Ice storm

Diana

Diana

Final Approach
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Diana
From the National Weather Service:

ICE ACCUMULATIONS OF ONE QUARTER TO THREE QUARTERS OF AN INCH WILL BE LIKELY BY SATURDAY MORNING. ADDITIONAL ICE ACCUMULATIONS WILL OCCUR THROUGH SUNDAY WITH TOTAL ICE ACCUMULATIONS OF ONE HALF TO ONE INCH EXPECTED WITH LOCALLY ACCUMULATIONS AROUND AN INCH AND A HALF.

THESE ICE ACCUMULATIONS WILL LIKELY CAUSE WIDESPREAD POWER OUTAGES. TRAVEL CONDITIONS WILL BECOME TREACHEROUS IF NOT IMPOSSIBLE BY TONIGHT.

THIS IS A DANGEROUS SITUATION AND NOW IS THE TIME TO MAKE FINAL PREPARATIONS FOR THIS MAJOR ICE STORM.


Everything is already covered with ice here, and the precip is getting heavier.

Usually, our little farm is the last to get power again when the whole area loses power. Time to dig out the kerosene lamps and candles. Sure wish we had a fireplace. The stove-top burners will at least keep the kitchen warm.

I think I can hook up my laptop to the phone line and get on-line till my laptop runs out of juice. If you don’t hear from me for awhile, that’s why.

Tom picked a good time to be gone.

Y’all be careful out there!
 
To everyone around these parts, be safe! We have about 1 inch or so of icy stuff on the ground already. People are breaking vehicles right and left & I'm glad the family is safe at home. Most of the sane people have already gone home for the weekend.:dunno:
 
best wishes to all out there in the ice! Stay safe, stay warm, and stay home!
 
Good luck, Diana.

Y'all need an inexpensive generator.
 
Get some solar/wind power with battery backup Diana. I have been looking at this for a place i will be building soon.
 
yeesh, I'm about to drive home in it. It's been on/off all day around Kansas City. I'll find out shortly how much ice I have to scrape off the windows:

KMKC 122254Z 34007KT 2SM -SN BR BKN016 OVC023 M08/M12 A3037 RMK AO2 SLP294 P0004 T10831117

KMKC 121834Z 121918 34012KT 3SM -SN BR OVC015
TEMPO 1921 2SM PLSN
FM0000 36012KT 4SM -FZDZSN OVC025
 
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Diana said:
From the National Weather Service:

ICE ACCUMULATIONS OF ONE QUARTER TO THREE QUARTERS OF AN INCH WILL BE LIKELY BY SATURDAY MORNING. ADDITIONAL ICE ACCUMULATIONS WILL OCCUR THROUGH SUNDAY WITH TOTAL ICE ACCUMULATIONS OF ONE HALF TO ONE INCH EXPECTED WITH LOCALLY ACCUMULATIONS AROUND AN INCH AND A HALF.

THESE ICE ACCUMULATIONS WILL LIKELY CAUSE WIDESPREAD POWER OUTAGES. TRAVEL CONDITIONS WILL BECOME TREACHEROUS IF NOT IMPOSSIBLE BY TONIGHT.

THIS IS A DANGEROUS SITUATION AND NOW IS THE TIME TO MAKE FINAL PREPARATIONS FOR THIS MAJOR ICE STORM.


Everything is already covered with ice here, and the precip is getting heavier.

Usually, our little farm is the last to get power again when the whole area loses power. Time to dig out the kerosene lamps and candles. Sure wish we had a fireplace. The stove-top burners will at least keep the kitchen warm.

I think I can hook up my laptop to the phone line and get on-line till my laptop runs out of juice. If you don’t hear from me for awhile, that’s why.

Tom picked a good time to be gone.

Y’all be careful out there!
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Be carefull down there Diana! I just missed that stuff this morning thankfully. I hope nobody tries flying in that awefull stuff. It was kinda funny too, my ground class CFI canceled on account of unflyable weather, everybody laughed. Works for me!
 
Yuck! I have survived several major ice storms while growing up in NW Alabama - it's tons worse than a snow storm!

Find a good book, get the candles and kerosene heaters out and get content with being alone for a while.

Good luck!

-Chris
 
Yes, we have alternate power at the house. Just went to make sure we have enough fuel. We expect the power to go down on Sunday.
 
One of the smartest things I ever did was buy a generator. 5000 watts is more than enough to keep you going and they're only about 5-600 dollars. No more worrying about the plumbing freezing or having to read by candles. I really hate an open flame in the house. Money well spent.
 
I still have power, but it won't be long now. Wish I would have bought a fancy generator. Just have a little battery generator thing that will hopefully keep my fish in the fish tank alive for a few days. They have priority.

Need to go shopping for a bigger generator. Next week.

Y'all be safe out there.
 
