Toadfish Monastery

High in the 30's F and the winds have calmed down, thank goodness. Expecting icy rain tomorrow...boo!

Overcast, snowy and -18C today.  Going to get out for a stroll later, I think, before it drops below -20.

Since yesterday thick snow with weather forecasts that promise it to be lasting for at least a few days this time

-7°C and they have promised more snow during the weekend. Chaos and hilarity ensued.

For being a city situated as far North as Stockholm is the preparedness for snow is ridiculously low, of cause mostly due to the City wanting to save money during "green" winters... This means that when the snow does start to fall it will take quite a time before the roads are cleared. And even longer before smaller streets, side walks and parking lots are clear, or mostly clear, the snow has to go somewhere, and the number of available parking spaces goes down for every time they clear the roads... 

Still a white winter is so much nicer than a grey one!

Snow, wonderful snow!

Unseasonally hot these past days but with the t(h)reat of a cooler wave during the week. We're leaving for Saint Augustine 300 miles/500 km north so it will be even cooler (30s to 50sF/0 to 10sC). 

The weeks around christmas were really cold, with heavy snowfall. Then, just before new year's, we had two or three days of temperatures around zero or even slightly above freezing, with a few squalls of rain. And then, the cold came back with a vengeance, and some more snow.

Now, all the snow from before christmas had compacted alot during the days of milder temperatures and rain. And when the cold came back, it all froze to solid blocks of ice. Guess how much snow clearign was done on sidings and industrial tracks over the christmas holidays? Guess how fun it was trying to get a railway service going again? There were several places were we simply could not do any shunting until the tracks were cleared. Bonus points went to the infrastructure owner who cleared all the roads in their industrial park, and then had the snow dumped on the tracks...

The Deutsche Bahn also complains that their trains were not built for 'Siberian conditions' and that noone should blame them for their failure. Siberian conditions? Deutsche Bahn bets on climate change sound more like it.
But there are -20°C announced for Tueday night (currently only slightly below zero).

Beautiful day in Saint Augustine, FL, sunny, dry and cool, about 10-12C by my reconning.

Quote from: Swatopluk on January 02, 2010, 10:40:27 AM
The Deutsche Bahn also complains that their trains were not built for 'Siberian conditions' and that noone should blame them for their failure. Siberian conditions? Deutsche Bahn bets on climate change sound more like it.
But there are -20°C announced for Tueday night (currently only slightly below zero).

Oh, our trains ran just fine, the problem was that we had no tracks to run them on. 

But I suspect that the IPO:ed-any-year-now Mehdorn et Cie are looking for just about any excuse, and have been so for quite a few years now. After all, it wouldn't do to admit that the fact that some 120 factory-new trains are out of service due to DB not bothering to supply the regulatory agencies with required technical documentation, would it? 

Heavy snow forecast for two days time. But will it actually arrive?

Quote from: Griffin NoName on January 03, 2010, 03:45:20 PM

Heavy snow forecast for two days time. But will it actually arrive?

They were saying it would warm up Tuesday until a couple of days ago, now they're saying bitterly cold with heavy snow for ten days. "Barbecue summer", "mild winter", why don't they admit they haven't a clue?

Quote from: beagle on January 03, 2010, 08:16:35 PM
why don't they admit they haven't a clue?

that would defeat a national pastime. sad.

Quote from: Lindorm on January 03, 2010, 09:55:35 AM

Quote from: Swatopluk on January 02, 2010, 10:40:27 AM
The Deutsche Bahn also complains that their trains were not built for 'Siberian conditions' and that noone should blame them for their failure. Siberian conditions? Deutsche Bahn bets on climate change sound more like it.
But there are -20°C announced for Tueday night (currently only slightly below zero).

Oh, our trains ran just fine, the problem was that we had no tracks to run them on. 

But I suspect that the IPO:ed-any-year-now Mehdorn et Cie are looking for just about any excuse, and have been so for quite a few years now. After all, it wouldn't do to admit that the fact that some 120 factory-new trains are out of service due to DB not bothering to supply the regulatory agencies with required technical documentation, would it? 

Not to forget not spending the necessary amounts of money on maintenance. It is expected to take another 3 years(!) to get the Berlin S-Bahn (cashcow of the DB) back to normal service as a result.
I hope the Berlin-Dessau trains are not too much affected for my vacation ends next Monday. Construction work between Dessau and Roßlau will cost me ten minutes daily extra in any case.

Back to actual topic: Snow seems to have intention to stay for some time although there is not much new snow.

We still have snowbanks here from two weeks ago. They need freshening up.

We're in the 20 F degrees but the 30 MPH winds are what really bite ya.