Weird weather

They're extra squishy to allow for better traction at low temperatures.
In warmer weather, it's like your car is wearing shoes made of sand.

--Patrick
 
It's almost here... Went and got everything we could for a week (other than bread that was sold out everywhere) so I don't have to go anywhere for a week since I know if we get much of the prediction they won't be able to clean it all up any time soon, other than the main roads.
 
The snow blanket was oddly peaceful this morning. It was perfectly flat and there was no car marks or footprints, just pure, even, untouched.

Of course once I let my kids play in it, it's a mess now.

Unfortunately, my mother lost power late last night and has been without power for the last 8 hours. She said they are fine, house is new and well insulated, and they have a gas stove to cook warm meals, but whoever they use for energy needs to get their shit together. I heard many houses in the Austin area have been dealing with the same. Makes me kind of glad our power runs on a different grid then the city proper.

Did have one snag so far, one of kids, after washing their hands, only left the hot water line on and not the cold water. It was the most susceptible to freezing too, since the line is connected to a splitter that diverts cold water to the indoor faucet AND an outdoor faucet on the same wall, meaning the cold from the outdoor faucet creeped in and plugged up splitter and thus the indoor faucet. I cut a hole into the drywall below the sink, held a hair dryer right on the splitter for about five minutes, until I regained water flow, now I am going to leave it on a slightly increased flow. Made sure to have a talk with the kids to keep the cold water slightly on.

Now if only I can help my wife get rid of her migraine brought on by "snow blindness", I tried to warn her that shit gets bright as fuck.
 
The snow blanket was oddly peaceful this morning. It was perfectly flat and there was no car marks or footprints, just pure, even, untouched.

Of course once I let my kids play in it, it's a mess now.

Unfortunately, my mother lost power late last night and has been without power for the last 8 hours. She said they are fine, house is new and well insulated, and they have a gas stove to cook warm meals, but whoever they use for energy needs to get their shit together. I heard many houses in the Austin area have been dealing with the same. Makes me kind of glad our power runs on a different grid then the city proper.

Did have one snag so far, one of kids, after washing their hands, only left the hot water line on and not the cold water. It was the most susceptible to freezing too, since the line is connected to a splitter that diverts cold water to the indoor faucet AND an outdoor faucet on the same wall, meaning the cold from the outdoor faucet creeped in and plugged up splitter and thus the indoor faucet. I cut a hole into the drywall below the sink, held a hair dryer right on the splitter for about five minutes, until I regained water flow, now I am going to leave it on a slightly increased flow. Made sure to have a talk with the kids to keep the cold water slightly on.

Now if only I can help my wife get rid of her migraine brought on by "snow blindness", I tried to warn her that shit gets bright as fuck.
Just for info, you can buy power from a variety of companies in Texas, but there is only one company that does power delivery, ONCOR. The grid in Texas is near capacity (around 95% last I checked) and is having failures ina areas. I’ve seen some areas it’s from downed lines, others from substations blowing, and even reports of a few generation plants shutting down. This state isn’t built to handle the freezing, it’s built to handle extreme heat.
 
I feel you guys. It's only supposed to get up to 19* here today. I'm going to need to bundle up when I go out later.


* - Celsius.
I personally certainly don't mind, but doesn't your **** get sore from doing the Thing this often? One would assume that rock would chafe and cause wounds.
 

GasBandit

Staff member
How do you think that gas is ignited? Or blown through your vents. ;)
Ok, you got me about blown through the vents, but my heater (and water heater) pilot light is not electric :p if it goes out, a gas company guy has to come to relight it. As for the stove, I have candle lighters.

Thing is, though moving the air through the vent takes way less power than heating it. If more people had gas heat instead of electric heat, we might not be in so bad a power crunch.
 
