Holiday Greetings/Check-in from the Polar Vortex December 23, 2022 8:24 AM   Subscribe

For those of us in the North American region, there is a massive storm that's been moving across the continent, dropping snow, rain, high winds, arctic air and general horrible conditions. Sending warm thoughts and prayers for safe travels (or hibernation) to all during this holiday season. Please let us know how you are doing in your corner of the world.
posted by computech_apolloniajames to MetaFilter-Related at 8:24 AM (75 comments total) 3 users marked this as a favorite

Well, the white shit is blowing sideways outside my 9th floor window. It was water earlier today but now it's a crystalline solid which means there's going to be sheet of ice on the roads and sidewalks. We got our food shopping for the weekend done yesterday, and our looking at holiday lights traditional walk earlier still. We're prepared to stay in for the next few days but already have cabin fever as someone was talking about walking out for Jerk, but I think they came to their senses.
posted by seanmpuckett at 9:03 AM on December 23, 2022 [1 favorite]


Things are currently okay in New York City, but my knee is telling me that will very soon change in a big way (and two friends report their sinuses are offering confirmation).
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 9:11 AM on December 23, 2022 [2 favorites]


I still see grass, but fairly cold. Started the POS in case I have to leave. But I did get my ILL yesterday, Rudolph, The Muppets, etc.

So work wants a informal party, tommorow, but noped outta work today. I'll be got damned if I'm doing inventory or repairing the Hobart mixer..omG the sun , brb
posted by clavdivs at 9:19 AM on December 23, 2022 [3 favorites]


In the mid-Hudson Valley, NY it is verrrrrrry windy right now. Supposed to be ridiculously warm this afternoon (high 50s) and then plummet to 9 degrees tonight (wind chill of minus 6). I'm just hoping we don't lose electricity!
posted by silverstatue at 9:20 AM on December 23, 2022 [1 favorite]


Pretty much what silverstatue said, only I'm in Maine.
posted by JanetLand at 9:22 AM on December 23, 2022 [2 favorites]


Sheet of ice here in Oregon though supposed to start melting soon. We are very fortunate to have power and nothing we desperately need to leave the house for-last big ice storm we were without power for days. Hoping forecast is correct and roads clear so mom and sister can get here for Christmas.
posted by purenitrous at 9:36 AM on December 23, 2022 [1 favorite]


Utterly freezing here in WI. The snow has mostly stopped so it's just the high winds that will make things hazardous for a bit. Shouldn't derail my holiday plans but luckily I'm staying local.

And of course, rain is in the forecast for next weekend so there.

Happy holidays to all and wishes for good company and safe journeys.
posted by Twicketface at 10:02 AM on December 23, 2022 [3 favorites]


Some parts of the house are cold, but we're okay. Stay safe, those traveling.
posted by michaelh at 10:05 AM on December 23, 2022 [1 favorite]


Kingston, Ontario checking in with hella windy conditions and snow. Being on Lake Ontario is always a PITA during the winter, but this weekend it will be extra poopy.
posted by Kitteh at 10:09 AM on December 23, 2022 [3 favorites]


Flights cancelled but forecast is a significant warmup this afternoon so we're driving, I remember now why I swore off going to WA for Christmas. Even after the warm front it will be rainy and cold. But we will be warm by the metaphorical hearth with our kith and kin.
posted by muddgirl at 10:30 AM on December 23, 2022 [1 favorite]


In Chicagoland, canceled plans to go to the Minneapolis area for Christmas, hunkering down with absolutely no plans to leave the house for the next two days. Windy and brutally cold, but not the whiteout conditions that were forecast. Still happier to not risk getting out on the highway, and making plans to visit family later.

Take care, yall!
posted by Sparky Buttons at 10:35 AM on December 23, 2022 [8 favorites]


Currently 7*F in Knoxville, TN. TVA is doing rolling blackouts. I'm at work and my pupper is okay at home, at least according to my dogcam.
posted by workerant at 10:44 AM on December 23, 2022 [3 favorites]


-1 here in Chicago suburbs. Snow stopped overnight but it’s super windy. I just finished making spaghetti sauce, I’m reading a really good book, my cat is feeling very snuggly—no plans to leave the house until Sunday.
Stay safe everyone!
posted by bookmammal at 10:45 AM on December 23, 2022 [3 favorites]


Merry Fridgemas from Minneapolis! Can confirm you don’t want to come here. Our high today will be a balmy 0. Current windchill: -26. Highways have reopened but we still have travel advisories. Overnight there were more than 200 crashes and spinouts. We’re very glad to be stocked up and hunkered down.

