2023-2024 Winter Weather

[Homercles 10,206]

Santa brought my kids tickets to the Harry Potter Forbidden Forest experience up in Dallas/Little Elm, so I’m jealous of y’all watching playoffs and carb loading.  Pretty sure my balls froze to my legs for a bit.  

[burntorangebongos 10,752]

I have mine at 65,it feels a little chilly but makes the sweater and sweat pants and footie socks feel so cozy. 

[Deej 76,903]

Guy at the Rundberg HEB yesterday had an entire cart full of bags of ice. 

 

[Biff Tannen 45,728]

12 hours ago, Hefeweizen said:

Everyone breaking furniture down to burn yet?

[Orange&White 5,539]

6 minutes ago, Deej said:

Guy at the Rundberg HEB yesterday had an entire cart full of bags of ice. 

 

That’s what he is going to pour into the bathtub over you after he cuts out your kidney.

[Biff Tannen 45,728]

5 hours ago, WBT said:

Multiple?

Yes. As in more than one. 

[GhostOfTomJoad 9,350]

Picked up one of these magnetic fireplace blankets on Amazon for 40 bucks. We've got a gas the flue can never be fully closed. This little sucker did a great job overnight with heat loss. In the past there could be a 10° difference between our bedroom upstairs & the living room. Only a 2° difference this morning. Big fan. Would buy again.

[Armybrat 40,896]

Having lived in 3rd world countries overseas during the Cold War, my family has been in the habit of keeping a two month “stockpile” of rations in the pantry. We never knew if some bad news event would cut us off from the supply chain and we’d have to make do for a while.
I have continued this practice to this day. No biggie to us.

Anyway, it was down to 67 as usual in our house this morning until the the thermostat kicked in at 5:30am and raised it to a tolerable level to keep Mrs. Brat happy.

 

[HenryJames 66,168]

8 minutes ago, Armybrat said:

Having lived through Noah’s flood, my family has been in the habit of keeping a two month “stockpile” of rations in the pantry.

 

[Trey3216 15,355]

18 hours ago, WithoutAClue said:

Keep that shit in the CR!!! 
 

/s

[troph 24,905]

20 minutes ago, Armybrat said:

Having lived in 3rd world countries overseas during the Cold War, my family has been in the habit of keeping a two month “stockpile” of rations in the pantry. We never knew if some bad news event would cut us off from the supply chain and we’d have to make do for a while.
I have continued this practice to this day. No biggie to us.

Anyway, it was down to 67 as usual in our house this morning until the the thermostat kicked in at 5:30am and raised it to a tolerable level to keep Mrs. Brat happy.

 

This man knows how to manage a thermostat.  We drop ours to 65-66 over night and turn them on in the morning to 68-69. 

[Trey3216 15,355]

2 minutes ago, troph said:

This man knows how to manage a thermostat.  We drop ours to 65-66 over night and turn them on in the morning to 68-69. 

I too like to turn on to 69 in the morning.  My wife likes to think otherwise most of the time. 

[CleverNickname 1,321]

My FIL and BIL are up at the ranch hinting. A whopping 17 degrees in the elevated blind. No thanks. 

[Orange&White 5,539]

WTF? Are you people polar bears? I’ve got the bedroom set to 72 and the living area set to 74 and plan to keep a healthy for burning throughout the day.

[Mrs Whiggins 13,050]

15 minutes ago, CleverNickname said:

My FIL and BIL are up at the ranch hinting. A whopping 17 degrees in the elevated blind. No thanks. 

[WithoutAClue 15,427]

[GhostOfTomJoad 9,350]

WTF? Are you people polar bears? I’ve got the bedroom set to 72 and the living area set to 74 and plan to keep a healthy for burning throughout the day.

You precious little desert flower.

[Chewy's Hairy Horn 868]

15 degrees in East Dallas. My 10 year old pup practically refused to come in last night and was right back at it this morning. At least he’s loving this weather.  

[66BUFF 2,565]

16 hours ago, Gatorubet said:

What kind of sick bastard puts a dog head in the oven?

[ChickenSandwich 9,851]

54 minutes ago, Orange&White said:

WTF? Are you people polar bears? I’ve got the bedroom set to 72 and the living area set to 74 and plan to keep a healthy for burning throughout the day.

Enjoy the dry skin. 
 

[jimmyjazz 46,120]

24 minutes ago, Chewy's Hairy Horn said:

15 degrees in East Dallas. My 10 year old pup practically refused to come in last night and was right back at it this morning. At least he’s loving this weather.  

