1/2 point?

So I was looking at my stacks today (like we all do) and assessing how much I’ve burned so far and trying to figure out what the 1/2 point of the burning season is? In Dakota I’m figuring we have to be pretty close to 1/2 way, but probably not quite there yet?

 

I’d figure October and November as shoulder months. December, January, and February as the main three months, and March and April as shoulder months. Therefore mid January would be the halfway point. So only a few more days from today.

 

We’re getting pretty close I hope. Seems like it’s varied quite a bit in recent years with some of the late seasons we’ve had in the northeast at least.

 

Yup, mid January. We havent really experienced any "normal" Winter conditions. Colder in November and snow then too. Temps have been above normal. Mostly rain as precip (thank God) and nothing remotely close to a deep freeze/ cold spell. Yesterday was nice as it was a normal Winter day with sun. It cold, air was crisp and i loved being out in it all day. Frozen ground too.

 

I think not only does the weather and your location play a factor on how long your season is but also if you're burning as your primary heat, supplement, back up, etc...

For me its October to April. But I'm also only using the woodstove to heat an old stone farmhouse. Well trying anyway. So far so good, but I'm thinking I'm gonna be cutting it close with woodsupply.

 

We use the woodstove as primary heat for the entire cold season. This begins when the Wif starts getting cold until when she's not so cold anymore. Varies considerably year to year!

 

I am right at the halfway point, which to me is scary considering it hasn’t been a cold winter. Crossing fingers, but if I have to I have some 2 yr ash under cover that I know will get me through.

 

You beat me too it.....was reading down through and going to put that exact quote on. Couple others : half your wood and half your hay at Candlemas day, half your wood and half your hay at Groundhog day to make it safely to May.

 

January 15 is my halfway point and we are approaching the end of row "1" with an annual budget of two rows out of a total inventory of six rows. Each row is 26' long and has almost 2 1/2 cords (rows are over 6' tall - stacked on reinforced pallets on a concrete floor with a cut length of 20"). This winters low snow fall and periods of warm weather allowed cutting and hauling as fast as we burned so we still have six rows. By the numbers, the half winter after January 15 should be warmer then prior to January 15 because the shortest day of the year is December 21. The second half of February should have more sun and be warmer than the first half of December but.... the last few years have had extended winters after January 15 and warmer Decembers (so much for the numbers). Happily, we have not exceeded burning two rows in recent winters since cold spells were balanced by warm spells. Red oak and black ash in the furnace and a chance of snow almost every day and so the cutting season is done for me.

 

What numbers ?
Weather isn't affected only by day length but land and water mass temperatures. Due to seasonal lag as it takes weeks and months for the warm bodies of mass to cool off. The opposite affect in Summer for heating back up.

 

The average high temperature for the upper mid-West in February is 2 degrees higher than the average high temperature in December because of more sun light. The long winter would deposit more frost in the ground in February versus December but the sun starts to win in February.

 

and the average low temps don't count ?

that's seasonal lag and why the coldest day of the year (usually) is not the day with the least sunlight


There's also a daily lag where the average high temp of the day does not correspond to the midpoint of the day (n00n)

 

So tomorrow is Midwinter day? Whoopee!

 

I'm screwed.

I have about 15% of my wood left. Most of what I have been burning was pine, balsam and poplar. I might make it into mid-February with what I have left, which is 95% red and white oak, but I doubt it.

On the flip side, I finally got my garage (mostly) insulated, which was eating the wood as fast as I could feed the boiler, so that will slow down as well.

Looks like I will be getting into the 2020-2021 stacks. Well, at least I have 2020-21 stacks, unlike last year.

I got to get ahead of this system.

 

I will preface this by pointing out I used the phrase "my halfway point". Searching climate data, February in Boston is colder than December in Boston. Meanwhile, February in Minneapolis is warmer than December in Minneapolis. Why?

Chill transfer from a cold ocean to land via wind is very effective. Meanwhile, corn fields lose their snow very quickly and the dark earth is warmed by the longer February sun hours. I grew up on Long Island, NY, and remember well the cold ocean winds. I live in the upper mid west and know how quickly corn fields turn brown.

 

This season we have been using less wood. Many nights we have let the stove burn down and load up around 6am instead of burning hot all night long. Our home is a single level ranch on a crawl and 1,200 sf. So not nearly as hard to warm up as it is for so many others. For sure colder days are still ahead, but unless things change drastically, at the 1/2 way point (whenever) we should still be burning wood intended for 2019.

 

This year just gone in Aus we had the heater going into December which is our first month of summer so hard to pick a half way mark. If it’s cold the fires going at my place.


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I figure I'm about a third of the way through. I should have more than a cord of oak in the shed still, and I have a mixed cord of ash & cherry out in the stack. At about a half cord a month, I'm more than good.

I've done a lot of single load days this year too. It's a little chilly in the morning, but I'm taking advantage of the weather so I dont have to scramble in the spring.