Stay safe and warm, everyone!
posted by Orange Dinosaur Slide at 10:53 AM on December 23, 2022 [5 favorites]


4th most recorded snow in a single day here in the "Mediterranean" part of Canada, but the rain has just started and it'll be gone in 24 hours.
posted by Rumple at 11:34 AM on December 23, 2022 [1 favorite]


TIL there is a "mediterranean" part of Canada???

stay safe and warm everyone!!
posted by supermedusa at 11:44 AM on December 23, 2022 [1 favorite]


From Iowa (-3 F, -31 with the windchill): The flight I was supposed to be on yesterday got delayed for eight hours and then canceled. I am cautiously optimistic that I will make my flight tomorrow; the worrisome thing is that the rural roads tend to be much less well-plowed than the urban roads are, and I have about 45 minutes on rural highways to get to the airport. I have not been outside since Wednesday afternoon, but I can hear the wind gusting against the walls and windows. My apartment is annoyingly but not dangerously drafty.

I made an apple pancake, several grilled cheese sandwiches, and cocoa peppermint cookies, and was pleased to discover that Walmart has cans of the Gardein Chik'n noodle soup. (I would be engaged in more serious cooking, except that my work schedule didn't leave me time to properly stock up for the storm.)
posted by Jeanne at 12:03 PM on December 23, 2022 [2 favorites]


Here in Baltimore County it's currently 21 degrees, with wind chill it feels like 4. It was sleeting and windy this morning, the weather is now calmer but temperatures are dropping rapidly.

I'm playing every migraine sufferer's favorite game in foul weather: "Was That an Aura, or Did the Power Flicker?"
posted by champers at 12:09 PM on December 23, 2022 [5 favorites]


It was -9 this morning near Chicago. The (central heating) boiler I installed a couple of months ago was up to the task, which was nice. Now that it's a balmy -2, it's just loafing along. I have braved a couple trips to the garbage and recycling bins, that's going to be the extent of my outdoor activity today if things go to plan.
posted by Larry David Syndrome at 12:28 PM on December 23, 2022 [3 favorites]


Our new pup loves the cold, but has decided it's now a bit too cold (-2, feels like -28) for more than a 5 minute potty/zoom around in the snow.

I've also turned into my mother, internally grumbling about letting all the heat out everytime we take the pup in and out. Which, she's 10 weeks old, so that's a lot of heat.
posted by ghost phoneme at 12:35 PM on December 23, 2022 [1 favorite]


I was up extra early because the wind was scary this morning! I kept worrying our trees might fall. But they didn't, so yay! It's sunny and clear but briiiiiiisk if you step out there in the wind. I'm a little bummed that it's not going to snow down here, but the cold is such a nice change, I'll take it!
posted by mittens at 1:32 PM on December 23, 2022 [1 favorite]


We were planning on driving to see family today here in western Washington, but the car and our neighborhood streets are still encased in sheets of ice. We’ll see if we can make it out after it warms up later in the afternoon, or else wait until tomorrow.
posted by mbrubeck at 1:36 PM on December 23, 2022


I'm in the old hometown (Asheville, NC) for the holiday. It's cold as hell . Currently 9 but feels like -10. Wind has mostly died down and parents still have power, charcuterie, and a fresh batch of martinis, so we're golden. I have word from the housesitter across the state (Chapel Hill/Carrboro) that my house still has power and the cat is staying warm.

Most of my family in SW Virginia (Roanoke/Lexington) are without power right now and the winds are evidently still strong enough that the energy company are having trouble restoring. They are going to wait it out as long as possible and then maybe try to make it my cousins' in Richmond (where evidently there is still power).

It's beautiful out. Blue skies. Sun. It's weird because I keep being like, "I should go for a hike in this abundant sunshine" and then I'm like, "Oh wait it's actually miserable out there."
posted by thivaia at 1:42 PM on December 23, 2022 [6 favorites]


Coastal Oregon is encased in ice. See here and here for pictures. We have lost a small tree, rather a large portion of a large tree, my container bay tree and it is a little crazy. This morning between the transformers blowing and the branches and ice falling it was kinda hairy and Harvey the anxiety dog has been demoralized all day. We had no power from about 6 am to about 11, then they fixed it, then an hour later the transformer blew again. It’s been back about an hour now and the heat is set, as jessamyn remarked somewhere, to stun in case it goes again.

Clatsop County is closed, there are no open roads or bridges in or out. It was supposed to warm up this afternoon but that’s going more slowly than anticipated, it’s only 35 now and sleeting. We’re all good though! The baby has said ice several times, anxiety dog was given dog cbd and persuaded to go on a short walk with intrepid son in law and we are probably going to make vegan gluten free gingerbread. Got lots of books and nowhere else to be but home.
posted by mygothlaundry at 2:24 PM on December 23, 2022 [7 favorites]


right now it's ice pellets here in Vancouver, British Columbia.

next up, its ...

heavy rain and a warmer airmass to the B.C. south coast tomorrow. Precipitation phase will switch from freezing rain and ice pellets to rain sometime between late afternoon and tonight. Periods of rain will intensify tomorrow morning. Heavy rain will taper off to a few showers tomorrow late afternoon or early evening.

