Ice Storm 2013

[Howard]

I've just been reading up on the storm. (eg. jnmjournal.com.)
Here I was complaining about our weather! I think I'll stick with the heat, thanks.
Looks horrible! I hope everyone is safe.
H

[Barry Churcher]

Robin, isn't this something else? I measured the ice on my car windshield and it is 2 cm. or 7/8 '' thick. My yard has this layer of ice on top of 16 " of snow and the bottom 2 " is water. It is so heavy that I have to keep emptying the bucket on the loader instead of just pushing the snow to the end of the drive. Normally if the wind blows gently I loose power but in this storm I have just had a few flickers. The wires look like heavy cables so today I expect to loose power. I had better go and have a shower before it happens.
Regards,
Barry

[rob love]

There will likely be short power outages as hydro will intentionally short the lines to heat them and melt the ice.

[Phil Waterman]

Hi Robin

I was just logging in to see if there was a update from Bob's post of yesterday Hammond 2013. The first thing that popped up was your post, hope that the storm quits and they can restore power quickly. No time is a good time for a storm like this but with Christmas only a few days away it is particularly hard. Hope this is not a repeat of the 1998 storm that did so much damage to the power grid Canada.

We have isolated outages in the northern parts of New Hampshire but for the first time they utilities started moving equipment in from southern New England before the storm instead of waiting till after it hit.

Best wishes for season and may you be able to celebrate with the lights on.

Phil

[Jon Skagfeld]

Originally Posted by Barry Churcher

Robin, isn't this something else? I measured the ice on my car windshield and it is 2 cm. or 7/8 '' thick. My yard has this layer of ice on top of 16 " of snow and the bottom 2 " is water. It is so heavy that I have to keep emptying the bucket on the loader instead of just pushing the snow to the end of the drive. Normally if the wind blows gently I loose power but in this storm I have just had a few flickers. The wires look like heavy cables so today I expect to loose power. I had better go and have a shower before it happens.
Regards,
Barry

That's why I put an old sheet across my windshield, secured at both ends by closing both doors on the loose ends and putting the wipers at half-arc against the sheet.

It works.

[Barry Churcher]

Yeah Jon you are right. Usually I do cover the windshield but laziness on Friday night is costing me today. When I got home from work Friday I just flipped up the wipers. Now I have 2 cars running in the driveway with the heater blasting trying to get the ice warmed up and loose.
Robin, is this ice affecting the ferry to your island? Not that there is any place to go in this crap. It is freezing rain here again today.

[Michael R.]

Not only east, but west too! A wee ice storm to deal with. Very hard on the trees though. The chain saw gets a work-out and there is firewood for next season. Anticipating a few days without utility service, which means no heat, water or plumbing in our neck of the woods. Cool weather temps in the forecast, -23C for Christmas Eve. No big deal compared to what others have to face on a global perspective. Thank-goodness!

[rob love]

Micheal
We are hoping it warms up to -23 too. Tonight the temp is dropping to -34 and we have windchill of -46°C tonight.

There has been no reason compelling enough to venture outside today.

[Robin Craig]

As of 930 pm our island has full power supply restored.

Both cable ferries are operating normally.

There is an eerie dead calm outside at the moment.

We are only one branch or tree falling away from loosing power again.

Frankly I lay blame to a lot of the power outages to home / property owners who see trees as part of the quaint rustic scenery and not as a guillotine waiting to cut their power off.

We spent $8,000 at work this year on tree trimming along power line corridors and have not seen any limbs over lines whatsoever.

People need to take a new look at what the scope of effect of an ice laden tree can be.

Either that or sort out their own alternative power supply.

Hydro One sent a line crew and staff out very quickly and they worked all day restoring power.

We won't start snow removal until the morning when the freezing rain has finally stopped.

Rob, glad to hear you are warm as usual!

Robin