Sudden white out..... and I didn't catch it at its worst!
"The trouble with weather forecasting is that it's right too often for us to ignore it and wrong too often for us to rely on it." ~ Patrick Young
Saturday's weather forecast was for temperatures in the low 40's... mostly sunny... no chance of precipitation. It started out that way. The little birds flocked to the recently filled bird feeders and the four resident squirrels that were so small last year and ... well, so squirrelly acting.. have grown and filled out and are now more persistent in their attempts to get up to the feeders; not successful, but persistent. I was anemically trying to get the Christmas decorations down, but my energy was really not into it and I found myself at the computer working on pictures and trying to figure out how to learn Lightroom and Photoshop CS5 that I got for Christmas.
Suddenly... and it really seemed sudden.. the light in the room faded to a dark gray and it wasn't so much this change that made me turn to look out the window, but rather the sound... a howling, swirling wind that whistled around the copper roof and rattled the windows... the north winter winds that often herald a change in weather. This sound of sudden wind made me turn and what I saw was remarkable... a total white out!
A snow burst.. short-lived...
I ran.. OK, I didn't run.. I hobbled.. downstairs and grabbed the camera to shoot these pictures. It was really a white out and the blowing was unbelievable... white snow flakes blowing sideways, plastering up against the northwest sides of the trees and on the fences and sides of the cars. I turned on the weather channel, local on the 8's and expected to see current conditions listed as "snow".. but, instead... "partly sunny". PARTLY SUNNY!? Look out the window! No sun anywhere.
Fifteen minutes worth of snow....
This "burst" continued for fifteen to twenty minutes, leaving the grass covered and the streets wet. The temperature never did reach the low 40's and when the snow started it was 37℉ but quickly fell to 33℉. The skies began to lighten and the snow slowed after that, with flurries for another hour. The wind died down a bit, although it could never be called calm. Another less heavy burst of snow occurred a few hours later... still, no mention of any chance of snow in the forecast.
According to the weather forecast.. this never happened!
The sudden snow was never acknowledged and the sun did eventually come out and it melted off most areas, but pelleted ice was still present on the hot tub lid come Sunday morning and the temperatures have been colder than forecast all weekend.. This burst must have been an anomaly but had it continued for even another hour, we would have had an inch or so of snow. And where was my weather expert when I needed her to check her menagerie of weather charts to help forecast this snow? Clear across the country on her way to Seattle.
Now, this huge snow and ice storm is crossing over the southern states and is into North Carolina already. We have no winter weather advisories or warnings in place. There is a forecast for light wintery mix but no indication of accumulation. Perhaps it won't make it this far... they say our temperatures will be too high for snow.. but then, they said that Saturday too. I think I should go out and get a bit of salt for the driveway and a snow shovel, just to make sure... What can it hurt? I think I should call Nyssa and see what her crystal ball says.
(end of post)
Carmi's Theme ~ wet
10 comments:
You all are really getting it this winter, aren't you. I need to post a photo of my tree in the front yard that lost all its leaves because of our cold earlier in December. It's windy here today, and I hear that some of the cold will be headed our way, but no snow. There are some here who say that if it is going to be so cold, why can't it snow. That would put everyone in a fine fix for sure.
Gads! That's almost scary it came so very fast. And with the wind and everything all of a sudden, I would have been scared that it was a snow tornado!! Well, what else can we expect with it raining down dead birds everywhere. We are to get the snowstorm tonight. I hope no pellets or dead birds, just snow.
Beautiful photos. Really lovely.
Married to a farmer all these years, the weather forecast has always been a huge part of our day. Though Louis is no longer a citrus grower, watching the weather is a habit that's hard to break. It cracks us up when the forecasters "promise" a certain weather event. We'll see. We'll just see. We seem to do just as well looking at the radar and satellite images ourselves.
My daughter near Pinehurst said they woke up to 1" this morning and it has been snowing all day; big, fluffy flakes. We haven't seen any yet, but a friend only 7 miles away said she had some flurries this morning. The weather is weirder and weirder lately!! We had some flurries like you had on Friday, but it only lasted about 45 minutes and then the sun came out and melted all of it in a very short time.
I left a comment here this morning - what happened to it??? (rhetorical question - it's in the ether somewhere)
We have not had anything but a few flurries here yet, but there is snow to the south of us. Apparently we will get only freezing rain. Ugh.
Hasn't anyone told you yet? Weathercasters have to attend a three-week liar's school before they are fully qualified. :)
The second one looks like an impressionistic painting. Great shots! http://looseleafnotes.com
all the photos are really good, but the last one i realy, really like. it is beautiful. what a story, and nothing from your weather girl. i checked our 7 day forecast 2 days ago and it said Friday would be 57 when we wake up sunny and high of 72. sounded good to me, so made plans with friend judy to go to Selby Gardens. a few minutes ago, the weather girl said, cold is on the way, 38 friday am partial sun and high of 65. now that sounds warm to all the frozen north but to us it is way to cold to walk in the gardens. we decided to wait until we wake up and SEE for ourselves what it is like. don't you love it when it is pouring rain and the weather person says 20 percent chance of showers? :-D
i can not comment on your post today for some reason, when i click on comment, it does not give me a place to type, i went until i found one that would let me. not sure what is happening, could be me. love your Z
That's amazing! It blows me away how weather can literally turn on a dime. We can predict all we want, but in the end we're at Mother Nature's absolute mercy. Or lack thereof.
Wonderfully captured experience, though! We may all fail as weatherpeople. But as a weather photographer, you have no peer.
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