Localized flooding in low-lying areas is possible.


apparently, they call this winter in some places
posted by philip-random at 2:28 PM on December 23, 2022


Forecast for San Diego on Christmas Day is clear skies and 80 degrees. Just sayin'.
posted by SPrintF at 2:39 PM on December 23, 2022 [3 favorites]


The temp dropped here in NYC from 57° sometime overnight to now 17 and are expected to bottom out around 11. The wind has been kicking up most of the day, the rain was coming down hard in the early morning and there was a bit of snow. I’m lucky in that I was able to leave work a couple hours early to avoid any black ice this evening. Now I have a three-day weekend of cooking, cyclocross spectating, reading my book, and maybe possibly getting out for a hike on Monday if the roads up in the Catskills are passable.
posted by computech_apolloniajames at 3:28 PM on December 23, 2022 [2 favorites]


-4, wind chill -26 here in SWPA. el_lupino, who loves cold, ran a couple errands and when he returned said, "Okay, I concede it is brisk."

The wind noise has been something; I woke up at dawn and when I pulled out my earplugs I initially thought it was the furnace fan or the highway, which varies in apparent distance based on atmospheric factors, but when I walked to the kitchen I saw the neighbors' sweet gum tossing and realized it was coming from outside.
posted by jocelmeow at 3:30 PM on December 23, 2022 [1 favorite]


Normal cold here today. We had a big storm that dumped 20+ inches of snow in my town on Thursday night last week resulting in some power outages. My power was only out for a day but some peoples was out for several days. Last night was windy a little, today was eerily not windy and 50F which was unseasonable. I shoveled the slush out of my driveway. I went to sub at the library and, as expected, the temp dropped and the rain started. I think most of the rest of the state got a LOT more wind because some of the pictures I was seeing on social media looked rough (statewide outage map gives you an idea). The Governor told everyone to get off the roads by 4 pm because it's raining now and the temps are supposed to drop a lot more. My library director asked if I was comfy staying the extra hour until closing time and I said sure because I live about 1/2 mile away and it was fine heading home, still above freezing. It's still rainy, getting a bit windier. This is my first winter in the new house and I'm learning a lot about how to twiddle the knobs of all the various heat sources (pellet stove, oil furnace, space heaters, electric blankets, mattress pad warmers, "putting on a hat" etc) and so far it's been okay!
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 3:32 PM on December 23, 2022 [4 favorites]


Been load testing the unheated hoop house this winter( in Madison). The baby greens that I planted in late October are under a double layer of agricultural fleece. It is currently 5 degrees below zero outside, and a shade over 20 degrees under both layers in the hoop house, according to a remote thermometer. The greens are chugging along basically in torpor, but I’m looking forward to them starting to kick up in February or so.
posted by rockindata at 4:11 PM on December 23, 2022 [4 favorites]


In SE NC here. It's been super windy with gusts up to 50mph. The tree limb that came crashing down missed my car. Yay.

The temp has been dropping all day and it's currently at freezing and predicted to bottom out at 19F. That temp will be testing lots of pipes in unheated crawl spaces. Tomorrow shall be interesting.
posted by mightshould at 4:53 PM on December 23, 2022


Dallas is at about 20F and it's going to stay about this temperature overnight. Tomorrow it'll go up to 35. Power and natural gas are both on though we've been asked to conserve. I think the grid has held. *fingers crossed*

Kitties in Dallas report snuggling for body heat or lying next to the heat vent is the way to go. I have ticky arthritic (autoimmune, not osteo) joints and MAN do they not like this weather. I've been sleeping 12+ hours daily. Glad it's warming up to above freezing tomorrow!
posted by gentlyepigrams at 5:01 PM on December 23, 2022 [2 favorites]


Today is 31 C [87.8 F] and sunny.

It's a nice change - most of this week has been 35C [95F] and 36C [96.8F]
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries at 5:10 PM on December 23, 2022 [2 favorites]


Drove from the Catskills to Baltimore today. It was about 47 when we left this morning, and we just watched the car’s thermometer drop as we drove along. It’ll get down to about 10 degrees here in Baltimore tonight.

There was some snow and rain in Jersey at about 11 am, and the salt trucks clogged things up a bit, but other than that… smooth sailing.

Literally the hardest part was getting out of our quarter-mile, terrible, dirt driveway!
posted by functionequalsform at 5:11 PM on December 23, 2022 [1 favorite]


Thanks for this thread, it's really nice to hear how everyone is holding up. Over here in Buffalo the wind is crazy. By the airport they've had wind gusts as high as 79 mph.

I'm really sad for the people dealing with the worst of this: The workers at the local hospitals are struggling to stay fed properly. The people who live downtown by the lakefront are being asked to evacuate. There's senior housing in that neighborhood, no clue how all the elderly folks are supposed to just up and leave or if they will even if they can. A whole bunch of people have no power and are dealing with epic flooding in the middle of the blizzard.

