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Post by JR on Dec 6, 2013 9:25:26 GMT -5
news.msn.com/us/ice-friday-bears-down-on-texas-much-of-Midwest
Got up this morning to at least 1/2 of sleet and it's still hammering down. I've got my big DR/mower generator ready to plug in and lots of cans of gas. she's running right now just to warm up. Hoping for the best and I keep power but I'm ready if it goes down. I have my computers on a 6 hour back power regulator system and since my heat, cooking and hot water are on natural gas, a move I done last year all I need for heat, hot water, and cooking is 110 power. This generator is bad enough to run the whole house even the TV's if you keep gas in it.
Schools shut down, roads are very dangerous. My wife is a nurse in Little Rock and worked today, the hospital put all nurses/doctors up in rooms last night so she and I are safe and off the road. When it thaws she'll come home or I may fire my 4 X 4 up and go get her tomorrow, but the problem is no temps above freezing for next 5 days, Monday night forecast is single digit cold. Also another wave of freezing stuff predicted for Saturday night. Not good but it could be worse like this in 2000:
www.alabamawx.com/?p=13869
I stayed up all night with my shotgun firing bird shot on the tree limbs to knock the ice off of the limbs of the trees by my house to keep them off the roof and from damaging my house. Over 10" of ice fell that night sleet, and freezing rain.
Power lines leveled in my county for a 50 mile radius, power companies fro 23 states came to help. I ran a generator for 36 days straight before I got power back. Arkansas is the leading poultry producing state in the nation, due to collapsed houses over 9 million chickens lost, thousands of acres of forest leveled like you took a giant weed eater to it. Homes destroyed, lives lost, as it said the worst ice storm n Arkansas history.
Where I worked 36 miles away I spent all day over 9 hours on a chain saw clearing the state highway to get to the shop for a big welder/generator to power my house. Small state highways were on the back burner because the state employees were on major highways doing the same. When they met up with me at the end of Hwy 369 they were grateful for my efforts so people could at least get to town for supplies. No one saw this coming and we weren't ready.
I'm ready this time and crossing my fingers it'll ease up.
JR |
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Post by oldchopperguy on Dec 6, 2013 12:47:32 GMT -5
JR,
Yup... It's headed my way too!
Wednesday, I had a load of errands to run. It was 79 and sunny here around Dallas, and I put nearly 100 enjoyable miles on "Minnie Mouse", the "new" old Kymco 250 in the process. Yesterday it dropped to 29 and began sleeting and it hasn't improved any since. Today there's 2" of frozen sleet over glare-ice all around. The weather forecast is for below-freezing temps for a full week.
We're hoping the power lines hold up to the massive ice-coat they're wearing... By local rule, we're all-electric so if they go down, we're toast. It's unusual to get below freezing around here, and snow/ice accumulation is VERY unusual, so the area is not equipped to handle it. Everybody just "hunkers-down" and does a lot of praying. Fortunately, it works...
Hard to believe it was SUMMER weather a day ago, and now it looks like the North Pole.
Stay warm!
Leo (NOT riding ANYTHING for a while...) in FROZEN Texas
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Post by spandi on Dec 6, 2013 13:13:23 GMT -5
I know you love Petit Jean but that is enough to make someone a desert rat. (hope your power stays on and you "scoot" through this.)
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Post by scootnwinn on Dec 6, 2013 13:14:33 GMT -5
It missed the valley I live in entirely... Yay!
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Post by JR on Dec 6, 2013 14:17:37 GMT -5
Forecast for my area: t.weather.msn.com/local/morrilton-ar/?wealocations=wc:USAR0388Look at the temps, it'll be Wednesday before we get above freezing and some single digit lows. It's easing up and doing exactly what they said it would do. But it's  % sleet which is better than freezing rain. Sleet hits the ground and doesn't stick to higher objects very well, freezing rain clings to everything! Just went and warmed my generator up again to just stay on ready. We've got 2" or more too Leo and the wind will cut you in two! More possible for Sat and Sun. Now the question is can I go get mama from work or will she have to spend the night again? JR |
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Post by larrball on Dec 6, 2013 20:02:54 GMT -5
Well Jr, look's like you'r going to have to work with this for a bit. (*xmas-joke) Kid's love RC bike's like that.  =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--=-=-=-=-=-=-= [That's what Santa said] |
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Post by shalomdawg on Dec 6, 2013 20:30:49 GMT -5
howdy and yup, we even have some here in the west. my brother headed for work this morning and turned around and came home as it got too slick for him. he parked the third vehicle in the drive and apologized for me not being able to get the scooter out. single digit temps and wind chills aroun zero with ice on the ground.---i'm not leaving.
lotsa miles and smiles to ya
ken
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Post by skyrider on Dec 6, 2013 20:54:00 GMT -5
Hi JR. Just talked to my brother in Brentwood south of Fayetteville. They got 1/2 inch of sleet with 6 inches of snow on top of it and still falling. Makes this 56/38 temps in the Palm Springs area seem not so bad! In a week we will be back in Yuma with 70/55s. Glad you are prepared. And thanks for the great job you (and Alleyoop) do for the scooter community. The Reflex is still running strong. Has needed nothing but tires and oil changes. I loved that cross country trip when I visited you. Skyrider Read more: www.thescooterprofessor.proboards.com/thread/3289/headed#ixzz2mkYkYBzK |
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Post by oldchopperguy on Dec 7, 2013 13:15:32 GMT -5
Ditto here...
Dallas/Fort Worth is in the twenties and supposed to stay there for a week! VERY unusual here. Winter HAS arrived with a vengeance.
Stay warm, y'all!
Leo in Texas
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% sleet which is better than freezing rain. Sleet hits the ground and doesn't stick to higher objects very well, freezing rain clings to everything! 
