Weathermania!

Cable barriers are one of the best things to happen to MN roads in a long time. A totaled car getting stopped by a barrier is an easy trade compared to the horrific injuries a vehicle crossing into oncoming traffic can cause.

I had an incident on a motorcycle a couple years ago that really made me think about these things. I was overtaking a vehicle in the passing lane. The vehicle I was overtaking decided to enter my lane with no turn signal and without checking its blindspot. I was forced to the shoulder where the cable barrier was. Thankfully, there was no crash. I have to say, in a similar situation, I would welcome a ditch or center median as opposed to the cables. Hitting one of those on a bike would be catastrophic. At least in the ditch, one would have a chance.

Come on. Steve McQueen would just jump it like he did the fence in The Great Escape. Then again if you weren’t on your Triumph that might not have worked.

I have read that the cables really cut down on head ons.

I now own on of those 700 lbers. 2000 Heritage Springer.

Bored & stroked but I think it has a broken ring. Buddy needed cash & I needed a project.

That’s what caused the previous owner to have it bored and stroked.

That ugliness in Fort Worth yesterday? That was just stomach-churning.

I’ve found myself sideways on I-94 over the Chippewa River, looking up the hill at a semi coming down at me after spinning out (spoiler: I got out of the way before it got down to the bridge, and my truck was perfectly drive-able afterward. There were several vehicles involved, but no injuries much less fatalities, thankfully) and watching the cell phone clip from yesterday morning? That was horrible.

That ugliness in Fort Worth yesterday? That was just stomach-churning.

I’ve found myself sideways on I-94 over the Chippewa River, looking up the hill at a semi coming down at me after spinning out (spoiler: I got out of the way before it got down to the bridge, and my truck was perfectly drive-able afterward. There were several vehicles involved, but no injuries much less fatalities, thankfully) and watching the cell phone clip from yesterday morning? That was horrible.

It was. I nearly flipped my grandparents minivan (with them in it) on highway 75 in NW Iowa when I hit glare ice. I was18 and to this day I’m not sure how we didn’t flip and how someone didn’t tag us coming the other way

I was playing pinball off the guard rails on both sides of the bridge, and definitely expected to find myself in freezing water. Ended up stopped across the two lanes, looking through my passenger side window up at incoming traffic. Glad I was able to get enough traction to pull out of the way before other cars got close enough to be a problem. Los of cars with damage, but all from there bridge guard rails, not each other.

[media]https://twitter.com/NWSduluth/status/1360589015544602628[/media]

Mother Nature got really drunk and is taking it out on Texas. North Texas is seeing wind chills of -20, DFW airport had 3” of snow with more coming, and a buddy in San Antonio posted pics of about 1-2 inches of snow in his driveway.

:lol:

Mother Nature got really drunk and is taking it out on Texas. North Texas is seeing wind chills of -20, DFW airport had 3” of snow with more coming, and a buddy in San Antonio posted pics of about 1-2 inches of snow in his driveway.

All 254 counties in Texas are under a winter storm warning too :shock:

L.O.L.🧊🧊🧊

Mother Nature got really drunk and is taking it out on Texas. North Texas is seeing wind chills of -20, DFW airport had 3” of snow with more coming, and a buddy in San Antonio posted pics of about 1-2 inches of snow in his driveway.

All 254 counties in Texas are under a winter storm warning too :shock:

Pics I’ve seen from around the DFW metroplex don’t look bad at all for Minnesota standards.

Irving PD and FD put chains on their tires, the Dallas Morning News basically sent out a “TELL US WHAT TO DO!!” on social media asking transplants from northern climates to tell them how to deal with the weather, and there are 15 minute rolling blackouts since electricity demand has exceeded supply.

Hearing people are bundled up with multiple blankets in front of a fire and people are breaking out space heaters. Sounds like The End Times.

Mother Nature got really drunk and is taking it out on Texas. North Texas is seeing wind chills of -20, DFW airport had 3” of snow with more coming, and a buddy in San Antonio posted pics of about 1-2 inches of snow in his driveway.

All 254 counties in Texas are under a winter storm warning too :shock:

Pics I’ve seen from around the DFW metroplex don’t look bad at all for Minnesota standards.

