Nova Scotia is frozen solid!! mmd frozen in

[Wild Dingo]

Well seems that as we downunderites warm up... lovely 32C here just now stunningly warm and just right! tongue.gif Seems out ol mate Michael {mmd} Earl {reddog} Steve and other Nova Scotiaites are FROZEN SOLID!!! :eek:

Got this email from the legendary frozen one {mmd} just this morning...


from email:
Hi, Shane;

We're doing crappy right now. A supposedly light winter snowfall (first of the
season) last Saturday decided to slow down, pick up strength, and pound the
hell out of us. It didn't get very cold, so it delivered heavy wet snow that
clung to everything it touched, such as trees and power lines. On Sunday past
there were over 100,000 homes without power in NS as main power transmission
towers have crumpled like matchsticks. Two feet of heavy wet snow has now
frozen into ice and heavy crusty snow, making plowing roads and driveways
difficult. A large pine tree in my yard collapsed under the weight and wind,
landing on the power lines feeding into my house (aerial, not underground
unfortunately). The power lines were ripped out of both my house and my shop,
damaging roofs, siding, & structure. The resultant power surges fried
electronics in the house, including possibly my main work computer. I got
plowed out yesterday and am now trying to arrange for carpenters and
electricians to effect repairs so that I can then try to get power, telephone,
and CATV lines re-installed. With so many trunk lines destroyed, we expect to
wait three to five days for restoration of services. In the meantime, we have
decamped to my father's house which still has all services. This whole
adventure will likely cost me between five and ten thousand dollars, plus lost
work time.

We been disastered!!

Oh, well, if it wasn't this, it'd be something else.

To top it off, I can't log on to the WBF on this (my niece's) laptop. I can
read the questions asked of me, but I can't reply.

Best regards,

Michael

PS - We're all fine, just frustrated at being unexpected houseguests.

MM


Note the "I can read the questions asked of me, but I can't reply." poor buggars so frozen his responses freeze up before his fingers can type em! :D tongue.gif

Still... I did tell yer its bloody near perfek here didnt I?... sun shining? 30+C? very small zephyr of a breeze just comin in? I did tell you that didnt I? ;)

I mean its BLOODY BRILLIANT DOWN HERE MICHAEL OL MATEY!!! :D :cool: tongue.gif

[ 11-18-2004, 01:59 AM: Message edited by: Wild Dingo ]

[skuthorp]

Enough Dingo! Enough!. Next thing we'll be swamped by Nova Scotians looking for some decent weather - - - come to think of it that's not a bad idea, swan down for the summer, see a bit of the country, lob on your doorstep, stay at my beach house, go to a wb festival or two. Not such a silly idea eh!
:cool:

[Wild Dingo]

See!!! gods on our side! ;) Cunukians are pretty good people too... their shielas are flamin awesome to say nothin of their boats!! :cool:

Come on down yous Nova Scotians... mmm I gotta admit that name bothers me a tad... if I had a few drinks in me Id tell yer why! :eek: tongue.gif

[Bruce Hooke]

Shane,

Thanks for the update.

MMD,

Best of luck getting your house and business back up and running! I'm sorry you've taken such a hit.

- Bruce

[Wild Dingo]

Ive sent an email off to him tonight to see if he knows how Earl Steve and the other forumites are fareing up there... hope alls well with our NS mates :cool:

Must admit though he has me stumped with "heavy wet snow" whats the difference? I thought all snow was that soft fluffy downey sorta stuff?... yeah yeah showin me ignorance I know but I wouldnt have a clue! Ive only ever seen snow in pictures so whats the difference?... does he mean that it was raining at the same time as snowing ergo "wet"? hows that make it "heavy"? or does he mean so much fell that it sorta piled up as hes shown me in photos last year that it does... then it turns to ice right? does all snow turn to ice or just this "heavy wet" snow?

Strewth I feel like young Joshy!! whys the sky blue dadda? whys the wind blow dadda? why? eh? why? :D

Oh on another point of interest!... Ive had the wonderful pleasure lately to be lookin at a screen saver of Nova Scotia from the air... MAN THAT PLACE IS GREEEEN!!! I dont mean just any tone of green but LIVID GREEN! man its almost solid... musta been taken when it wasnt snowin eh Michael? which day was that mate... oops thats right there is only ONE day when its not snowin up there eh!... but green like Ive never seen even in pictures this was amazing If I can remember how I will try to take a screen shot of it... hang five!... nope cancel that I cant seem to remember! :rolleyes:

[ 11-18-2004, 10:08 AM: Message edited by: Wild Dingo ]

[Venchka]

Nova Scotia-

Look on the bright side. You won't need any electricity to keep the KEETS cold!