Just for info, you can buy power from a variety of companies in Texas, but there is only one company that does power delivery, ONCOR. The grid in Texas is near capacity (around 95% last I checked) and is having failures ina areas. I’ve seen some areas it’s from downed lines, others from substations blowing, and even reports of a few generation plants shutting down. This state isn’t built to handle the freezing, it’s built to handle extreme heat.
Yes I was reading up on it and one of the reasons they failed was because some natural gas and coal power stations shut down from the extreme cold.
 

figmentPez

Staff member
I know this isn't in the politics sub-forum, but:

Wow, conservatives really are stupid. I'm seeing complaints online claiming that Texas built it's power grid based on the "climate hoax" and that's why it's failing... But climate change science says that weather will get more extreme and increase power demand, both in the summer and the winter. If the power grid were built to stand up to climate change, it would be ready for this harsh winter and the heat last summer.
 
Ok, you got me about blown through the vents, but my heater (and water heater) pilot light is not electric :p if it goes out, a gas company guy has to come to relight it. As for the stove, I have candle lighters.

Thing is, though moving the air through the vent takes way less power than heating it. If more people had gas heat instead of electric heat, we might not be in so bad a power crunch.
Pilot light? Ughhh.
One of my hope to do soon projects is to install a bypass on the electrical line to my furnace. That way I can hook up my generator to it easily and still keep warm if we loose power.
 
All weather tires are fine in areas where you're likely to have one week of actual cold a year and the rest of the time is spent with rain and sleet at 5°C or thereabouts.
In an area where you actually have winters, they're completely inadequate.
My point was, you're not going to have them in Texas. :p
 
I know this isn't in the politics sub-forum, but:

Wow, conservatives really are stupid. I'm seeing complaints online claiming that Texas built it's power grid based on the "climate hoax" and that's why it's failing... But climate change science says that weather will get more extreme and increase power demand, both in the summer and the winter. If the power grid were built to stand up to climate change, it would be ready for this harsh winter and the heat last summer.
It also ignores the fact that it seems a lot of the failures happened because our power plants that use gas and coal were the ones that shut down. The cold temperatures are preventing the proper gas / steam generation to power the turbines. For solar, all it takes is wiping off the panels, and wind isn't effected at all (might even generate more, due to the storm winds). People are just dumb.
 

GasBandit

Staff member
and wind isn't effected at all (might even generate more, due to the storm winds).
From what I'm reading, there's a problem with wind turbines being frozen.


edit -
But then ArsTechnica contradicts that...

 
Last edited:
I know from professional experience wind turbines can and do freeze -
But it's also fairly trivial to install an alarm and prevent it manually.
 
No power for 12 hours. Getting cold in the house. Just ran out of firewood. And it turns out the power company shut down 2 power plants for reasons. I hope someone gets fired/arrested. Will be freezing inside soon.
Power is back on. I hope the heater will stay on until the temp gets back to the 60s.
 
I personally certainly don't mind, but doesn't your **** get sore from doing the Thing this often? One would assume that rock would chafe and cause wounds.
Like I've said, it's pretty much de rigueur in Arizona to note how the temperature is "not like it was back home." I'd say blame Del Webb and all the developers who created their retirement communities out here that promoted them with "sunny skies and 70 degrees" to cold Midwestern senior citizens.

We pay for it in the summer, of course. And there's that lovely little tidbit that came across the wire a few weeks ago that several Arizona counties may be unlivable within 30 years.
 
I'm not gonna do the smug northerner thing since thats old and tired, but all of you texans should probably get a nice coat and good blankets and whatnot when this is done. Due to climate change, something like this is going to hapen again sooner than later.
 
I'm not gonna do the smug northerner thing since thats old and tired, but all of you texans should probably get a nice coat and good blankets and whatnot when this is done. Due to climate change, something like this is going to hapen again sooner than later.
It happens every 30-40 years. Many places are nearing record lows that were set 90 years ago. I’ve read a few articles that mention that Galveston Bay froze back in 1893.
 
It happens every 30-40 years. Many places are nearing record lows that were set 90 years ago. I’ve read a few articles that mention that Galveston Bay froze back in 1893.
In 1983 the bay at Rockport Texas froze. I went there that summer, and the whole area smelled to high heaven because it killed millions of fish.

I am shocked that the lake I live on did not freeze. Temps in the teens and 6 inches of snow and ice should have frozen that joker.
 
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