Shiver me timbers!
Winter IV
Wed, 2012-01-18 08:35
#1
Boom Boom
Winter IV
Wed, 2012-01-18 08:42
#2
Boom Boom
We've been under a "Winter storm warning in effect" since last night but it looks like the storm is just starting now. Windy, a bit of snow - with 15 cm / six inches of the white stuff to follow, could be a lot of drifts all over the place when it ends probably tomorrow morning. Because there's so little snow on the ground here - mostly it's just thick ice everywhere - our supply ship has been extended to the end of February; usually by the third week of January it makes a final trip before going into drydock until April. As I mentioned in the former thread, for many on the Quebec coast, we need lots of snow and cold weather to make the skidoo supply chain passable - as well as for the hockey tournaments and winter carnivals, and for folks to travel up and down the coast where there are no connecting roads. So, since there's almost no snow anywhere here, the supply ship is on for another month.
Wed, 2012-01-18 09:23
#3
The "skidoo supply chain", Boomer... what supplies are transported by snowmobile and what does the supply ship supply that would be distributed by snowmobile in a cold, snowy winter ? Intrigued...
Wed, 2012-01-18 09:35
#4
Boom Boom
Me on my skidoo pulling a komatik full of chopped firewood. 
Wed, 2012-01-18 10:01
#5
Boom Boom
Normally, after the supply ship goes into drydock, all the necessities - including fresh veggies and fruits - are shipped by road from Sept-Iles to Natashquan, and our local grocers use their skidoo and komatik to go and get them for sale here, also gas and oil by the same method. Normally, fresh fruits and veggies are flown (at great expense) to airports in Chevery and St. Augustine and grocers from local communities use their skidoos and komatiks to get their share of these. However, with no snow road anywhere, the only option is the supply ship which stops at most villages on the coast.
(corrected for clarity - I hope it's clear)
Wed, 2012-01-18 10:11
#6
Winter seems to be bypassing southern NB. It was +7 when I came in to work this morning and it had rained all last night.
Wed, 2012-01-18 11:23
#7
Me on my skidoo pulling a komatik full of chopped firewood.
A komatik, new one for future use, tnx Boomer.
Wed, 2012-01-18 12:26
#8
Once again, the weather is a top news story when it happens in central canada.
(it was at the top of the page until it got bumped by news of the Keystone announcement)
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2012/01/18/weather-wrap.html
There are usually a couple of days each winter when the coldest place on earth is here in Saskatchewan, or somewhere else in western Canada (today it is in alaska), but normal winter weather doesn't usually make the news when it arrives here (as it did two days ago when we woke up to -38 before wind chill).
Wed, 2012-01-18 12:38
#9
Boom Boom
A komatik, new one for future use, tnx Boomer.
I've got two - one from 1996, and a new one made last winter, both by local people. Everyone here has at least two, I know someone with about a dozen of 'em, just keep fixing them up. Those who have more than two komatiks are usually those who go into the woods for wood - both for lumber and firewood, and own a portable sawmill. One guy here has a sawmill and pays local people to go and get wood for him using his komatiks. All our sleds (komatiks) are made from local cut spruce, and have plastic runners on the skiis.
I don't go into the bush anymore since my arthritis got bad about four years ago.
Thu, 2012-01-19 19:22
#10
Boom Boom
I wonder if this comes with a reverse gear? 
Mon, 2012-01-30 13:59
#11
Boom Boom
We're back to normal - very cold weather, deep snow, and strong wind.
Sat, 2012-02-04 16:53
#12
Boom Boom
Have an old Rolls Royce gathering dust? Put it to work!
Sat, 2012-02-04 20:11
#13
Catchfire
What is this winter rumour I keep hearing about? It was ten degrees today out in the land of the lotus eaters.
Sun, 2012-02-12 08:23
#14
Boom Boom
-15C here right now, and I have five feet of snow in front of the garage that I have to move just to get the snow blower out!!! I'm putting out a call for help tomorrow - it's more than I can manage.
ETA: Just checked - we're still under a winter storm warning here.
