Bumping this down the page. Newer watches and warnings are out.

ya know... i left upstate new york for a reason.....is this year particularly bad for the cold weather, or am i just turning into a weenie? it seems i've had more fibro flare ups this winter, and i'm starting to wonder if there's a connection......

Dody,

Our weather is all over the place every winter, but it seems like we have more of a roller coaster this year where we're cycling from abnormally high temperatures to very low ones and then back up again. Last winter we were more consistently cold, but in 2009 we were a bit more consistently warm.

I've only been here 12 years so I haven't figured out much about the weather except to always expect the unexpected and, if you don't like the weather, that's alright because it will change in a day or two anyway.

If I wanted consistently nice warm winters, I'd have moved to Galveston or South Padre Island where it rarely gets "too cold". Of course, not everyone wants to move to hurricane country.

Dawn

This is a roller coaster year for sure, Dawn. I was amazed to see the tip of a daffodil a couple of inches above ground Saturday .... in January no less! And in just a few short days we are going to be back down to single-digit temps, probably the lowest of the year, and we're right in the middle of the 4-8 inch predicted snowfall area on the NWS map. We've seen spiders and crickets in the house just in the last couple of days too, so they must think it's spring.

Dody, as crazy as it is here, at least we aren't having the massive snowstorms that New York and the northeast is having this year. So far anyway, LOL.

Suzie

And we're not in Australia with the massive flooding for weeks now, and with two tropical cyclones bearing on them.

Nor are we in Saudia Arabia where flooding has been occurring.

We aren't the only ones with wacky weather!

Suzie, I have daffs up too, and the irises are up about 6".

We "shouldn't" get as much snow or sleet or ice as everyone further north, and I'll be OK if we don't get any at all. No matter what we get this week, it can't be as bad as yesterday's wind-driven wildfires. And, no matter what we get, it likely will melt and be gone by when....Saturday or Sunday?

ugh...I saw the 6 o'clock news and it's a mixed blessing. We need the moisture...but does it HAVE to be in this form?

Looks like at this point, the OKC area may get over 9"...and here in Norman, we should only see around 6". I just hope that freezing stuff doesn't spend a lot of time falling before it converts over.

I haven't spent any time up by the road to see if the daffodils were peaking up, but my iris that were new transplants this fall have never died back. I'll have to check the daff's....when it gets a bit warmer...like NEXT weekend.

Yes, Dawn...I'm grateful I'm not in New York, or Australia...but .....????

The really sad thing is that if you get 9" of snow and it is dry snow as opposed to wet snow, then it would melt down to around 1" of "rain" and that's how it will be counted. Usually we hope for dry snow because it doesn't stick to trees and bring down limbs and such. In this case, I'm almost hoping for wet snow so that when it melts down, it adds up to more moisture.

Paula, Somewhere in the last day or two, I saw that central Oklahoma might have a "blizzard", which I guess means heavy snow plus wind. Who's think you'd go from high winter temps, very low humidity and wildfires to a blizzard....in less than a week's time?

Where would you rather be? Maybe south Florida? Southern Texas? Probably not California since they're having a really wet year.

Betcha in July we'll be looking back nostalgically at the late Jan./early Feb. cold front and wishing for a little cool weather!

Dawn

Dawn- haha! Good Point!!! But ya know, not once last summer did I look back and wish for all that cold we had last winter!!! This afternoon as we were traveling home from delivering back Grand-daughter...I said out-loud and in a pretty whiney voice "I wish Spring would hurry up!". We really have been very lucky so far. It's not been a bad winter like we've had the last several. However, the season still has a ways to go.

Since most probably the FAA will close Tuesday (I hope!), I'll spend the day mapping out garden space and making my final list of peppers and tomatoes....and beans. The Seed Swap gave me several new things to grow this year!

Paula

Everyone I know with fibro says the flareups happen when the temperatures swing like this. Unfortunately they just have to wait it out.

tigerdawn & dodemeister - I am sending big sympathy hugs to you guys! I have several friends with this fibro stuff and they're noticing the weather changes in a big way. My kiddo's that have asthma are REALLY feeling it. Hang in there!!!! Spring is coming!!!...sometime....and then we'll have new challenges...Here's hoping we ALL have enough energy to prep and garden!

The only cure is to dig in the dirt...........

I often think how I'd like to "bottle" a good deal of July's heat and mix it into our winter temps... just to even things out a bit ;)

George

George, if you figure out how to do that, will you pleeeeeez share that on the forum?

