2021-22 Cold Winter

Hardknockshomestead

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I'm not sure if this winter will be bad, but we're getting heating pellets for our stove, and the propane tank is full.
Also have small propane heaters and fuel for them.
Ever since the 12-hour power outage in January of 2019 when temps here sank to -28, I get concerned.
 

Hardknockshomestead

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Actually it was -35 that day. Scared me because the power was out for only 12 hours.
 

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baymule

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In February, we had a snow and ice storm here in east Texas and -6F degrees! I never in my life experienced MINUS degrees. We got 2 ice storms and 2 snow storms, totaling 10" of snow. That might be laughable to a lot of you, but for east Texas, that was record breaking. We have no snow equipment for the roads, and the idiots make the auto body shops happy.

I don't want a repeat of that!
 

flowerbug

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it has been above average so far this early fall and the next week is no chance of frost that i can see so still a mild season. it is nice to just be able to not have to run the AC or the heat.
 

tortoise

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I'm not sure if this winter will be bad, but we're getting heating pellets for our stove, and the propane tank is full.
Also have small propane heaters and fuel for them.
Ever since the 12-hour power outage in January of 2019 when temps here sank to -28, I get concerned.
Winter power outages are scary. I have a wood furnace- with electric blower 🤦‍♀️

We had a power outage in winter in 2016, I think. DS6 was little. I set up a little tent in the living room, covered it with blankets and put my dog in it to keep it warm. He was comfy. Nothing went wrong, I just remember feeling scared.
 

tortoise

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In February, we had a snow and ice storm here in east Texas and -6F degrees! I never in my life experienced MINUS degrees. We got 2 ice storms and 2 snow storms, totaling 10" of snow. That might be laughable to a lot of you, but for east Texas, that was record breaking. We have no snow equipment for the roads, and the idiots make the auto body shops happy.

I don't want a repeat of that!
I was is Alabama once in the 1990s when they got about an inch of snow. Because they didn't have road salt or sand, snowplows, and NO ONE KNOWS HOW TO DRIVE ON SNOW.

It was so dangerous, even for someone who could drive on snow. On family vacations my dad only pulled off the road twice due to weather. Once was a legit blizzard in the Dakotas that police were blocking roads and setting up cots in a VFW for travelers. The other was 1" of snow in Alabama, because the other drivers were so dangerous.

The Texas freeze was equal parts funny and horrifying. People not realizing they could put their non-perishables in the snow, for example. It proves how valuable KNOWLEDGE is in SHTF.
 

frustratedearthmother

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We experienced the same winter storm that @baymule did. We didn't get into the negative temps, but we did get low single digits. Not much snow accumulation here either - just a dusting. But, we lost power for nearly a week. We are lucky enough to have a big generator (and over 50 gallons of gas) that will run our whole house. We ran the heat to hopefully keep the pipes from freezing. We also left faucets dripping. Unfortunately, one morning by, habit, DH turned the water off in the kitchen faucet and it froze and busted. Crazy times for us but we learned a few lessons. One - I need more insulation in my north wall. Two - my gasoline generator has a big appetite to the tune of about $50 a day (at that time - gasoline prices have risen since then). Three - keep extra plumbing parts on hand! Other than that we were good.
That was the first big test for the generator and I was pleased to be sitting in a warm house during that time. We had neighbors over for warm-up breaks. The only downside of that big generator is that it took a lot of fuel.

I lost 3 lemon trees, a pomegranate tree and a blood orange tree. However, big freezes like that are somewhat beneficial for us. It does help cut down on parasites, and also garden bugs. As much as I am a cold weather wuss - I found that if I was dressed properly (and moving) I can tolerate the cold fairly well.

My crystal ball is pretty dusty right now so I don't have a prediction for the upcoming season. However, we've already had one really nice cool front and are expecting another one in a few days. That's a little early for us. :idunno
 
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