We have been incredibly lucky so far. Our power has stayed on. Our awesome dog has leapt around in the neck-deep snow and happily peed. My mom and sister are cozy and safe two blocks away. I spent the day in the kitchen and made a fancy schmancy two layer chocolate/banana/chocolate chip/coconut/pecan cake for the heck of it and chicken with jammy tomatoes for dinner. Feeling all the grateful feelings and hoping you all stay safe and cozy.
posted by RobinofFrocksley at 5:22 PM on December 23, 2022 [8 favorites]


Another Chicago report here. The house HVAC was a few degrees short of 68 this morning despite its best efforts, but at least it was close! When I went to shovel the front steps and sidewalk, it was still -9 and bitter cold. It felt like I was doing my 90 seconds of rooftop cleanup at Chernobyl. But in the afternoon, I was feeling a little stir crazy and decided to go to the grocery store for some things (a two block walk) before the sun went down. Plus we had garbage and recycling to take out, and if you're going to suit up, make it worthwhile! It was a few degrees warmer, not too bad of a walk, and I was able to get the stuff to do some cooking this weekend. The store was busy but not mobbed as it would typically be on a Friday before a holiday weekend, it was not too terrible to get in and out.

Compared to some of the other stories I'm hearing, I think Chicago got off relatively easy.
posted by notoriety public at 5:40 PM on December 23, 2022 [1 favorite]


Another Buffalonian here. We’re near the Zoo, and so far power (and internet!) have stayed on, so I’m grateful for our luck so far. It’s been eerie seeing absolutely no traffic today - we’re on a fairly major street. We have the furnace cranked up for now in hopes that our lovely brick house will hold on to some of that heat in case the power does go out, and have stockpiled blankets and camping supplies in a single room in case we need to hunker down.
posted by okayokayigive at 6:07 PM on December 23, 2022 [3 favorites]


The wind has been exceptionally high and gusty all day in C. Ohio, and it’s been below 0 F since sometime in the night, when yesterday’s rain turned to sleet and then snow.

My kid and I baked lemon meringue bars and both took a turn outside, fully geared up in snowpants and all the usual. She lasted about 5 mins and made several snow angels, while I got stir crazy and walked downtown and back. Verry quiet in town, most of the students are gone and we townsfolk were hunkering down.

Our weather warnings last through tomorrow morning, but I have hopes that we will shovel the driveway and get the car out later in the day. Perhaps we will attend services at our local Episcopal church to see some friends and share some cheer - I’m Jewish but it sounds nice anyhow.
posted by Lawn Beaver at 6:08 PM on December 23, 2022


Yeah, here in NYC it dropped 40 degrees over the course of barely a day. We were out around 6 pm and the wind was tremendous. Not fit for man nor beast out there.
posted by praemunire at 6:42 PM on December 23, 2022 [2 favorites]


The whole household here is stocked up from group shopping trip on Wed, which is good because the very long and steep driveway and access road is frozen solid and not even our neighbor's 4x4 truck could make it up without sliding off into the drainage ditch and blocking the road for about 4-5 houses. Everyone else has left their cars at the bottom where it's flat.

And the supercut of Seattle drivers sliding down hills is going to be absolutely epic this year.

There's also way too many door cam videos of people trying to go out to walk dogs and skating right down their walkways, out into the sidewalks and then right on down the sidewalks or even streets. The smart or nimble ones seem to just sit down right away and resign themselves to their fate without even fighting it or struggling.

Temps are rising though and we're hoping for a wet, rainy Christmas because we're all over it. It's easily the coldest I've ever felt it in about 10 years of living here. 5-10 F is lame.

I think it may have actually b0rked my laptop battery because it was so cold in my room that I maaaaybe shouldn't have put it on the charger or I should have warmed it up more before charging. Bad nerd, you should know better.

Ah well there's a big floofy cat with a winter coat on my back.
posted by loquacious at 6:56 PM on December 23, 2022 [1 favorite]


The bitter cold of yesterday (-30, -45+ windchills) is letting up; was only -16 when i hiked the kilometre or so to the drug store this afternoon. With practically no wind and four layers i didn't even have my parka zipped up. Supposed to hit 0ish on Xmas day which will be nice as I'll be able to spread some ice melt on the driveway and actually have it do something.
posted by Mitheral at 7:44 PM on December 23, 2022 [1 favorite]


Y'all, I am TOTALLY using the cold and the weather as an excuse to blow off going to the gym tomorrow. Hah.

I will have to venture out at some point to pick up a swordfish steak for my Christmas dinner, but I also spent $400 on super-high-tech outdoor-hiking base layer long johns, super-puffy mittens and a hat, so I should be fine there. I'm also determined to keep my appointment to go to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden's Christmas light show, but I wouldn't be surprised at all if they cancelled it for tomorrow.

