Severe Weather

[JPhillips]

The FL property insurance market is going to be a disaster after rates are adjusted next year.

CNN shining a light on Florida’s insurance disaster, pre-storm pic.twitter.com/l0LfW64kiC

— Ben Sharpe (@iamsharpe) October 1, 2022

[Ksyrup]

It's been a disaster since Andrew. They still haven't really figured it out. They've had moratoriums, limits on nonrenewals, a socialist government run property insurance company for coastal properties, etc., and none of it has really worked.

[JPhillips]

Really narrows the gap between FL and blue states if you look at taxes and insurance rates.

[Edward64]

Didn't factor in insurance costs in my retirements plans in Florida.

FWIW, I was looking at condos (3rd+ floor, no yard to mow) and it is cheaper than a house. Below is not specific to Florida but you can see the scale of the difference.

https://www.policygenius.com/homeown...ers-insurance/

Average cost in 2022

$506 per year

$1,899 per year

But then you have the condo fees.

[GrantDawg]

Not good:

Media: Locals in #SouthFlorida's Matlacha Isles take @Acosta by former shrimp boat docks where buildings stood, restaurants lost in #HurricaneIan; a roadway completely washed out. #Florida's death toll has risen from 65 to 66. Residents have reported sighting bodies in canals. pic.twitter.com/7te3K4mT3j

— Porter Anderson (@Porter_Anderson) October 1, 2022

[miami_fan]

This 100% solar community endured Hurricane Ian with no loss of power and minimal damage | CNN

Yes, I checked.

How much do homes costs?
Current pricing starts just under $200,000 to over $1,000,000.

How are the fees charged for the ISD?

The ISD fee appears on the individual ad valorum tax bill. The annual operations and maintenance of the ISD is currently $375 per year and appears on the tax bill. The debt service depends on the size of the home site and currently ranges from $870 to $3,100 annually.

What are the recurring fees?

The recurring HOA fees currently set at $140 per month. This amount is billed quarterly by the association. Residents will have a choice of membership to other facilities.

[Blackadar]

From Ian ground central, I can tell you this hasn't been fun.

I didn't flood - my house is 26 feet above sea level and not against a river so if I flood all of SW FL needs an ark - but it was a close thing by maybe a foot or two. My street was under about 3-4 feet of water. The water has now finally drained off the road so I can get out and I even have power back after 5 days. I'm hotspotting my internet and my water is from my well (not potable but can be used for flushing and showers). Supplies have started rolling in and there are some markets open, so if you can get to them there's stuff there.

I escaped better than most but still probably have $15-$20k of damage. Almost all my vegetation is gone and oak trees that are over 100 years old and lived through Charlie are now on the ground. But that's what happens when you're in an eye wall for 5-6 STRAIGHT hours (we never got the eye, just the entire North and West sides of the eye wall) as we were. I just spent $18k on a new roof earlier this year and that may have helped, though if I hadn't then I'd be getting a free new one from insurance right about now. But everyone's safe in my household and not all families around here can say that.

[flere-imsaho]

Glad to hear you're OK, Blackadar! Sounds terrifying!

[Thomkal]

Wow Blackadar, fortunate indeed! Glad everyone in your family is ok.

[PilotMan]

Thanks for the update! Great to hear from you again. Next time make it under better circumstances though! I can't imagine how scary that was.

[sterlingice]

That sounds terrifying and like something I'm hoping to never experience

SI

[Lathum]

Glad you are doing well and safe!

[CrimsonFox]

*hugs*

[Kodos]

Wow. Glad you are okay Blackadar.

[miami_fan]

TROPICAL STORM NICOLE

In isolation, it is not a storm that would worry too many, but for those who are still recovering from Ian, this is not a welcome sight. Local schools have already said that they are closing on Thursday.

[Ksyrup]

We've had a near-perfect fall here in KY. Despite record or near-record early first frosts and freezes, we've had comfortable temps, no rain (which is actually an issue as we're in a drought but has been nice not to deal with), beautiful fall foliage, a few cold nights so I've run the heater a few nights but not once in the past 2+ weeks... well, that all comes crashing down by Friday night. Looks like the winter pattern is finally here in the midwest/north and is going to take hold for at least the next month with a few possible wintry precipitation chances.

[Lathum]

Good friends are doing their Disney vacation this week. Oof..

[Ksyrup]

Hurricane season does not end until November 30, people!

