Get Ready!
 

1-2ft snow coming our way in the lakes region! About time!

I wonder how those people who felt "lucky" last week to have their boats in the water feel now?

Don't look at me...I waited!

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Huh?
 

Do you guys actually believe we are going to get 1-2 feet of snow??….i have a bridge I would like to sell you!

6” at best of wet heavy crap…will be gone in a couple days…

Dan

I know that...just trying to justify the delayed launching! [emoji1]

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Still feel lucky. Not only does the Eastern have a hard top, it is sitting in a covered slip. No worries:)

Alan

Feeling just fine about it. I’ll be on it tomorrow.

Already did my yard spring cleaning.
I told the plow guy not to plow, I'll just drive over it!

Dan…we have 8” of powder west of the lake and coming down hard with a ways to go! I think we’ll have over a foot by tonight! 😳

Coming down….
 

7” so far at our place in Meredith. Snowfall rates currently ~1” per hour.

But it should be gone by Easter. Remember one Easter Mass it had to have been in the mid 80’s and no AC in the church


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Hey there ....... can't get your snowblower started because it went unused too long and the gasoline congealed in the carburetor, clogging up the jet, and no matter what you do, it will not start?

Well now ...... the Walmart in Laconia/Gilford has lowered the price way down from about $12.95 down to $5.00 on a strong sturdy snow shovel, a red plastic tough shovel with steel edge w/ black handle ...... excellent for shoveling all this wet and heavy snow and slush.

Well, 10" in Center Harbor right now (Sat. 1 pm) and expect another 4" - 8" until it ends at midnight.

It's also very light, per my wife shoveling off our small porch.

You can keep your bridge. :D

However it WILL be gone pretty quick as temperatures are going up in a couple days and we will get about an inch of rain by next weekend. My dirt driveway was just about dried out and now we will face another "mud season".

13" and more coming.

The mixed precipitation line is down around Alton at the moment. Right now, predicting another 7". 2" per hour rate expected between 8 and 10. Over by midnight.

Got a heavy foot over here in northern Laconia area.


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Beautiful downtown Epping got maybe 2 inches, now being washed away by the rain!

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I just shoveled off about 8” of wet heavy snow off my boat! That is a first for me! Never shoveled my boat off before.….I was concerned the scuppers would get plugged then all this rain would have no place to go…

The snow has pretty much stopped here in Gilford, all rain now…

Dan

Back snowing here in Gilford. Last I checked was around 1pm had a little over 7" on top of Liberty Hill and was sleeting, changed over just after sunset. Kid had fun building a jump for his sled.
Now listening to the scanner and trees and limbs are starting to fall around, mostly sounding like north of the lake so far.
9pm: lines starting to be effective Gilmanton/Barnstead/Alton/Gilford now.

Going to be a good 2 feet on the ground after “round 2” ends later tonight!
I already blew 14” of heavy stuff now we’re getting slammed again!
Hopefully the rain stays south.

22" and still snowing

We had about 9-10” and it was raining when we left for dinner. By the time we came back we had at least 6-8” more, it was dumping! Almost couldn’t get up the hill.

Without physically measuring I would say there is 20” on my deck here in Gilford. ! It really came down hard last night! Hopefully it will be gone in a few days…. Now the only question is what the hell do I do with this bridge!! :confused::confused::laugh:

Dan

Is this the famous bridge across the Broads? :emb:

:laugh::laugh::laugh: Didn't sell it huh???

Just curious where you got your forecast? Or were you wishcasting?


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Well I figured it would be the usual blown out of proportion “snowmageddon” that the media almost always portrays. Most of the time they exaggerate these storms so much it’s ridiculous….this time they actually predicted it right! Who’d a thought!!

Dan

It’s hard to believe that it went from having umbrella drinks to putting my snowshoes on in a matter of 10 days! :eek::laugh:

Dan

Got 2 feet here in Laconia. I was planning to unwrap the boat this week to get her ready to troll, but there is now 4 ft of snow on either side of it... guess I'll have to wait a while. I was hoping to fish April 1st for the first time ever, but I don't see that happening now!

You’re welcome to come with me Derek!

Dan

I just might! :D

Lots of Snow Here Too
 

Even after a couple hours of sleet last night that then turned back to snow, we ended up with about 21" here in the western part of Meredith.

What a mess
 

I was reminded yesterday that when snow amounts reach a certain level, the normal things you do to clear it don't always work. We have 600' of DIRT driveway and ups and downs along the length of it. We have a good plow company take care of it but the amount of snow, the dirt base, and the uphill portion overwhelmed their plow truck. They ended up leaving a 6 foot pile of VERY heavy snow about 50 feet from the house. When I saw it, I suspected that they were out of the fight and they called to confirm that they had no way to deal with it.