....The heat is working just fine fortunately (even if my windows are a wee drafty), and the power's on here so I'm still in fine form. The biggest weather issues I currently have are the pressure drop having caused HAVOC in my knee, and the heater is drying out the air and that's also screwing with my sinuses. I did recently splurge on "smart" humidifier that is supposed to auto-switch on and off if the humidity drops below a certain point, and that's been humming away all evening.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 7:44 PM on December 23, 2022 [2 favorites]


We need to take the dog out for his last walk of the day.

I really, really, really don't want to take the dog out for his last walk of the day.
posted by Pitachu at 7:45 PM on December 23, 2022 [4 favorites]


About 7 near Baltimore with gusty winds. The rain from early this morning didn’t really convert to snow, just dropped to a bitter level of cold. Lost a large poplar branch in a neutral part of the yard, and am hoping the wind calms down as it’s the trees that knock out power here. Our campus had commencement yesterday and was closed today for the holiday and it been without power since 1:30. The high winds are slowing the power company’s response, and the holiday weekend is likely not helping. Stay warm, y’all!
posted by childofTethys at 7:47 PM on December 23, 2022 [1 favorite]


My sister's first flight to see us in Seattle was cancelled. The one we booked last minute at outrageous expense was also cancelled a few minutes ago. She's in line at the airport now to beg and plead. My kids are speedrunning the stages of grief. Got one denial, one bargaining and one anger in the house
posted by potrzebie at 8:43 PM on December 23, 2022 [2 favorites]


About 4 p.m., I was trying to get the last of my work out of the way so I could take out the trash and walk to the mailbox and back (about a half-mile round-trip walk at my complex property). The temperature was 44°. I went out a bit later than planned (just after 5p, but it was still sunny); but about 10 minutes after taking the trash to the dumpster, it was feeling colder and much windier.

By the time I got to the mailbox, about 10 minutes later, my ears were really, really cold. And 10 minutes later, back at my place, I hazarded a look at my weather app. I don't usually even wear something warmer than my denim jacket until it's below 40, and I was already in a quilted coat. How cold could it have gotten in 90 minutes, from when it was 44°?

11°. It was 11°.

Have I mentioned that I live in Chattanooga, Tennessee, five miles from freaking Georgia? I've been in the south for almost 32 years. I've seen measurable snow here maybe a handful of times. I've never had it be 11° in daylight. It's now 8° and it's -5° wind chill. I'm from Buffalo, so I know cold, but this feels bitterly cold enough to say, "Yeah, I'm not getting my 10K steps outside tomorrow."

okayokayigive, RobinofFrocksley — my mom's in Williamsville and reports that she can't see out of any of the windows. The wind doesn't seem to have drifted the snow up the first floor, but is just sticking to already-crystalized ice on the windows. Does this match your experience?
posted by The Wrong Kind of Cheese at 8:50 PM on December 23, 2022 [4 favorites]


Power’s gone off twice today, but was restored within an hour both times. As I said to the mister, I am pleasantly surprised how, after saying they were well prepared for this storm, they turned out to be well prepared for this storm.

Part of the wall of our car port has torn off and I’ve no idea how to go about replacing the brittle plastic that was screwed into concrete. It’s just a weird setup.

Kid Ruki happened to get a french press for Hanukkah tonight, so I’m going to go grind some coffee beans just in case the power goes again.
posted by Ruki at 8:51 PM on December 23, 2022


I went for a walk to the liquor store this afternoon, just before there was a big snow dump here in Toronto. We called off driving an hour to go see my brother's family for xmas eve, he's working, and the roads are just going to be too crappy. So we are all set to hunker down in the house having nice food and drinks, and our old christmas tradition; (started the year we had a blast watching Shortbus on xmas eve) watching an utterly inappropriate or irreverent movie. This year's selection was brought to us by DirtyOldTown, in one of his many awesome fanfare posts, The Hebrew Hammer. Can't wait!
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 9:19 PM on December 23, 2022 [2 favorites]


The Wrong Kind of Cheese - yep, absolutely. There’s a surprising amount of “stick” to this snow - the wind picks it up, throws it against the glass, and it just…stays. I hope your mom is safe and warm!
posted by okayokayigive at 9:22 PM on December 23, 2022 [2 favorites]


here's how my walk looked
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 9:29 PM on December 23, 2022 [2 favorites]


On Capitol Hill in Seattle it snowed maybe an inch two nights ago, the snow tgen turned to icy rain and everything got coated with a rime of ice, trampled snow and bare pavement alike. Walking anywhere required a shuffling hobbled gait of baby steps baby steps baby steps.

I found myself taking in the hummingbird feeders by night and strapping Hot Hands! pocket hand warmers to the feeder bottles and bases with blue carpenters tape -- and even band aids at one point -- before filling and taking them out to hang again.

I then hobble across the parking lot to the courtyard just before dawn to hang these now heated feeders only to find a hummingbird whirring four inches from my right cheek as I slipped one on a hook hanging from a rhododendron.

Which made all the effort all so well worth it. They get their name from the buzz of their wings. But to my ears it is not so much a hum as it is the sound of tiny cards being shuffled at warp speed.