Mon, 2012-02-13 11:02
#15
Boom Boom
It's really unbelievable how much snow blew here - the drift in front of the garage was five feet high, and the whole length of the driveway right to the back of the lot was three feet deep of hard, packed snow. Thanks to a local that I pay to work on this, I now have a clear path to the garage and to my firewood. What a job that was! I would have had a heart attack if I did it myself. And I have really bad arthritis now. I have a small snow blower, am thinking of investing in a much bigger one. Anyone have experience in those Honda snow blowers with tractor threads?
Mon, 2012-02-13 14:52
#16
Sounds as though you should begin with a snow fence, Boomer, and plant a line of small coniferous next spring. At least protecting the garage entrance with its snowblower, to start.
Mon, 2012-02-13 14:54
#17
Boom Boom
I think I'll keep the snow blower outside the garage for the rest of the winter. 
I have a heavy tarp I can cover it with.
Tue, 2012-02-14 11:22
#18
Boom Boom
Just finished moving yesterday's snow from the blizzard. I give thanks there's no significant snow in our forecast for a least a week now. Was very cold last night, and windy. Starting to warm up now, the windchill is only -25C. (that's two blizzards with heavy snow that we've had in the space of three days)
Wed, 2012-02-15 11:26
#19
Boom Boom
Today's lesson is: just looking at the snow doesn't make it go away.
Wed, 2012-02-15 20:54
#20
Well, it's been very mild here all winter, Boom Boom. I've only shovelled three times since December. And at that, they were pretty quick and easy jobs. I did rake the snow off the kitchen roof, once, but as it turned out I really didn't have to.
And, I kind of expected to see a few freezing rain events here, what with temperatures oscillating below and above freezing, but we haven't had that yet-- though some is forecast for tonight.
I don't miss the shovelling, I can tell you. But weeks of winter with no snow cover sure makes for a bleak and dreary landscape.
I'm no expert on snowblowers, having only owned one ancient model that has since bitten the dust. But what I'd look for is a lot of Horse Power, in your case 12 at least. (don't know what the cc equivelant is) And, electric start-- probably standard equipment with new ones of that size anyway.
Best way might be to just see what everyone else around you is using, and ask them how it preforms.
Wed, 2012-02-15 21:05
#21
Boom Boom
Thanks, Tommy. I'm the only one in the community using a snowblower at home - the only other ones are at the clinic, and the skating rink. I'll have a look at them and see how they're performing. I saw a photo of a garden tractor hooked up to a good sized snowblower - that might be the ticket for me. My current machine has electric start, and has been very reliable. I just want a bigger one.
I need to keep the snow cleared as I use my truck to bring firewood from my woodshed to my house all winter. Too tight a space to use the skidoo.
Sat, 2012-02-25 10:15
#22
Speaking of "everyone else around you," Boomer...what ARE the lower north shore types saying about this definitely "odd" winter? Is there speculation about its causes, or are people there like those in Montreal who a Globe essayist says are afraid to give the cause a name, for fear of revealing their "values?" I'm curious as heck. (see the climate change thread).
Sat, 2012-02-25 11:11
#23
Boom Boom
Not much comment so far, Gaian. I'll keep asking. Meanwhile, WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT - it's been hitting us for three hours so far, windows are snowed in with sticky snow, have to go out and clear them off. I hope the roof stays on. I've been telling folks that if they see me sailing by, be sure to wave. "Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore".
Sat, 2012-02-25 15:04
#24
Sorry Boomer, that ;piece from the Globe was used in an exchange with someone in another thread.
You will note that the author says the ABSENCE of discussion or mention of this winter IS significant:
"...essays in the Globe, i.e. "Where did winter go?" (Feb. 21) Megan Durnford first observed that "Everone's noticed the warm weather and lack of snow in my Montreal hometown,but many people don't want to talk about it...."
"Then I got it. Talking about wacky weather is ultimately a reflection of one's viewpoint regarding climate change.
"Is a modified climate the price we have to pay to fully exploit oil and gas resources? Or does climate change represent an unacceptable threat to life on Earth? Comments on the weather are no longer innocuous space-fillers; they are glimpses into your value system.
