enough, geography is deceptive. Here I am in the frigid northeast, and if you look at the globe, I'm at the latitude of southern Europe.

Welcome to the Riviera!



all the bright colors of winter.jpg

The actual name of this place is Mount Horrid!

[Trebuchet]

Originally Posted by plague311

Meh, I'm like 80 miles from Canada. We got pretty cold up here, but nothing that put us in any real danger. I do have to get the roof rake out and get some of the snow off before it heats up too much and makes it all heavy as hell.

That's about the biggest fear up here is the snow accumulation will cause roof weakness. Other than that, we were snug as bugs in rugs up here all weekend long. Then again, we're built for this. Nothing in this recent cold snap was anything out of the ordinary for us.

80 miles? I can see it from my chair!
Of course, the part I can see is south of nearly all the US/Canada border.

[plague311]

Originally Posted by Trebuchet

80 miles? I can see it from my chair!
Of course, the part I can see is south of nearly all the US/Canada border.

Yeah, we're north of Ottawa, Quebec City, etc. In fact, we're about 145 miles straight South of Winnipeg. I've been to Canada a few times, but I'm not allowed in there anymore given my criminal past. I've still gone in, but I'm not as much of a risk taker as I used to be, and frankly Canada doesn't have all that much that appeals to me.

[Thermal]

Originally Posted by bruto

I suppose it depends on circumstances, but as weather becomes more unpredictable, I think if I were in the position of someone like Thermal, I'd start saving up for a generator. It's kind of expensive if you think of it per kilowatt hour, but if you compare it to the hardship of freezing in the dark and fixing burst pipes, it becomes pretty attractive. A semi portable one of 30 or so amps is plenty for near-seamless running. Skip the clothes dryer, schedule the electric hot water heater and oven. Mine runs through a transfer switch and lives in a barn so it's always under cover.

Even a small generator not hard-wired into the house could keep the refrigerator running, provide some light and heat, and make life a little less stressful.

Since moving to a beach town with a postage size lot, as opposed to the acreage I was previously on, real estate is at a premium. I had to get rid of a lot to fit into the smaller crib, so everything being stored is paying rent. A generator was one of the things that I decided to do without, and (*knocks wood*) we haven't had a significant outage at all in over a decade here. Even as the eye of Sandy passed over us, we didn't lose power. But I really should have something. I was considering a little 3500w to run1st floor heater and fridge, which would keep the pipes warm enough.

Quote:

By the way, Thermal, I lived long ago in the real north country, up near the Canadian border, and can state with unfortunate authority based on multiple samples that frozen pipes can easily burst before any thawing occurs, and if the freeze is fairly local, the leakage will be immediate, loud, and very wet.

Oh hell yeah. A more global freezing due to no heat at all is more insidious, though. I've had to deal with them on summer homes on the island where the heat failed and allowed widespread freezing. Pipes split left and right, but actually plugged by the ice closer to the meter, so no warning about the magnitude of the damage till the heat is back up. It's like half as much fun as it sounds when you find out just how much went wrong without a drop of water damage showing beforehand. .

[JoeMorgue]

This thread is a little less funny now that 28 people are dead in just one city and 10 other states have reported at least one death.

[catsmate]

Originally Posted by Rolfe

You think that's "real north country"? What about your actual Canada? What about me? My house is at 55 degrees north, which is the equivalent of the middle of the Hudson Bay. (Though in my case, let's hear it for the jetstream and the North Atlantic Drift.)

For the moment......
Climate Change or THRUSH plot, it could shift soon.

Why yes, I have been skimming The Man from UNCLE repeats. Ah, Janet Leigh.....

[lobosrul5]

Originally Posted by Rolfe

You think that's "real north country"? What about your actual Canada? What about me? My house is at 55 degrees north, which is the equivalent of the middle of the Hudson Bay. (Though in my case, let's hear it for the jetstream and the North Atlantic Drift.)

