Snowblower starts Do we get snow?

After I did the major overhaul of the snowblower the year before last, I've only used it one. Since then it's been sitting in our garage. Yes that is the damp one. Tomorrow my wife tells me that we are due for a snow storm. I believe she told me around 8". Looking at the Turn to 10 weather, it looks like we are very close to the line between 8-12" and 4-7". Though they are calling for 1-3" for Block Island. That is just off the coast. To me anything is possible. Especially with the track record of these weathermen (people).

Now you have understand something, we live a mile and a half from the ocean in southern RI. If you were to go into eastern CT about 20+ miles you could draw a diagonal line at about 30 degrees or slightly more that divided the bottom half of RI from the northern part. It's not that simple. There are actually two lines. One just north of our house that runs at a much shallower angle from Westerly, RI that ran ran about 1/2 mile north us through what is called Broad Hill.

What both lines have in common is the that they often divide where the snow stops and the rain starts. More frequently it's the more northern line. When it's the southern line there are a couple of different outcomes.

• North of the line gets pure snow, we get a mix of rain and snow resulting in 2"
• North of the line gets dumped and we will get 4" or more less.
• It will rain like hell on us and they will get little rain (coastal storm.

Now every now and then, we'll get dumped with snow, and they will get less. That is the perfect storm in my book. Coastal storm that stays all snow.

The open ocean in the winter will keep us anywhere from 2-10 warmer in the winter. Each of those lines are where the temps change. Just depends on how cold it is out and the track of the storm. In the summer we get the opposite where we are often 10 degrees cooler. For several years my company had me onsite at different customers in Hartford, CT. I'd leave work and it would be 97 degrees. Be the time I'd get home, almost a 2 hour drive in traffic, it would be 84 or even less at home. I'd equate the two hours for part of the change in temp, but the bulk had to do with our proximity to the water.

Tonight after my Tuesday night global call and dinner, I went out to the garage and dug out the snow blower. After sitting that long with a partial tank of non-ethanol gas, I was still surprised that it started right up. It's now in my dad's shop. Snow is not due to start until late Wednesday and go into Thursday morning. I'll have time after work to change the oil and lube the joints. I still have to replace the two belts on it. Most likely will do that as well. Better to do it ahead of time than to wait for them to break.

 

I was watching the new York channel 7 news tonight, and they sure are losing it over the impending snowmageddon.

We know you'll be just fine.

 

In the northeast if you lived here during the blizzard of 78, every snow storm is the next blizzard of 78. Snowmageddon is a great term for it. You've never seen milk and bread fly off the shelves like you do here whenever there is a pending storm. Not to mention we've seen storms dump similar amounts of snow on us, just not at the rate that the 78 blizzard did. It took a long time to cleanup that mess. Check it out on Youtube. All the major arteries were shutdown from the snow. It was days for some motorists.

Honestly even if the Blizzard of 78 were to repeat itself today, I don't believe it would have the same impact as it did back then. I was only 7 and we enjoyed the hell out of the best year of sledding I ever remember.

 

I'm just about all set for the snow. Looking forward to watching it snow all day tomorrow.

 

We are in 12” range here. I’ve gotta put the plow on the tractor. I hate plowing with little to no frost in the ground, you can make a mess very fast!

 

We're in the 6"-8" range and the guessers say it'll be all light fluffy snow. Prolly right. 6 degrees this monin... ........ ... ahhh

 

There callin for 12-18 here...so i put this on for the first time...now itll sleet or rain...or maybe 3"s of snow....

 

Great looking setup bear 1998

 

Well, they are already backing off on the snow totals here...I bet we get an inch 'til its over...

 

"Too cold n windy"...I wasn't allowed out in it...

 

We are on the western edge. 1-5" if we are lucky.

 

It’s going south of here but it’s warmed up to 9* so I’m pretty sure ground freezing up.

 

I was 3 and in southern California for that. I was born during a blizzard though. My family was also snowed in during a blizzard at Yellowstone at the Old Faithful Inn. We couldn't leave, nobody could. We had one epic fire place though.

 

Looking at the adjusted map, there is now a dark blue area showing up on the south coast of RI that represents 4-7". We are right near that dark blue area. My best guess would be that we end up in the dark blue area or the light blue that is 1-3". Right now it's 24 outside. This is not a coastal storm. Otherwise we'd get dumped based on the temps projected. Most likely we'll see the line 1/2 mile north us be the dividing line for this storm. North of that line will get the 8-12". We'll have to just wait and see.

Tomorrow I'll take some pictures before I start snow blowing the driveway. Oh and that should prove to be fun with 5 cars. No longer will I be able to clear most of the driveway. I'll have to clear a portion, move a car, clear a portion, move a car and so on. Once I get past the 3 car, it's a clear shot to the other end of the driveway. At some point I'll measure it so I know exactly how long the driveway is.

 

Just starting to snow here.

 

Now that is an epic fire place. The Old Faithful Inn just went on my list of places to stay at. Right now reservations only go out to October of next year. I'd love to be there during an epic storm.

Ah winter and snow. There is nothing like the sound of going out to snow blow the driveway, and the dead silence you hear. Sure on a Sunday in the summer you might get a minute or two with no cars going by and pure silence, but it does not compare to the silence that a snow storm brings. I put on my hearing protection and go to work on snow blowing the driveway listening to my music. Over 120 country song mix I keep adding to. When I am done, I'll turn off the snowblower, stop the music and just listen to the silence again for a while.

 

Funny. When I went in the garage and pulled out the snowblower and brought it over to my dad's shop, I went in and told my wife the bad news that the snowblower wouldn't start. To this I informed her that I would go to Pat's Power and pickup a small to medium sized tractor to handle the driveway along with other work. Pat's sells Kioti tractors. We had a good laugh because she heard me drive the snowblower past the living room on the way to dad's shop. Hey a guy has to try. If you aren't trying you're dying.

 

I tried the same thing the other day. Told the Mrs that I saw a nice tractor with a cab and it would be really nice for using with the snowblower. Things looked promising till I told her $49K.

 

Started here about 10:30-11:00...about an inch on the ground now...

 

I love it. My policy is to never talk numbers. Though she has an idea in her head that whenever I go to the hardware store it's going to somehow cost $100. If I am going to Pat's it's going to cost $1000 or more.