And, man, am I going through the syrup mix. My crew can drain two 8 oz bottles in two days.

But, oh, too have one hang in mid-air right next to my face was a mystical with a small 'm' experience. That is a nemory I will always treasure.
posted by y2karl at 11:46 PM on December 23, 2022 [15 favorites]


At least it's dry in Austin. Last night the wind HOWLED and it got down to 17°F which is damn cold for us. Tonight it's not windy and 22°F. My lil cardboard house does not exclude outside air very well so Baby Goat and I have been hunkered down in bed mostly. The electricity has stayed on for which I am grateful.
posted by a humble nudibranch at 12:35 AM on December 24, 2022 [1 favorite]


It was windy all day yesterday in Maine, leading to some epic photos of waves and floods. We lost power around dusk, meaning I got to use my generator for the first time (purchased in 2021). Turned it off to go to bed and power was restored at midnight. Definitely feeling lucky to get it back so soon.
posted by Sukey Says at 3:03 AM on December 24, 2022 [1 favorite]


Took the dogs out this morning and the wind chill is “only” -16F compared to yesterday’s mid-30s below, and I was like “wow, this isn’t so bad!” The anchoring bias is real!
posted by obfuscation at 4:08 AM on December 24, 2022 [2 favorites]


-2 right now here. Still rather windy. Spouse built a fire yesterday and is keeping it going “just in case”. The furnace seems to be running non-stop at 68F. Mayhem has been downright cuddly due to the cold, she is actually lying down close enough to me to touch.

We have to drive this afternoon for Wigilia. The pipes on a little-used sink froze, so I’ll need to remember to open the faucet before we leave, right now the doors are open so it can thaw out. I’ll probably open all the taps all just in case the power goes out while we are gone.

The only downside was spouse burned out the motor on our third stand mixer in 23 years, so I’ll need to start looking for something he cannot kill.
posted by theBigRedKittyPurrs at 5:09 AM on December 24, 2022 [1 favorite]


It's pretty crazy here in Southern Ontario, we're in the Niagara Falls region and my dad works night audit. He worked last night (thankfully the hotel he works for sent someone to pick him up). On his way back home earlier this morning, a co-worker dropped him off who lives near by and she's now staying with us temporarily as road conditions are too bad for her to make it all the way home. So its a blizzparty up in here!!
posted by Fizz at 5:48 AM on December 24, 2022 [6 favorites]


The power company has announced that rolling blackouts are underway because the energy demand is too high. The infrastructure cannot keep pace with the massive influx of population we've experienced.
posted by mightshould at 6:06 AM on December 24, 2022 [1 favorite]


I woke up to our house being darker than usual because of all the blown snow clinging to the screens. (We have a 2.5 storey house so this is impressive.) There is a drift of blown snow in my driveway that is taller than me; I will have to go out later to make sure the fire hydrant is cleared, as well as the heat exhaust. It sucks because Shepherd has COVID and I have to tackle this stuff on my own.
posted by Kitteh at 6:15 AM on December 24, 2022 [2 favorites]


Maine got the tail end of the Grinch Storm, the naming of which I approve. Rained hard yesterday, but got up to 50F. During a break in the rain, I took the dog out, re-covered the wood since the tarps were blown askew, got caught by hard rain starting again, but even though we got soaked, it wasn't a big deal. Lost power for most of the day, so a number of things didn't get accomplished. Temps fell a lot during the night to chilly but still seasonable. Wood stove kept the house warm during the outage, and is supplementing the heat. Lots of Mainers still don't have power, a local college is opening up this evening for showers and warming. Coastal flooding was severe, assisted by the new moon. The wind was wild.

All in all, a serious storm, but not as savage as the cold it left in other areas. I have cooking to do, then heading to spend the Eve with family. I hope everyone has electricity and warmth and safety as soon as possible.
posted by theora55 at 6:22 AM on December 24, 2022 [5 favorites]


I live in LA, but am currently in Atlanta for the holiday. With the last remaining tendril I keep on social media, I'm predictably annoyed by my fellow SoCal people for all their snarky memes about the temperatures. I don't see folks out east posting "NOT ON FIRE LOL" memes when we're going through horrible climate shit, so have a little class, jerks. Otherwise, I'm emotionally preoccupied by all the unhoused cats shivering in the freezing dark everywhere, but that's just a place my anxiety likes to feed on anyway.
posted by mykescipark at 7:11 AM on December 24, 2022 [6 favorites]


