Talking About the Weather

Sunday, February 24, 2013. We had snow Friday, two inches in St. Cloud, about an hour down the Interstate. Minndot (Minnesota Department of Transportation) said driving was hazardous between Avon and Sauk Centre, and 124 accidents in the state make that seem plausible. Sadly, one of the crashes was fatal.

This is another week when I didn't get out much. I found that news at the St. Cloud Times' website:

• "2 inches of snow falls in Central Minnesota"
  St. Cloud Times (February 22, 2013)

One of the neighbors was out this morning, shoveling snow off his roof. Sounds like this was a good day to get that done. There's freezing fog in the forecast: "which may lead to slick spots," as a somewhat understated hazardous weather outlook put it.

This map shows where we can look forward to interesting driving tomorrow. "Look forward" may not be quite the right way to put that.


National Weather Service map, with the "Hazardous Weather Outlook" area shaded. February 24, 2013.

That possible freezing fog is fairly minor, compared to what'll be going on in northern Texas, Oklahoma, and elsewhere:


National Weather Service map, with the weather forecast areas shaded. February 24, 2013.

One of the stereotypes of life in small towns, at least in this part of the country, is that we're 'always talking about the weather.' There's some truth to that, although I don't think it's because there's nothing else going on. Towns like Sauk Centre are nowhere near as far removed from agribusiness as larger cities. Around here, weather affects crops and livestock - which directly or indirectly affects the rest of us.

Finally: Snow

Sunday, February 17, 2013. The hospital/nursing home lifted its restrictions on visitors, so apparently the flu season is over. The announcement said that we're still urged to stay home if we're sick. That seems rather obvious, I think.

We finally got snow: quite a bit. I like the scenery, and hope it stays cold enough to stay frozen until spring.


Snow, from the parking lot of Our Lady of the Angels church.  Scenic as it is, I'm looking forward to spring. February 13, 2013.


Ash Street South in Sauk Centre. We've got roughly a foot of snow, apart from drifts and piles left from shoveling. February 13, 2013.


Saturday morning, after most of the frost had blown off branches. February 16, 2013.

I see that there's a Winter Weather Advisory out for this area, from noon tomorrow to midnight. Blowing snow is the featured performer. Once again, I'm happy to have nowhere I need to go.