Cold weather "emergency"

[Thumbcocker]

The bottom is supposed to drop out temperature wise the next few days. Temperatures near 0 with wind chills more than that are expected. I am very worried about how we at the Thumbcocker compound will weather this critical weather. I don't know what we are going to eat 210679. No idea how we will keep warm. 210680. And to make matters worse; the animals are starting to panic. 210681 210682.

Please send warm thoughts our way. Any suggestions on how to deal with the situation would be appreciated.

[Boaz]

................................Yea .

[lightman]

Its in the low or mid 40's here right now but the temps are slowly dropping. The next few days are predicted to be in the teens with the wind chill near "0". There is a slight chance for freezing rain, our worst enemy. Thats not really cold for the Northern guys but its pretty tough for Arkansas.

We have food and drink in the house. We have wood stacked in the garage and on the porch. The whole house natural gas fired generator started normally last Wednesday for its weekly exercise. The Cats laid up on the bed right now, looking about as worried as your pets are!:razz:

I'm not planning on getting out very much after today until this freeze is over. I still have a bunch of pistol brass to wash, resize and tumble. There may even be a drink in front of the fire place in my future! There is even a bottle of Champagne and a jug of OJ in the fridge.

All in all, Life is Good. Bring it on!

[swheeler]

I will pray you make it! It will be tough but hang in there, get some sweaters for the dog and cat they look cold.:bigsmyl2:

[white eagle]

gods speed man

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I only got one thing to say...


210687

[2wheelDuke]

I see the "ants" are prepared as usual. But what about the grasshoppers? I'm assuming they're buying up all the milk and TP right now.

It'll be in the 50s here tonight. Maybe I can finally fire up my lead pots along with my backyard fire pit.

[Pipefitter]

My pantry and woodpile resembles Thumbcockers with the exception of the liquor cabinet here is also well stocked, and a keg of homebrew IPA in the keggerator.

[Mr_Sheesh]

They make pet tranquilizers that are herbal & work very well. Your critters' level of panic doesn't require any tho, IMO :)

Only suggestion I have is something you'll have a tough time avoiding, I think - If it gets cold, snuggle a dog! :)

[Rick N Bama]

With it to hit a low of 13 here Sunday night & 11 Monday night we'll probably have to get into our "Apocalypse Food" cache ourselves, but as long as I have Propane and power I'll just sit back & tough it out. I did make sure that our Coffee stash was safe cause I can live a while without food or heat, but I have to have my Coffee :drinks:

[runfiverun]

go put some good Prestone de-icer windshield washer fluid in the cars and trucks.

[AllanD]

I've still got 3/4 of the 2660lb of coal I bought at the beginning of December.
So by my calculations I have 1995Lb of coal left, which I expect to last to Mid-February

It got cold enough here in last night (the heat goes upstairs by natural convection)
that I actually turned on the circulation blower of my hand-fired Harmon Coal Stove,
which warms up the Den and My computer desk nicely.

Speaking of which it is about time I get up out of my "Comfy chair" and shake the stove and go brave the bitter cold to get another bucket of coal.


AD

[Geezer in NH]

Nice here in NH, last couple mornings -10+ below. Ice making on the lakes and ponds will be ice fishing in a week!!!

[Crash_Corrigan]

It really is tough sledding here in Las Vegas. The last time it went below 32 degrees was over a year ago. Today it will be in the mid 60's and the high 40's at night. We haven't had any kind of precipitation in 102 days. This is why I live out here. I suffer from mid May to late September with the miserable heat of the desert but I love October thru mid May.

My plan today is to do a little coyote hunting about 10 miles from the house. I will be in a valley between two mountains and I will be trying out a new electronic caller with a remote so I can perch myself up to 300 yds away from the source of the call. Ya gotta be shifty out here to nail Wiley E. Coyote.

I have been out here for 23 years and I cannot believe how much time I can spend outdoors in the cool months. Maybe I will stop at my outdoor range and mine some lead before I go hunting.

[Echo]

My warm thoughts go out to my chum, Mr TC, in Ill. I send warm thoughts from Tucson, AZ, where the outside temp right now is 80*... (Neaner neaner...)
(Spent Christmas in Houston - temp 12/26 was 42* ALL DAY AND NIGHT! Dew point must have been about 41*, as moisture was just forming and falling out of the air, not really rain, just aerial condensation. Thank goodness no fog...)