Irving PD and FD put chains on their tires, the Dallas Morning News basically sent out a “TELL US WHAT TO DO!!” on social media asking transplants from northern climates to tell them how to deal with the weather, and there are 15 minute rolling blackouts since electricity demand has exceeded supply.

Hearing people are bundled up with multiple blankets in front of a fire and people are breaking out space heaters. Sounds like The End Times.

I agree by our standards it doesn’t look bad but that’s more than just the thin coating they’re used to seeing as well. The snow in San Antonio definitely caught my eye as did two people’s pools that looked iced over enough that they could go ice skating safely on them.

A couple of my friends have been powerless since early this morning. Even if that happens here (one of them said it was 3 degrees and their house was down to 55 already) you’re going to have problems so hopefully they don’t start dealing with frozen pipes, etc.

Mother Nature got really drunk and is taking it out on Texas. North Texas is seeing wind chills of -20, DFW airport had 3” of snow with more coming, and a buddy in San Antonio posted pics of about 1-2 inches of snow in his driveway.

All 254 counties in Texas are under a winter storm warning too :shock:

Pics I’ve seen from around the DFW metroplex don’t look bad at all for Minnesota standards.

Irving PD and FD put chains on their tires, the Dallas Morning News basically sent out a “TELL US WHAT TO DO!!” on social media asking transplants from northern climates to tell them how to deal with the weather, and there are 15 minute rolling blackouts since electricity demand has exceeded supply.

Hearing people are bundled up with multiple blankets in front of a fire and people are breaking out space heaters. Sounds like The End Times.

I agree by our standards it doesn’t look bad but that’s more than just the thin coating they’re used to seeing as well. The snow in San Antonio definitely caught my eye as did two people’s pools that looked iced over enough that they could go ice skating safely on them.

A couple of my friends have been powerless since early this morning. Even if that happens here (one of them said it was 3 degrees and their house was down to 55 already) you’re going to have problems so hopefully they don’t start dealing with frozen pipes, etc.

We had freezing rain that took down trees and power lines Saturday morning. We had no power from 10am Saturday until 1pm Sunday. We still don’t have internet over 48 hours later. Cellular was either impacted by the power outages or so overloaded that we couldn’t get anything resembling passably reliable internet on our phones until last night. Duke energy reported over 160,000 impacted Saturday in our area. Fun times 😒

The inside and outside faucets are a problem. From the HGTV shows I’ve seen in Texas, it isn’t unusual for walls to be minimally insulated, if insulated at all.

Mother Nature got really drunk and is taking it out on Texas. North Texas is seeing wind chills of -20, DFW airport had 3” of snow with more coming, and a buddy in San Antonio posted pics of about 1-2 inches of snow in his driveway.

All 254 counties in Texas are under a winter storm warning too :shock:

Pics I’ve seen from around the DFW metroplex don’t look bad at all for Minnesota standards.

Irving PD and FD put chains on their tires, the Dallas Morning News basically sent out a “TELL US WHAT TO DO!!” on social media asking transplants from northern climates to tell them how to deal with the weather, and there are 15 minute rolling blackouts since electricity demand has exceeded supply.

Hearing people are bundled up with multiple blankets in front of a fire and people are breaking out space heaters. Sounds like The End Times.

I agree by our standards it doesn’t look bad but that’s more than just the thin coating they’re used to seeing as well. The snow in San Antonio definitely caught my eye as did two people’s pools that looked iced over enough that they could go ice skating safely on them.

A couple of my friends have been powerless since early this morning. Even if that happens here (one of them said it was 3 degrees and their house was down to 55 already) you’re going to have problems so hopefully they don’t start dealing with frozen pipes, etc.

I’m always amused by the general panic that sets in for a few inches of snow, BUT as my relatives reminded me…they have no snowplows, no real winter clothing and their houses aren’t insulated nearly as well as here in MN. I have good friends just outside of Houston, they are freezing. He said Houston has only 2 snowplows, so that snow is going to sit until it melts. Their recently planted landscaping is probably dead as they are Zone 8/9, not 3-4 like here. They had to scramble to cover outside faucets. They don’t own winter coats, just a polar fleece zip. This isn’t being dumb on their part, this kind of cold is just unheard of that far south.

A little off topic, but I recently learned that NYC uses garbage trucks for their snowplow trucks. Good way to not have to buy extra trucks, I guess!

As of 4-5 years ago, the whole ATL metro area had a total of 8 plows.

