Greetings and welcome!
Yesterday afternoon temperatures cratered late in the afternoon. We had a very cold night last night with 11 degrees here, and some places reporting a low of +6. The wind was really howling, with gusts that had to go 30-35mph. It was not a nice night to be outside.
I went outside yesterday afternoon to toss in some firewood and a few other minor tasks. I was a little late pushing the layer of slush and snow off of the steps, and by the time that I got out there it was a thick and ridiculously well bonded layer of ice. (Doh!) Even the ice chopper didn’t impress it, but I got it’s attention with a little salt brine.
If the steps were that well set up, certainly the driveway would be too. The sun was at the treeline when I headed down to the shed to see about a gravel ride. The new pretty RXL was to be my ride of choice, but no joy. It started right up and ran good, but something in the final drive is locked up. Right now the guess is that I picked up a rock or something when I pulled it in for storage. Curses, foiled again.
It was pretty dark when I got the gas can out and headed around for the XLT. It too started right up. Then the wind caught the hood and pulled the center pipe off. That was a quick fix, and I am back in business. Ooops, memory recall. I was going to scrap the XLT, and late last year I swiped the high windshield and 1/2″ x 10″ carbides to put on the new pretty RXL, and apparently the headlight bulb. I am not into letting little stuff stop me, so off I went, sans carbides, headlight, and windshield. It was an interesting ride, but I got out there and went for it as soon as the slush started firming up. I guess that I might have a little work to do.
While we have had some wild weather this week, people coming around this weekend will miss out on it. Saturday looks clear with mid to upper 20s and a little wind. Sunday will still have the 10-15mph winds, but temps are forecast to go up into the upper 30s. Tonight will be cold with lows possibly into the single digits and again some strong winds (15-25). Saturday night should be in the low teens, but with a clear sky it could get a little cooler.
Looking ahead, Sunday looks like the nicest day on the 16 day GFS. We have a storm for Monday night that should rain. Behind that we have some variable weather and small chances for minor snow. Other than Sunday, most of the 16 days show temps that would likely stay below freezing. Since there are no big storms apparent, this holds the prospect of a great start for ice on the lakes and frost in the ground.
That is about it from here. Have a good weekend and thank you for visiting!
RJB