When are you planning to decorate for Christmas this year?

[Murfreesboro]

Oh, ice is so awful, even though it is beautiful in the sun.

We're due for the first snowfall of the season tomorrow.

[Andybev01]

Today it's supposed to get up to freezing, and possibly sunny.

I haven't driven in 3 days because my car tires are frozen to the driveway.

"All work and no play..."

[Murfreesboro]

We're getting a genuine snowfall around here, all night and all day. I guess we have about 4 inches on the ground already, and that's a lot for us. I've seen 6-8 inches in Murfreesboro, but only 3 or 4 times in 30 years. The big deal is that we won't get above freezing for the rest of the week, so even when it stops snowing, it's not going anywhere.

[Andybev01]

Today is the last frozen precipitation day in the forecast.

The temperatures are supposed to rise to the 40s overnight.

[Murfreesboro]

We are ungodly cold all week, like even some negative temps, very unusual for us. I think on Thurs afternoon it's supposed to get above freezing for a bit, but then, more snow, more cold. I don't think it's supposed to let up before next week.

Our town lacks the snow equipment for this. Everybody who has to get out is crawling around town, and most businesses are closed.

[MauEvig]

Hopefully the temperature doesn't drop too far down here. But they have closed school yesterday and today due to the snow, cold and wind chills. Not that I mind, I actually see it as one of the perks of being a 10 month employee. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy working with the kiddos but mentally speaking I need a break too. Plus I'll admit a little break away from the germs during this time of year is a good thing, means cold, flu and covid are less likely to spread. The worst thing to go around IMO though has been strep. Just last spring I had it at least twice (though at the urgent care I went to, they said it was acute laryngitis but I'm also aware that sometimes strep can evade the strep test. Just too big of a coincidence IMO.) I had that "acute laryngitis" again not too long ago in December. Elementary schools are like working in a petri dish. Admittedly, that's one of the things I miss about working in a high school. Hypothetically, high school kids are a little on the cleaner side. Not that they don't have issues of their own, mind you like teenage drama and such. To be fair though, elementary kids seem to have plenty of that which surprises me at their age.
But I digress. I still don't have my Christmas decorations picked up outside yet due to the fluctuation of unpredictable weather patterns. Oh well, so be it. At least we live out in the country. Some people still have their Christmas lights on, but I see fewer flickers of Christmas lights as January rolls on. Guess it gets old after the holidays.
Wow, Murf. I guess TN is getting more snow than average then? No snow plows? I know we have them in VA and they've been working almost non-stop the past couple days. I can hear them roaring and rumbling up and down the roads, scraping the asphalt and laying down salt.
Try to stay warm y'all. It's good soup, chili and hot cocoa weather.

[Murfreesboro]

The city does have some snow plows, but not enough to deal with weather like this, which we get so rarely. Usually, we have rain, then it clears out and the temp drops. This time, the temp dropped before the rain, so it all fell as dry, powdery snow you can't even make a snowball with, though they say it's good for sledding. And it's still so cold, minus 3 last night. We haven't had an hour above freezing for days. It's supposed to climb to 38 briefly tomorrow, but there will be more precip with that, and it could mean more snow. Things like this happen every six or ten years around here. I think the last big wallop we got was an ice storm when my daughter was a high school senior, so, winter of '15. And I recall an extended cold snap around 2018 that messed with everybody's plumbing.

[MauEvig]

Wow, Murf. Sounds like quite the ordeal. They say letting your faucet drip a little can help with the plumbing during the extra cold months. It's 13 degrees here, heat wave.
Every six to ten years? Weather can definitely come in strange waves sometimes.
Hopefully you have some good back ups in case the power goes. We should be prepared in case that happens, but hopefully it doesn't. We've been lucky so far, but I know people lost power last week with the strong winds. Last week was all about rain and wind, this week was the snow and wind.
If you're used to just rain and not snow, I can see why your town wouldn't be as prepared for it. I hear in Florida everything shuts down because they have no plows there. It's got to be such a rare treat for Floridians though. I once had cousins who were excited to see snow that lived in Florida. I had a snowboard too. Just got it for Christmas and I took it with me when I went to visit the cousins with my grandparents. Being in New York at the time, there was still some snow in certain areas and so we went sledding and I tried it out. After I went home, the snowboard disappeared. I always suspected my cousins took it. But what would they possibly do with a snowboard down in Florida?
I think Virginia used to get more snow from what I hear, but it's not as bad now. But this year we're getting hit.
I've heard people say it and I kind of agree...maybe Christmas should be celebrated in January. That's when the snow starts to fall. I miss a good white Christmas. Once January gets here though, I'm over the cold, done with snow, and ready for spring.
I haven't been sledding in years though myself. I'd like to go tubing one day. It's amazing how there's different types of snow isn't it?

