So what's the weather like in your neck of the woods?

[Lorena]

My in-laws live in Vegas and it's been snowing a lot, I also heard it snowed in Malibu, CA?! That's a beach area, very odd.

It's 57 out here, but foggy.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Partly sunny & about 70, after something like rain in 7 days of the last 10. Even our overnight lows have only hit mid-50s for the past few days. This is supposed to last until Sunday when it drops to low 50s highs & upper 20s lows.

[Coffee Warlord]

Global warming is a bitch.

We're actually closing the office early today in expectation of a nasssty storm.

[MJ4H]

49 degrees, slightly overcast. High of 54 today. Thunderstorms scattered around. Supposed to be clear and slightly warmer tomorrow.

[Alan T]

too cold, too much snow, too much ice. And more on the way. Sounds like another foot or two of snow before this weekend is over.

[Scoobz0202]

Way too cold... just waaayyyy too cold.

[Fidatelo]

It has been fucking freezing up here for the last couple weeks. It's a balmy -13 Fahrenheit today (with the windchill it's -33 F), which is sadly warmer than what it was earlier in the week (I think on Sunday it was -56 F with the windchill or something stupid).

[Honolulu_Blue]

It's cold. Hovering just around freezing. We're getting ready for the same "nasssty storm" storm CW mentioned. They are expected 3-5" of snow starting around midnight or 1 AM through the morning and another 3-5" throughout the day tomorrow.

The commute will be awesome!

[gstelmack]

too cold, too much snow, too much ice. And more on the way. Sounds like another foot or two of snow before this weekend is over.

For once my parents are looking forward to more than just seeing the grandkids when they leave Brockton next week to come down for Christmas...

[Young Drachma]

Storyline is that there will be a nasty storm in Chicagoland. I work about 3 blocks from my house, so no ugly commute home for me.

[Icy]

We are having one of the coldest winters in the last 30 years in Spain, snowing a ton that is not usual here unless at the North. I wonder where is the global warming...

[Thomkal]

We've been fortunate here in South Carolina, seems along with parts of Georgia and all of Florida to be the only places having nice weather. Temps in the 60's and 70's, some fog in the mornings, a little rain here and there but nothing major.

Looks like the Midwest and then the Northeast are going to be nasty the next couple of days

[JeeberD]

As the local ESPN station jokingly labeled it, we were having the "Arctic Apocolypse" for a couple of days...it got all the way down into the upper 20s with very slight freezing precipitation. Yesterday was low 40s with fog. Today, well, I haven't been outside yet but it appears to be mid 40s with a chance of rain.

[path12]

Snow here, traffic is a mess. I'm staying home also. One of the perks of living here, it doesn't snow enough to have the infrastructure for it, and there's a ton of hills. Place shuts down for days like this.

[Coffee Warlord]

http://www.hark.org/images/dat.jpg

[Lathum]

Snow here, traffic is a mess. I'm staying home also. One of the perks of living here, it doesn't snow enough to have the infrastructure for it, and there's a ton of hills. Place shuts down for days like this.

+1

Watching the news this morning I was amazed by all the accidents.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

KC has an ice storm that's expected in about an hour or so. Should be a fun drive home.

The temperature at Arrowhead on Sunday for kickoff is expected to be 3 degrees with a -20 degree windchill. I'm guessing the visiting Miami Dolphins won't be too happy about that forecast.

[Flasch186]

eh, with your track record it'll be sunny and 72....

im totally just kiddin' with ya ;)

[PackerFanatic]

Cold and snowy. The storm in the Chicago area is expected to move north into our neck of the woods, bringing another 10 inches of snow with it (luckily no ice up by me, from what I have heard)

[Flasch186]

honestly, it's beautiful out today.

[DanGarion]

Up till last night it was raining the last couple days, snow down to 2500 feet. Cold for here (50-55 during the day high thirties - low forties at night).

[DanGarion]

Oh and there was 45 inches of snow in Big Bear, well above normal even for them.

[path12]

+1

Watching the news this morning I was amazed by all the accidents.

Yeah, folks from places that get plenty of snow are always surprised at how bad it gets.

[Wolfpack]

After being colder than normal for much of the last month, we've been kind of trapped in a London/Seattle (non-winter-storm variety) mix of weather the last few days: mid 50s and just socked in with clouds and fog. No heavy rain, but just a lot of misting and drizzling. Supposed to improve tomorrow before I guess the really cold stuff (relatively speaking) comes charging back in here by early next week.

[Scoobz0202]

Weather on the tv went off..

Ice Storm Warning.


Yippe.

[Karlifornia]

It's nice and crisp during the days, and then cold as balls at night.

Please get warmer at night!

[SackAttack]

Winter Storm Warning just got issued. Between 4-7" of snow expected between 3am and 6pm CST.

