Wow, That Was Nasty!

  Yesterday, I woke up to a beautiful day with just a bit of wind.  It was easy to walk to work or as easy as it is when you have about 15 extra pounds in shoes, jacket and snow pants.  By the time I slipped home for work, it had gotten foggy and the wind was beginning to howl.

An hour later, the wind was blowing even harder and visibility had dropped to the point anyone walking towards me looked like a mirage until I got about three feet away.  I worked another two hours before finally looking out the window on the porch to check the weather.

I couldn't see out my window because the wind had caked the snow on it, interfering with visibility.  I could barely see the light on the shed halfway to my house.  The light sporadically shown through the blowing sheets of snow but it was extremely difficult to see.  One of the guys gave me a lift home so I didn't have to fight my way home.

Once home, I grabbed a nice hot cup of chai tea because its really cold on the back of a snow machine when the wind is between 50 and 60 knots.  I struggled to get up the stairs to my apartment.  The only reason I didn't get blown off the stairs is the hand rail kept me from ending up in the snow.  I ended up doing a push away from railing, start the step, end up in the rail, pull myself the step and repeat.

The night didn't get any better with the wind getting stronger and stronger.  Things hit the building with great regularity.  Thunk.......Thunk.Thunk Thunk.............Thunk.  I gave up after three different power failures between 9 and 10 PM and went to bed because it was too hard to knit with the lights out.

All night long, the wind blew odds and ends into  walls as the building shook. This morning, I could hear the wind roaring just as loudly as when I went to bed.  I got up and dressed enough I could check my front door.  It required several pushes (It opens outward) just to get it open to the point I could slip through with the shovel and shovel the porch off.  I shoveled the snow off the porch.  The wind was roaring, the snow was not blowing and the temperature had warmed up.

I even got to work in time to field calls on if work was cancelled.  I answered that as far as I knew work was not cancelled, please come in.  Today, it cleared up, warmed up and the wind went away.  I was happy with the way it turned out.

Oh The Weather Out There Is????

  The weather this Yule season has been unpredictable.  I've been hearing about tornadoes hitting places in Texas, Missouri, and even in New Mexico.  

Tornadoes don't usually hit at this time of year but the weather conditions have been perfect to cause tornadoes to form, strike, and leave a path of damage.

I have never been in a tornado but I've lived in places where there were tornadoes several miles away but the wind was strong enough to rip a fence out of the ground in one place.  The other time I had a close encounter was on a camping trip.  We could see the funnel clouds off in the distance and I ended up sleeping in a friends car because the wind was trying to rip my tent out of the ground while I was in it.

It was scary and I hate being anywhere near a tornado.  No one has a choice when the weather conditions are perfect for tornadoes to form.

I've also had the privilege of being in a cyclone which is almost as powerful as a tornado or hurricane.  I remember having to put my bed, mattress side against the window, to protect the room because the winds were so strong.  Yes the window broke but I had enough protection that I didn't get hurt by flying debris. 

I noticed that the weather stream that caused the tornadoes, headed in an easterly direction with snow and blizzards.  I heard that over 3000 flights were delayed or cancelled nationwide yesterday and today they are expecting in the 2000 flight cancellation range. 

Some news folks were at the Chicago-O'Hare airport reporting on the state of delays and cancellations.  I gather there are so many delays that at least one airline is asking people to tweet in their requests to be rescheduled.  Isn't that cool.  A new use for tweets.  I think this is the first time I've heard of social media being used by an airline for rescheduling purposes.

I'm up in the Northwest right now.  The weather has changed from teasing rain with flakes of snow to nice and sunny.  Beautifully sunny even.  I'm not worried about the weather prohibiting my getting back to my home state but it may be an issue trying to fly the last leg home. 

I hope that those who are stuck in airports are soon able to travel and get where they are going.  Good luck to all who are traveling.