I grew up in the midwest.  Coldest temperature I remember was -22 F.  We had a medium large mutt with a thick coat, and that guy just loved the cold.  He made the "wanna go outside" noises that morning, and about 2 minutes later he was on his back in the snow taking a sun bath.  Happy as a pig in shit.  Did I mention -22 F?

[Biff Tannen 45,728]

1 hour ago, Orange&White said:

WTF? Are you people polar bears? I’ve got the bedroom set to 72 and the living area set to 74 and plan to keep a healthy for burning throughout the day.

[Ten Bears 2,483]

17 hours ago, Gatorubet said:

What kind of sick bastard puts a dog head in the oven?

What, you ain't had barkacoa?

[Gatorubet 30,303]

1 hour ago, jimmyjazz said:

I grew up in the midwest.  Coldest temperature I remember was -22 F.  We had a medium large mutt with a thick coat, and that guy just loved the cold.  He made the "wanna go outside" noises that morning, and about 2 minutes later he was on his back in the snow taking a sun bath.  Happy as a pig in shit.  Did I mention -22 F?

Yup. I had a lab/golden retriever mix pup who was a big boy - over 100 pounds.  There was a freeze event and the “take your pets inside” announcement one day, and so when I got up at night to let him out, I stood there so we could pee and come back inside.  He was a good dog, and always obeyed commands, but there was no force on earth that would make him come back inside.  He simply ignored me. 

I checked on him an hour later.  it was sleeting, and he was standing in the middle of the yard with his face toward the sleet, happy as he could be.  He had a doghouse he could go to, but no go.

[jimmyjazz 46,120]

Reminds me of the same dog in his doghouse one evening, just outside of our family room door.  We heard a loud "yelp", and I went outside to check on the noise.  There was a giant-ass snapping turtle peering into the doghouse and my dog's nose had a big chunk taken out of it.

[Brisketexan 105,315]

Have a fire burning in the fireplace, and goddammit, we’ve got one of this split oak logs that JUST WON’T BURN. Have flipped it and turned it every which way, it’ll burn a little bit, then it’s just hard as iron and needs to be turned again.
Then again, messing with the fire is one of the top 10 things a man can do, so I’m torn here.

[YGIFS 19,452]

9 minutes ago, Gatorubet said:

Yup. I had a lab/golden retriever mix pup who was a big boy - over 100 pounds.  There was a freeze event and the “take your pets inside” announcement one day, and so when I got up at night to let him out, I stood there so we could pee and come back inside.  He was a good dog, and always obeyed commands, but there was no force on earth that would make him come back inside.  He simply ignored me. 

I checked on him an hour later.  it was sleeting, and he was standing in the middle of the yard with his face toward the sleet, happy as he could be.  He had a doghouse he could go to, but no go.

At my oldest's school on Friday, the cold weather was starting to come in.  Was working the crosswalk and this beautiful Alaskan Husky walked over with its (human) family.  I make it a point to never comment about people's pets in public because it just leads to extended, awkward conversations that I can't leave.  But the dog was just beaming with excitement.  And I said something like, "Great looking dog, she looks happy as can be!"  And the Dad was like, "We don't usually take her to school because she's bigger than most of the kids but she just couldn't get enough outside time today and was bouncing off the walls so we walked her over here."  As happy as I was for the dog, I'm sure it spends June-September looking at that Dad like, "What fucking part of Alaska n in my breed name did you not understand when you got me?"  

Tried a new technique yesterday.  Collected a couple bags of leaves from the yard, watered most of my nicer oaks, and then packed the leaves around the trunk base as a kind of insulation/hydration attempt.  I did it years ago and can't remember why I stopped.  But our trees all the help they can get this winter considering how brittle they are from the extreme temps/draught of the last several months.  

Are we just getting old and forgetful?  But I've lived here for almost 28 years, 20 of those as a homeowner who does his own yardwork.  And it seems like every fucking summer and every winter is just a series of extreme events now.  I know the long-running joke about HEB's being randsacked for supplies and sundries from Jeff Ward going back a long, long time.  But this shit is getting fucking ridiculous.  

[Deej 76,903]

1 hour ago, Gatorubet said:

Yup. I had a lab/golden retriever mix pup who was a big boy - over 100 pounds.  There was a freeze event and the “take your pets inside” announcement one day, and so when I got up at night to let him out, I stood there so we could pee and come back inside.  He was a good dog, and always obeyed commands, but there was no force on earth that would make him come back inside.  He simply ignored me. 

