# Forecast: Storm of Century, Icy Fingers of Wintry Death, Etc. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 12, 2008, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forecast-storm-of-century-icy-fingers-of-wintry-death-etc/476903 "2008-12-12T17:17:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![whiterabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/cab0a1/32.png) [@whiterabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiterabbit)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forecast-storm-of-century-icy-fingers-of-wintry-death-etc/476903/21 "2008-12-14T17:42:27Z")
It’s 5F here right now. That is _cold_. Brrrrrrrrr. ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forecast-storm-of-century-icy-fingers-of-wintry-death-etc/476903/22 "2008-12-14T17:46:20Z")
And today it is 50 here, after being 19 on Friday. WTF? I suppose once you all are done with THE storm, you’ll pass it on to us. We tend to get Canadian leftovers. I, too, want SNOW and COLD (um, not -32 below, though). I LIKE winter. Bill Bryson has a funny bit about UK and snow in one of his books. Apparently they have much the same approach to it as Seattle etc does. Wimps. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forecast-storm-of-century-icy-fingers-of-wintry-death-etc/476903/23 "2008-12-14T17:46:42Z")
It’s in the 30’s here now, but will drop below zero this evening and overnight. Certainly no big deal here, but what makes it suck is that we’re getting rain right now that’s going to feeze later. Snow storms and bitter cold are water off a duck’s back up here, but ice storms are a bastard. That’s when the power lines freeze up and snap. ---
**Author:** ![whiterabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/cab0a1/32.png) [@whiterabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiterabbit)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forecast-storm-of-century-icy-fingers-of-wintry-death-etc/476903/24 "2008-12-14T17:50:32Z")
Ice storms are horrible and awful. Be careful, **Dio**! I too like snow and cold, but this was very quick. One day it’s 35 and the next it’s 20 and now it’s 5! Quite a change. Oh well, I guess I asked for it. And now I need to bundle up and go clean snow off my car to go to work. Brrrr. ---
**Author:** ![MadPansy64](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dc4da7/32.png) [@MadPansy64](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MadPansy64)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forecast-storm-of-century-icy-fingers-of-wintry-death-etc/476903/25 "2008-12-14T18:23:54Z")
Minot ND is a wee bit chilly today, with a high of -15 F, which wouldn’t be too bad, if the damn wind would ever stop. I can’t tell if the snow is coming from the sky or from the ground. Either way, visibility is down to about 6 feet.:eek: Whiteouts are scary. ---
**Author:** ![Lightnin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightnin/32/180_2.png) [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forecast-storm-of-century-icy-fingers-of-wintry-death-etc/476903/26 "2008-12-14T18:55:04Z")
In Sammamish, we ended up getting a light dusting of snow overnight. The streets were fairly slick, since we got so much rain last night. We might get a bit more snow today, but I really doubt it. So much for our big storm. Hey, at least it’s below freezing so I feel justified in wearing my coat. ---
**Author:** ![Fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bc8723/32.png) [@Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fish)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forecast-storm-of-century-icy-fingers-of-wintry-death-etc/476903/27 "2008-12-14T21:40:15Z")
Yeah. There’s zero snow on the ground, not even any frost. So much for the Icy Fingers of Wintry Death. I told you there needed to be a theme song, some kind of bumper to play when they showed us the graphic “Icedoom 2008” or whatever. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forecast-storm-of-century-icy-fingers-of-wintry-death-etc/476903/28 "2008-12-14T21:49:17Z")
Well, there’s snow up here in the NW corner. I was just outside. The OAT display in the car, which I’ve found to be accurate, said 28ºF. I bought an [REI Newcastle Travel Coat](http://www.rei.com/product/755091) a few weeks ago. Lighter than my pea coat. Add a pair of fleece gloves, and I was quite toasty. ---
**Author:** ![Taters](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/taters/32/2845_2.png) [@Taters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taters)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forecast-storm-of-century-icy-fingers-of-wintry-death-etc/476903/29 "2008-12-14T22:14:38Z")
There’s snow down here in Puyallup too. Not much, but there’s snow. The roads were fairly slick this morning. I’m not looking forward to tomorrow’s commute to work. Things tend to get icy with whole freeze, melt, freeze cycle. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forecast-storm-of-century-icy-fingers-of-wintry-death-etc/476903/30 "2008-12-14T23:09:06Z")
I’m looking out my window and there’s still snow on the ground from last night. Vashon Island rules! In your FACE Olympia! ---
**Author:** ![Savannah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@Savannah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Savannah)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forecast-storm-of-century-icy-fingers-of-wintry-death-etc/476903/31 "2008-12-14T23:16:22Z")
We got about 6-8 inches here in Langford, Greater Victoria area. Southern tip of Vancouver Island, BC. I’m not hearing the drip-drip-drip sound outside that tells me it’s going away in a few hours, either. I kind of hope it snows a whole bunch more! People nearer the ocean only got 2 inches or so. ---