[Tyguy95]

This has one of the warmer days this week up here in nodakhttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171230/08611ec169cfedfe08a72a5a347e055e.jpg

Sent from my SM-G930VL using Tapatalk

[zymguy]

my forcast low is -30 today, probably spend a lot of time here and watching you tube. Good luck !!

[starmac]

For it to get down to zero, it will have to warm up just a little, that said we are having some really nice weather.

[gray wolf]

hasn't got above -6 or -7 and -18/-19 at night for over a week now.
If my cabin/home wasn't just 19'/26' Julie and I would be cold.
I guess some folks bedrooms are bigger, but 4 cord of wood gets Err done.

[starmac]

go put some good Prestone de-icer windshield washer fluid in the cars and trucks.

My choice is the rain-X brand.

[labradigger1]

Still have 7 cords of firewood left over from hurricane sandy in the wood shed.
15kw onan jc generator with plenty of fuel.
Have my own water well and spring.
Grow and can all food.
Got the dogs and wife.
Got the goats and chickens for eggs and milk.
Been pretty cold here, 9” new heavy wet snow today with 8-10” forecasted tonight.
Wouldn’t live anywhere else. Oh my! Better go to Walmart for milk, eggs and bread before the world ends!
People crack me up. It’s winter, it’s supposed to do this.

[BD]

I'm pretty much much in the same desperate straights as Thumbcocker, except 20 deg colder, and it's been sunny, so we didn't build up the fire until late afternoon :)

[starmac]

hasn't got above -6 or -7 and -18/-19 at night for over a week now.
If my cabin/home wasn't just 19'/26' Julie and I would be cold.
I guess some folks bedrooms are bigger, but 4 cord of wood gets Err done.

A lot of folks here live in dry cabins, 20 x24, 16x 20, a few even smaller, some has a loft, some don't. You can just about heat them with a candle. originally a lot of Alaska cabins were built with very low ceilings, for that very reason.

[Hannibal]

A lot of folks here live in dry cabins, 20 x24, 16x 20, a few even smaller, some has a loft, some don't. You can just about heat them with a candle. originally a lot of Alaska cabins were built with very low ceilings, for that very reason.

This is an excellent point. Seems most families now days think they need 750-1000 square feet/person.

Holy Mother of Outrageous Utilities, Batman!

If I'm in the house, I'm either cooking/eating, bathing, or sleeping.

People have forgotten the world out of doors because they're all living like confinement slaughter animals. Well, not so much I guess. Big houses on Big lots with Big mortgages and Big utility bills.

I don't get it, but I'm obviously in the minority.

[Down South]

For it to get down to zero, it will have to warm up just a little, that said we are having some really nice weather.
Yup, you be in cold weather country. Our guys up on the North Slope are having a cold one for sure. I believe it's about -20 right now.

Me, it's 47 here at the house in central Louisiana but expected to get into the teens by tomorrow night. I'm cutting my vacation a day short and will be heading back to Houston tomorrow morning "Sunday".
We are expecting to be in the teens by tomorrow evening and I want to be off the road before it gets that cold here.

[starmac]

-20 is not bad working conditions for the slope, if the wind is not blowing, then it just depends on how hard. lol

[Boaz]

I don't worry much ...I'll make it pretty much whatever . You may not believe it but most young folks don't know how to strike a match never been taught basics . They worry me .

[jeepyj]

TC it looks like your hard work is paying off. Not many now-a-days would even know how to start to prepare for winter. We started out at -19 this morning and rose up to 3 degrees but not much wind. Been the dream weather for the oil companies. It's supposed to be simular tomorrow and I still plan getting a few shots in. Probably end up cutting it a bit short but that's okay a few rounds is better than nothing.

[MaryB]

-12 for a high temp, over a ton of wood pellets left, and 3 tons of corn to feed the pellet/corn stove that is 12 volt so it can run off my solar battery bank if needed. Furnace is cycling about once every 3 hours which is fine, it pumps a little heat into the basement t keep the pipes above freezing.

Huge pantry, 3 1/2 kegs of beer, case of mead... freezer full of beef and chicken...

[xs11jack]

Jeeze Mary, you being handicaped and all, I will volunteer to come up there and help you with the beer and stuff. I grew up between Hudson and New Richmond in Wi. so I am used to the weather! just send word and I'll pack up the Wife and the cat and head out soonest.
Ole Jack

[starmac]

I don't worry much ...I'll make it pretty much whatever . You may not believe it but most young folks don't know how to strike a match never been taught basics . They worry me .

The heck of it is, pretty soon we will have a whole generation that will never see a strike anywhere match, I think it is for the kids or some such a thing.