Yeah take Edinburgh for example, average January low is 1.7C. Eagle Nest, New Mexico, average January low is....... -16.8C. And is only at 36 degrees north. Ok ok its 3 quarters of the way up a mountain. Santa Fe isn't and is still colder than Edinburgh at -7.8C January low average. And our extremes are "more extreme" with the record low in Santa Fe being -31 Celsius.

ETA: as a New Mexican I am accustomed to it being below freezing every single morning in the winter, and occasional really really cold weather. But also the sun coming out and it being not all that cold more afternoons than not. I think I'd prefer it to Scottish weather.

[JoeMorgue]

"Climate isn't just a matter of literal latitude, they are other factors at work" isn't this complicated folks.

[catsmate]

Originally Posted by JoeMorgue

This thread is a little less funny now that 28 people are dead in just one city and 10 other states have reported at least one death.

34 in New York, ~65 nationally.

[mgidm86]

Originally Posted by JoeMorgue

This thread is a little less funny now that 28 people are dead in just one city and 10 other states have reported at least one death.

Yes this thread got off to a rather disturbing start.

[shemp]

Originally Posted by JoeMorgue

This thread is a little less funny now that 28 people are dead in just one city and 10 other states have reported at least one death.

In retrospect, the timing of my rant was poor. However, it wasn't about this particular storm, but the way that much of the media overplays many weather events. I'm sure there are a lot of people who would have prepared better for this storm, but when the media keep screaming "WOOOOOOOOOOOOLF!!!!!" a lot of people tune it out. In my opinion the media may be indirectly and partly responsible for some of these deaths.

So I stand by the point of my rant. It wasn't meant to be funny.

[bruto]

Mount Mansfield in Vermont reported a new record wind speed of 118 miles per hour. Bit breezy it was.

[lobosrul5]

Originally Posted by shemp

In retrospect, the timing of my rant was poor. However, it wasn't about this particular storm, but the way that much of the media overplays many weather events. I'm sure there are a lot of people who would have prepared better for this storm, but when the media keep screaming "WOOOOOOOOOOOOLF!!!!!" a lot of people tune it out. In my opinion the media may be indirectly and partly responsible for some of these deaths.

So I stand by the point of my rant. It wasn't meant to be funny.

My grandfather essentially waited til the last possible minute to evacuate before Hurricane Ike hit. He got out with his pickup truck, his wallet, his phone, and the clothes on his back.

According to my mom this was because the weather service kept "crying wolf" and telling people to evacuate for storms that were either minor, hit land hundreds of miles away, or just fizzled. And that my grandfather was tired of hitching up his boat and packing up valuables ie photos and family heirlooms.

There was nothing left of his place but the slab after Ike.

Sometimes the "big one" does actually hit. Its not as if weather forecasting is some sort of perfect science, what might be seen as sensationalism just the forecast being wrong. Although when you always see Jim Cantore standing outside during a storm for.... some reason... it kinda seems to be sensationalism.

[tyr_13]

Originally Posted by JoeMorgue

This thread is a little less funny now that 28 people are dead in just one city and 10 other states have reported at least one death.

South of Buffalo here, and thought that the thread was being too flippant before the entire thing.

I've had to spend a lot of time keeping everyone in this house alive the last few days. We were lucky that we didn't have the power go out, because the winds were insane up on top of this hill. Negative 37 wind chills do a number.

There was a 22 year old who froze to death in her car on the way home from work. The employer likely won't suffer any penalties for having their employees violate the travel bans. But the phone video she sent her family before passing should be played for every potential employee and at the manager's and owners own funerals when they pass.

[bruto]

Things were kind of crappy here, and it's fun to piss and moan a little, but looking at news from the Buffalo area, this really is the Riviera! Holy Smokes, it's bad. I hope if there are any folks from over that way that they're all right.

So we're not all gonna die, but a few of us did. And yes, I imagine the dire forecast did help a little to prevent it from being even worse.