[Murfreesboro]

When the temperature stays well below freezing for a week, even dripping the faucets doesn't protect the pipes. That trick works when the temp dips during the night but climbs back up during the day. Of course, the insulation in your house, and the general heating indoors, are also factors.

Growing up in Jackson, MS, is not too different from Florida. I saw actual snowfalls (not just a sparse dusting) twice in my life there, once in the second grade, and again when I was 14. When I was 14 I tried to sled in it on a cookie sheet, but the snow was too soft.

I lived in Virginia, first Richmond and then the Shenandoah Valley, from 1986-94. We moved up from Atlanta on New Year's, I believe. We saw LOTS of snow in Richmond the winters of '86 and '87, more than I'd ever seen in my life. And in Staunton I once saw an actual blizzard, a white-out. It was all so novel to me. I loved to see it but was afraid to drive in it, though I did a little. I learned up there that I love the first snowfall of the year, but I also learned that, if you live somewhere that you are certain to see snow every winter, you are also going to see more of it than you want. I would get so tired of it when it kept on snowing into March and April. And those piles of snow by the side of the road that looked like dirty Styrofoam and lasted well into spring.

We did lose power in the middle of the night for a couple of hours, early Weds morning. I would have slept right through it, but my husband is a lighter sleeper, and he woke up to call the power co. They said it was pretty widespread, but they did get it back on.

White Christmases: I've seen those twice in my life, once up in Arkansas as a teenager, and again here in Murfreesboro in 2010. The 2010 Christmas seemed magical to me, because I'd been so busy with prep for the holiday that I'd paid zero attention to the TV. I didn't know snow was expected. My older son and I decided to go downtown for the midnight Christmas service, which started at 10:30, and when we came out after midnight, there were already 3 or 4 inches on the ground, with more falling. I'll never forget it.

[Andybev01]

It is currently 44° and there are no below freezing Temps in the forecast.

Our neighborhood is in the same power grid section as the main fire station and our only power loss lasted no longer than 10 minutes so, yay.

The amount of damage due to fallen trees is pretty shocking.

Some areas are reminiscent of the 1908 Tunguska blast.

I love the mountains but have always preferred living in the flatlands.

[MauEvig]

I guess white Christmases have been a rare treat for you, Murf. Having grown up in upstate New York almost every Christmas was a White Christmas. I guess for me, I took that for granted. I just figured Christmas was such a magical time of year we had to have them. It was hard to imagine not having them. When I moved south that's what happened, so I appreciate the White Christmas a lot more than I used to.

You are right though that if you live somewhere with snow, you're going to see it and a lot of it. Though Virginia in recent years hasn't had as much, but this year has been different. We got a tiny bit in December, no White Christmas but now suddenly we're getting the snow.

I honestly don't miss it much in New York. I hated driving in it. It's pretty to look at, but that's about it. It gets old quick. I literally only want snow at Christmas and that's it. Maybe a week of it so kids can build snowmen, snowangels and go sledding. After that, the novel wears off.

Andy and Murf I'm glad you all got your power back on. This weather has been insane all over the continental US.
I don't know anything about the 1908 Tunguska blast. I'd have to look it up.

We went to Ohio once, it was beautiful out there. But I also enjoy living in the mountains. I guess there's perks to either place. Personally I just prefer living out in the boonies.

[Murfreesboro]

I knew nothing about Ohio before my older son moved up there. I thought he.was going to the dark side of the moon and was shocked to realize that there was nothing but Lake Erie between Ohio and Canada. However, I visited him so much up there, and we got around to so many different areas of the state, that I began to feel an affection for it. I guess those days are over though, because he has just moved to Chicago. He has an apartment with a view of Lake Michigan and is totally jazzed about that. He sends us photos of the frozen lake. He LOVES the Great Lakes.

As for us, after a balmy 37 or 38 on Thursday afternoon, our temps are barreling back down to subzero nighttime lows. No relief in sight until sometime next week.

[Andybev01]

The sun has made several appearances over the last week, with much appreciated daytime temps in the 50s!

[Murfreesboro]

Yes, our warming trend started on Monday, and we had rain all day yesterday, so the snow is gone. I think our highs today will hit the 60s. Then we start back down into the low 30s at night this weekend. I don't mind that in January, though. It's seasonal.

[Andybev01]

It makes you appreciate the warmer months, and vice-versa.