[Hannibal]

The power grid goes down for an extended period, say months not weeks, no matter the reason and you're gonna see things happen that previously only cropped - up in your fever-induced nightmares.

Take away everyone's 'Google-Fu' and see who knows how to live.

[starmac]

It would be a wild ride, but historically people have adapted and survived pretty well, it may just not seem like it at the time.

In my way of thinking, internet loss would be a minor problem compared to others in any extended electrical outage. Just for instance, most places require electricity to make or even sell coffee.

[Down South]

-20 is not bad working conditions for the slope, if the wind is not blowing, then it just depends on how hard. lol
Yes, -20 isn't bad and they were colder than that a few weeks ago with about 30 mph winds. I don't know what the wind is there today as I'm out of the office and haven't seen a report.
But, our production equipment is in heated buildings. The rig is a bit different and not quite as warm.

[starmac]

I have clothes and they do to that will keep them plenty warm at 20 below and a lot colder, even in the wind, BUT 20 below is along about to where the iron starts feeling it. At 40 below, if the wind is blowing I have to wear some sort of goggles, and have a hard time keeping them from fogging up.

[Hannibal]

Oddly enough, it gets to -20 here just south of the Iowa line occasionally and we get 20mph+ winds at times. That will get your attention.

I'm too **** old and cranky to be a hero. It takes me all day to do what I have to sometimes. And what I *THINK* I need to do often doesn't get done.

Either way, the world keeps turnin'.

6 months from now, it's just as likely to be over 100 degrees as not.

World keeps turnin'.

I used to get ate-up with ticks 'most every summer. 3 years ago, after 3 days of vomiting, fever and projectile diarrhea, I went to the ER. Rocky Mountain Spotted Tick Fever, they says. "What now?" I says. "We donno. Never tested someone positive before."

Well. Whatever. Sent me home. Said I was already over it. (??!!!!)

I find ticks crawlin' on me still, but I've not had one bite me since. I reckon they think I'm already dead.

20 percent humidity today. It'll be 90 percent or more come July.

"That all ya got?".

LOL!

[ascast]

Below zero last several nights, and the next several, but little snow. Don't have to fuss with engines and such.

[Hannibal]

Happy New Year!

210741

[MT Gianni]

go put some good Prestone de-icer windshield washer fluid in the cars and trucks.

Don't forget to run all your lines enough to bleed out the old stuff or you will wake up with spaghetti all under the dash.

[Down South]

I have clothes and they do to that will keep them plenty warm at 20 below and a lot colder, even in the wind, BUT 20 below is along about to where the iron starts feeling it. At 40 below, if the wind is blowing I have to wear some sort of goggles, and have a hard time keeping them from fogging up.
Yes, the times that I have been there, I think it starts in October, everyone has to carry emergency gear. Coveralls, gloves, boots, etc, just to get to the slope from Dead Horse.
I pick the up gear at our office in Anchorage, fly to Dead Horse and take the only road that I'm aware of to the Slope.

[rancher1913]

you guys have me so scared we went out and culled the chickens and turkeys, processed about half the henhouse, did not want the older ones freezing to death. only problem is now our freezers are packed to the brim again.

[starmac]

LOL, That would be THE road, actually there is two entrances, a couple of miles apart, depending which part of the slope you want to go to.

My son in law worked for veco?ch2m for several years, they had to carry an artic coat back and forth, they would not let them on the flight out of anchorage without it, supposedly incase of a plane crash. lol

[Hannibal]

Never could stand to process chickens or turkeys, either one. Stinkin' mess to scald and singe the doggone feathers.

BAH!

[Lloyd Smale]

0 is just another winter day up here. Especially in mid jan to the first of march when lake superior is froze over.

[375supermag]

Hi...
Been single digits overnight here for several days and well below freezing for a day time high.
Not too bad.
Went squirrel hunting yesterday...snowed all morning (got 5") and the temperature topped out at 21°F.
Had a great time sitting in the woods with the snow falling.Very peaceful and serene.

Not much squirrel activity but that doesn't matter.
My son and I had a great time and that is what matters.

[15meter]

Went sailing Friday, yesterday, probably go again today. I've got two boats on the ice. Just have to decide which boat will sail the best with the wind at hand. Looks like a DN day is shaping up.

Ice
Is
Nice!

[DCM]

Just starting to warm up a bit here, this is the first morning in a while I woke up to a temp was above 0 Farenheit. I had to add denatured alcohol to our window wash fluid to keep it from freezing up in the lines. So much for "good to -20"!

