8pm Update-
SNOW!
I just got back from Lakewood. It started snowing while I was there. Here is part of my e-mail to Chris about it..
Lakewood was a wild ride. I went into the store @ 7:15 and it was not snowing. At 7:35 the parking lot & cars were covered and it was coming sideways with big flakes hot n heavy.
I left the laundromat 10 minutes later and did the standard slippery road acceleration and brake test. I slid about 100 feet and wasn’t slowing down. WOW>. I got it into 4×4 and that helped a lot, but it was a near whiteout. Between Lakewood and McCaslin Mountain it was about 30′ visibility, between here and McCaslin it was 10′ or less, a total whiteout. You couldn’t even see the road sides. What a ride. It took 45 minutes from Lakewood to here. We have about an inch of snow @8pm and it is still coming, though not quite as hard.
It looks like I went through the heaviest wave, so visibility should improve a lot. Be aware that the roads will be a little slick until the crews get them treated.
RJB
***************************************************
Morning Report-
Greetings and welcome!
The word of the day today is Burr. As in burr it is cold out.
This week has been epic in the progress of the world around here freezing up. Yesterday there were ice puddles on the road, and the ponds along the way were frozen over. Last night brought temps in the 14 degree range (burr). We are still bouncing back from that this morning.
There is no question now that the ground is freezing up and the lakes are making ice. I’d even go as far as to say that you could probably walk on the edges of some of the smaller ponds.
Yesterday was pretty cold and windy, and since I had not yet turned on the heat tape and light bulb & heater in the well house, I was a little nervous. I got it done just in the nick of time yesterday afternoon.
The roughly 4x4x4 well house was built with a lot of insulation, probably about R30. I use a 75 watt halogen flood light that always stays on to heat it, along with a ceramic heater for when it really gets cold. That and heat tape keeps disaster away. I got all of that up and running yesterday afternoon. I still want to go back with more insulation and plastic wrap to make the heater run less, but the important stuff is done.
The recent cold has been educational. Yesterday’s wind and cold helped to point out more than a few spots that could be caulked, insulated, or covered. There is a pretty good breeze in here between the uncovered bedroom AC unit down the hall to my left, and the wood stove to my right. Likewise it will help you figure out if the car needs a battery, and that it is time to dig out the long johns.
One would think that with the recent cold that we wouldn’t be talking about rain in the forecast, but here we are.
The storm bearing down on us for tonight and tomorrow is still a big question mark as far as precip type. The radar shows it as snow in central WI and a mix in central MN and south of the IL border.
The forecast models still show a variety of opinions. The NAM is showing us right on the rain snow line, and a chance at 2-4 or 3-6 if it is all snow. The GFS is going the other way, with it a rain event until late in the storm when the colder air starts mixing in.
The NWS weighs in with a winter weather advisory and this forecast..
Tonight…Snow…mixed at times with sleet and freezing rain in the evening…diminishing to occasional light snow and freezing drizzle after midnight. 2 to 4 inches of accumulation expected. Blustery. Nearly steady temperatures in the lower 30s. Southeast wind 15 to 25 mph. Chance of precipitation near 100 percent.
Thanksgiving Day…Mostly cloudy. Occasional drizzle or freezing drizzle in the morning. Highs around 33…then temperatures falling into the middle to upper 20s during the afternoon. South wind 5 to 10 mph becoming west at 10 to 20 mph.
Friday brings more burr with highs in the low 20s and 15-30mph winds gusting to 35, and -10 wind chills in the morning. The hi/lo of 22/12 for Friday & Friday night is cold, and those winds will give it some kick. Burr.
Thankfully things will calm down and clear out a little for the weekend. Look for nice weather with highs in the 30-35 range and lows in the teens.
Deer hunters have been reporting mixed results. Some people have been getting skunked, some people have pictures of nice deer that they have taken. One guy at Rapids last night had a very nice buck that he showed me, and several others have too.
So far it seems like the number of hunters is up a little, and considering that it is buck only in this area, pretty many guys are coming in with deer.
Here are the numbers from the DNR (warning-PDF document!) for opening weekend.
Marinette County- Bucks +3.70%, Antlerless- -29.28%, Total -6.20%
Oconto County- Bucks- +24.36%, Antlerless, -4.72% Total- +12.74%
I am not sure why Forest Co wasn’t listed.
By my observation, things are up a little for this deer season. It isn’t 12 pointers falling out of the sky in front of every stand, but a lot of guys are filling tags, and I have seen some nice bucks bagged. It also seems like there are a few more hunters around. Considering that there are no doe tags in this area, the season seems to be going well.
Tomorrow is turkey day, and here is the list from last week’s report..
Rapids Resort, Jungle Jims, Twin Bridge Resort, and Hilltop Resort. Lakeside Bar & Grill is having a nice one with turkey and prime rib, but you need to make reservations.
This has been one of those weeks that demonstrates how frivolous plans can be. I had a lot of shop time planned, and I will still get there, just not as much as had been hoped for. The possibility of 2-4 and a subsequent first gravelly ride up and down the driveway puts a little bit of a premium on it. I am sure that with a little fresh gas the nicest RXL is a two pull runner. The XLT will be too . I am looking forward to it, and will be picking up a can of 93 when I go to town later.
Right now the hope is that the pending storm turns into mostly snow. The roads are cold enough to immediately freeze any liquid precip and make things icy. Snow, or at least some snow, would be a lot better than a glaze of ice. The storm total QPF is in the 0.25″-0.5″ range.
I am off to throw in a few days worth of firewood and to head to town for supplies. Have a good week and Thanksgiving holiday, and be careful if the weather turns.
RJB