Paula, it is really iffy for us here still. They say it will be a wet snow with the moisture from the gulf, and that it could be as bad as last winter's Xmas Eve snow. OR, the line for heavy snow could move further East of I-44, OR, further South of I-44. Right now, OKC and probably Norman, are right in the center path of heavy snow predictions. We'll definitely get snow, but whether it's 2" or 12", they don't know yet.

I really hope we don't get as much because that means I'll be house bound because I can't get out and clear a path from the front door to the driveway. Yikes!

They are at least saying that the freezing rain/sleet is not supposed to be a major event - maybe between 1/100th" to 3/100".

Kenna's looking forward to another snow day. She got her awards last Friday and we're so proud of her.

I intend to stay indoors and sow seeds - YEAH. I have to set up another small light fixture and need to get to the store and get some Mylar as Carol suggested, to get as much out of my lights as I can. Have to do that today before snow comes. I have all my seed starting mix - the FoxFarm Seed Starter called Light Warrior (new to me). I feel like a warrior with all the seeds I need to sow. Here I come, swinging my war axe! Need to find something to use for labels....hmmmmm.

Anyway, I know we need the moisture, but everyone please take care - no falls, no accidents - everybody needs to stay well so we can get those seeds sown! And, check in here if you're able, please.

Susan

yeah, I have to cancel all trips to Tulsa, or at least, not plan any weeks in advance.

Last cold wet snowy time we had, I wanted to be in Tulsa... well, guess what????

Tomorrow is the planned birthday lunch for Judy, in Tulsa of course, and we all know what the weather is like.

Judy's birthday lunch has been postponed, but I am afraid to say till when.

Moni

I just looked at the updated NWS forecast snowfall map and we are right on the line between the 8-10 inch and 10-12 inch amounts. Yikes. We sure need the moisture, and it wouldn't be so worrisome to me except for the fact that our daughter is flying in from Seattle Wednesday and this storm system may cause problems for her. It's supposed to move out of Oklahoma late Tuesday, but her connecting flight Wednesday is in St. Louis. With this system moving eastward, that may be a problem.

Suzie (trying not to be a worry-wart)

We have milk, bread, candles, library books, toilet paper, diapers, potting mix and seeds. The survival essentials.

I went and bought a bag of salt this morning, along with labels, so I'm ready now. I fear candles may not do me any good if the electricity goes out. Brrrr. Perish the thought.

Was it this cold last year when it snowed? We're supposed to get down to 6 Wednesday night and 2 on Thursday night.

Susan

Here in Tahlequah. I believe it never dipped below 9 or 10 F. We have already experienced colder weather this year. But up till now the damage has been less due to the fact that the cold, this year, hasn't come accompanied by much wind. Last year it did. Some of my ducks were outside that fateful night and lost toes to frostbite. So far, this year none have come close to getting frostbite. Tonight, they all came in to the coop:)

George

George,
I've made it a point in my life to get out in the world. To live in other's shoes, see life from yet another perspective. And still, you expose me to things I've never even heard of. Ducks losing toes to frostbite. Wow.

I've been away in Dallas almost all day and our weather forecast deteriorated a lot while we were gone. I knew that was a possibility so prepared for it as best as I could before we left.

We will get very cold here, but the amount of snow we might see has been all over the place in the different forecasts. Our local meteorologist says to expect from 1/10" to 1/4" of ice, followed by a likely 4-8" of snow. Both thundersleet and thundersnow are forecast to be a possibility here before the weather "settles down" and it all turns into plain old snow.

If our forecast is correct, our lowest temps during this storm will match our lowest temps during last year's snowstorms, but the wind chill is going to be significantly worse.

George, we haven't had any chicken feet freeze although I know it is possible, but a couple of times when we've dipped into the low single digits, a rooster has had the tips of his comb freeze. We have the heat lamps in the chicken coops to turn on during cold weather and they seem to keep the coops reasonably warm.

I made 4 batches of cookies and have cinnamon rolls in the oven now so I'll have something to send out with the firefighters on their trucks, along with thermos bottles of coffee.

I hope to catch up on a lot of garden reading and planning, and maybe some seed-starting if it stays quiet around here.

With some of the schools here closing well in advance of the storm, I'm just hoping everyone stays home after the ice starts falling and stays off the roads and stays safe and warm.

Since Tues. and Wed. nights will be so cold, tomorrow we'll rearrange the dining room furniture to make room for the dog crates that normally are in the garage. The three outside dogs sleep in the garage most nights, but we bring them inside on the really cold nights. Of course, they are so excited to be allowed to sleep indoors that they stay awake and bark all night long, which seems to defeat the purpose of sleeping indoors.

At least this cold spell will "tell" the fruit trees to stop trying to bloom too early. Since we had the hot weather last week, they are itching to go ahead and bloom, and I'd rather they not do that just yet.