In western Maryland, I lost power yesterday at 11:30 am. it had been raining steadily all day leading up to this but the transition between moist air and cold air was far enough apart that we didn't get any real snow and the roads were mostly dry by the time the freezing temps hit, except in some low spots
I heat with wood so that's not a huge issue (although when the temperature drops to 4 degrees with a -15 wind chill it's always going to get cold in the house overnight). The ponies are all blanketed, even my Norwegian fjord whom I don't normally blanket, and getting extra hay to stay warm. For a while they were estimating power would not be restored to my area until 11 pm on the 27th but now that's been revised to 11:30 pm tonight. We'll see. I'm at the fire station social hall charging my phone; no one else is in here so I think most everyone in town has their power back on. I also gave my daughter an octopus of phone backup batteries to charge at her work a big dead ash crashed onto my pasture fence and took out 3 8 ft sections of boards in the process. Also found two additional big ashes that came down in my little 2 acre woodlot. My water obsessed shepherd/lab mix Harper did go in the creek this morning, twice, though she didn't stay long. Big ole dingus. Here's to hoping Santa and Potomac Edison bring me some juice down the chimney this evening.
posted by drlith at 7:40 AM on December 24, 2022 [7 favorites]


Also in metro Buffalo but we're out in Clarence Center, an exurban area to the northeast, now. We haven't lost power yet, *knocks on wood*. The previous owner left a biggish portable generator but we haven't ever tried it, so I'm (a) hoping we don't lose power and (b) repenting and will turn on the generator when the wind dies down and I've cleared the driveway.

The wind is still high but obviously quieter than yesterday. We have a lot of 3-5 foot (1-1.5 m) drifts around the house and some drifts approaching the top of our 6' / 1.8m fence. But most of the roof is almost completely clear because wind.

Going out to clear the furnace intake and exhaust is an adventure.
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 7:57 AM on December 24, 2022 [4 favorites]


If you thought my sister was going to miss Christmas with my kids, well, I was right there with you, but I stayed up half the night reloading a bunch of airline websites and found her a flight this afternoon and then she stood by for an earlier one this morning which is now airborne following a lengthy delay for fog!! Can't believe I pulled this off. She says there's a loudly coughing kid right behind her so I guess maybe we all get covid for Christmas but I'll still be so glad to have her here.
posted by potrzebie at 8:27 AM on December 24, 2022 [7 favorites]


Checking in from southwest British Columbia. I feel like we are about one week ahead of all of these weather events. I suppose the arctic outflow flowed out over us first, and is now making its way out east/south. Spread the love / chaos!

In Vancouver, we got our first big dump of snow on Dec 18th & 19th. We had folks flying in from the US, luckily they dodged the one day when all flights in and out of Vancouver were cancelled. They and their bags all made it, which seems to be a small miracle considering all the travel horror stories! There were long delays at the airport; one visitor who was supposed to have arrived 11pm one evening, didn't get out of the airport until 4am the next day (flight, ground crew, luggage retrieval, etc. all delayed significantly). It was -8 to -14°C for like a week, which I as very weird because normally it is just above freezing (0°C) here, and snow doesn't stay for more than a few hours. The snow has been here for almost a week. Some of the snow drifts by the cars on the side of the road were more than a foot high. We are really, really not used to getting that here! City crews took about 24-36 hrs to really get a handle on snow clearing, and most residential side streets were still very snowy as of Thursday morning.

On Thursday we took the ferry to one of the Southern Gulf Islands and it feels like we dodged a bullet yet again! When we got on the ferry, Environment Canada said the first storm was over, but then there was another snowstorm to watch out for! 20+ cm expected, freezing rain, everything would turn to ice and we wouldn't be able to go out at all! Luckily there was much less snowfall then anticipated (phew!) because honestly there was already a lot of snow everywhere. The accumulated snow on the roof of our Airbnb finally reached a critical mass and slid off yesterday, I think it took out one of their drain spouts. Those random thinks and thuds and groans as the snow shifted, right before a sheet would slide down, made it seem like the house was haunted!

Now the temps are back at 8°C and it's supposed to rain for the next 5 days. We unfortunately won't be able to do any of the short hikes we've planned for our visitors, but all told, it feels like we've somehow managed to avoid the worst of these weather events, and for that I'm very grateful!

I can't wait to go snowshoeing on Cypress next week, though. With all of this precipitation, I expect it should be amazing up in the mountains!
posted by tinydancer at 10:32 AM on December 24, 2022 [2 favorites]


NYC/Brooklyn checking in - it is cold as all hell, but the power has held and the heat is working just fine. I do have drafty windows in my bedroom, but I also have a humidifier going, and the condensation from that froze over any cracks where drafts were getting in, and formed a sort of natural weatherseal, it seems. (Doesn't actually look too bad, either.) Right now the temperature is 17 degrees, with some breezes.

I'd had a ticket to Brooklyn Botanic Garden's Lightscape for tonight, and I am not surprised in the slightest to learn that they cancelled tonight, between the temperature and having to clean up after the winds. I rescheduled for a few days from now, so that worked out; and now this means that I only have to leave the house to head 2 blocks away to the seafood place that has apparently been in my neighborhood all this time. Picking up a swordfish steak for Christmas dinner tomorrow; I'll be making the swordfish recipe my father taught me, which he himself learned after obsessing over it at a favorite restaurant. (He ordered it about 4 times in a row, and then they took it off the menu the next time we were there - but he saw the various ingredients scattered in other dishes on the menu, and he actually talked them into making his favorite thing up special. They did - but they also gave him the recipe so that he could do it himself and leave them alone.)

