Fall/Winter 2018-19 Complaint/Banter Thread

[UMB WX]

Wausau is terrible for a snow weenie. Might as well live in MKE, or SE, MI for even more torture of nukes.

[tuanis]

Just now, beavis1729 said:

having snow on the ground is a pretty important characteristic of what winter means

I just checked my front yard security cam saved images... I've had snowcover in my entire neighborhood continuously since January 13. That's 44 consecutive days out of a possible 87 days since 12/1, or just about 50%. If December hadn't been such a turd in the entire midwest, we'd be approaching that 75% figure. Granted - Chicago itself, or even Wausau for that matter, hasn't seen the same snowcover this year. You're not that far from me, have you really been staring at dead grass all winter?

[beavis1729]

5 minutes ago, UMB WX said:

Wausau is terrible for a snow weenie. Might as well live in MKE, or SE, MI for even more torture of nukes.

Agree that it's not the best for a snow weenie...but it's not bad for a winter weenie.  Big difference.  At least the lakes freeze up there dependably every winter, and there's a pretty regular snow pack from mid-December to the end of Feb. 

[beavis1729]

8 minutes ago, tuanis said:

I just checked my front yard security cam saved images... I've had snowcover in my entire neighborhood continuously since January 13. That's 44 consecutive days out of a possible 87 days since 12/1, or just about 50%. If December hadn't been such a turd in the entire midwest, we'd be approaching that 75% figure. Granted - Chicago itself, or even Wausau for that matter, hasn't seen the same snowcover this year. You're not that far from me, have you really been staring at dead grass all winter?

But December being a turd is a big deal...and, yes, I agree that December was bad over much of the Midwest this season, not just here.  But we often have crappy Decembers here...whereas they are much more rare at 45N and north. Our chance for a White Christmas is only 50/50 I believe...not good.

Snow cover here has been patchy over the last 4 weeks...but a lot of bare spots mixed in, especially on the roadways.  That's why I say 2"+ of snow cover, so that there aren't bare spots. And the lakes have frozen for awhile, then melted, then frozen again...just not consistent.

You're right that, in our area (Lake County), it has been better than 30-50 miles south.  But that's not saying much - nothing to write home about. It also didn't help that it warmed up to 50 after it hit -27 in late Jan. That tarnished the record cold, in my opinion...as it obliterated a 12"+ snow pack during the heart of winter. That just shouldn't happen. It's always "riding the line".  If the snow pack got cut in half, fine...but it just vaporized.  And that happens a lot in winters here.  Up and down, up and down...

[tuanis]

6 minutes ago, (((Will))) said:

I don't even have a security camera, let alone lock my house doors...let alone lock my car.

It's just a webcam plugged into my PC used primarily so I can see when the dog walker arrives to pick up the pooch... but is often used to check on the weather at home while I'm off at work 
There's a $5 app called iCam that sends a notification to your phone when motion is detected and records the event on your PC.
I do lock my doors, though. Gotta keep the kids inside sometimes. 

[Snohio]

1 hour ago, tuanis said:

Wausau is about to break its all-time snowiest DJF winter total with tonight's snowfall... which is only 64.5". They get plenty of thaws and rainstorms up that way every winter. As mentioned, winter was lacking big time in Wausau up until late January. Same story even further north in Minocqua/Hayward. I'm not sure your idea of wall-to-wall wintry conditions with no thaws exists outside of the Intermountain West or parts of northern New England. Heck, even Bo has had some thaws/rain/icestorms this winter and a lousy December.
 

That low number surprises me. The record in Toledo, Ohio is 84 inches.  I would have though Wausau would be higher. We are quite a bit below average this season though. 

[UMB WX]

6 minutes ago, beavis1729 said:

Agree that it's not the best for a snow weenie...but it's not bad for a winter weenie.  Big difference.  At least the lakes freeze up there dependably every winter, and there's a pretty regular snow pack from mid-December to the end of Feb. 

It's horrible.  Can't get through that area fast enough to the north woods. Ice Fishing is meh up there.  Surely wouldn't drive there to ice fish when most lakes north of Illinois are normally  locked in by the New yr anyways.   Only thing I dig about that area is the river and Rib Mountain.

