Extreme cold and blizzards and floods
 

It seems like many parts of the world are having another hard winter. As I type this, the temp outside is -10F and the north wind is up to 25 mph! There's record snowfall in the east, record cold almost everywhere, and floods in the west when they're not having wildfires.

How are you doing this winter? Any stories to share? Problems? Good experiences?

It hit 24C today, and even though that was a little lower than the predicted high, we spent the afternoon cycling at the beach. :)


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And ... shortly before Valentine's Day, Rowan picked this bunch of roses ...

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From this bush ... I took the photo of this rose bush today. It and most of our other rose bushes (we've got quite a few) are blooming right now, but the red one is blooming the most. :)
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Here in my area we are under an extreme cold weather alert which means temperatures in -10F to-15F range.
The cold north wind is brutal and makes it feel much colder.

Northwest pacific coast, not bad weather at all. 40f overnight 60f in the day, might rain wednesday. partly cloudy day after.

All mild on the western front. We don't do weather here, largely thanks to that big puddle sitting just west of us.

We, here in Prince George British Columbia are having the Canadian Winter games... It's averaged +6*C during the day, :twitchy: when normally it would be around -15*C... Everyone here is actually "wishing" or hoping for colder weather for the next two weeks... ;)

North Atlantic Current does a Fine Job of Moving Warm, moisture saturated air up the coast, to collide with the Canadian Arctic Air Mass to freeze It .

That's why it's so mild down here too ... of course it's summer now, but we're surrounded by ocean so our winter temps don't drop that low.

Our climate here is rather similar to the Pacific Northwest.

It was a balmy 23 degrees F when I rode to work this morning. 33 degrees riding home.

But I'm more concerned about tomorrow. Tonight we have rain, freezing rain and sleet on the menu, this should turn to snow after 1 pm on Monday. I'm now kicking myself for not buying studded tires a few weeks ago. But I thought that the worst of winter was past and I need to conserve my money. I guess I goofed.

Thanks for asking. Here’s my report from Boston during this historic event. We’ve had four major snowstorms since February 3. The first picture is on 2/3 about 4 PM, and the second is today, 2/15 about 11 AM. Note the lamppost for reference.

I went out on a 4 mile RT errand this morning, with my studded tire mountain bike, only safely rideable this Sunday in Downtown Boston with minimal traffic; 19 degrees with a gusty pushing wind, on icy, hardpack / loose and heavy snow up to about 2-3 inches on the plowed streets. The third photo shows one of the best roads.

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This series of winter storms has seemed to turn non-cycing attitudes around about such extreme cycling. I seem to notice that usual good-natured greeting, “You didn’t ride your bike today,did you?” is tinged with more annoyance than before, when just cold was an issue.

My own commute is 14 miles in the reverse (outbound) commute, so I can avoid a ot of hassle.

Actually, I have to say that since the snow started I've had way fewer negative experiences with traffic than I have normally, and I've been riding everywhere just like usual. A big part of that is that when you ride to work in a blizzard, there is no traffic to have any experiences with of any kind.

I've had only one driver make a dick comment. A whole lot of the side streets have become barely wide enough for one vehicle, and they are still two way streets. Needless to say, passing someone coming the other way is pretty awkward; I'd bet that a fair number of the drivers I've seen coming the other direction probably appreciated the fact that I was actually able to find some way to pull over and let them by, where a car would not have had room.
Today I spent awhile shoveling (we always meticulously clear our sidewalk) and then left to go to my studio. Shoveling snow is one of those things that really brings neighbors out to chat. I finished and got my bike out to leave; a couple of them had been out working on cars and driveways before I started, and were still working at it as I finished and rode away. At that point, no one said I was crazy for riding (well, they're also used to us and our bike habit); mostly they were just envious that I didn't have to dig out a car or find a place to park one.

I was traveling on Interstate 80 in Nebraska when the road was closed due to so many accidents. The sides of the road were littered with big trucks turned over and sideways. There was one pickup truck towing a long RV trailer that was on the side of the road backwards. Neither were damaged. I don't know how he got into that position but it must have been a wild ride for him to end up that way.

During that trip we went sixty miles in thirteen hours. A bicycle could have done that in good weather but not on that day with constant forty mile per hour winds.

I was riding around Seattle today (Feb. 15), and noticed that trees are in bloom. In February. There's plenty of moisture, but even in the mountains it's been really warm this winter. It's been great bicycling weather, but it's just not normal around these parts... I'm pretty sure I don't like it, but still, I'd much rather be here than in Boston...

I've seen pictures of cherry blossoms in Vancouver (Canada) just this past week or so. They are a little bit early, but then it does vary from year to year.

