Trees outside blew with high force all night long. At one point I got up to make sure nothing major had been blown over outside, or broken in half. Surprisingly all the Christmas lights were still on the trees. A few smaller pots were blown over, a few more palm fronds were off the tree and in the back yard, and the largest and heaviest tarp that I've had laid down to keep winter weeds from sprouting was completely against the northern fence.
Even Sadie looked cute this morning as I let the dogs out for their pee. She had never felt such winds before and her ears were completely blown against her head. She was so scared she forgot to squat and pee.
AJ, an old high school friend from Kaiserslautern American High School wrote me saying his sister Pam and her husband were in a bad car crash in central Ohio the night before. They were broadsided by some drunk who was also five months pregnant. Pam and her husband are recovering in a Columbus, OH hospital. Thank god they are OK. He enclosed photos of the totalled black Jaguar. Seeing those photos made me glad I didn't drive to Chicagoland this time, as horror stories abound from Seattle down to southern California and eastward from there across the nation. The many poor people without heat will suffer the most. This certainly has been a powerful and forceful week for weather all across the country.
A long conversation with Carol revealed the same thing: she was out of electricity a few days ago, during a cold snap of single digits. Erin's car was frozen shut and stuck to the ground for two days; she couldn't go to work or school that first day. A woman had fallen in Wheaton, ILL (suburban Chicago), injured a leg and couldn't get back up and froze to death on the sidewalk. She was covered in snow when she was discovered at daybreak. She was close to her home.
These creepy stories just go on and on. More storms are off the Pacific Ocean and coming our way in two more days. There are more stories on the news broadcast of frustrated flyers stuck in Seattle for three days with no end at getting out.
"I've been in the same clothes for three days!" said one fat woman to the camera. She was not a happy airport camper. After three days without a shower my hair would be completely oiled over. At least she still had a nice wave to her hair.
Right now it's 48F and 60% humidity outside. So at least we aren't freezing. The young apple trees in the backyard are definitely getting their stretching in, though, as the winds blow them at 30-degree angles. The wind's supposed to calm down by noon.
Today is Kevin's birthday. I'm taking him out to eat after work tonight to a restaurant of his choice: "La Casita" in town.
___
The brutal cold that has gripped the Chicago area is easing up today, but snow is on the way and a winter weather advisory is in effect until 6 p.m. Wednesday.
The National Weather Service is forecasting 2 to 4 inches of snow today with an additional 1 to 2 inches overnight. And another 1 to 3 inches could fall on Wednesday.
Snow could be mixed with sleet and freezing rain in some areas.
Roads: Illinois State Police reported six or seven accidents overnight on local expressways. Only one resulted in a serious injury.
State police said there's been a spike in rollovers and other accidents in recent days due to the weather. Besides motorists driving too fast for the slick conditions, black ice and blowing snow can easily cause a vehicle to lose control, a state police trooper said. "Drivers have to slow down, and realize it's slick out there, he said.
The City of Chicago dispatched 184 snow-plowing trucks at 3 a.m. today and they were working on main streets and Lake Shore Drive shortly after 4 a.m.
Trains: Metra reported delays this morning on the Heritage Corridor, Union Pacific West Line and Rock Island Main Line. Trains were operating 15 to 20 minutes behind schedule due to signal problems.
Amtrak said infrastructure and railcar issues caused by severely cold temperatures caused lengthy delays to trains to and from Chicago the past few days. One St. Louis-to-Chicago train and one Chicago-Detroit-Pontiac round-trip train were cancelled today in order to deploy rail equipment and crews for December 24.
Passengers are encouraged to call 800-USA-RAIL or visit Amtrak.com for schedule information and train status updates.
Airports: O'Hare International Airport was reporting minimal delays and about a dozen flight cancellations today. No delays or cancellations were reported at Midway Airport.
Da Brrrrs: The hardy souls who braved the weather at Soldier Field as the Chicago Bears beat the Green Bay Packers, experienced the coldest Bears game ever at the stadium.
The 2-degree game tied a 1951 cold-weather record at Wrigley Field, but beat the previous Soldier Field record of 5 degrees, set in 1983. The Bears moved to the lakefront stadium in 1971.
The National Weather Service is forecasting 2 to 4 inches of snow today with an additional 1 to 2 inches overnight. And another 1 to 3 inches could fall on Wednesday.
Snow could be mixed with sleet and freezing rain in some areas.
Roads: Illinois State Police reported six or seven accidents overnight on local expressways. Only one resulted in a serious injury.
State police said there's been a spike in rollovers and other accidents in recent days due to the weather. Besides motorists driving too fast for the slick conditions, black ice and blowing snow can easily cause a vehicle to lose control, a state police trooper said. "Drivers have to slow down, and realize it's slick out there, he said.
The City of Chicago dispatched 184 snow-plowing trucks at 3 a.m. today and they were working on main streets and Lake Shore Drive shortly after 4 a.m.
Trains: Metra reported delays this morning on the Heritage Corridor, Union Pacific West Line and Rock Island Main Line. Trains were operating 15 to 20 minutes behind schedule due to signal problems.
Amtrak said infrastructure and railcar issues caused by severely cold temperatures caused lengthy delays to trains to and from Chicago the past few days. One St. Louis-to-Chicago train and one Chicago-Detroit-Pontiac round-trip train were cancelled today in order to deploy rail equipment and crews for December 24.
Passengers are encouraged to call 800-USA-RAIL or visit Amtrak.com for schedule information and train status updates.
Airports: O'Hare International Airport was reporting minimal delays and about a dozen flight cancellations today. No delays or cancellations were reported at Midway Airport.
Da Brrrrs: The hardy souls who braved the weather at Soldier Field as the Chicago Bears beat the Green Bay Packers, experienced the coldest Bears game ever at the stadium.
The 2-degree game tied a 1951 cold-weather record at Wrigley Field, but beat the previous Soldier Field record of 5 degrees, set in 1983. The Bears moved to the lakefront stadium in 1971.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-il-frozenbody,0,1420010.story
http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2008/12/more-snow-and-ice-on-the-way.htmlhttp://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/W/WINTER_WEATHER?SITE=AZTUS&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2008/12/more-snow-and-ice-on-the-way.htmlhttp://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/W/WINTER_WEATHER?SITE=AZTUS&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
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