[GhostHawk]

-23 below zero this morning in Fargo North Dakota. 1 degree colder than yesterday. Should warm up a little bit this week. I don't mind these quick dips to below zero. What is hard on things, vehicles, batterys, people, etc. is 30 days of mostly -20, where it never gets above zero.

That takes a toll on things. Metals fatigue, stuff breaks, diesel engines freeze solid. And if you can not drag, push, pull it into a heated space, there it sits until the weather breaks.

A little cold is good for you. Reminds you that you are alive, and that it could be worse.

[10x]

Yesterday was -36C with a 15 MPH wind the neighboring district issued an alert that they could not keep pressure up in the natural gas lines. Folks were advised to use alternate sources of heat
This is in a area that produces hug volumes of natural gas that gets piped out of province

In the past we have hit -45C or colder this time of year

[10x]

-23 below zero this morning in Fargo North Dakota. 1 degree colder than yesterday. Should warm up a little bit this week. I don't mind these quick dips to below zero. What is hard on things, vehicles, batterys, people, etc. is 30 days of mostly -20, where it never gets above zero.

That takes a toll on things. Metals fatigue, stuff breaks, diesel engines freeze solid. And if you can not drag, push, pull it into a heated space, there it sits until the weather breaks.

A little cold is good for you. Reminds you that you are alive, and that it could be worse.

A lot of cold can kill you in a few hours if you make a simple mistake

[curdog]

Thumbcocker,
I live about 15 miles north of you on rt 37. WE are in about in the same shape as you. Hang in there .

[Lloyd Smale]

now were talking cold not chilly
Yesterday was -36C with a 15 MPH wind the neighboring district issued an alert that they could not keep pressure up in the natural gas lines. Folks were advised to use alternate sources of heat
This is in a area that produces hug volumes of natural gas that gets piped out of province

In the past we have hit -45C or colder this time of year

[brass410]

environment canada says tomorrow morn will be a balmy -40 C which is pretty much the same as -40 f needless to say the cannon balls will be falling of the holder (which in case anyone cares was called a brass monkey) lol its been thereor nearly for about a week now. Pretty sure the rooster will Not be jump starting the hens tomorrow!!!!!

[GhostHawk]

10x back in my young and stupid days, I did a 3.25 mile walk in -37 below for a couple of packs of smokes, a drink, and the sound of a person's voice other than my own.

There, and back again. 2 people stopped, I declined the ride both times.

The real key IMO is control, don't work hard enough to start sweating. Steady is the key, and good gear. I was plenty warm from toes to top of my head. But there was very very little showing.

[MaryB]

This extended cold is doing a number on my right knee... woke up to it swollen today. No clue what I did unless it was pulling the garden wagon with 160 pounds of pellets on it 2 days ago... torn ACL both knees so I could have irritated that, or the cartilage finally gave out, it is pretty chewed up.

[MaryB]

Been there done that! Friend walks over middle os a blizzard and says "Let's walk up to the bar for some beers" snow drifts in the street 4' deep and a 6 block walk with wind chills pushing -40...

But worst was pheasant hunting in Iowa, -20 temps, windchills far lower and we walked 20 miles that day! Pheasants were smarter than we were, they were all roosted up in groves and not moving even if we walked up on them. We won't shoot a bird on the roost so it was a long cold day of hiking... dress for it and not to bad though!


10x back in my young and stupid days, I did a 3.25 mile walk in -37 below for a couple of packs of smokes, a drink, and the sound of a person's voice other than my own.

There, and back again. 2 people stopped, I declined the ride both times.

The real key IMO is control, don't work hard enough to start sweating. Steady is the key, and good gear. I was plenty warm from toes to top of my head. But there was very very little showing.

[15meter]

Went sailing Friday, yesterday, probably go again today. I've got two boats on the ice. Just have to decide which boat will sail the best with the wind at hand. Looks like a DN day is shaping up.

Ice
Is
Nice!

Not enough wind, but friends and �� on the ice doesn't get much better (unless you have wind)��

[tinsnips]

-36 below last night with out wind chill tonight -50 some below with wind chill.spent most of the day repairing heating systems

[Texas by God]

High of 27° here today. In a few days it'll be 70° again. I feel for you "Winter folks" just as you feel for us "Summer folks!" Hang in there!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

[quail4jake]

I don't know why we all do this silly firewood and food hoarding...just vote for Bernie Sanders and the government will provide! Right?[smilie=p:

[Boaz]

DANG IT ! My water froze up . Got down to 10 degrees last night and 18 now steady north wind . But I got the coffee ready for in the morning and 3 bottles of water ...lol , I'm good , heck I ain't done anything ...I don't need a shower ? Suppose to warm in a few days .

