Tag Archives: snow

Well, that was unexpected.

We have had a mild winter – even for the south. Yes, we’ve had some cool/cold days, but we’ve also had many days in the seventies. Any chance of snow this year seemed like a pipe dream. I was wrong.

We went to South Carolina last weekend; our kids found a house they were interested in and wanted our opinion on it. We visited the house on Saturday, then spent time visiting with the kids and discussing options. (Note: my definition of the word “kids” includes the two I birthed, their significant others, the grandchildren, and a few others I didn’t birth, mostly my boy’s friends from their school days.) While we were talking, we received a notice from the National Weather Service that our area of the state was expecting snow on Sunday. Say what? After a brief discussion, Kenn and I decided to head home Saturday afternoon instead of Sunday as planned. While the predicted snow might not materialize, we weren’t sure what the roads would be like between South Carolina and home.

As you can see from the following photos, we got snow! We only got about an inch and it was gone by 12:30pm, but it was pretty while it lasted.

The new Ice Age

I thought the unexpected snow was a one and done. I was wrong again. Since Tuesday of this week, state meteorologists have been in “this is not a drill” mode. It looks like there is a good chance that we will have an ice storm this weekend – and not just any ice storm, possibly one of historical proportions. The last forecast I saw predicted over an inch of ice for this area. We live just far enough south that we usually miss out on snow and ice events, even when the towns fifteen to twenty miles north of us are impacted. It has been several years since our last ice storm. Ice storms are never good and it doesn’t help that the pine trees endemic in the south are exceptionally bad with ice. Pines have shallow root systems and since they are evergreens, they quickly get weighted down, give up the ghost, and fall.

We have done all we can to prepare. We’ve laid in a supply of groceries. We have underground utilities, which means we won’t lose power as quickly as some areas, but it it still a possibility. We have propane and can use the stove in the camper to cook if necessary. We also have a wood-burning stove and enough wood for a couple of years (no, I’m not kidding) so, we should be warm.

Kenn says I am no longer allowed to tell people that we’ve had a mild winter, LOL. How is the weather were you are?

❄️❄️❄️❄️‼️

Y’all, we got snow! *twirls like Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music* There was a chance of snow a few weeks ago, but it didn’t make it this far south. Now, many of you may live in areas where snow is a fact of life, but around here, it’s as rare as hen’s teeth. (The last time we had snow at our house was 2018.) When the forecast hints that we may get snow and/or frozen precipitation, I become a big kid. While I may be calm on the outside, on the inside, I’m all pleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleaseplease. So, when snow was predicted for January 21st, all of my fingers and toes were crossed. It started snowing shortly after lunch and continued through the next morning. We ended with a respectable four inches, and, for once, we didn’t get a layer of sleet to top it off.

Yes, that four inches shut everything down for a couple of days, which makes northerners snort and roll their eyes. However, we have reasons for our caution. Here in the South, we don’t have snow tires or equipment to clear the roads. Okay, Atlanta has sixty snow plows, but the rest of us just have to wait for everything to melt. However, the biggest reason for us to stay off the roads is because we don’t know how to drive in the snow; it’s best for everyone if we just stay home.

In true southern weather fashion, last Wednesday, we had snow on the ground, and this Wednesday, the temperature is expected to be seventy degrees (Fahrenheit).🙄 I know we’ll have a few more cold snaps before spring, but I doubt we’ll have more snow. So, I’ll leave you with a few photos.

The snow was too powdery for a snowman, so I made a snow angel instead.
Already the top contender for our 2025 Christmas card.

Adventures in Camping: Winter Storm Izzy

This isn’t the post I originally had planned for this week; that one has been postponed until the 27th. (A winter storm takes precedence, LOL.) Kenn and I hauled our travel trailer to South Carolina on Thursday, January 13th. This is going to be a longer stay for me but I’ll go into that in another post. We always keep an eye on the weather for our destination when traveling but apparently didn’t pay as much attention as we usually do. It wasn’t until I heard the weather reports on the drive up that I realized that there was a real chance that our destination would receive snow and/or ice.

Since I’m going to be here for a while I had elected not to bring a lot of groceries with me and just do some shopping after we arrived. We made a Walmart run after getting the camper set up and resting for a bit. We were able to find most of the things we needed but several areas (especially dairy and luncheon meat) had been cleaned out. We visited with our family in the area for a bit on Saturday and then hunkered down for the storm. I use a white noise machine and ear plugs when I sleep but some sort of noise still woke me up around 5am on Sunday morning. I could see snow accumulated on the skylight in the bathroom and sleet/freezing rain started shortly afterward. (We eventually realized that the recurring noise was the awning over the slide snapping in the wind.) Once the sun came up, we ventured outside. (As Southerners, we rarely see snow and ice so we have to enjoy it while we can!)

Snow selfie in front of the RV park office
Our campsite fairly early in the storm
Our trucks wondering what in the heck is going on

We wound up with 4-6 inches of snow interspersed with layers of ice. Now, I know you Northerners are probably rolling your eyes at how Southerners panic over a little snow. However, there is a reason for our panic: simply put, we aren’t equipped for winter weather. (I saw one snow plow in this area.) In my home state of Georgia, we don’t have snow plows or road salt. We also don’t have snow tires or chains nor do we know how to drive on snowy/icy roads. The safest thing to do is to send us home until everything melts – after we buy up all of the bread and milk in the area, of course.😂

It looks like we may have another round of snow and ice rolling in next weekend so, if you’ll excuse me, I need to make another run to Walmart!

Until next time take care, stay warm, and happy trails!