"Weather used to be a safe topic becauase we, mere mortals, felt that we had no control over its vagaries. Talking about it was akin to commenting on the blueness of the sky or the fullness of the moon. (a personal aside, I always say "is a (winter) sky blue" anymore).
"Now the international scientists agree that human activities are slowly altering the Earth's climate, talking about the weather is risky business.
"There are dozens of radically different opinions on how we should respond to climate change, and so weather has joined the ranks of sex, religion, politics and other traditionally taboo subjects."
-----------
And I hope that your house squishes the wicked weather witch...
Sat, 2012-02-25 19:43
#25
Boom Boom
Boy, it's noisy here I can tell you. I'm glad it's not cold because I don't want to start up the wood furnace tonight - have a new furnace exhaust pipe installed, want to wait for a sunny warm day to see if it's tight.
Sun, 2012-02-26 23:30
#26
Boom Boom
Now is the winter of our discount tents...
Mon, 2012-02-27 09:07
#27
More please, Boomer, in "this winter of our discount tents" :)
i.e.
9. KARMAGEDDON (N): ........ ITS LIKE, WHEN EVERYBODY IS SENDING OFF ALL THESE
REALLY BAD VIBES, RIGHT? AND THEN, LIKE, THE EARTH EXPLODES AND IT'S
LIKE, A SERIOUS BUMMER.
10. DECAFALON (N.): ........ THE GRUELING EVENT OF GETTING THROUGH THE DAY
CONSUMING ONLY THINGS THAT ARE GOOD FOR YOU.
Mon, 2012-02-27 10:53
#28
Boom Boom
As the winter snow turned into rain, Frosty began to realize that fame was sleeting.
Mon, 2012-02-27 11:17
#29
Boom Boom
Roman general in a winter ice storm, having an epileptic fit, yelled out "Hail… Seizure!"
Mon, 2012-02-27 18:31
#30
Hope you grow huge cabbages this summer, Boomer.(Or whatever you like to eat that can be grown in that unfriendly climate).
Wed, 2012-02-29 01:11
#31
RevolutionPlease
Where'd ol' person winter go?
Wed, 2012-02-29 05:50
#32
Boom Boom
Here, I guess - where it's -28C, and more than four feet of snow on the ground. In Sept-Iles, west of us, the snow is right up to people's roofs, absolutely unreal.
Thu, 2012-03-01 07:10
#33
Boom Boom
Now it's -30C, -38C with the windchill.
Thu, 2012-03-01 12:25
#34
Catchfire
Boom Boom, something happened yesterday that has left me very confused and I was wondering if you could help me out. I woke up and there was about 3cm of this wet, white soggy stuff all over my garden. It was quite cold to the touch but seemed to dissolve as soon as I held it. I hadn't seen its like in living memory. I'd show you a photograph but it seems to have mysteriously disappeared as quickly as it arrived. Do you know what it was?
Thu, 2012-03-01 12:29
#35
That was manna, Catchfire. It appears every Lent.
Mon, 2012-03-19 14:14
#36
Catchfire
I had hail this morning while walking to the bus stop. It was unpleasant. Now it's sunny and 10+C. HOW DO YOU DRESS FOR THE WEATHER IN THIS GOD FORSAKEN CITY?
Btw, did anybody else see Jupiter and Venus in the Western skies these past few nights? It was awesome!
Mon, 2012-03-19 16:06
#37
M. Spector
Two weeks ago you could also see Mercury in the west, closer to the horizon.
Mon, 2012-03-19 16:38
#38
Catchfire
Too bad I missed that one. I'm not an astronomer by any stretch but I usually dig out my binoculars when something like that rolls around. I was surprised at how low the planets were in the horizon. Do they always hang out there?
Mon, 2012-03-19 16:44
#39
M. Spector
Astronomical Spring starts early tomorrow morning, so this is the last day of "winter".
Here in Toronto the record high temperature for March 19 is 14°, set in 1986.
