I'm not building a snowman this year.....

[Uncle Gizmo]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1858784319570940281

 

[The_Doc_Man]

I live in New Orleans. We get a light powdering of snow about every seven to ten years. I'm not holding my breath waiting for snow this year.

On the other hand, we have a tradition of whimsically shaped Christmas Eve bonfires that are ignited an hour or two after sundown. There is no telling WHAT imaginative shapes those crazy Cajuns will make this year. The tradition SAYS the bonfires are built to light the way for Papa Noel to find houses along the bayous - but it usually turns out to be a situation where folks stand around a fire, hug their sweeties, and drink beer. Cajuns often are depicted as kind of dumb, but some of those old Cajun traditions aren't so bad.

 

[The_Doc_Man]

And now, only 3 months later, New Orleans is predicted to have 3 to 4 inches of snow. Our friends and family who live north of Lake Pontchartrain will get more like 6 inches of snow. South-shore residents like me will see a light freeze. North-shore residents get a hard freeze. But my pipes are wrapped and we have both food and a home standby natural-gas generator. Should be OK. Meanwhile, my normally daily walk may have to be skipped on Tuesday due a 100% chance of winter-mix precipitation. The forecast says that will last only for a couple of days.

 

[Cotswold]

There were two snowmen chatting to pass the time and one said to the other "Hey, can you smell carrots?"

I'm surprised you get snow in New Orleans. I've had the impression that it was always hot as you look as far south as Florida and Texas.
In England we aren't keen on snow, so we want more global warming.
Same as Russia and China who also prefer it warmer, which is why they are building as many coal fired power stations as they can.

 

[The_Doc_Man]

I'm surprised you get snow in New Orleans.

For a while we were on a schedule of every seven years to get a light dusting. I think the last cycle from seven years go was cold but any frozen stuff thawed before it hit the ground. We had a few icy streets but, honestly, nobody could tell the difference. New Orleanians can't drive well on a bright, dry, clear day. They don't need icy roads as an excuse for an accident.

This year, that Arctic maelstrom or whatever they are calling it now will reach the Louisiana coastline. The only thing it will really do for the swamp dwellers is slow them down. Gators and snakes, being cold-blooded, stop hunting and eating in winter. Fish, shrimp, crabs, and crayfish are not fond of cold weather either. Definitely NOT seafood season for the next several weeks.

 

[moke123]

We had a good 8"+ last night but its 12 degrees so its the light fluffy stuff. I used my leaf blower on the cars and most of the driveway and deck. Just need the snowblower for the pile the plows leave behind.

We've been in the single digits for a couple weeks and sub-zero at night. Brutally cold.
I ordered a remote starter for my jeep 3 weeks ago and I'm still waiting. But since I warmed it up it's time to go for a drive in the snow and act irresponsibly.

 

[Pat Hartman]

But since I warmed it up it's time to go for a drive in the snow and act irresponsibly.

Don't loose sight of the fact that with 4-wheel drive you can "go" but you still can't "stop" Have fun. I remember my Dad taking me out to a huge parking lot whenever it snowed the year I was learning to drive so I could get a feel for how to control a skid.

 

[moke123]

chilly morning.

 

[The_Doc_Man]

@moke123, you can have as much of that as you want, and my share of it, too. Do I recall that you are in Massachusetts? I've been there when it was snowing enough to have 3-4 foot drifts.

We are in unique conditions - for us. Today, the high temp (actual, not wind chill) will be 31 degr. F and, about 90 miles W of New Orleans, Lafayette is flirting with official blizzard conditions. A lot of roads are being closed because we don't have snowplows. The last time we MIGHT have used them was 2008. As far as I'm concerned, that is an expense we don't need. But we do have frozen roads now and then, so we DO have salt trucks, which currently are being used to keep bridges functional.

I doubt it will get really deep here, but the weather wonks are saying 4" to 8" before sundown in our area. Tonight will be cold but tomorrow will thaw out pretty well. By Thursday, we should be merely "darned chilly" again - which is more normal for our area.

 

[moke123]

Western Ma. in the mountains. It "warmed" up to 12 degrees but supposed to go down to -5 tonight. Wont be above freezing until Sunday (34 degrees) then back into the 20's.

