Hold on to your hats

[CanisLupusArctos]

The sustained wind average tonight has hit 40 mph at Black Cat Island Weather Station (http://www.blackcatnh.com/weather), just within the past 30 minutes. Lights are flickering now. Wind increasing. Gust 50 so far. Waves 3 feet or so. Direction is from the SE.

Highest wind average we've had in several months, if not since April 2007.

The Witch of November is early this year.

[CanisLupusArctos]

The wind was the strongest since April 16, 2007. Shortly before
midnight the sustained wind reached 44 mph, the highest since the infamous
Patriot's Day Nor'Easter. The peak wind gust was 66 mph, second highest gust
of this year. It generated 4-foot waves on the lake, which came from the SE
with the wind. The waves broke over the dock (the lake level was about 2 feet below dock level otherwise) and generated high-flying spray. It looked just like the ocean.

A metal canoe blew off the dock and took out one of the dock posts on its way.

This is all due to some unseasonably cold air coming down from Canada. We may
get some snowflakes in the next couple of days, but I do not expect any accum-
ulation.

[Orion]

CLA, did you make it ok? Looks like you didn't get much sleep last night!

[Argie's Wife]

The Witch of November is early this year.


Can you elaborate more on that term? I'm curious - I know it's used in the lyrics for "The Wreck of The Edmund Fitzgerald"....


Also...

Do you think we'll have snow on Halloween? (Please say it isn't so!):coolsm:

[DickR]

CLA, where is your anemometer mounted? Since the house faces downlake, would you expect any Venturi effect from wind coming up that way being forced upward by the slope of the land? On the other hand, what interference do the trees around and behind the instrument create?

Another curiosity - I would think that the reef out front would limit the surf on shore there, no? Any "Edmund Fitzgeralds" on the rocks from the storm?

(PS: check your email)

[CanisLupusArctos]

Can you elaborate more on that term? I'm curious - I know it's used in the lyrics for "The Wreck of The Edmund Fitzgerald"....


Also...

Do you think we'll have snow on Halloween? (Please say it isn't so!):coolsm:

I don't think we'll have snow on Halloween but Wednesday is looking good. This time of year we don't get accumulation though. It'll just be in the air, if and where it falls, except higher up in the mountains.

The "Witch of November" is a term I ripped from the lyrics of that song, and I actually misused it. It refers to the strong northwest winds of the season's first real cold blast. Usually October is marked by "Indian Summer," mild days, cold nights, pumpkins and apple pie and all that happy stuff. Then in November the Indian Summer comes to an end with "The Witch of November" as the new season's first cold air mass moves down out of Canada with great force. As it crosses the Great Lakes it really stirs things up, making a great challenge for any ship there. It happens on this lake too, but to a lesser degree.

Saturday night's wind was actually from the southeast (and eventually south). Therefore it wasn't the Witch of November. It was an indirect effect of it. The cold air approaching was putting the squeeze-play on the pre-existing warm air, causing it to flow faster and faster until the cold air finally pinched it off altogether and took over. Think of what happens when you slowly close your thumb over the end of a water hose.

When the cold air mass took over, we didn't actually get strong NW winds. It just cooled off a lot. Passive witch.

Orion, thanks for your concern. Things ended up OK. The wind died down a great deal as soon as I got the canoe out of the water. Go figure. I passed out pretty quickly after that ordeal and still made it to church on time in the morning.

DickR, the anemometer is mounted 33 feet above ground level, over the roof peak. Some venturi effect is probably possible but not much. I verified the wind speed by walking out on the porch and dock, and nearly getting blown off. I can't remember the last time I stood on the end of the dock and got my feet washed over by waves despite the fact that the lake level is now about 2 feet below dock. The waves were breaking and splashing all the way over the dock, and I was getting hit in the face with spray from whitecaps farther out.

The wave period was about every 5-7 seconds. The water would retreat several feet below the calm-water level on the beach, and come back in again like an ocean wave, washing several up the beach. Seriously--it was like being at the ocean. I've been at the ocean many times this summer and fall, and the lake was like that on Saturday night. The canoe was blown off and took a dock post with it.

The trees do cause a small amount of interference with the wind sensors, but generally only in the summer when the leaves are out. We get strongest winds in winter anyway. In winter the only tree/land interference is to the Northwest of the wind sensors, and makes wind speed readings from that direction more representative of "land" than "lake." All other directions are totally unobstructed during the winter. Southeast, south, and southwest are all unobstructed at all times of year, and happen to be the most favored wind directions in summertime. Therefore I'm not too fussed about obstructions in the other directions in summer.

We have half-entered the winter tree season now (half the leaves are down.)

[gtxrider]

Can you elaborate more on that term? I'm curious - I know it's used in the lyrics for "The Wreck of The Edmund Fitzgerald"....


Also...

Do you think we'll have snow on Halloween? (Please say it isn't so!):coolsm:


We have snow today (wet sloppy stuff) in Joisey!:eek:

[CanisLupusArctos]

We have snow today (wet sloppy stuff) in Joisey!:eek:

...As I can see on the radar! Hard to believe it's only October.

Here we go again with the wind... sustained 42 mph gusting to 50.