**Author:** ![Fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bc8723/32.png) [@Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fish)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forecast-storm-of-century-icy-fingers-of-wintry-death-etc/476903/32 "2008-12-15T00:37:40Z")
The snow started sticking here about 3:00 or so. But when I say “snow,” I mean the kind of snow that makes kids look out the window on a school night and say _you call that snow? They’re gonna cancel school, right? Please say yes._ If Calvin were here he’d still be lighting candles around the toboggan to appease the snow demons. ---
**Author:** ![Taters](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/taters/32/2845_2.png) [@Taters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taters)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forecast-storm-of-century-icy-fingers-of-wintry-death-etc/476903/33 "2008-12-15T06:29:23Z")
We still have snow on the ground, but what’s worrisome are the roads here. They are ICY. I’m looking at my street and it’s SHINY. I looked at traffic cam pictures of Hwy 512 (part of my morning commute), and it’s SHINY with ice. Tomorrow’s commute is gonna suck big time. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forecast-storm-of-century-icy-fingers-of-wintry-death-etc/476903/34 "2008-12-15T06:31:44Z")
Fortunately, I’m telecommuting tomorrow. ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forecast-storm-of-century-icy-fingers-of-wintry-death-etc/476903/35 "2008-12-15T06:49:14Z")
> [@3acresandatruck](#): > > B-R-R-R-R!! That’s cold! I’ve only been in stuff like that a few times in my life and that was a few times too many for me. We’re supposed to have a relatively mild weekend here near St. Louis, but it might get ugly starting Sunday night. The last forecast I heard was talking about 24 hours (possibly up to 48 hours) of freezing rain, which could be a freaking disaster. With any luck, it will turn into mostly sleet or _anything_ but freezing rain. That stuff really is like the icy fingers of wintry death, by golly! In the last big ice storm, I lost my electric for five days (and I wasn’t the last to get power back). It looks like the entire Midwest will get hammered for the next week or so. Immediately up (the next 24 hours) is rain, followed by freezing rain, followed by sleet, followed by snow. A couple of days off, then more of the same. Lather, rinse, repeat. A good time to have your groceries bought for the week. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forecast-storm-of-century-icy-fingers-of-wintry-death-etc/476903/36 "2008-12-15T06:55:31Z")
Right now it’s -31°F (that’s -35°C (near the -40°C/F equivalence point, after all)) outside _without_ factoring in the ~10 mph (~16 km/hr) wind. _With_ the wind, it feels like you’re going to die unless you have a serious coat and generally good insulation. The high tomorrow is predicted to be -19°F with a roughly 10 mph wind. Given that the low tonight was only _supposed_ to be just below -20°F, I have no idea how much confidence to place in that forecast. Doesn’t matter, though. It’ll still feel like you’re gonna die. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forecast-storm-of-century-icy-fingers-of-wintry-death-etc/476903/37 "2008-12-15T15:30:15Z")
Looking at the 10-day forecast highs will be in the low-20s to low-30s, with Christmas Eve being the warmest day at 32º. Lows will be as low as 14º, with three of the next ten days being in the low-20s. Heating the house in the winter always costs. But what irritates me is that I have a small propane tank for the furnace and I don’t like using gas so quickly. The other thing is that I’ve lost a tendon in one knee, and the other knee doesn’t quite bend back as far as it should from a high school skiing injury. Snow is OK, but I get a little paranoid around ice. Bad knees are a pisser in ice. ☹ I thought I heard El Niño wasn’t happening this year? It should be warmer, dammit! ---
**Author:** ![stargazer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb8c5e/32.png) [@stargazer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stargazer)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forecast-storm-of-century-icy-fingers-of-wintry-death-etc/476903/38 "2008-12-15T16:52:58Z")
Brr, it’s 23º now. We still have a scant inch of snow on rooftops and decks here, but the roads are just icy. I’m making a wedding cake for Saturday, and I hope I can get up to my in-laws’ place on Queen Anne to do the decorating without a toddler underfoot! And then I hope I can get to the wedding at our church, which is on Capitol Hill! Oy. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forecast-storm-of-century-icy-fingers-of-wintry-death-etc/476903/39 "2008-12-15T17:09:38Z")
The news just reported minus-2º with the wind chill factor in Bellingham. OK, I know that’s toasty to people in Minnesota; but it’s a mite brisk here. ---
**Author:** ![phall0106](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/phall0106/32/5934_2.png) [@phall0106](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phall0106)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forecast-storm-of-century-icy-fingers-of-wintry-death-etc/476903/40 "2008-12-15T17:21:00Z")
> [@MadPansy64](#): > > Minot ND is a wee bit chilly today, with a high of -15 F, which wouldn’t be too bad, if the damn wind would ever stop. > > I can’t tell if the snow is coming from the sky or from the ground. Either way, visibility is down to about 6 feet.:eek: > > Whiteouts are scary. Hallgirl2 (in Minot) sent me a picture of her base house–I can barely make out the house, there’s so much snow on the ground and blowing. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forecast-storm-of-century-icy-fingers-of-wintry-death-etc/476903.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forecast-storm-of-century-icy-fingers-of-wintry-death-etc/476903.md?page=3)