Luckily, I have a small Ford tractor (4WD) with a bucket. "Plowing" with the tractor is not "elegant" but after 7 hours, it got the job done, albeit a very rough job. I only got stuck twice where I had to dig around the wheels and dump sand to give me traction. Unfortunately, I also dug up some dirt with my efforts and will probably have to do some minor repairs once this all melts and we finish up Mud Season II. Thank God for the tractor. Hand shoveling would have been impossible. I would have had to seek out a company with a bucket loader. As it was, clearing around the entryways and cars was a lot of work for my wife and I.

Also luckily, we have replaced all our vehicles in the last few years and they are all AWD or 4WD so they handled the remaining sloppiness without a problem.

It was a beautiful snow event but coming at the end of the season it was a waste. My wife said although she loved watching the snow coming down and piling up, but in the end the cleanup was a major PITA and not worth it (she didn't exactly say THAT because she is too polite. but I take editorial license).

Jeffk, I agree, the spring storms are tough!

Reports of plow guys getting stuck multiple times…you were not alone!
Snow and mud season are not fun.

Our situation here has evolved over the years. We have a 550’ driveway that has an 80’ vertical rise from the road, a dogleg turn 200’ from the top and an 11 degree pitch for the final section.

When we moved here in ’98 the drive was gravel. We hired a plow guy who got stuck on the top section in heavy wet snow after a March storm. He quit and left me to shovel out. So, I had a Fisher plow installed on my Dodge 2500 and plowed from the top down with chains on 4 wheels. It did work but not ideal.

In 2005 we bought the Deere 3320 with FEL, landscape rake and rear blade for gravel drive maintenance and help with snow removal. In 2015 we added the 64” rear mount snowblower and sold the plow truck. Then in 2019 we had the drive paved, sold the landscape rake but kept the rear blade. The blade can be angled to plow light snow of a few inches.

Now with the 64” blower and a paved drive, heavy snow falls can be delt with. This recent storm was the most difficult we have ever had. We had 19” here with alternating layers of snow, sleet and freezing rain. So, it was slow going.

Alan

Do you have to drive backward to snowplow?

For light snow using the angled rear blade, I drive forward. Using the rear mount snowblower, I have to drive backward.

The tradeoff: With a front mount snowblower I would have to remove the front bucket. However I use the 6' wide bucket for some snow removal tasks as well as when sanding the steep section. I do have a large rear-view mirror on each side. My setup is more functional at the expense of driving the snowblower in reverse.

Alan

Chronology
 

Great chronology as the equipment improves. Next chapter:

In 2024 we added a cab with heat and A/C. Next step is stereo and front/rear/side cameras so we can sit on the beach and watch our (new) plow guy on our iPhones.

Have you looked into the rear inverted snow-blowers? Its a rear mount/pto driven, but it faces forward. It would be a lot faster (and more comfortable) than snow-blowing backwards.

We have a front mount snow blower and power broom on our Kubota LX3310CAB. If under 6" I use the broom for everything. Over that I must use the snow blower, but still put the broom on afterwards and sweep it down to bare pavement. I have thought about going with a rear inverted blower on the rear and keeping the broom on the front. That would be an incredible setup, but my tractor is almost too small for an inverted.

Get Ready!
 

What about heated driveways? Is it too expensive to heat a driveway to keep it clear of snow and ice? I don't know much about the logistics of creating a heated driveway, and I am sure the associated fuel cost would be rather high, but it sure would be nice to wake up after a night of snowing to see a clear driveway. Just dreaming!

I am aware of that design. Over the years we have had several storms over 20" with one of 28". Maintaining traction driving forward through deep snow pulling the snow blower behind on a steep hill could be a problem. I can't say for sure that it would be a problem but I went with more of a sure thing. As for speed, I am limited only by the blower's snow processing speed.

Alan

Backing up can't be fun but changing equipment isn't fun either.

snow melters
 

Downtown Concord has snow melt sidewalks, heated by tubing that runs under the pavers. Very expensive (?), but I believe there was a federal grant of some sort, so, as some say, "it was free". I have Heat Trak electric mats on my front walk, at least on the part that gets no sun. A 4' on the landing, two on steps and a 10' (commercial grade) extending to where the sun hits. Cost about $1000. (July sale). They only heat to about 33-34F, and low amperage, so I don't notice anything different in my electric bill. I just flip a dedicated switch in the house when it starts snowing and they can keep up. Waiting until a storm is over and then activating, is like waiting for April and Mother Nature to do the job.
I would guess, in Concord, it is cheaper to heat the sidewalks than it is to pay staff to shovel.

I couldn't tell you what the cost is...
We have homeowners with asphalt roofs and gutters that use the cable system, some with a switch and temperature monitor. And I know of two homes that have them built in... one into a raised cement patio so that their dog could go out without dealing with the snow; and the other beneath a cobblestone driveway that would be very hard to plow to the point of scraping.