Diana said:
I still have power, but it won't be long now. Wish I would have bought a fancy generator. Just have a little battery generator thing that will hopefully keep my fish in the fish tank alive for a few days. They have priority.

Need to go shopping for a bigger generator. Next week.

Y'all be safe out there.
Click to expand...

The ice is pretty bad here in Tulsa. The lights keep flickering here at the house. I have unplugged my TV's and etc. I am down to one computer with a battery back up but it beeps like hell when you unplug it. So, the backup will stay on. Good luck. Its starting to sleet now. That is much better than the freezing rain. It's on a 45 degree angle up to you. So please have fun as it passes by. I drank a lot of water and wrote my name in the sleet in the back yard. I am sure you are proud of me Diana! :)

I cancelled our flight out this morning. I could have gotten out but getting back in later would have been out of the realm of safe.
 
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Good luck with it, Diana - we had a terrible one a couple of years ago, out of power for a week, nothing worked anywhere, listening to the trees snap and crack... but it WAS beautiful, if that counts for anything!
 
Let us know how it's going Diana. We're scheduled for the freezing drizzle to get to the Dallas area midday. No big deal so far for us, but it's going to get a bit worse.

Is Tom stranded somewhere or scheduled to be away?

Best,

Dave
 
Tim said:
go buy a 2000 watt honda generator
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Buy an inverter, not a generator.

A generator will run at a fixed rpm. An inverter will run at variable rpm, depending on load. The electronics convert the DC output to 60 hz AC regardless of engine rpm. This makes the machine much, much quieter at low power loads.

See a camping supply store for more information. Honda makes one (my brother has one for his RV) and it works very well.

-Skip
 
Well we got 1/4-1/2 inch of ice and the power is still on. We are one of the lucky ones so far, everyone north of town is out and they are saying it could be a week or two before everyone is back on. The Springfield area has 80-90% of the people out, hope Diana is doing OK.
 
Well, so far so good. I'm amazed (and thankful) the power is still on.

A tidbit from the NWS:

SEVERAL HOURS OF FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET THAT OCCURRED OVER AREAS OF THE MISSOURI OZARKS OVERNIGHT HAVE CAUSED MAJOR TREE AND POWER LINE DAMAGE. LOCAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS HAVE DECLARED PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST MISSOURI A DISASTER AREA.

THE EXPECTED ADDITIONAL FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET WILL ALSO CAUSE
CATASTROPHIC TREE AND POWER LINE DAMAGE. TRAVEL ACROSS THE REGION WILL BECOME NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE BY TONIGHT AND SUNDAY...ESPECIALLY ON UNTREATED ROAD SURFACES. MANY RESIDENTS OF SOUTHWEST MISSOURI WILL BE WITHOUT POWER FOR SEVERAL DAYS. ANYONE PLANNING TO TRAVEL THROUGH THE REGION SHOULD PLAN TO STAY AWAY FROM THE MISSOURI OZARKS FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS.

They have included a warning about people being aware of carbon monoxide poisoning in attempting to keep their homes warm.

Dave Siciliano said:
Is Tom stranded somewhere or scheduled to be away?
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He drove to Milwaukee (was going to fly the Skyhawk but decided not to) to help his family move his mother. He thought he would try to drive home tomorrow, but I don't know if that's a good idea now.

Bruce, how are things in Illinois?
 
Hunker down and please be careful Diana.
At least you have some cold weather; it's 60deg here today and our western NC ski season is going down the tubes for the second time this winter. Hope your power stays on!!
 
We're in the south end of the same ice storm deal, Diana, and we're not too bad off, (Altus, OK) but some other towns around here have lost power. We've been watching people drive on the ice in the street in front of our house, who are driving too fast, and hitting the brakes to skid/slide for fun, they're having a good (low speed) time! A good day to stay home and catch up on stuff here.
 
im in rockford diana, weather is fine so far, just cloudy, no precip
 
We've got about 1" of snow here in Boone (central Iowa) so far. Looks like we missed the brunt of the first wave of winter weather. Supposed to get nasty here Sunday night.
 
great im supposed to be driving back that way sunday.

im just hoping for accumulations of over 4 inches this weekend so i can fly all day with the DNR on tuesday
 
Be careful out there Diana, -I almost went flying while walking on the ice here!
BTW: Did you know some fish can be burned like a candle?
 
tonycondon said:
great im supposed to be driving back that way sunday.

im just hoping for accumulations of over 4 inches this weekend so i can fly all day with the DNR on tuesday
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OK. I'm drawing a blank. What will the DNR be looking for in the snow? I need to get my Comm. done so I can get in on that action -- find out where all the good public hunting land is. :D
 
Dave Krall CFII said:
BTW: Did you know some fish can be burned like a candle?
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:hairraise: You're talking about 'wax fish', right? My poor little fish are getting nervous. I wonder how long they will live in the fish tank if the air pump isn't going after the battery generator quits?

