weather forecast

Ridgewind Farm, Central Appalachia, 3000ft., snow cover since before Christmas, now about 27″ of hard base on level ground and you can imagine the drifts. We have worked the 1/2 mile long right of way to the point that we have no place to put snow. Now we are just going with the pack it down and drive over it approach. Just had our latest snow of about 4 more inches and now 60 mph winds forecast…

I am beginning to believe some of my deep southern critics that say that Virginia ain’t the south. Unless maybe it is the new south pole…. this is ridiculous is a common comment by everyone down here.

4WD pick up is only good on the road. No choice but to feed with the horses, they are the only way of moving hay to the fields for the herd of 16 Suffolks and one black mule.

Snow texture changes with the wind and air temps almost daily, so you never know what surface you have to work on tomorrow. Glad we have good horses to work.

Our total snow is closing in on 60″ so far. Somebody said that was more than Anchorage Alaska and is surly more than Vancouver from watching the attempts to get snow cover for the Olympics.

Springs are running in places I have never seen them.

Enjoy the art work someone sent me… hope it doesn’t offend anyone….

accurate sendiment but x rated

Our situation is similar to Near Horse’s. Damn little snow. We are getting very nervous about next summer and I am considering buying some cheaper hay right now as I may not be able to raise enough judging from the snowpack. But we had the same situation last year and April 1st or so we had 2′ of snow one night and then June came along and we packed in a bunch of snow.

Jason, you’re experiencing a Wyoming like winter there it sounds like. Most years we are in your situation but are used to it. Still, long about the middle of March you get really sick of it. I’m starting to tire of even this mild winter we’re having.

My dad always told me no matter how easy the winter was, try to have half of your hay left the 1st of March. That way you can make it ’til turn out on grass in this country. I should be in good shape this year. We’ll see about next. Loooong way until spring yet.

From the Southwest; a colder and wetter than “average” winter. Temperatures have been below average; with the lows seldom reaching record low levels this year, but consistently staying 7 to 10 degrees below the average. High temperatures have run 12 to 15 degrees below average for weeks at a time, and we have been in one of those spells for the last two weeks. Seldom snows here, but we have had two days this winter when it snowed all day long; once in early December and again in mid-January. Neither resulted in any significant accumulation, as the temps had been in the mid to upper 40’s for several days before either occurrence. It has been WET here also. Drought broke in October with few breaks of more than a day or two without rain. Unfortunately we got little late season growth on the warm season grasses as the days were too short and the temps too low by that time. November was fairly warm and dry, maybe only an inch of rain total. December was very wet and cold (by our standards). January rainfall totaled just less than 2 inches, probably close to “normal”. February has been VERY wet so far. I have measured over 4 inches through today; all of it a very slow, steady rain …meaning the soil is finally saturated. Ponds and creek bottoms are full to the brim, rivers are running nearly bank full for the first time in several years.

I think I heard that the Drought Monitor either did or was expected to show NO DROUGHT anywhere in Texas as of this week. I can’t even recall the last time that happened. I am just hoping that this carries over into the growing season. What has been most unusual for us though, is that we have probably only had 4 or 5 sunny days and about the same number of partly cloudy days here since early December. We seldom have more than a day or so of cloudy weather here a month in the winter, so we are unaccustomed to seeing day after day of cloudy, gray skies. This too shall pass …

Gee Mitch, sounding like LIF in Unity next week will be a picnic! I’ll come warm & waterproof, just hope the ground is firm enough so that we can move some wood…

It has been beyond warm & dry here. Have yet to have measurable snow at my place (8,000′). We normally have 3-4 decent storms by now and can maintain continuous snow cover and frozen ground for the season in a week or two. Series of storms coming in this week, maybe we can bleed some white & cold out of them.