The heated raised patio is on Waukewan built by Northstar, and the heated cobblestone driveway is on Long Island built by Hayward.

Get ready again! 12-18" on the way!

No Taking a Chance
 

I pulled my boat out of the water this time!;)

Now go away please!!:D:D:laugh::laugh:

Dan

So the last storm was your fault? :(
This one should miss us now.:)

Mine are staying in, not worth pulling them and they won't fit in my garage. It is what it is...2 out of the 3 in are hard tops anyhow.

The last storm snapped 3 of my aluminum prop rods for the pontoon cover. That must have been some weight! I'll be swinging through a few times over the next few days to clean it off.

The tractor is ready to go. Staying home tomorrow so I don't get caught at the bottom of the hill.

Good plan, Codeman. If there is damage to your canvas, it will be a long time before somebody local can fit you in for repairs.

Well, so far not as much depth as last time but it is nasty. Wet and heavy, it is sticking to the trees. With the winds, it is going to be breaking branches. Our power had gone out briefly and now is continually flickering. NHEC has 34,000 outages. I got a notice from Breezeline that there are outages near me but so far I still have internet. There is supposed to be a heavy burst (2.5") between 11 and 2 and then it winds down. Winds remain high until around suppertime and then start dying down.

Power went out here in Gilford about an hour ago. Running on generator power now. I expect power to be out for a while as the storm is really just starting and winds are crazy! Can’t expect power crews to attempt fixing anything in this!

Dan

Lost power in West Alton about 5:30 am. Alton is 100% out, input lost from transmission provider.

Alan

Lights have been blinking all morning. Just waiting


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Apparently at least cable/internet is out in my area of Meredith..
 

...Not in Meredith today, but have been getting texts from Breezeline all morning of "outages in your area", with latest one stating that it will be 11PM estimated fix. Not sure about power, but I'm guessing that is out too.

Breezeline outages supposedly fixed in Center Harbor. My access never went down although the power flickered enough to reset some electronics.

NNE Meredith
 

8” in NNE Meredith. Did about half of the driveway with the snow blower and gave up. I know it’s not over but it could have been much worse. Without power since 4AM.

Some of the issues with power supply surround the antiquated electric system itself. Old technology in many service areas is a neutral line at the top of the poles and a power "hot line" donw the pole somewhat. Homeowners provide the ground. However, modern systems have a hot, neutral, and ground all wrapped is a twisted bundle with a heavy duty steel strength member. You can see the difference if you look at the power supply line from the pole to your house. This twisted bundle provide a huge increase in strength PLUS the conductors are all wrapped in insulation, preventing many shorts. The existing antiquated system is vulnerable to shorts as the wires are not insulated. Huge upgrades could help vs. all the tree trimming that still exposes the lines to tree falls. Cutting trees and branches within 25 feet of the lines doesn't do much when there are 75 foot trees just at the cut line border with new cleared fall lines right into the wires.

15" on Holland Hill in Moultonberry. Heavy snow- birches are all across driveway. we lost power overnight but back on (because the genset was ready to go)

I just had two birch trees cut down that were leaning towards my house, glad I did.

Attachment 18455This is my driveway. Tomorrows work


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17" in Belmont just before the sun went down... another two inches building up on the deck that has already been cleared twice.

Snowplow did me a huge disservice... plowed have the dirt road into the bank at the end of the drive to the point it was impassable for my small car. I've now shoveled that twice and can be certain in the morning will need to do it all over again.

At least I now know that the generator and snowblower are in decent working order.

It’s still snowing


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storm
 

Crazy! We had power for about 12 hours now and out again. Windermere at the end of Long Island. Apparently the whole Neck is out with trees and branches down all over. What a mess.

Trees down just everywhere. My driveway is block. And the road is passable only with 4x4

Attachment 18457


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Similar look at our house. A few trees down across the lower driveway and a lot leaning. I have drifts on my roof over 4' deep.

OK.
Well seeing those made me feel a whole lot better.

Drive and walk are clear and melting.
Snow is sliding of the metal roof and whole thing should be tidy before the weekend is over.

Back to the garden plans...

Skiing?
 

Gunstock and the lake are both open. One of the few years you can snow ski and water ski the same day.

Gunstock still is without power. Hopefully they get it back asap, this is their final weekend of the season.

No power?

In my day we walked up the mountain and skied down on logs using woodpecker holes for our bare feet to grip!

No power... sheeesh!

You forgot that you walked up the mountain in 3 ft of snow!


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Feel free to post a picture of you water skiing this weekend. We need the entertainment!

I only wake surf now. Listen for the music. If you don't see me, you'll hear the music. You won't even have to come outside.

You must be known as the boom box guy, if we can hear you coming from a mile away