It's a balmy 6 degrees right now. High of 25 forecast for tomorrow. I guess I'd rather have snow now and dry weather on Christmas Eve/Christmas Day so I can go visit friends to the south than the other way 'round.

[SackAttack]

It's nice and crisp during the days, and then cold as balls at night.

Please get warmer at night!

I thought balls were explicitly NOT supposed to be cold. What kind of freak are you? :)

[Karlifornia]

I thought balls were explicitly NOT supposed to be cold. What kind of freak are you? :)

Well, I assumed everyone had a Sharper Image Personal Testicular Ionized Cooling Unit.

[tarcone]

after a week of teens and 20 s and a small ice storm on monday, we are getting to 50 on friday. Then comes Sunday with a high expected to be 18 or something stupid. Our weather guy said this was one of the coldest Decembers in St Louis recorded history.

[Lorena]

Winter Storm Warning just got issued. Between 4-7" of snow expected between 3am and 6pm CST.

It's a balmy 6 degrees right now. High of 25 forecast for tomorrow. I guess I'd rather have snow now and dry weather on Christmas Eve/Christmas Day so I can go visit friends to the south than the other way 'round.

So how have you adjusted to the harsh winters out there?

[MikeVic]

I don't want to talk about it.

[Young Drachma]

Freezing rain in southwest Chicagoland at the moment. It'll be interesting to see if the vaunted snows they're projecting are going to happen as anticipated or not. I'm fine with it, if it happens...just curious about it.

[SackAttack]

So how have you adjusted to the harsh winters out there?

I think it's in the eye of the beholder, really. My dad's side of the family is virtually all Canadian, and what I've seen so far doesn't really measure up to the winter stories they've told over the years. Ask me again in February.

[Honolulu_Blue]

The snows have hit here.

There's less than expected, but it's still coming down. My office is "closed", but that doesn't really mean much of anything for me. I may still have to go in, though I'd rather not.

[Honolulu_Blue]

I just got all "all clear."

SNOW DAY!!!!

[MLA]

Mild and clear in Europe.

[Young Drachma]

They delayed the opening of the university until 10am today. No students on campus, just staff since finals ended yesterday.

We didn't get much snow, though the freezing rain and sleet and such came at random times. It's not pretty out and I imagine the drivers are doing silly things, but given the hype, it ended up not being much.

[Jas_lov]

I don't think most of the snow has even hit Chicago yet. We got 10-12 inches of snow and a coat of ice in north east iowa last night and this morning. Everywhere has closed and I'm staying home from work.

[Cork]

We got hit with 8 to 12 inches overnight with another 3-5 expected today. Looks like I will be a bit late going into the office this morning.

-Cork

[Fidatelo]

Apparently it's going to warm up to -2 F tonight and then snow on us. I'm actually looking forward to it; cold snow is generally fluffy and light and easy to shovel, yet with the slightly warmer temps I might be able to stand at the bus stop for 10 minutes without my wiener going MIA.

[Mustang]

Not sure how much we had, probably 8 so far with blowing and drifting.. Car is plowed in by a 3 ft snow bank so, I'm working from home today...

Good news is that with all the blowing, I don't have to rake the roof.

[Fidatelo]

Rake the roof?

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Rake the roof?

I'm assuming he means pull the big chunks of snow off his roof to reduce the amount of weight stress on the roof. Rake works well for that.

[flere-imsaho]

Still snowing here in Chicago. In the past 5 minutes where I am (just north of the city, it's turned from a sort of snow/sleet mix to fluffy snow, which is nicer. I'd estimate we only have about 5 new inches on the ground where I am, but it's supposed to go on for a while.

I got told late in the day yesterday by my client that they would be encouraging people to stay home, so I'm home today. The only major thing I have is a call with senior leadership at 10:30, but that meeting, usually in Deerfield, got switched last night to conference call only.

I just looked at our car which stays in the driveway and looks like the early sleet encased it in a block of ice. Luckily I don't need to use it until Monday. Hopefully it'll thaw out by then. :D

[flere-imsaho]

I'm assuming he means pull the big chunks of snow off his roof to reduce the amount of weight stress on the roof. Rake works well for that.

One could also do this to keep snow from melting and refreezing back up into the eaves. If you have a well-insulated roof, though, it's usually not a problem.

[Alan T]

Rake the roof?

Certain style buildings/houses need the snow raked off or they are at risk of collapsing. It isn't a good idea for most roofs to hold several feet deep worth of snow on top of them. I've heard stories about families dying due to roof collapses under the snow.

[Fidatelo]

Certain style buildings/houses need the snow raked off or they are at risk of collapsing. It isn't a good idea for most roofs to hold several feet deep worth of snow on top of them. I've heard stories about families dying due to roof collapses under the snow.

