February 9, 2023

Heard just now: the rain drops became tiny ice pellets.

It's a gentle transition, barely audible.

Here's how it looked on the radar map:


The cloud cover is 100%, so I'm skipping the sunrise — 7:05 today — and perhaps waiting for some of the 5 to 8 inches of snow to prettify the landscape. It isn't cold. It's 34°, but it's windy and the National Weather Service is saying the snow will be "wet" and "heavy." So it's a good time to get clobbered by a falling tree or tree branch. 

18 comments:

Heartless Aztec said...

North Florida in February - a beautiful weather month. Light jackets in the morning (58°f) and baggies (surfer bathing suit) in the afternoon (78°f). And the camellia bushes are in full bloom. The azaleas are just starting to pop and there are robins everywhere as they migrate back north. They truly are our harbingers of Spring.

BIII Zhang said...

They call them "widowmakers" for a reason.

lonejustice said...

Just now as I logged onto Althouse Blog the rain turned to sleet in Eastern Iowa. You can hear the difference between rain and sleet when it hits the windows. There is a winter storm warning out and we're expecting 4 to 6 inches of snow on top of the sleet. Winter is still here.

Temujin said...

I'm putting on shorts to go out now. I won't bore you with our weather for the day.
Sunny. Blue skies. Warm (not hot). Pleasant. Winter in SoFla is pretty damned nice.

Check back with me in Sept when I'm putting up our hurricane shutters.

Temujin said...

I'm putting on shorts to go out now. I won't bore you with our weather for the day.
Sunny. Blue skies. Warm (not hot). Pleasant. Winter in SoFla is pretty damned nice.

Check back with me in Sept when I'm putting up our hurricane shutters.

tim in vermont said...

In Florida you don't get to hear the gentle hiss of ice pellets dropping on dried fallen leaves.

NotWhoIUsedtoBe said...

I learned to slow down when I hear that sound on the windshield! Sudden ice on the road.

Tommy Duncan said...

The National Weather Service struggled to predict the northern edge of this storm. At several points in time the La Crosse area was projected to get 3 to 6 inches of snow. Now the forecast is for overcast skies with no precipitation. I'm not complaining about the lack of snow, but the NWS has missed badly on several storms in our area this winter.

I'm sure the NWS would do a better job if they just had a bigger budget and more people with weapons training (like the IRS).

Speaking of the IRS: "After a relatively smooth start to the 2023 tax season, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is throwing a curveball at millions of taxpayers who received state-level stimulus checks and other special payments from their home states last year. Some 18 states issued one-time tax rebates in 2022, according to the Tax Policy Center, which ranged significantly in size and scope. The problem? No one seems to know if these payments are taxable at the federal level, including the IRS."

MadisonMan said...

It was kinda slippery on the walk in. I should peek out the window now to see if the change-over has happened.
Why yes, yes it has! Snow is better than cold rain.

Curious George said...

"Snow is better than cold rain."

You don't have to shovel cold rain.

Gusty Winds said...

All in all it hasn't been that bad of a winter in WI. At least we keep getting these stretches of 40 plus degree melt offs to wash all the salt away.

Kevin Walsh said...

In NYC we don't have snow this year.

Fritz said...

tim in vermont said...
In Florida you don't get to hear the gentle hiss of ice pellets dropping on dried fallen leaves.


During the year we lived in Florida we had grape-sized hail. As a Californian boy, that was new to me.

tim in vermont said...

A state where you can't walk barefoot in what passes for grass, and where the humidity goes above 90% and temp above 90F in early April, and these numbers don't ease until late October, has no standing to mock the weather anyplace else.

Summers in the north are far superior, and the vegetation is soft to the touch, not hardened against the brutal heat and dry seasons. I do love the orchids, though.

n.n said...

Transitioning from "sugar and spice"... and everything nice, to "scalpels and scorpions".

Look out for the missiles!

Kai Akker said...

If that pic is replacing sunrise photo, then this is a cafe post and open thread?

Stock market complacency is at an extreme level. The volatility index known as VIX has not been this low since the day of the S&P high in early January 2022.

So, despite a long bearish year, traders and "investors" display attitudes as fearless as at the very top.


Joe Smith said...

Do they keep falling on your head?

Danno said...

tim in vermont said..."A state where you can't walk barefoot in what passes for grass, and where the humidity goes above 90% and temp above 90F in early April, and these numbers don't ease until late October, has no standing to mock the weather anyplace else."

Tim, you retard, please don't generalize about Florida as a state. The Florida Panhandle is not like Fort Myers or Palm Beach. Only four months, June, July, August and September are 90 or close, on average. April, May, and October are very pleasant. See the chart below and refrain from opening your piehole.

Average Panama City temperatures
High °F Low °F
64 43 January
67 46 February
73 52 March
79 58 April
85 66 May
89 73 June
91 75 July
91 75 August
89 71 September
82 61 October
73 50 November
67 45 December