So far over 200,000 homes in the state are without power. The National Guard has been called out. Springfield got hit pretty hard. More ice is on the way. I hope Dean is still OK.
 
CJones said:
OK. I'm drawing a blank. What will the DNR be looking for in the snow? I need to get my Comm. done so I can get in on that action -- find out where all the good public hunting land is. :D
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Deer, they are easier to see when they contrast the background instead of blend in.
 
Diana said:
:hairraise: You're talking about 'wax fish', right? My poor little fish are getting nervous. I wonder how long they will live in the fish tank if the air pump isn't going after the battery generator quits?

So far over 200,000 homes in the state are without power. The National Guard has been called out. Springfield got hit pretty hard. More ice is on the way. I hope Dean is still OK.
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Or 'candle-fish'.
I'm trying to think of a way to bubble some air through a piece of tubing for them other than just blowing air manually, which could be tedious at best... maybe they will start to go somewhat dormant, too.

Got a little motor, fan, & battery?
 
tonycondon said:
Deer, they are easier to see when they contrast the background instead of blend in.
Click to expand...

Makes sense. I would be REALLY interested in being involved in that trip! ha! Makes sense, though. I definitely like hunting more w/ a couple of inches of snow on the ground.
 
Dave Siciliano said:
Let us know how it's going Diana. We're scheduled for the freezing drizzle to get to the Dallas area midday. No big deal so far for us, but it's going to get a bit worse.

Is Tom stranded somewhere or scheduled to be away?

Best,

Dave
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We're about an hour's drive or so W/SW of Fort Worth and no ice yet, but it ain't long in coming. Tonight's gonna be bad, I'm afraid.

I got the Franklin wood stove downstairs in the hangar going, wife has the gas logs upstairs in the house going, got the DIY channel on the hangar TV while me and the German Shepherds putter around the hangar getting everything secured and battened down in case it gets worse.

Don't care for cold, wet weather too much--plays hell with the arthritis--but it is kinda cozy right about now. . . Good excuse not to do anything too serious.

Is it doing anything in Dallas/North Dallas?

Everyone stay safe.

Regards.

-JD
 
Tim said:
go buy a 2000 watt honda generator
Click to expand...

I've been checking. You can buy 3 Coleman 5000 watt generators for less than one Honda 3000 watt. I'll go for a Coleman 5000 or Generac 8000.

I don't need to make the 2x investment in something I may never need.
 
Dave Krall CFII said:
Or 'candle-fish'.
I'm trying to think of a way to bubble some air through a piece of tubing for them other than just blowing air manually, which could be tedious at best... maybe they will start to go somewhat dormant, too.

Got a little motor, fan, & battery?
Click to expand...

Or maybe rig up a foot operated small bellows with a tube like a raft pump or bicycle pump.
 
It's 33 here and just a little bit of melt is happening, but it looks thus:

...with more to come tonight.
 

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mikea said:
I've been checking. You can buy 3 Coleman 5000 watt generators for less than one Honda 3000 watt. I'll go for a Coleman 5000 or Generac 8000.

I don't need to make the 2x investment in something I may never need.
Click to expand...

7200W Generator at Sams Club for less than $1,000:

Type: Wound Stator and Rotor
Voltage Regulation: Engine Speed Control System
Frequency AC120 - 60Hz
Frequency AC240 - 60Hz
Rated Power AC120 - 7200 W/8400 SW
Rated Power AC240 - 7200 W/8400 SW
Voltage AC120 - 120V
Voltage AC240 - 240V
Rated Current AC120 - 20 A
Rated Current AC 240 - 30 A

Engine Type: Air-Cooled Gas
Horse Power: 10 HP
Fuel: Unleaded Gasoline
Fuel Capacity: 5 gallons
Ignition System: Manual/Recoil
Hours of Operation @ Half Load: 10 hours
Dimensions: 32"L x 28"W x 26.5"H
Net Weight: 208 lbs
RPM: 3600

http://www.samsclub.com/shopping/navigate.do?catg=535&item=124656&prDeTab=2#A

Go a little higher in price (like $2,000) and get 15KW:

http://www.samsclub.com/shopping/navigate.do?dest=5&item=123210&pCatg=2197

For that kind of use, you're not looking for quiet or pretty. You don't really even need incredibly long life (like years of running on jobsites). The Hondas are great (I prefer (2) 2000W with the series connector kit for 4KW for my 5th wheel) and very quiet in comparison but cost a lot more.
 
Oh, and while you all are finally enjoying a late winter arrival, we have MAJOR weather changes here in Phoenix:

It's CLOUDY!!! Aaaaggghhhhh!!!! :D
 
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