Vancouver cherry blossoms blooming early - British Columbia - CBC News

There are two distinct winter periods here - December and January are when we get bitter cold snaps and a small amounts of fluffy, dry snow, but have some nice warm periods mixed in. The past four weeks or so have been an abnormally warm and dry period, and have allowed for lots of great road rides (short sleeves! dry pavement!) But that's going to change, because in February, March, and April we get most of our snowfall, and it comes down heavy and wet, but on the positive side it doesn't get quite as cold (lows temps in the teens). Today seems to have marked the transition to the second half of winter, a couple inches of snow tonight with more tomorrow, and a big storm forecast for next weekend.

We've been having a cold winter, but less snowy than usual. The arctic air mass that's been lodged over us is apparently routing the big storm systems further to the south. It's 11 below right now, supposed to go up to 4 above later today.

My worst experience was during the Super Bowl, when a big blizzard blew through. The visibility was near zero from blowing snow when I walked to work. I had to walk down the middle of a four lane street because the snow on the sidewalks was too deep for walking. The one way traffic was coming from behind me, so I was scared that I would get hit by a car.

I ended up working a 17 hour shift at the hospital because a lot of my colleagues who drive couldn't make it in that morning.

I was especially hoping to hear from you and others in Boston. Almost every news video about the snowfall shows at least one person riding a bike through the snow!

It has been unusually mild here north of Atlanta, rarely below 25° and almost no ice, nor heavy rains.

Indeed.

I do try to keep up with the weather that Roody, Jim and tsl are putting up with. I tames my complaints about our weather. The worst we get would be a balmy, spring day for a lot of folks.

There's a chance of a dusting a few hours north of here. I'm glad I made it to the store for a few things Saturday---no problem with getting to the store, there's nothing left to buy. People used to wipe out the bread and milk--now they go for the potato chips and coke. Hmm...I bet the good stuff is probably still on the shelves.

Thanks for that reply. Here are two street scenes of the residential side of Comm Ave in Kenmore Square: Sunday about 11 AM, and Monday about 7 AM; and the commercial side, courtesy of the City of Boston.

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Also we have a snow service for our parking space:

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During a Snow Emergency, we can park the car indoors in a nearby commercial parking structure for $5 per day of the Emergency.

BTW, Coluber42, if you're looking for friendly, sympathetic sets of eyes for your local cycling experiences, check out this active thread on the Northeast Regional Discussion Forum, ”Metro Boston: Good ride today’

:lol: Pretty funny, gregjones. Thanks for the honor of mention in the same sentence as Roody and tsl.

It's 20F at the moment so I just wear a sweater. It's been fairly easy this year but I suspect those living carfree in Boston might disagree! There was only one snow day that stopped transit but that's it so far.

I don't see many cyclists in this weather. Once the temperature drops below 15F and the wind picks up, it makes riding horrendous. I still haven't found a pair of gloves that keep my hands warm under such weather.

Last night we got a couple of inches of sleet. Nothing by Boston standards, but crippling to Little Rock. I still had to be at work.

Plan A, I checked the local bus lines, but they wouldn't be announcing what they were doing until much too late for me.

Plan B, I tried my bicycle. The sleet on the apartment driveway was thick but rideable. However, the street was much too slick and I kept losing traction. Within 20 feet, I knew I couldn't ride to work. I should have bought studded tires, but I thought that winter was fading.

Plan C, I put on my hiking boots, my raincoat and my winter hiking stick and started hiking the 8 miles to work. The fallen sleet was smooth and easily walkable. There was almost no traffic, but the route was hilly so I was glad that I had my stick to help me through any slick spots. After a couple of miles along the main street, I headed into a neighborhood, walking down the middle of the street where the sleet was packed. I saw a few people, a couple out for a walk, two kids sledding in front of the school. Finally I went up a short sidewalk that shortcut from the neighborhood to another neighborhood's business district. On the other side of the business district was a park. I had been planning to walk around it and take the street down to where I work. But I realized that I could take the path in the park. Great decision. The park sloped down and went more directly to where I wanted to get to. I walked on an untrodden path among the plants and rock cliffs enjoying this surprise. Finally I arrived at work and clocked in only 3 minutes late.

I confess though that, after my shift, I did accept a ride home. The streets were much more slushy and slippery, so I'm glad I did.

I bet the people who drove to work had some stories to tell also! I have to admit that I enjoy pedaling or walking past motorists who are scraping and shoveling to get going in the morning, or waiting for a tow truck because their battery died.

I think it's funny that the kids were sledding in the school yard. They close school because of the snow, but the kids make it there to play in the snow! I remember how fun it was to play in the snow on school snow days back in the day! :D

I ride the ATB instead of the recumbent. Shorter and fewer rides. No trailer hauls, since many spaces between snowbanks are too narrow.