[WeirsBeachBoater]

Wind was a whistlin' last night. But it has dried up yesterday's rain, and at the moment I am enjoying very light snow flurries here in Meredith. Come on SNOW!!!

[Cristen]

Wind was a whistlin' last night. But it has dried up yesterday's rain, and at the moment I am enjoying very light snow flurries here in Meredith. Come on SNOW!!!

SNOW...OMG!! Winter is on its way - yikes!
If it weren't for skiing and snowmmobiling, it would be really painful.

[Pricestavern]

We have snow today (wet sloppy stuff) in Joisey!:eek:

4" to 27" fell in the NY Catskills. Going to melt soon but a great jump start.

The cabin's closed, baseball's over, it's too windy to golf...bring on Winter!

[callmeD]

I really, really want to like winter. I do love the beauty of the snow, in the trees, mountains and frozen lake ... I just have a hard time liking the temperatures!

Oh, and did I mention ... driving in the snow, ice, wind, etc. If I am to get to Gilford from MA, I have to learn to drive in that stuff. Any suggestions?

Are we in for a lot of cold and snow this winter (to those who have an "in" with the weather gods)? Could be a contradiction in terms ... :look:

[CanisLupusArctos]

I really, really want to like winter. I do love the beauty of the snow, in the trees, mountains and frozen lake ... I just have a hard time liking the temperatures!

Oh, and did I mention ... driving in the snow, ice, wind, etc. If I am to get to Gilford from MA, I have to learn to drive in that stuff. Any suggestions?

Are we in for a lot of cold and snow this winter (to those who have an "in" with the weather gods)? Could be a contradiction in terms ... :look:

It's currently shaping up that way, and has been going in that direction since last winter (we never really had summer), but history has proven that weather patterns can change at a moment's notice.

Learning to drive in snow: Just remember 4-wheel drive only helps you ACCELLERATE. That doesn't do you one bit of good if you're already moving and suddenly need to stop. Every time it snows, it's always SUV's I see crashing and rolling over and driving off the road. That's because people feel invincible in them, and then quickly realize that brakes don't work very well when the road is a sheet of ice, regardless of what kind of vehicle you're driving.

All you can do is slow down and maintain enough distance between you and the car in front of you so that if you had to come to a sliding stop, you'd have enough room to do so.

If you have anti-lock brakes, DO NOT pump them when braking on ice/snow. The brakes will automatically do the pumping for you. That's what anti-lock means.

If you DON'T Have antilock brakes (ABS), then you need to pump them yourself when braking on snow/ice.

You pump them because your tires only steer when they're rolling and not when they're locked up. So you alternate between steering and locking the brakes up for slowing down. It takes longer than stopping on dry pavement, ABS or no ABS.

You can drive on slippery pavement. You can stop on slippery pavement. But just don't go any faster than you're comfortable with. If someone else wants to fly past you, let him. They're usually the ones who learn the hard way. I have been passed many times by people (in snowstorms) whom I saw in accidents just a few miles later. Oh well...

A bit about snow: The more water content is in it, the more slippery it will be. Snow has more water content as the temperature approaches 32 or goes above. When that happens, expect slippery conditions.

Snow that falls in colder conditions is dry and fluffy, and it gives you much better traction. When you hear the squeak and creak under your feet as you walk through it, it's much better for traction than when it's trying hard to melt.

So, snow is much better for driving in, and shoveling, when it's cold. Sounds strange, but cold is actually your friend whenever snow is falling.

If you have front wheel drive, the weight of your engine is over the drive wheels. That's good. That means you can step on the gas, point the wheels in the direction you want to go, and the rest of the car *should* follow. Always steer in the direction you want to go, and use the gas as necessary to "tow" the rest of the car through it.

Remember you'll always have better traction when coasting than you do when speeding up or slowing down. Don't speed up or slow down any faster than the snow/ice will allow. If your wheels start to spin, or if your brakes lock up easily, that means you are going too fast.

Finally remember a snow storm is all about slowing down. The whole winter season is about slowing down, reflecting, drawing inward, taking your time, losing your thoughts in the falling snow and crackling fire. Let winter do that for you, even when driving. It's a time of rest and recharging, like sleeping at the end of a day. We need it, in order to get the most out of the "day." If you go with the winter season instead of trying to make the winter season go with you, you'll get through every winter drive unscathed and with a lot fewer cardiac problems.

Also check out winter driving schools. They exist.

[kjbathe]

Another quick tip for driving in the snow...

Every year during the first slippery snow storm I take the car to a quiet road or empty parking lot with sufficient room to practice slipping and sliding. Stomp on the brakes, make a turn at speed in the snow, get the feel for what your car does when it doesn't have sufficient traction. It just takes a few minutes to get re-acquainted with winter driving, which way your particular vehicle will want to pull or slide, or how much traction is really left on those all-season radials you thought were fine.

Knowing in advance how your vehicle will react in the snow will take away a lot of the "panic" associated with winter driving. With that knowledge and practice in hand you don't have to worry about the unknown and can just focus on your driving at slower speeds appropriate to the conditions.

Even better, now that most snow storms are cleaned up within a few hours, just sit it out. Enjoy watching it rather than driving in it. After all, even though you might have complete control of your own vehicle, you still need to worry about the other driver that doesn't ;)