[tuanis]

9 minutes ago, beavis1729 said:

It also didn't help that it warmed up to 50 after it hit -27 in late Jan. That tarnished the record cold, in my opinion...as it obliterated a 12"+ snow pack during the heart of winter. That just shouldn't happen.

Neither of those things should happen in a "normal" winter, but that whole swing was AWESOME. Those two air masses felt so incredibly different - my house was having a fit with all the contracting/expanding going on. Not too many places in the world something like that can happen!

[UMB WX]

23 minutes ago, tuanis said:

I just checked my front yard security cam saved images... I've had snowcover in my entire neighborhood continuously since January 13. That's 44 consecutive days out of a possible 87 days since 12/1, or just about 50%. If December hadn't been such a turd in the entire midwest, we'd be approaching that 75% figure. Granted - Chicago itself, or even Wausau for that matter, hasn't seen the same snowcover this year. You're not that far from me, have you really been staring at dead grass all winter?

Impressive. I would have bet the farm you would have been down to patches at best in full shaded area and MSF piles at the end of that 1st week in Feb.  Def a shut the shades period here.  Our snow was pure fluff. I'm assuming your pack was loaded with some goodies to help preserve it.

[beavis1729]

13 minutes ago, Snohio said:

That low number surprises me. The record in Toledo, Ohio is 84 inches.  I would have though Wausau would be higher. We are quite a bit below average this season though. 

The Wausau record is only for DJF, not the whole season. 

[beavis1729]

13 minutes ago, UMB WX said:

It's horrible.  Can't get through that area fast enough to the north woods. Ice Fishing is meh up there.  Surely wouldn't drive there to ice fish when most lakes north of Illinois are normally  locked in by the New yr anyways.   Only thing I dig about that area is the river and Rib Mountain.

Yeah, Rib Mountain is cool. Also some good restaurants and breweries. 

[tuanis]

Just now, UMB WX said:

I'm assuming your pack was loaded with some goodies to help preserve it.

Definitely a kitchen sink winter down here. I feel like we've seen every kind of snowfall possible from 20:1 fluff to sugary pixie dust/columns/plates, to wet glop and sleet. I will say, all those forecasts for a dry Midwest this fall sure haven't come to fruition around here.

[UMB WX]

5 minutes ago, beavis1729 said:

The Wausau record is only for DJF, not the whole season. 

Back to Wausau. I do like how they can sneak fall and spring events in.  But come March and April the staying power of snow even up there sucks and snowmobile trails would more than likely be closed anyways.  And they def hold ice on the lakes much longer than us down here but again that's not even a top 15 spot in the state to drill holes in the ice for me. That's area a is drive through county for me.  Never get old rolling through there and seeing Rib Mt always snow covered towards Thanksgiving.

[beavis1729]

5 minutes ago, UMB WX said:

Back to Wausau. I do like how they can sneak fall and spring events in.  But come March and April the staying power of snow even up there sucks and snowmobile trails would more than likely be closed anyways.  And they def hold ice on the lakes much longer than us down here but again that's not even a top 15 spot in the state to drill holes in the ice for me. That's area a is drive through county for me.  Never get old rolling through there and seeing Rib Mt always snow covered towards Thanksgiving.

I consider Wausau to be the gateway to the north woods, which is partly why I like it. Definitely better winters than here. January normals of 25/5 (as opposed to 30/15) makes a big difference. Plus the notably shorter days in Dec and Jan adds to the winter feel. 

[UMB WX]

Agree.  I'm always jacked once through, Wausau. Rhinelander and NE, WI  have been on a nice run of winters. They are in a nice location it seems to cash in on cutters even ones that hit us good can tickle them.

[Snohio]

1 hour ago, beavis1729 said:

The Wausau record is only for DJF, not the whole season. 

I missed that.  Do you know the season record?

 

Nevermind. I found it.  101. That's more like what I expected. 

[weatherbo]

14 hours ago, (((Will))) said:

I'm struck by this.

It's off topic...but...