[sterlingice]

In Texas, it's really rare for us to get one after the first major cold front of the fall (mid-September-ish). After that, we might get a really weak one - but the slow, plodding super strong ones that go across the Gulf will turn north long before they reach us as the jet stream has likely shifted north. Not good news for Florida, Alabama, or Mississippi, but good for us.

SI

[miami_fan]

Originally Posted by Lathum

We have friends currently at universal. Supposed to fly home Thursday.

Originally Posted by Lathum

Good friends are doing their Disney vacation this week. Oof..

Your friends are banned from Florida until December 1st!

[Edward64]

Snow is pretty but not for me. Happy with my once every 8-10 years of a snowmaggedon (actually icing) event in Atlanta.

Snowfall tops 6 feet in western New York, triggering road closures and flight cancellations the weekend before Thanksgiving

[GrantDawg]

I just want to see several feet of snow just once in my life. I don't want to necessarily leave were it happens, just experience it once.

Sent from my SM-G996U using Tapatalk

[sterlingice]

Agreed - in a "passing through but not stranded" way. And i sure as hell wouldn't want to live there

Like I want to go somewhere snow is as high as I am so if I start digging, I'm making basically a maze

SI

[Fidatelo]

Just drive north for a day or two in January.

[sterlingice]

A prolonged hard freeze is coming to Houston just ahead of the Christmas holiday – Space City Weather

We're getting a hard freeze this coming week that will not quite mirror the one we got 2 years ago but it's not that far away.

For those who forgot the last one, it caused a grid failure that left much of the state without power for between 1-5 days and between 200-800 people died. This one won't be quite as bad because it's a dry front instead of an icy one and temps in northern Texas will be cold but not quite as bad as that one. Our forecast is right now looking to be around 19 compared with 16 then. However, we are going to have about 36 hours below freezing.

News Release
All eyes are on the local power concern. ERCOT claims they have weatherized and increased stability of the grid, which we're all dubious of because the bills passed in the Texas legislature had a couple of handou- I mean, carrots- and no sticks. So there were very limited business reasons to actually fix anything. In the back of my mind, I think this being a dry front instead of an ice storm should prevent some of the issues from the last storm and maybe that saves us.

Texas was minutes away from monthslong power outages, officials say | The Texas Tribune
The grid failure was caused by ERCOT dumping the majority of residential customers off the grid because they couldn't maintain a fraction of supply and we were apparently "minutes" away from rolling blackouts for months due to equipment damage.

2021 Texas power crisis - Wikipedia
It was, of course, blamed on renewables by our government leaders despite the fact that the bigger shortfall was from natural gas and this crisis made them a /ton/ of money - more than the make most years. But, hey, at least it got Ted Cruz out of the state for a week as he fled to Cancun.

2021 Texas power crisis - Wikipedia
Only half joking: Anyone know where I can bet on the grid failing - like energy futures for Texas? I'd love to put a few bucks there so that even if our pipes burst or we get significant other damage, I can make that money back to cover it. Last time, ERCOT let the price skyrocket to $9K (!!) per kwH and it still didn't even come close to meeting demand, but it did make a lot of politically connected people very rich and rate payers in Texas are on the hook for about $10B over the next couple decades. Yay.

SI

[JPhillips]

I hope Ted Cruz has called is travel agent.

[JPhillips]

dola

Wind chills on Christmas are freaking nuts. Right now Morehead, KY is at -17 on one of the models.

[flere-imsaho]

We leave tomorrow to drive from Chicago to Maine to be with my folks for Christmas. Looking at the predictions, we'll be just ahead of the winter storm, so hopefully my luck holds.

[Thomkal]

Be safe winter travelers!

[PilotMan]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

dola

Wind chills on Christmas are freaking nuts. Right now Morehead, KY is at -17 on one of the models.

Yep, gonna get plenty chilly. Coldest we've seen in a while. I'm trying really, really hard to avoid leaving home the rest of this week.

[Ksyrup]

Tomorrow afternoon we may hit 50 and by sometime after midnight Friday, be below zero. Fun times.

[JPhillips]

Yesterday when I checked a travel weather site it had us at 51 when we leave Friday morning and at 4 by the time we reach Frostburg, MD.