I checked on him an hour later.  it was sleeting, and he was standing in the middle of the yard with his face toward the sleet, happy as he could be.  He had a doghouse he could go to, but no go.

My husky mix is pissed there's no snow.

She stayed outside the week of Snowmageddon, only coming in to eat and sleep at night.

 

[Trey3216 15,355]

3 hours ago, Chewy's Hairy Horn said:

15 degrees in East Dallas. My 10 year old pup practically refused to come in last night and was right back at it this morning. At least he’s loving this weather.  

Finally feels at home

[HenryJames 66,168]

3 hours ago, Chewy's Hairy Horn said:

15 degrees in East Dallas. My 10 year old pup practically refused to come in last night and was right back at it this morning. At least he’s loving this weather.  

[MissingInAction 25,178]

Luna and her buddy Bruno give zero fucks about the weather 

[SimonBolivar 10,959]

Ercot watchers, is this bad or just usual? 

 

 

[YGIFS 19,452]

1 hour ago, Deej said:

My husky mix is pissed there's no snow.

She stayed outside the week of Snowmageddon, only coming in to eat and sleep at night.

 

That's awesome.  Reminds me of my schnauzer as a kid.  When he was really little, he'd hate to go outside in Chicago in the snow.  but after a couple of years, he'd run out there and bury his head in the snow and give you the same look your pups is giving you there, like "Are you kidding?  I was fucking made for this!"  After I went off to school, my mom moved back to Texas with him and during summers when I was home, I'd let him outside and he'd just spend the entire time looking for shade like, "This sucks.  This is like you having IBS in a port-a-let at Coachella asshole!"   

5 minutes ago, SimonBolivar said:

Ercot watchers, is this bad or just usual? 

 

 

It's fine for now.  But could be a nasty harbinger for the end of this week when we'll still be well below freezing in much of the state.  Plus, as ERCOT frequently forgets, winter lasts into March.  Two of our worst events have occurred in February and they don't have much in the way of upgrades or contingencies.  It amazes me that an organization exists with the express purpose of proving that, "Sure Texas is the most energy abundant state with an overall non-lethal climate.  But what our handbook pre-supposes is 'What if it wasn't'?"  

Edited January 14 by YGIFS

[Guest]

5 hours ago, Orange&White said:

WTF? Are you people polar bears? I’ve got the bedroom set to 72 and the living area set to 74 and plan to keep a healthy for burning throughout the day.

67 all day, every day.

If you're cold, put some clothes on.  I ain't paying good money to make it feel like Miami in the house.

[Jameslaw121 4,448]

Our central AC/Heat really doesn't work well in extreme temps. We need to replace it. So space heaters it is. right now its 62 in the house

[YGIFS 19,452]

5 minutes ago, slorch said:

67 all day, every day.

If you're cold, put some clothes on.  I ain't paying good money to make it feel like Miami in the house.

This (almost).  Even in weather like this (knock on wood, the furnaces endure), we keep the downstairs at 64* and the upstairs where the munchkins sleep at 66*.  You can always put on more layers, it's not rocket science.  When we leave for work or school, turn everything down to 62* usually.  I wouldn't mind it being a bit warmer in my old and thinner age, but the hot air blowing out is just a beating on my eyes and skin after a few hours.  Even my wife who gets chilly (despite being from brutally arctic-like NW Kansas) when it gets under 78* is noticeably annoyed with a heater running at 70*+.  It's just brutal on the face and skin, worse than being out in the cold for an hour doing chores.    

Almost 30 years in Texas and I just befuddled by folks who can go outside to hunt or fish or do chores in cold weather a few times per year but have to spend 4 months a year with the heater running at 72* with a fire going and mittens.  I don't know how the body can do that.  Our bodies give off heat for a reason.  Having said that, I am probably going to get some more firewood.

[FORTY NINE TO ZERO 2,652]

wow  the galveston forecast just jumped from a minimum of 26 to 31…  

we might not even get a freeze.  after i just pulled up all my plumerias.  😒

[South Austin 52,591]

Good idea or bad idea to put my dishwasher on a delayed start to run in the middle of the night to keep warm water running through the pipes? Some on the internets recommend this.

[YGIFS 19,452]

it does work from a physics standpoint.  But if there's a remote possibility of a power outage during mid-cycle (and in Texas, that's a distinct possibility that outages will occur at night when its coldest and HVAC's are running the hardest on the grid), it'll cause much bigger issues than a cracked PVC pipe or something.  If you're concerned with the water in the pipes, leave a light drip on the adjacent faucet  by your D/W (and clear the disposal line twice), open the cabinets and D/W door to get extra heat from your HVAC through the night.  If we do get seriously cold, you can easily separate the line from your D/W&disposal to the J-trap and just let it dry and even put a fan on it (the air obviously feels cool but it is certainly not 32*) and live with a sink full of dirty dishes for a day or two. 