I don't even have a security camera, let alone lock my house doors...let alone lock my car.

lol.

You guys ask how Bo and I live up here.

We get a lot of snow.

You have to lock your doors or shit is stolen.

I'm more suited to handle the former than the latter.

 

I don't even know if I have house keys anymore.  Vehicle keys are outside in the ignitions. Might sound careless to some, but that's the way of life in the UP.  I do have a number of trail cams I check from time to time (mostly summer/fall), just to see what's passing through, or perhaps hanging out.  I've seen some interesting things... a wolf, a bear, many martens, a large cat of some kind from a distance. 

It's quiet and peaceful here- doesn't mean I'm not prepared to protect it, however.

 

[josh_4184]

5 hours ago, weatherbo said:

 

I don't even know if I have house keys anymore.  Vehicle keys are outside in the ignitions. Might sound careless to some, but that's the way of life in the UP.  I do have a number of trail cams I check from time to time (mostly summer/fall), just to see what's passing through, or perhaps hanging out.  I've seen some interesting things... a wolf, a bear, many martens, a large cat of some kind from a distance. 

It's quiet and peaceful here- doesn't mean I'm not prepared to protect it, however.

 

Same here for the most part in my area, we rarely lock our house, cars (garage). I do have cameras on my property and a alarm just because I am abundantly cautious. Cameras are nice to for weather and also to check on our dog watchers when we are gone. Never had any problems in the 5 years I have been here  but I still realize the world we live in.  

My area is also a nice spot for snow lovers who also love nice falls, springs (Sometimes) and warm but not hot summers (Upper 70s to low 80s that still average 150-200" a year of snow. I live about 14 miles from main Gaylord and have plenty of property and privacy with lower costs for home ownership and taxes. Fairly close to larger cities (TC/GR)  Although Gaylord does seem to be growing at a quite quick pace I suppose that is both good and bad. 

[michsnowfreak]

20 hours ago, UMB WX said:

Wausau is terrible for a snow weenie. Might as well live in MKE, or SE, MI for even more torture of nukes.

Curious, what is Wausau's seasonal avg?

[Cary67]

6 hours ago, weatherbo said:

 

I don't even know if I have house keys anymore.  Vehicle keys are outside in the ignitions. Might sound careless to some, but that's the way of life in the UP.  I do have a number of trail cams I check from time to time (mostly summer/fall), just to see what's passing through, or perhaps hanging out.  I've seen some interesting things... a wolf, a bear, many martens, a large cat of some kind from a distance. 

It's quiet and peaceful here- doesn't mean I'm not prepared to protect it, however.

 

You need to start a trap line to catch marten then start tanning and smoking the hides. UP version of Mountain Men

[luckyweather]

Yeah, Rib Mountain is cool. Also some good restaurants and breweries. 

I skied Rib Mountain on May 4, 2018, their last day open. 4/21 I also went up and the snow was awesome spring corn, as good as it gets. May 4 it was trashed and going fast, but still completely skiable. Their 17/18 ski season went from November to May which is simply incredible.

[tuanis]

2 hours ago, michsnowfreak said:

Curious, what is Wausau's seasonal avg?

I like how this has become the “Wausau Winter Thread” 

[weatherbo]

2 hours ago, Cary67 said:

You need to start a trap line to catch marten then start tanning and smoking the hides. UP version of Mountain Men

Haha!   They're bold little boogers!  Pound for pound, they're a formidable adversary... and talk about fast.  I wouldn't want one nipping at my heels.

[weatherbo]

4 hours ago, josh_4184 said:

Same here for the most part in my area, we rarely lock our house, cars (garage). I do have cameras on my property and a alarm just because I am abundantly cautious. Cameras are nice to for weather and also to check on our dog watchers when we are gone. Never had any problems in the 5 years I have been here  but I still realize the world we live in.  

My area is also a nice spot for snow lovers who also love nice falls, springs (Sometimes) and warm but not hot summers (Upper 70s to low 80s that still average 150-200" a year of snow. I live about 14 miles from main Gaylord and have plenty of property and privacy with lower costs for home ownership and taxes. Fairly close to larger cities (TC/GR)  Although Gaylord does seem to be growing at a quite quick pace I suppose that is both good and bad. 

