Thursday, January 18, 2018

It's A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood - For Some People

Hi There!


Yes, it's winter now- for those of us in the north country we are used to these cold winds, below zero temperatures, and heavy snowfalls. I really shouldn't say that we are used to them, we just get to the point where we tolerate them and some people don't really tolerate them very well either. (Did I ever tell you my husband loves winter? Probably.)


Occasionally we have January thaws where things start melting and sometimes really fast. In this case, this past weekend it was too fast. Because then you end up with major flooding.



We've had lots of snow up to this point. I mean so far this winter, Mexico, NY, had over 100". We got some snow for Christmas and then after Christmas we got quite a bit more. It was great for snowmobiling, skiing, snowshoeing and other winter activities.  And with our sub zero weather for over a week straight, with no thaws, the area streams and creeks froze up pretty fast. Then the warm jet stream came through and we had above freezing temperatures, almost close to 50 degrees for over 24 hours. Then the rains came. So when that happens it melts the snow significantly and starts to break up the ice in the streams and rivers and when it breaks lose with the current it can cause major damage to shorelines and buildings that line the shores. It also causes problems with peoples basements/houses flooding. Several homes have sump pumps that pump water out of basements when the water table gets high but when it's raining heavy and the snow is melting sometimes the sump pumps can't keep up with the water levels. So then you have flooded basements. During this same time period when it was raining the temperature started dropping so the wets roads, parking lots, sidewalks, etc. start freezing and causing major problems. At this point you never know if the rain is going to turn to sleet, freezing rain or snow. It did turn to snow but we didn't get a significant amount. We were  fortunate that we didn't have freezing rain because that could have caused more problems with everything icing up and possibly causing power outages.



If you drive around northern/central New York, you'll see houses and barns with metal roofs. One of the major factors that people in the north apply these roofs is because it's much easier for the snow to slide off a metal roof than asphalts roofs. And that's important when you are talking 100"+ of snow piled on your roof. Many people in the north country have to get their roofs shoveled off or they might risk major damage by the roof collapsing under the weight of the snow. In our case, our metal roof is getting older so it's not as slick as a new metal roof so the snow doesn't slide off as easily as it once did. We still have to shovel our roof off because unless the temperatures warm up a little above freezing it won't melt and slide off.


Another problem this time of year is when you get rain, freezing rain, and melting snow that creates ice dams on your roof. Ice dams occur when the snow melts on your roof and then the temperature drops and forms a row of ice along the edge of your roof which causes the water behind it to back up under the shingles. Ice dams will cause any other run-off from warm temperatures to back up which could eventually leak into the house and cause interior damage to your ceilings and walls.

You can see the ice under the snow on our roof (this was taken a few years ago).


Another strange winter rarity is that when temperatures are extremely cold you might hear your house occasionally make some loud cracking sounds. This can be extremely alarming because you have no idea what is happening. That most likely is the wood structure of your house contracting in the below zero temperatures. And most of the time it doesn't do any damage, but it is kind of creepy sounding.



But snowfall does have its benefits. It lends itself to nature's beautiful and serene landscapes. You get lots of birds visiting your feeders. And if you are an outdoor enthusiast there are plenty of winter activities in the area without going too far.



Below is a 20 minute video of the Ice Storm that hit the Watertown, Northern New York  and Montreal Canada area in 1998. You will be amazed at the amount of damage that occurred during this storm. It lasted four days and several people were without electricity for many weeks and even months in some places.




"I wonder if the snow loves the trees and fields that it kisses them so gently? And it covers them up snug, you know, 
with a white quilt; and perhaps it says, 
"Go to sleep darlings, till the summer comes again."
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass
~Lewis Carroll



Hope you enjoyed your visit to our Northern New York area! 

Feel free to leave a comment ~

12 comments:

  1. Hello Sue and Ted letand Toms hope it warms up slowly and have a nice spring at the lake. It has been a nice change in AZ no water in this. Best Wishes Courtney

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    1. Hi Courtney & Tom, What a year it was at the lake this year. Hope the lake levels are lower this year. I'm glad you're enjoying AZ. It was good to hear from you- Sue & Ted

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    2. Pictures are beautiful. It can warm up anytime soon. This is when we miss Florida. Are you going this year?


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    3. Thanks Elizabeth. It looks like we'll get another warm up next week with some more rain, too. Not sure how long that will last though. We're hoping to go to Florida but we don't have any definite plans yet.

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    4. Hi Susan:
      We enjoyed the video about the 1998 ice storm. We left for FL at 8:30 AM on Wednesday 7 January 1998 and had drained the water system. (We were supposed to leave on the 5th but the freezing rain prevented that. I spent a few hours chopping ice in our driveway and putting down a layer of sand in order to get to the road) We later learned that the power went out at 6 PM and stayed out for 28 days.

      Thanks, Bob.

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    5. Hi Bob, Glad you liked the video on the ice storm. That is amazing that you even got out and through Canada & New York with all that ice. And to think that you were without power for so long, too. That ice storm missed us by probably less than 10 miles. We can still see the damage that it left behind with the broken and bent over trees. We did get hit from the Ice Storm in 2003. That hit in April and we were just getting back from Florida. We couldn't get up in our driveway because we had about 5 birch trees that were down across it so Ted had to cut the trees down before we could get the camper in the driveway. Luckily our power was only off for about 4 days though. It was good to hear from you. "Hi" to Linda!

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  2. Absolutely beautiful pictures Susan. You have more snow than we do here in southeast Wisconsin, and that's a good thing. Thank you for sending.

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    1. Thank you, Kay. After that warm spell we had last week with a lot of rain, we lost quite a bit of our snow, but then the temperatures dropped earlier this week and we got more snow. I think it's going to be one of those winters where you have alternating swings in the temps between very cold and warm spells with rain to melt everything. Thanks for commenting - it was good to hear from you.

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  3. I do love snow so much, Sue - I can't imagine life without it, but as you know, we grew up in Western New York and had so much fun playing in it. I just hate the ice and the damage it causes to people and things! Love the bird and bunny photos!

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    1. I love the snow, too, Ann, as long as we don't have the sub-zero temperatures. It was fun growing up in Niagara Falls and playing in the snow, making snow forts and ice skating at the local playgrounds that the City made skating rinks in every year. But as you get older it certainly is harder to get around when ice is coating everything, even the parking lots. You're just so vulnerable to falls and broken bones. It was good to hear from you and thanks for commenting.

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  4. Sue, I enjoyed your blog. I do remember how nasty ice storms can be, and also how much Ted loved winter. One of my favorite memories is skating on the creek one winter evening with Ted (as he sang "The Duke of Earl") and getting caught on the Air Force Base. Thanks for sharing the video too.

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    1. Thank you, Gene! I've heard that story about getting caught on the Air Force Base, too. Pretty funny. Also, about Ted climbing trees to hide on you. Ted is still full of surprises and keeps me entertained. Thanks for commenting.

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