Also, as mentioned earlier with insulation, do homes that far south even come with thermostats that can generate that much heat? (yeah, dumb question, but man…)

They literally have little to no clue what to do, because of unfamiliarity.

As of 4-5 years ago, the whole ATL metro area had a total of 8 plows.

Also, as mentioned earlier with insulation, do homes that far south even come with thermostats that can generate that much heat? (yeah, dumb question, but man…)

They literally have little to no clue what to do, because of unfamiliarity.

Most have electric central AC/Heat. I just had to flip a switch on the thermostat from “Cool” to “Heat”.

The neighbor of a friend of mine in Burleson had their pipes burst and he himself has had no power for 18 hours (he went to UND with me so he knows how to handle winter). I have a feeling there is going to be quite a bit of pool damage too.

City in Texas has to shut down water supply due to weather problems

https://abcnews.go.com/US/texas-city-forced-shut-off-water-due-winter/story?id=75916304

I have a friend on the DFW area who is going on 30 hours without power. I get what’s going on and why (I read the link last night and a few others) but that’s still beyond ridiculous

Can’t wait to see this month’s heating usage, been running pretty much non-stop for a week. But in terms of cost it’s still not as bad as a really hot July when the A/C can be running full stop due to a heat wave. We sure see it all here in the upper Midwest.

That’s funny. We spend twice as much on heating as cooling. I suppose it depends on thermostat settings and efficiency of your furnace and AC.

I would also guess the type of fuel.

Electric, even off peak, is spendy. Up at ML a buddy has an off peak boiler and is amazed at how expensive it is compared to at his home place in Blooming Prairie.

Propane is more expensive than NG & has price swings that can be very seasonal. As a farmer you sure see that [mention]Norm[/mention] .

Fuel oil? Used it in one place I rented. It was an exterior tank so it was #2 & seemed expensive.

Natural Gas sure is nice, but I do like my wood stove in these temps.🤗 Toasty toasty.

So GPL’s resident meteorologist works for a company called MISO, they play a significant role in the allocation of power within our region. She mentioned this morning the entire power grid the help manage is operating at full power and apparently this is not common. She mentioned this has been going on since the 14th and was extended to tomorrow night. Interestingly she also mentioned the tidbit [mention]Zwak[/mention] brought up earlier today about Texas being on its own grid and there are a couple other states – NY and FL – who also follow that model. Those particular regions don’t have the ability to share power (in & out) as other regions do.

https://www.misoenergy.org/

So GPL’s resident meteorologist works for a company called MISO, they play a significant role in the allocation of power within our region. She mentioned this morning the entire power grid the help manage is operating at full power and apparently this is not common. She mentioned this has been going on since the 14th and was extended to tomorrow night. Interestingly she also mentioned the tidbit @Zwak brought up earlier today about Texas being on its own grid and there are a couple other states – NY and FL – who also follow that model. Those particular regions don’t have the ability to share power (in & out) as other regions do.

https://www.misoenergy.org/

I wondered where some local legislators have been getting their information about the levels of each type of power source for the grid. Thanks GE for posting that link!

My power has gone out twice since 5:30. One was a couple seconds and the other only 10 minutes but it’s still annoying

No interruptions here. I’m in Plymouth also, with Wright Hennepin Electric Co-op.

My power has gone out twice since 5:30. One was a couple seconds and the other only 10 minutes but it’s still annoying

No interruptions here. I’m in Plymouth also, with Wright Hennepin Electric Co-op.

I may have to look into this. I swear we lose it a couple times a year and I’m just on the other side of Larch from you.

There is SOME good news about our recent cold spell. From the DNR:

The recent bitter cold has benefits for ash trees.

At 30-below zero, 98% of emerald ash borer’s larvae die.

Even at a measly minus 10-below, 34% perish!!

The cold won’t eliminate ’em, but it really slows ’em down.

Yeah cold!!

It doesn’t change my life at all to go from -10 to -40. I’d be fine with -40 temps for a few days for that result.

Probably something that a lot of people here know, but yes, it can be too cold to snow.

Probably something that a lot of people here know, but yes, it can be too cold to snow.

Yep. The trouble is, I don’t mind snow. I hate the past two weeks’ temps.

The temperature might drop to 69 by the time I go home this morning. That’s almost jacket weather.