Hmm, I wonder if I've been playing with fire (or snow, I suppose) all my life, or if living in the prairies basically eliminates the risk because the wind keeps snow from building up too high? I can't imagine see a house with 'several feet' of snow on the roof, that sounds wild!

[Fidatelo]

One could also do this to keep snow from melting and refreezing back up into the eaves. If you have a well-insulated roof, though, it's usually not a problem.

My brother-in-law had some ice-damning issues a couple years ago, I forget how he solved them, I didn't think it was with a rake though. Interesting little lessen I'm getting here!

[PackerFanatic]

Gotta love the snow. Just thankful I am not further south, as they seem to be getting even more than we got last week.

[Coffee Warlord]

Hooo yeah, here comes the blizzard.

[Mustang]

We rake our roof to help with ice forming in the gutters. The attic could be a little better insulated so, what happens is that the snow melts on the roof at an accelerated rate, flows into the gutters where it is colder and then freezes. When it warms up the ice in the gutters starts to melt and then tries to find a place to go and can wick up underneath the roof and flow into the house. We have a roof rake and heating coils to help reduce this potential issue.

Winter is such fun....

Oh.. and it isn't a rake in the sense of a lawn rake. It is basically a 25 ft pole with a solid rectangle at the end.

[flere-imsaho]

My brother-in-law had some ice-damning issues a couple years ago, I forget how he solved them, I didn't think it was with a rake though. Interesting little lessen I'm getting here!

If fixing the way the roof is insulated can't be done (or doesn't fix the problem) it's also possible to run heating wires on the roof to melt the snow and avoid this problem. Since most of the ice damning happens on the roof edges (apparently where the heat/insulation issues crop up the most for some reason - I'm not a builder), you just run the wires from the gutter to about one or one and one half feet up the roof.

This is reason #293847 why it's important to focus on the quality/condition of the roof when purchasing a house. :D

[flere-imsaho]

We rake our roof to help with ice forming in the gutters.

I actually have heating wires in the gutters specifically for this.

[Thomkal]

It's going to be 75 here today :::ducks all the snowballs:::

[Fidatelo]

I can't believe I spelled lesson 'lessen' up there.

[Alan T]

Just started to snow here.

[cartman]

The last couple of weeks have been a roller coaster. Last Tuesday morning, it was 75 degrees, then that night the cold front came through and it was 28 degrees and snow. The cold lasted until Friday, then it started to warm up again, and by Sunday afternoon it was 80 degrees. Then on Sunday night, in the span of about 15 minutes, the temp dropped 30 degrees, and it got back down to 25 degrees overnight. Monday and Tuesday were icy, then on Wednesday it slowly started to warm up, and today it is supposed to be back in the high 60s/low 70s.

[JeeberD]

I can't believe I spelled lesson 'lessen' up there.

And don't forget about "damning"... ;)

[Fidatelo]

And don't forget about "damning"... ;)

Dam you!

[Galaxy]

We are just getting nailed in upstate NY. Snow was falling at 2 inches per hour in Buffalo.

[Kodos]

Looks like we have about 3 inches so far near the coast of Connecticut. I hate snow. Maybe in retirement I can live outside of the snowbelt.

[SFL Cat]

79 and sunny here with a nice breeze coming in off the ocean. Man, this time of year, I love living in South Florida! :D

[dawgfan]

High's in the high 20's through Sunday, more snow expected tomorrow along with a major windstorm. Could be a lot of people without power tomorrow night in sub-freezing conditions.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Cripes. Another round of freezing rain? This is getting ridiculous. Al Gore can go to hell.

[miked]

Was farging 20 degrees when I woke up yesterday, and 30 this morning. WTF.

[Lorena]

It's supposed to warm up to 53 degrees but right now it's 37.

[Mustang]

snow, snow, snow and more snow... up to another 12" by end of tomorrow. Side streets are just horrible... there is no where to plow the snow to so, roads have narrowed down considerably

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

I'll say one thing. On Sunday, we had a high of around 8 degrees with a low of -3. I have come to the conclusion that everyone in Canada needs to move south during the winter. That's just too damn cold, especially with wind.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Uhhhh, Earth to Seattle. WTF?????? The holier-than-thou quote at the end of the article is priceless.......

Local News | Seattle refuses to use salt; roads "snow packed" by design | Seattle Times Newspaper (http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008551284_snowcleanup23m.html)

Seattle refuses to use salt; roads "snow packed" by design
Seattle's strategy for clearing roads relies on sand and de-icer, not salt, which is a more effective method of melting ice and snow.

By Susan Kelleher
Seattle Times consumer affairs reporter

To hear the city's spin, Seattle's road crews are making "great progress" in clearing the ice-caked streets.

But it turns out "plowed streets" in Seattle actually means "snow-packed," as in there's snow and ice left on major arterials by design.

