Weather in Northeast

[Grandma Helen]

Hope everyone stays safe these next few days with the heavy snow and severe cold.  Keep us all updated on how you're doing.  

[flippr 2.0]

we're ok,it was funny as hell.

[Eaglewoman]

Its -3° here now, have not heard what the overnight low was. They haven't been around to shovel yet. Looking to be another day where I will stay indoors.

[Karin M Fichtner]

-13 here. We already reached our "high" of -9 this morning. Supposed to be -18 tonight, with wind again. I am worried about my son-in-law. He had a heart attack a few years ago, and has a stent. He really doesn't need to be hauling all that heavy snow. The plows came through and piled it up in front of his car, so we are waiting for a friend of theirs to bring a snowblower over to help out. To make matters worse, apparently one of their neighbors came up on their deck while we were gone and "borrowed" their shovel.....and apparently ran over it with their car....and then brought back the mangled shovel! Wasn't that nice of them? I wish I could be of more help. My daughter doesn't get a check til Friday, and she is broke after Christmas.......and her husband's latest check was swallowed up by an insurance payment. He received his "advance notice" the same day he realized they had increased his insurance rates to almost double what they have been. So he now needs to find " affordable coverage" on the cranky website (he's tried several times) before January is over. He cannot afford another payment like that one! My finances are limited to begin with, and made worse by the Holiday spending, so I can't go buy them a new shovel. Besides, there's still a ban on unnecessary travel in this area. Schools are closed til Wednesday. Even Argonne National Laboratories closed in Illinois! And they are a HUGE organization...more like a small village!

[Johnnieboy]

You hang in there Karin. Things will improve for your family.

[Leftygrl]

I feel your pain Karin. It's -15 here right now, and that's the temp not the chill factor!

Glad that I have a good supply of long underwear! ;-)

[carol machulski]

Overnight the rain melted the majority of the snow and the 50 degree temp this morning took most of the rest although it rained most of the day. A half hour ago it was 40 degrees and the wind has picked up considerably. In fact I hung out 3 items that I washed yesterday to see how  long it will take for the wind to blow the wet from them! So far after 20 minutes they are still on the line. 

[flippr 2.0]

it's -15

[Karin M Fichtner]

I am hanging in there just fine, Johnnie.....but now we have lost our hot water! At least in the kitchen and bathroom, anyway. We were letting the cold water run at night to keep the pipes from freezing....but some time between 3:00 and 6:00 yesterday afternoon, the hot water quit! We sure weren't expecting that! The pipes are in the attic, and so my poor son-in-law is climbing around up there with a hair dryer, trying to defrost the pipes. I'm telling you.....if it's bad luck....poor Wendy and Bob will get it! I feel so helpless; I wish I could do something to help. The temp has managed to climb to -6. We are supposed to have a high of 3 today....and that won't be until late tonight, as it climbs to 19 tomorrow. These houses were thrown up during WW2 to accomodate the workers from the south who came up to work in the Army Ammunition plant that was located nearby. Eleanor Roosevelt named this place, "Victory City"; now it is called Kingsford Heights.....don't ask me why. Anyway, the houses were cheaply constructed and probably not intended to last this long. Wendy's house was at first very tiny; there is a large extention added on. That is why she is one of the few houses with a basement.

[flippr 2.0]

-24

[Grandma Helen]

Karin, you guys really have your hands full up there.  When are you heading back east?  Are you waiting for the deep freeze to be over?  Watch those frozen pipes when it starts to warm up.  You don't want them flooding the house, if they are burst.  Just a tidbit of knowledge from years of managing vacant houses.  Hope it all comes together for your family.  

[Karin M Fichtner]

Helen...I am leaving for home on the 9:09 train out of South Bend, IN, on Thursday night. I will be back in DC on Friday afternoon around 1:00. It is -2 here at the moment, but it's supposed to be all the way up to 18 deg tomorrow! Practically Bikini weather! My son-in-law got the water running again, thank God! I need to wash clothes and take a shower. I will be starting to gather my things and pack my suitcase tomorrow evening. My older daughter finally gets back from El Paso tomorrow. She was supposed to be in last Sunday, but her flights were cancelled twice. There has been no school this week at all so far, and tomorrow is no different. We are supposed to get more snow tomorrow and Thursday, but thankfully not enough to keep me from catching my train. It's not much warmer at home....but no snow....yet. ;-)

[flippr 2.0]

it's cold,it's always cold.