Or at least it was until today: it was 20° at noon, with a forecast for a high of 21°. We've already smashed the record by 6 degrees and possibly 7. UPDATE: It got to 22° at 4 p.m.
Normal average daytime high in March: 4.6°
Thu, 2012-04-12 04:09
#40
Too bad I missed that one. I'm not an astronomer by any stretch but I usually dig out my binoculars when something like that rolls around. I was surprised at how low the planets were in the horizon. Do they always hang out there?
Gee sometimes spam IS good for something. I missed this post.
Venus and especially mercury are always seen close to the horizon because they are sunward from us. That is to say, when the sun is high in the sky they are up there too, but we can't see them until the sun dips below the horizon.
Most of the other planets can be anywhere along the plane of the ecliptic, which is the path the sun and moon follow in the sky. That is also why they sometimes have conjunctions and retrograde movements with each other. Pluto is an exception.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecliptic
A good set of binoculars is the best tool there is, actually. A lot of interesting things in the sky are much too big for a telescope. And there are quite a few things you don't need any tools to see, like the Andromeda galaxy. For most of us, that's the furthest naked-eye object in the sky
Wed, 2012-04-25 00:01
#41
Just found out about this - a transit of Venus coming up in June (essentially an annular eclipse, with the planet moving across the face of the sun. They are quite rare - a few happen several years apart, then they don't happen for a hundred years or so.
It will be partially visible through most of Canada
Thu, 2013-01-17 09:04
#42
Boom Boom
A cold front - very cold - is moving here:
Tonight Clearing this evening. Blowing snow this evening. Wind northwest 40 km/h gusting to 60 diminishing to 20 gusting to 40 late this evening. Low minus 29. Wind chill minus 41.
Friday Mainly sunny. Wind northwest 20 km/h gusting to 40 becoming light late in the afternoon. High minus 23. Wind chill minus 42.
Thu, 2013-01-17 09:20
#43
Do you use one of these thermometers BB?
Thu, 2013-01-17 11:13
#44
Boom Boom
Nope. Just a regular one. 
Thu, 2013-01-17 12:52
#45
Not as bad as where Boom Boom lives (where is?) but it has turned bloody cold in Montréal. Horrible.
Yesterday I was riding my bicycle.
Thu, 2013-01-17 14:14
#46
Boom Boom
I've had a very bad cold since the beginning of this month, just can't shake it - am on antibiotics now.
Sat, 2013-01-19 08:33
#47
We got our first significant snowfall of the year yesterday, the ground almost bare prior to, and its turned chilly again at -13. More interesting though than a cold, sunny morning after a fresh snowfall, is that I have a back porch with windows that are left open in winter, so that it becomes extra storage for beverages, root vegetables, and other assortments. I noticed earlier this morning that ice crystals had formed in all of the beverages sitting in the open on shelves, even in the beer, except for the 300ml bottles of apple juice.
Sat, 2013-01-19 16:13
#48
Boom Boom
We're just coming off an extreme cold spell, now we have a winter storm coming tomorrow. We're back to a normal harsh Canadian winter. 
Wed, 2013-01-23 13:57
#49
Boom Boom
This was on CBC a few minutes ago...
Welcome to RinkWatch, where backyard skating meets environmental science.
It's an attempt to measure climate change by the length of time skating rinks stay frozen.
Sun, 2013-02-03 20:13
#50
Boom Boom
Power has been off since 1pm - was supposed to come back on at 430pm, but no such luck. I just put the generator on so I can power my furnace fan and some things around the house. Big winter storm coming here tonight, will stick around until Wednesday. I hate Quebec Hydro. 
ETA: Our power will be back on tomorrow sometime. Guess Quebec Hydro doesn't know it's winter. 
Mon, 2013-02-04 15:00
#51
Boom Boom
Generator is out of gas, I'm hoping a friend will drop by with some. Now 27 hours without power - may be another night yet before power is restored, I have no idea. Had trouble gtting on the internet earlier. The power outage covers a really big area.
ETA: power came on for five minutes - then went out again. Maybe Hydro Quebec is testing the system.