"We're trying to create a hard-packed surface," said Alex Wiggins, chief of staff for the Seattle Department of Transportation. "It doesn't look like anything you'd find in Chicago or New York."

The city's approach means crews clear the roads enough for all-wheel and four-wheel-drive vehicles, or those with front-wheel drive cars as long as they are using chains, Wiggins said.

The icy streets are the result of Seattle's refusal to use salt, an effective ice-buster used by the state Department of Transportation and cities accustomed to dealing with heavy winter snows.

"If we were using salt, you'd see patches of bare road because salt is very effective," Wiggins said. "We decided not to utilize salt because it's not a healthy addition to Puget Sound."

By ruling out salt and some of the chemicals routinely used by snowbound cities, Seattle has embraced a less-effective strategy for clearing roads, namely sand sprinkled on top of snowpack along major arterials, and a chemical de-icer that is effective when temperatures are below 32 degrees.

Seattle also equips its plows with rubber blades. That minimizes the damage to roads and manhole covers, but it doesn't scrape off the ice, Wiggins said.

That leaves many drivers, including Seattle police, pretty much on their own until nature does to the snow what the sand can't: melt it.

The city's patrol cars are rear-wheel drive. And even with tire chains, officers are avoiding hills and responding on foot, according to a West Precinct officer.

Between Thursday and Monday, the city spread about 6,000 tons of sand on 1,531 miles of streets it considers major arterials.

The tonnage, sprinkled atop the packed snow, amounts to 1.4 pounds of sand per linear foot of roadway, an amount one expert said might be too little to provide effective traction.

"Hmmm. Six thousand tons of sand for that length of road doesn't seem like it's enough," said Diane Spector, a water-resources planner for Wenck Associates, which evaluated snow and ice clearance for nine cities in the Midwest.

Spector and snow-control experts in four cities said sand is typically mixed with salt and used for trouble spots.

"The occasional application of salt is probably not going to have a lasting effect" on the environment, Spector said. But she cautioned it's highly dependent on where it's used, how often and how much is applied.

Seattle's stand against using salt is not shared by the state Department of Transportation, which has battled the latest storms in Western Washington with de-icer, 5,800 tons of salt and 11,500 cubic yards of salt and sand mix, said spokesman Travis Phelps.

Many cities are moving away from sand because it clogs the sewers, runs into waterways, creates air pollution and costs more to clean up.

Its main attraction is that it typically costs less than one-fifth the price of salt, according to Spector.

"We never use sand," said Ann Williams, spokeswoman for Denver's Department of Public Works. "Sand causes dust, and there's also water-quality issues where it goes into streets and into our rivers."

Instead, it sprays an "anti-icing" agent on dry roads before the snow falls and then a combination of chemicals to melt the ice.

Cheryl Kuck, spokeswoman for the Portland Bureau of Transportation, said her city prepared the streets last week with the "anti-icing" spray. Once the snow started, Portland used chemical de-icers, followed by plowing with 55 plows and treating trouble spots with sand and gravel.

Although the city had plowed 29 of its 36 major routes, "nothing is clear," Kuck said late Monday afternoon. "This is a difficult and challenging situation that's going to take us a long time to recover from."

Wiggins, of Seattle's transportation department, said the city's 27 trucks had plowed and sanded 100 percent of Seattle's main roads, and were going back for second and third passes.

"It's tough going. I won't argue with you on that," he said. But here in Seattle, "we're sensitive about everything we do that impacts the environment."

[Fidatelo]

I'll say one thing. On Sunday, we had a high of around 8 degrees with a low of -3. I have come to the conclusion that everyone in Canada needs to move south during the winter. That's just too damn cold, especially with wind.

We have a rule that our Old English Sheepdog has to stay inside while we're at work if it's colder than -15 celsius during the day (5 fahrenheit). She's been inside every day all month. Today we actually broke the rule because it's going up to -17 (1 fahrenheit) and the dog has been refusing to come inside lately because she's sick of it, and I also suspect she has become so used to the freezing cold temps that today feels like spring :P

Long story short: yes, it's time to move south!

[Cringer]

It's been pretty cold ( ;) ) around here most of the last couple weeks it seems, in the 40's and 50's most of the time. Of course it will be in the 70's and 80's the next few days to take away any weather to add a little to that Christmas feel for this Washington state boy.

[Alan T]

This is my front walkway after the weekend of snow (Snow all three days, but not more than a few inches on Saturday, most was Friday and Sunday)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y19/Turlos/IMG00005.jpg

Measured 2 ft 3 inches on the yardstick. You can see here on the sides of my walkpath (and you can kind of see the streets on the top of the picture), snow is already over the 3 feet mark where it is pushed up to the sides.

Considering the temperatures, I am guessing I won't see my grass again until April now.