The temperature might drop to 69 by the time I go home this morning. That’s almost jacket weather.

In 2004 we went on our honeymoon to St. Lucia. One day it was in the 70’s and our boat guide was freezing. He said the coldest it have ever been in St. Lucia was 69.

It can get into low 60’s here where the elevation is higher, but even in those places it is pretty rare.

The temperature might drop to 69 by the time I go home this morning. That’s almost jacket weather.

In 2004 we went on our honeymoon to St. Lucia. One day it was in the 70’s and our boat guide was freezing. He said the coldest it have ever been in St. Lucia was 69.

:lol: This reminds me of our first trip to Belize many years ago. It was in March. We’re getting our sailboat and the marina manager is wearing a polar fleece and a stocking cap. I’m in shorts and a tank top. She’s pissing and moaning about the cold, mid-70s, and I’m laughing. When we told her the temperature back in MN she thought we were messing with her.

We were in Naples in June 2018 with our son waiting for permission leave Florida (needed state approvals since it was an adoption). I got talking to this woman and told her we were from Minneapolis…for 10 minutes she was concerned that we’d be heading home with him and not have a parka and mittens for him

She had no clue that in June in MN that temps are in the 70s and 80s.

My parents retired to Naples, Florida some years ago. They had neighbors who decided to move to Sarasota, about 120 miles north. Less than two years later they moved back to Naples because they thought Sarasota was too cold. :roll:

I work for a company that has big offices in Bloomington, and manufacturing facilities in Chippewa Falls. A couple of years ago a new guy got hired in my group and got scheduled for training in Chippewa Falls in February. When he got onto his plane in Melbourne Australia it was 112F. He changed planes in LA but when he got off the plane at MSP it was -18 or something.

I still laugh at that story every time he brings it up. He says his friends and family in Australia think he’s lying every time he tells the tale.

One of my fave anecdotes is from college. Was in a service frat (required community service hours per month) while at tUMD. Nat’l convention down in Dallas, the week between Christmas and New Year’s. It was about 45-50 down there. We’re wearing shorts, t-shirts, etc.

They honestly thought we were nuts. They were in heavy jackets and such. They really didn’t believe the stories they had heard, until they met us.

My wife and I vacationed in Scottsdale a number of years ago, and played golf on a beautiful, sunny, 70 degree day right around Christmas. We were shocked to discover that we were the only golfers on the course wearing shorts and short-sleeve golf shirts. No doubt everyone we came across wearing pants and sweaters thought we were the nutty ones!

This same weekend in Vegas several years ago. Stepped outside a casino in Jeans, Polo Shirt and had a denim jacket.

Lots of other people had full on winter jackets, zipped up and shivering while I was standing there taking my jacket off because I was starting to sweat.

I’d guess it was about 60-65.

The same B-I-L from Florida had a question for me: “When we hear on the news that it’s 20 below in MN, don’t they really mean that it’s 20 degrees below freezing? So it’s really 12 degrees, right?”

On my drive home from work I had to turn the heat down for once. The roads were clear and melting on the sides. Felt like it had to be 40 degrees outside. Checked the temp and it was 20. I guess 20 feels like 40 when we have had negatives for two weeks.

Good to see the power in the sun.

Sure is different than Dec & Jan.

On my drive home from work I had to turn the heat down for once. The roads were clear and melting on the sides. Felt like it had to be 40 degrees outside. Checked the temp and it was 20. I guess 20 feels like 40 when we have had negatives for two weeks.

A couple of days ago I was running one of the kids to practice and didn’t feel it was necessary to put on a jacket. It was 9 degrees.

30 degrees is going to feel so nice!

I took the dog for her after-dinner walk in shorts and a hoodie on Thursday because it felt so warm. My phone weather app had the temp at 11 🤣🤣

https://pbs.twimg.com/card_img/1366029824536571913/z7SRLKQe?format=jpg&name=small" />

Snowfall reports as of 10 a.m. included 8.5 inches near St. Augusta, south of St. Cloud, and 7.5 inches from spotters near Willmar and Kimball per MPR.

We got a few rain and snow showers and that was it. It’s now sunny and 33, so I have no complaints.

We had an inch and a half of snow plus whatever the plow pushed into the driveway. It’s all entirely melted.

We took the kids to the park and it was a little cold when the wind picked up but overall a nice day to get outside.