  One of the worst things for a D/W is to be running during a freeze with water in the lines and then have no power to flush them except manual removal (which is a huge pain in the ass and I speak from experience).  If it's on the home exterior wall to the North or East, YMMV and you may want to turn it on from say 3-7AM on the lowest flow/water usage cycle it has (light/delicates/whatever the fuck that setting is called now).  if you're on pier-and-beam, the real trouble for a D/W and its lines comes from underneath (as is the case for many mid-century homes in Austin), not the interior.  That's a whole other bag of shit we can unpack if that's your situation.  

Edited January 14 by YGIFS

[hookemATL 11,859]

6 minutes ago, South Austin said:

Good idea or bad idea to put my dishwasher on a delayed start to run in the middle of the night to keep warm water running through the pipes? Some on the internets recommend this.

Plumber told me to do this exact thing this week (fucking slab leak in hot water line)

[Slacks 6,862]

On 1/13/2024 at 1:20 PM, slorch said:

if 22 is cold, yes.

22 is cold in Houston. 

[F250 28,817]

Me going outside this morning after reading about everyone hoarding at HEB and breaking out the wood for their fireplace.

 

[Guest]

1 minute ago, Slacks said:

22 is cold in Houston. 

ahhh yes.  I remember the last blizzard down there.

[Guest]

21 minutes ago, FORTY NINE TO ZERO said:

wow  the galveston forecast just jumped from a minimum of 26 to 31…  

we might not even get a freeze.  after i just pulled up all my plumerias.  😒

The variance in this is nuts. Brownsville right now 78 degrees. We are 28 degrees. 50-60 degree difference between Amarillo and Brownsville is common during the winter. But I don't know if I've ever seen it between Austin and Brownsville.

It's 70 degrees in Alpine. 28 in Midland. 
70 in Baton Rouge. 31 in Shreveport.

[Slacks 6,862]

2 minutes ago, slorch said:

ahhh yes.  I remember the last blizzard down there.

I don't think we're going to even get that. 

Looks like overnight lows in the mid 20s Tuesday morning and Wednesday morning. 

[YGIFS 19,452]

4 minutes ago, slorch said:

ahhh yes.  I remember the last blizzard down there.

Never forget!  (reminds me of that NE hurricane meme a few years ago with the knocked over lawn chair).  

I think we'll be fine with precip overall here in Central texas this week, perhaps a light dusting Monday night into Tuesday that won't stick.  Kids are bummed out there'll be no snowman opportunity this time around and I was looking back through photos and have 3 of 4 separate groups of pics of them making snowman from 3 or 4 separate weather systems over the last few years.  They had a blast doing it but don't know what a pain in the ass it was for dad and mom to prep and recover from that.  But it looks like the only snow day possibility is already a day off of school anyways.  but there's something coming in February that's gonna wreck our weather up good.  

Also, to the two general contractors doing work on my street and the street behind me-you guys are fucking assholes and my heart goes out to your subs/laborers.  You guys don't do or can't do jackshit on these two houses for months at a time.  Then it's literally freezing with a a strong possibility for icy precip accumulation and on a Sunday, one of you dipshits decides it's the best time to start laying down decking on a rooftop  addition (not safe at all when there's icy possibilities) and then other one is laying down a new irrigation system (above ground) with new sod.  I mean, you have to try and be this bad at scheduling.  Should have thought about your accounts receivable in October when it was dry and mild.  Fucking morons.  Who looks at this forecast and goes, "Oh yeah, totally a great time for guys on an unfinished slope 20' above ground and new grass loves shit like this..."  

[WBT 20,662]

7 hours ago, Biff Tannen said:

Yes. As in more than one. 

When?

[bschoolprof 6,272]

It looked like March 2020 at my local HEB.  People need to calm the fuck down.  It's just a little cold weather.  

[jimmyjazz 46,120]

1 hour ago, WBT said:

When?

If you want to be pedantic and argue about the meaning of a "grid failure", fine.  Austin lost a large swath of power 11 months ago, and it affected some people for days.  It's tiresome.

[Biff Tannen 45,728]

6 minutes ago, bschoolprof said:

It looked like March 2020 at my local HEB.  People need to calm the fuck down.  It's just a little cold weather.  

ERCOT says, "hold my beer".