I'm pretty pissed that my remote starter system hasn't shipped yet. Amazon now shows the item is sold out. WTF?
I have a soft top. The heating system's good but that first 5 minutes is cold in there.

 

[The_Doc_Man]

It is now official. New Orleans is experiencing the most snow and worst snow-storm we have ever experienced since the city was founded in 1718. I went out in my back yard in an area that I don't think was a snow-drift, just rather was a normal flat accumulation, and measured 7 inches deep. I know that others have experienced worse, but for us this is so rare as to be a unique event. Someone looked up some old newspaper articles and the last time we had snow this bad was over 130 years ago. So this is now being called a once-in-a-lifetime event.

One of the tourists being interviewed on the local news show was musing about why we weren't clearing the roads but rather were closing the exposed roads and bridges. Someone else had to point out that we don't have snow plows or snow blowers because the last time we would have been able to use them would have been in 2008. The last few times before then, it snowed but didn't stay. I remember having a snowfall that stayed for three days back in the late 1950s or early 1960s. This is clearly the greater accumulation.

 

[The_Doc_Man]

Just for reference purposes, ... We actually have an accumulation of snow. For real. In New Orleans. I can tell you that just about every major road was shut down. Interstates AND US Highways, if they had any kind of bridge crossing, were shut down. We expect that tonight will get REALLY cold, a hard freeze on both sides of the lake, leading to the snow freezing hard. But later tomorrow it will start to melt.

 

[Cotswold]

Have to say Doc, if it was 1st April I wouldn't believe this photo was taken in New Orleans. Particularly as it appears to be of a half timbered building in an English village.

I imagined New Orleaner people to be either trumpet and trombone players happily wandering the streets entertaining everyone just for the joy of it. Or Huckleberry Finns on their way to the Mississippi to pass the time and catch a few fish. All in shorts and T shirts all the year round.
Possibly I was mistaken?

 

[moke123]

Good Morning.

insanity:

 

[Uncle Gizmo]

Particularly as it appears to be of a half timbered building in an English village.

I saw what I thought was a heat pump buried in snow, which puzzled me at first, but due to your location I assume it's an air conditioning unit?

I too, thought of England when I saw the timber construction.... Edit:- Correction - it has a French feel to it?

 

[Steve R.]

10° F in Tennessee this morning. No snow!
According to Fox Weather, was snowing in New Orleans, LA and Wilmington, NC.

 

[Isaac]

Doc, can't believe you are getting snow - wow!
My parents are in minus 21 degrees these days, reminds me of when I was little when we had REAL winters with feet and feet of snow and 10-20 below commonly.

 

[The_Doc_Man]

Particularly as it appears to be of a half timbered building in an English village.

It is a stucco house with wooden decorative accents in a Metairie, Louisiana neighborhood.

I imagined New Orleaner people to be either trumpet and trombone players happily wandering the streets entertaining everyone just for the joy of it.

In warmer weather, that happens - though my instrument doesn't wander the streets too well. It's a Technics SX-F5 console organ.

I saw what I thought was a heat pump buried in snow, which puzzled me at first, but due to your location I assume it's an air conditioning unit?

Yep, A/C compressors. At the moment, however, we would get better - and faster - cooling by just opening a few doors and the front and side garage doors.

it has a French feel to it?

I would say generically European, though when I first saw it 30+ years ago I thought of Swiss architecture.

Doc, can't believe you are getting snow - wow!

Yesterday I went out with a ruler and measured 6 1/2 to 7 inches over the driveway. Several drifts were over a foot deep. I can believe we got snow but we weren't well-prepared for how much we got. We have food, a home generator, and gas-powered central heat, so we are good and safe for longer than this cold snap is supposed to last. Thawing should start by Thursday.

 

[The_Doc_Man]

Particularly as it appears to be of a half timbered building in an English village.

UPDATE: Wife tells me that when she and her 1st husband bought it, it was listed as "English Tudor" style. Of course, our UK friends will know better than we will whether it actually conforms to that style - if there even IS such a style of that name in England.

 

[Mark_]

Talked to my Uncle last night. 5 inches in Biloxi, MS. This was in front of the Hard Rock sitting on the beach. Nothing like a little snow on the palm trees to confuse the tourists!