[Hannibal]

DANG IT ! My water froze up . Got down to 10 degrees last night and 18 now steady north wind . But I got the coffee ready for in the morning and 3 bottles of water ...lol , I'm good , heck I ain't done anything ...I don't need a shower ? Suppose to warm in a few days .

Heat tape/space heaters are your friends. You let those water lines stay frozen too long, they may split. Then either you get to roll around in the mud and cold fixing them, or you get to pay someone else to do it for you once they finally thaw out. Not to mention potentially knocking holes in the walls/cutting holes in the floor . . . .

Either way, it's a bad deal.

[Mr_Sheesh]

It's annoying on a house; Lots worse in a prefab or mobile home, they make those things for their convenience in manufacture, not yours in maintenance.

At least some of that foam slit insulation & set the water faucet to do a steady drip, but at 10 degrees I don't think that covers it.

[starmac]

I feel your pain, I fought frozen pipes all my life living in Texas and New Mexico, but since moving to Alaska, nooooo problem anymore, and don't need to leave water running either. I did leave my water hose rolled up outside last winter, and had left the faucet on, didn't realize it until spring when it started spraying everywhere. lol

[dragon813gt]

I have a hot water recirculation loop at my house that utilizes the cold water line. I put it in after I found it took 90 seconds to get hot water to the shower. During the day I let it do its thing. Has a manifold that closes when it reaches a certain temp. I teed the lines together before the manifold and installed a ball valve between them. When it hits single digits at night I open the ball valve and run the pump all night. It usually only runs when we're awake. Lines won't freeze w/ hot running water running through them. The extra gas the water heater uses is cheap insurance. Especially because the water line in the kitchen is underneath a tile floor. Only way to access it is to rip up the floor and take out cabinets.

[Hannibal]

Indeed. If you dig-out a split/broken water service line to a manufactured home after it's ruptured and sprayed water every friggin-where you won't want to do it again.

[Down South]

I left home yesterday heading back to Houston. I always turn my water off at either place, home or Tx when I leave for several days. I've got everything wrapped up as good as possible at home. I always leave the central heat on as low as I can to keep stuff from freezing inside the house.

Here in Houston I stay in a RV. The RV park shuts the water to the park off during freezing weather and drains their water system. It's not a problem for me. I have a built in 60 gal fresh water tank and pressure activated pump.
I flushed my fresh water tank yesterday afternoon and topped off with water.

[MaryB]

I let a faucet in the bathroom drip, just enough to keep water moving in my basement that is barely heated. Been there done that with split pipes when I first moved in! Turned the water on and got a shower, pipes were split all over the basement. I sealed all the outside air leaks and ran a furnace vent down there that is just barely cracked open.

[Boaz]

Well heck . Lights are flickering occasionally , water in the house is froze up , computer is lagging and the router requires constant rebooting . LOL , might be cooking sliced spam on the grill in the morning by the light of my solar powered lantern . The cold is a bummer but I got a liquid heat stove and will have coffee ...the staff of life .

[Hannibal]

-20º last night. Water still runnin'. Had to pull the flue pipe down for the garage stove and knock all the cresote out of it around noon. It's a chore I have to do twice or 3x/winter. Made of 6" auger pipe and uninsulated. But it beats buying new pipe and elbows every other year.
Beginning to look like the cold is here to stay for us now.

[10x]

10x back in my young and stupid days, I did a 3.25 mile walk in -37 below for a couple of packs of smokes, a drink, and the sound of a person's voice other than my own.

There, and back again. 2 people stopped, I declined the ride both times.

The real key IMO is control, don't work hard enough to start sweating. Steady is the key, and good gear. I was plenty warm from toes to top of my head. But there was very very little showing.

Back in the day when I was young and foolish I took the kids to the movie. It iwas -45C that evening. I left the Dodge van running so we could get home. About 20 minutes after the show started the van quit and the concession staff found me. I walked home - about a mile. I was dressed for it but it was not fun. I got my chev pickup running and went back down to the movie theater with a tiger torch (75,000 btu weed burner) and got the Dodge running and warm just as the movie finished. Machines are not designed to run at -45C without attention, nursing, and TLC My wife (who had stayed with the kids drove the van home and parked it . It was 3 days before I could get it running again.