Speaking of the parents - I've checked in and they're hanging in on Cape Cod as well. They weren't planning on heading out either, and they recently got a generator so they're set for power no matter what. Dad probably picked up swordfish himself before the storm, they're only a 10-minute drive from like six seafood places.

I've also got the beans soaking for a soup tonight, have cooked up the beans for another soup the day after Christmas, and did a quick browse in my pantry to see that I can likely also throw together a bluefish chowder to use up some fillets that I've had in the freezer a while (bluefish doesn't freeze THAT well, so I think chowder is probably the best application).

And that will hold me for the week, I'm sure - just in time to make an intense posole on New Year's Eve, followed by black-eyed peas on New Year's Day.

....And believe it or not, this is also a plan meant to clean out my pantry....
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 11:26 AM on December 24, 2022 [2 favorites]


Checking in from Pittsburgh, it's not bad here, relatively. We kept the power on yesterday despite half our town losing it in -26 windchill. It's a positively balmy 7F right now. The roads are thankfully much better today as I had to go into work. Looking forward to family dinner tomorrow!

(Sidenote, I've never been to Maine and had no idea you could get seafoam floods until today. Egads.
posted by cozenedindigo at 2:13 PM on December 24, 2022 [4 favorites]


an amazing story from r/buffalo

I need urgent help..

Story Time! Saved someone from being stuck the snow
posted by lalochezia at 4:11 PM on December 24, 2022 [7 favorites]


I'm watching the Santa tracker on the news and wondering how they're going to explain this with the bad weather situations....
posted by jenfullmoon at 6:07 PM on December 24, 2022


It’s so cold in Savannah, GA that I have to wear pants all the day and night.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 6:57 PM on December 24, 2022 [6 favorites]


High atop Garrett County, MD, the snow on the ground is crunchy, and the top of our old, fading maple tree blew off yesterday morning, somehow doing no serious damage to anything. Dinged up the metal awning over the back door, said some mean things to the roof rack on the car, but nothing worse than that.
The wind, she is cold. Some lines are down somewhere around here, so we have cell phones, but no land line or tv.
Good times.
posted by Mister Moofoo at 8:39 PM on December 24, 2022 [2 favorites]


We go ice skating indoors every Christmas Eve day and this year the temp in the ice rink was warmer than the outside temp. Considerably warmer. It's not usually like that in SW Ohio.
posted by cooker girl at 6:37 AM on December 25, 2022 [1 favorite]


I was disappointed to be staying in California again this year but given that we'd probably have spent Christmas at some random airport otherwise, it's a relief. The air quality is bad here right now, though, so no Yule log or stockings hung by the fire.

My dad's train from Montreal to Toronto (where my brother lives) was two hours late, but got there safely before they closed the route down.
posted by tangerine at 5:08 PM on December 25, 2022


Hey from Buffalo checking in again! Day 4 of this storm has been really awful. So many people have died and they are nowhere near done counting the dead.

It's impossible for me to cope with unless I seek out the glimmers of good things happening all over the city as people try their best to keep their neighborhoods together.

I wanted to share the goodness with anyone who cares to read it. So I gathered up a few of these lovely local stories and posted them on the blue.

Thanks for being my internet neighborhood. Hope everyone is staying warm ❤️
posted by RobinofFrocksley at 6:14 PM on December 26, 2022 [19 favorites]


Wow, it's awful what's happening in Buffalo. It hits close to home because Anchorage, where I am, is very similar. We had a dump of two feet of snow twice last week, which our current mayor didn't make any plans for (long story) so they're just now widening the roads and chopping out sidewalks. We're fortunate it wasn't a blizzard.

It was so windy last weekend that it all blew around and there was whiteout on some of the dicier roads north, particularly the Wasilla-Palmer area-- lot of trucks got stuck in the ditch. Then it was -20 for a while and now it's a fairly tropical 27 with freezing drizzle. Lovely. Sometimes I miss San Francisco a lot. But then, I wouldn't have had a chance to learn to snowshoe which is delightful (stomp! stomp!) and everyone should try it.
posted by blnkfrnk at 10:03 AM on December 28, 2022 [3 favorites]


I'm in Toronto and last week the expectation was that we would get hit as hard as everyone else but for whatever reason most of the snow avoided us. No significant snowfall or freezing rain downing trees or powerlines or blackouts. Don't get me wrong, it was tough to get around on Friday but that was more because the strong winds were blowing the snow sideways making it very hard to see than the amount of snow actually hitting the ground. I did a light shovel in the morning and then again in the evening when I got back from work and that's the last that I've had to do. We were stuck at home over the weekend anyway and I was showing my family pictures of the snow and ice elsewhere in the province and they couldn't believe it because it was so normal here.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 3:38 PM on December 28, 2022


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