I felt very safe down there in Ellsworth. The only reported crime I heard of when I was there was "The case of the disappearing boat gas".  

The summers in Ellsworth were very nice.  Cooler than Gaylord by several degrees usually.  I remember Gaylord hitting the 80's routinely, although 'true summer' wasn't until July.

[josh_4184]

30 minutes ago, weatherbo said:

I felt very safe down there in Ellsworth. The only reported crime I heard of when I was there was "The case of the disappearing boat gas".  

The summers in Ellsworth were very nice.  Cooler than Gaylord by several degrees usually.  I remember Gaylord hitting the 80's routinely, although 'true summer' wasn't until July.

Yea Gaylord is usually warmer than most neighboring areas closer to Lake Michigan with the exception of Traverse City. We hit 80's on a decent basis depending on the year. 90s are a lot harder to come by as well as humidity which is what really bothers me the most which I am thankful for. 

[michsnowfreak]

I think it's pretty common sense that the farther North you go the colder it averages, and the colder it averages the better snowcover retention.  But if you're going to live that far North, there are definitely areas of North central Michigan that a snow lover would want to avoid. In terms of simple total inches that fall, even Detroit averages more snowfall then some areas of north central Michigan, (Mount Pleasant and East Tawas) for example. If you take the area of enhanced average snowfall from Ann Arbor into Detroit's Northwest suburbs, they actually average more snow than quite a bit of North central lower Michigan outside the snow belts, and I think they may even average the same if not a few inches more than the banana belt of the UP!  But naturally the retention is better in the North. Look at Buffalo. A typical Winter will see almost 100" of snow but NOT have a Winter long snowcover uninterrupted.  In a cold dry Winter East Tawas may only see 30" of snow but not see the grass for months.  There is definitely variety depending on what you like, but as a snow AND snowcover lover it's a no brainer my dream climate is Bos.

[michsnowfreak]

As a random side note, some parents with school age children are actually looking at this as a harsh Winter. I have a big snow bias, so when you add in how spoiled we've been in recent years and how frustrating this winter's been, I'd be inclined to laugh in the face of anyone calling this anything close to a harsh Winter. But a combination of several perfectly timed snowstorms, 3 ice storms, life threatening cold and a few other intense cold shots, I heard that most school kids have had so many "snow days" that they have to make up some of it before summer. They've had more days off then recent winters were we've had 2 and 3 times as much actual snow fall, makes no sense lol.  It does serve as a reminder though that there is more to Winter than just snow.

[Baum]

^

schools here now have the students complete a "snow days" work online.  I have to give someone credit cause now they've ooked up snow days. 

[CoalCityWxMan]

46 minutes ago, michsnowfreak said:

As a random side note, some parents with school age children are actually looking at this as a harsh Winter. I have a big snow bias, so when you add in how spoiled we've been in recent years and how frustrating this winter's been, I'd be inclined to laugh in the face of anyone calling this anything close to a harsh Winter. But a combination of several perfectly timed snowstorms, 3 ice storms, life threatening cold and a few other intense cold shots, I heard that most school kids have had so many "snow days" that they have to make up some of it before summer. They've had more days off then recent winters were we've had 2 and 3 times as much actual snow fall, makes no sense lol.  It does serve as a reminder though that there is more to Winter than just snow.

NIU has had 11 days their campus was closed/opened late just since this semester started the second week of January. 

[IWXwx]

30 minutes ago, Baum said:

^

schools here now have the students complete a "snow days" work online.  I have to give someone credit cause now they've ooked up snow days. 

Our school district scheduled the last two weeks of March as Spring break with the first week being Snow day makeups. They burned through them in no time and have had no school an additional six days. However, rather than tacking on extra days in the summer, they have what they call "e-learning days". They do online assignments and the parents are expected to home school them. To me it's cop-out to get their minimum legally required classroom days fulfilled. I have several teacher friends but I still don't agree because they are not true "classroom" days.