[JPhillips]

dola

Cheyenne, WY went from 43° to 11° in 9 minutes and now below 0° #wywx #aricticfront #kswx #newx #okwx #txwx pic.twitter.com/lgNy3kMi5q

— Jeff Piotrowski (@Jeff_Piotrowski) December 21, 2022

[PilotMan]

woof. that's crazy

[Galaril]

Originally Posted by PilotMan

woof. that's crazy

Yeah we are living it here south of Denver. It went from 23 to -6 in twenty five minutes here! What made it more interesting was one of our furnaces, the twenty year old, one died this afternoon. We had to frantically get it fixed and on life support through the holiday until next week when we can get it replaced.

[Ryche]

Originally Posted by Galaril

Yeah we are living it here south of Denver. It went from 23 to -6 in twenty five minutes here! What made it more interesting was one of our furnaces, the twenty year old, one died this afternoon. We had to frantically get it fixed and on life support through the holiday until next week when we can get it replaced.

My 30 year old furnace just south of Denver was acting up last week, luckily it seems the fix has held for us. 60 degree drop so far from the high on Wednesday.

[Galaril]

Originally Posted by Ryche

My 30 year old furnace just south of Denver was acting up last week, luckily it seems the fix has held for us. 60 degree drop so far from the high on Wednesday.

30 years wow good for you. That is some serious longevity on a furnace. They aren’t cheap to replace in the $15k range for us.

[miami_fan]

Remember it is all relative.

The ten year temperature average for the Tampa area are a high of 75 and a low 58. Today is supposed to be a high of 70 and a low of 56. By the time weekend rolls around, the highs will be 45 and 46 on Saturday and Sunday and lows of 28 and 27.

[Sweed]

Originally Posted by Galaril

30 years wow good for you. That is some serious longevity on a furnace. They aren’t cheap to replace in the $15k range for us.

This used to the norm. Not just furnaces but appliances too. A friend of mine replaced his furnace ~ 10 years ago and started having problems. Time to be replaced, can't be fixed. He's known the plumber for years and was told that is how they are built now.

My gas dryer had an issue, a Maytag. Repairman came and as he looked at it he said "you're lucky this model is one of the last made in Newton, Iowa before Maytag sold out". Said he'd have it fixed in no time and it would probably last another 15 years on top the the 15 I've had it. If I had a newer model? According to him, good chance it's unfixable if 10 years old.

[Solecismic]

The snow is looking more and more lake effect pattern. Poor Buffalo - they'll get hit hard again. We're down to 2-3 inches tonight - and a temperature drop from 40 to -2 over the space of a few hours. Tomorrow's daytime high will be 0, wind gusts 40-50 over a period of at least 24 hours. Hopefully the power will stay on.

[Ksyrup]

This is what you get when you ask the sports guy to come in to cover a blizzard in the morning show. pic.twitter.com/h0RL9tVQqg

— Mark Woodley (@MarkWoodleyTV) December 22, 2022

[Ksyrup]

You can tell where the front is based on the traffic map!

Google Maps

[stevew]

Originally Posted by Ryche

My 30 year old furnace just south of Denver was acting up last week, luckily it seems the fix has held for us. 60 degree drop so far from the high on Wednesday.

Our furnace was basically unfixable cause it required a mercury switch that’s no longer made

[Radii]

The amount of snow we're getting here in Fort Wayne, IN got downgraded from like ~10 inches to 2 or 3, but it's currently -10 and my house is making weird noises from the wind. As long as the power stays on this is basically nothing though. I spent $5000 getting a bunch of trees pruned that had very large branches hanging over my house. Best decision I made all year.

[SirFozzie]

I have to drive to a semi-emergency medical appointment (the last thing I want to do during a december storm at 8:15 am two days before Christmas.)

[Ksyrup]

-7 with -29 wind chill here in Lexington. My daughter works at Dick's at the mall and closed last night, so we dropped her off and I picked her up. I've never driven in a snow globe before. Crazy. It was 33 the entire time I waited for her, then at 11:30 as she was coming out it dropped to 31 and everything on my car started freezing. It took 40 minutes to get home (usually 20) and by then the temp was 15. I didn't sleep very well due to the wind.

[bob]

North of Atlanta, it’s 15. At some point we lost power last night and I discovered a downed tree through my fence when I took the dogs out this morning. Good times.

[NobodyHere]

Dang, only a level 2 snow emergency. Bad enough where the roads are terrible but not bad enough for my job to shutdown.

[Ksyrup]

And... We just lost power. Awesome!

[Thomkal]

It was in the 50's here in Myrtle Beach when I went to get the paper this morning before the front reached us. Now its in the 40's and dropping throughout the day. Wind gusts up to 40 mph possible too. Glad I don't need to be anywhere thru Xmas