Good luck all and I hope things are back to normal soon.

Wayne
In the Swamp. :D

[Donn]

To top it off, I can't log on to the WBF on this (my niece's) laptop. I can
read the questions asked of me, but I can't reply. In that case, you're funny looking, your politics are distorted and your country is nothing but a bunch of socialists! tongue.gif

[HR]

Geez, Michael, sorry to hear about the damage. We fared much better - lost power and phones for 4 days, but no damage. Even though we're only a few miles away, we don't even have any snow on the ground - it was rain here for the most part. I sent you an e-mail yesterday - don't know if you received it. If you need any help (or just want to take a break for a bit!), you know how to reach us.

Howard

[whb]

Shane,

There are so many types of snow you would be amazed.

For heavy wet, think of the shaved ice in a margarita or snow cone with a bit of liquid in it to boot. Then think of two feet of it. Then think of that mess freezing solid. To plow it you have to essentially break it into chunks by brute force of the plow. Then it piles up in front of the plow and you need a front end loader to move it.

Michael, good luck. We seem to be getting a weird winter in the other direction. No snow on the ground at all. Without some minus 40 for a couple of weeks the pine beetle investations are just going to keep getting worse.

Howard

[Ken Hutchins]

Good luck Michael, you guys have really been slammed the last 2 years, first a hurricane, now snow.

Shane, there is nice pretty snow and there is utter devastating snow. It is all about moisture content, wind and the temperature when it is falling. 'Pretty' snow would only have maybe 1/2 inch of water content per foot of snow and the temperature would be low, perhaps at least 10 F below freezing and little wind. This makes light fluffy snow that although may be deep would not be heavy and doesn't stick to trees and power lines, a slight breeze will blow it off onto the ground.
Devasting snow could have possibly as much as 11 inches of water per foot of snow, much denser, usually falls like this when the temperature is close to the freezing point, it sticks to everything. Real problems develope if the temperature drops after the snow falls and freezes it almost solid. This is what has happened to our friends in NS. The high water content snow add tremendous weight to trees, power lines, buildings, everything. If these conditions are accompanied with high wind the damage gets rapidly worse. The tree limbs break causing other damage, roofs collapse, etc. :eek:
The nice part of heavy wet snow is that it makes good snow balls :D , light fluffy snow won't make good balls.
:confused:

[bamamick]

Shane, if you'd like to see what snow actually look like, take a gander at the Tradewinds Realty web cam, located at their site. I saw the harbor frozen in a couple of days ago. Looks wicked. My sincere and deepest sympathies for any hardships endured. Sounds like our hurricanos.

As for us down in Alabamy, I'm leaving now to take the Beetle Cat for a spin. 70 degrees and sunny today.

Mickey Lake

[ 11-18-2004, 06:23 PM: Message edited by: bamamick ]

[imported_Steven Bauer]

Mickey, you are mean! :D

Good luck up there mates. I know Central Maine Power sent some trucks up to help. We only got a dusting. And tomorrow it's supposed to hit 60! My kids are all praying for snow. New skis this year. smile.gif

Steven

[ahp]

Dingo, lgith fluffy snow happens when the temperature is considerably below freezing, and it is almost like feathers. Heavy snow happens when the temperature is right at 32 F and is like mashed potatoes.

[willmarsh3]

There was a good snow here in Huntsville, AL on Jan 23, 2003

http://willmarsh3.home.att.net/pictures/IMG_1604.jpg

[bamamick]

Not counting the times I've seen it in Wyoming, Colorado, or Maine, I've seen snow maybe four times in my life. I've lived in this house for 18 years and seen it once. I know that you guys have it in north Alabama pretty much every year, but down here by the Gulf we just don't get it.

A little looks like it would be pleasant, the amount that the Canuckians get looks like a pain in the buttocks.

Mickey Lake

[Popeye]

snow snow snow ya ya ya...

http://www.skipressworld.com/images/daily_news/2004/01/trans-labrador.jpg

[mrs. mmd]

mrs. mmd here...we are home....got power,phone and internet on Friday so we have moved back in!! YIPEE!!

mmd still doesn't have his computer connected so he can only still be a "looker"...he could always use my account but you know men!!

So thanks to all for your kind thoughts...I hope this isn't a sign of what is to come this winter. :eek:

[imported_Steven Bauer]

Good news! smile.gif

Steven

[Wild Wassa]

Keep warm ... I can only guess what it might be like for you icemen ... I really only know dust and flies at this time of year.

We have had a white Christmas once but the fall was different ... 6 inches of ash.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid85/p20de3297122109430054d5ff9d572993/fab44919.jpg

Warren.

[ 11-20-2004, 05:54 PM: Message edited by: Wild Wassa ]

[mmd]

I'm baaaack!!

Thank heavens for uninterruptable power supplies with surge protection. The poor thing gave its life so that my computer could live on unharmed. Bless its little electronic soul...

[Bruce Hooke]

WELCOME BACK!!!!

Glad to hear that you are back up and running. Nice as well to hear about surge protection doing what it is supposed to do.

[Alan D. Hyde]

Glad you're back and that your computer survived intact, Michael.

Will you bury your power lines now?

Do you think ever of setting up a generator?

Alan

[mmd]

Alan:


Will you bury your power lines now?
No. The cost of ditching under a highway. under my septic system, across my driveway, rebuilding my house power entrance, setting a junction well in the yard, ditching under my workshop apron, and rebuilding my workshop power entrance is prohibitive. Trimming trees is cheaper.


Do you think ever of setting up a generator? No. Fifteen years in this house with one power outage that lasted longer than six hours places the odds too high for such a purchase to make economic sense. Wood stoves and candles are better investments.

[Steve McMahon]

We lost our power here in town for about 48 hours. Many outside of town were 4 days or more. I am fortunate enought to have both a generator and a woodstove so it was no big deal for my family. I ended up spending all my time moving generators around from house to house to get peoples furnaces going for a bit, and helping run a comfort station at the fire hall. We figure we supplied water, coffee, and soup to a couple of thousand people. It's a good thing the temperatures were not too bad, hovering a couple of degrees above freezing. About 20 minutes after the power came on we got a call to a house fire in town. It was caused by a lamp in an upstairs bedroom that was left in the on position and had gotten knocked up against a bedspread. When the power came on there was no one in the room and it caught the bedspread on fire. By the time it was detected the upstairs was fully involved. Most of us that fought it had allready been up for over two days strait. :eek:

[Wild Dingo]

ZHavent heard from Michael in a few days now so am wonderin if yous blokes are doin okay with all that cold stuff... So hows it going?

PS... Beautiful warm weather down here! today was 32C and right now its 27C after midnight early morn... beautiful!... goin to take the little hoons out for some canoeing and crabbing tomorrow :cool: ahhhh summer :cool: ;)

ahem I meant to say "today" duhhh :rolleyes:

[ 11-27-2004, 01:48 PM: Message edited by: Wild Dingo ]

[mmd]

Hello, Dingo & all. No, I haven't become frozen in a snowbank - in fact, all the snow is gone. A new storm moved through on Thursday bringing a southerly wind flow, so we got 80mm (3 inches) of rain and temps of around 16 C (60 F). Now we have washed-out roads, flooded basements, and over-flowing streams. If ya don't like the weather in Nova Scotia, wait a day or two - it'll change season by then! It's starting to cool down to seasonable now, and frost will soon settle into the ground.

My house is half-way back to normal from the storm damage of two weeks ago. Power has been restored and life is back to normal. As soon as we settle with the insurance adjusters we will repair the siding & gutter on the house, and repair the roof, eaves, power entrance, & wires to the shop. Hopefully this will all be behind me by late next week. Oh, yes; and cut up and dispose of a forty-foot pine tree across my lawn. (Gwyn wants to leave it there and trim it with Christmas lights :rolleyes: )

Now all I have to do is catch up on the week of work I lost... :eek:

Thanks for your concern.

[reddog]

Michael;
Good to hear that you are getting things back to "normal".We didn't fare as badly here.Our power was off for about 8 hours in the snow and the recent rain just ran down the hill.
Hi Shane,all is well,thanks.
Take care;
Earl

[mmd]

Oops! Didn't intend to imply that the comment, "washed-out roads, flooded basements, and over-flowing streams..." was pertinent to me. We're fine and unscathed by the recent rains and sudden melt; that was just a general comment of the events around us. Carry on...