Winter Weather Advisory Has Texas Back Freezing & Slippery On Sunday

In my previous winters in Texas I do not remember a winter with as many WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY notifications from the National Weather Service as we are experiencing this winter of 2013-14.

On Friday the high got to 84. Today, the first day of the 3rd month of 2014, the high is predicted to again get in the 80s.

And then tomorrow, Sunday, we are back in the deep freeze with a low of 19.

Sub-freezing with lightning.

Are all these cycles of HOT & COLD wreaking havoc with confused plants?

With thunder likely clapping in the morning I suspect Sunday will not see a repeat of this morning's hot tub hydrotherapy session and its accompanying duo dips in the slightly cool pool. Nor will there be a Sunday repeat of last Sunday's Gateway Park mountain bike ride.

But, today will see some high speed hiking on the Tandy Hills before treasure  hunting at Town Talk.

Below is the National Weather Service's latest winter weather advice.....

...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 6 AM TO 9 PM CST SUNDAY...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN FORT WORTH HAS ISSUED A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR FREEZING RAIN...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 6 AM TO 9 PM CST SUNDAY.

* LOCATION...THIS STATEMENT IS FOR THE COUNTIES OF YOUNG...JACK... PALO PINTO...PARKER...TARRANT...DALLAS...ROCKWALL...KAUFMAN AND VAN ZANDT.

* TIMING...RAIN WILL CHANGE OVER TO FREEZING RAIN AS TEMPERATURES DROP BELOW FREEZING DURING THE DAY ON SUNDAY. TEMPERATURES WILL DROP BELOW FREEZING SUNDAY MORNING OVER NORTHWESTERN PARTS OF THE ADVISORY AREA...AROUND MIDDAY SUNDAY OVER THE METROPLEX...AND SUNDAY AFTERNOON OVER EASTERN PARTS OF THE AREA.

* ACCUMULATION...A TRACE TO A FEW HUNDREDTHS OF AN INCH OF ICE ACCUMULATION IS FORECAST.

* MAIN IMPACT...LIGHT FREEZING RAIN WILL COAT BRIDGES AND OVERPASSES WITH A GLAZE OF ICE. TRAVEL MAY BECOME HAZARDOUS.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY MEANS THAT PERIODS OF WINTER PRECIPITATION MAY CAUSE TRAVEL DIFFICULTIES. BE PREPARED FOR SLIPPERY ROADS AND PLAN ON SOME TRAVEL DELAYS.

The Shadow Of The Tandy Hills Thin Man Getting HOT Before Getting Icy Info From Texas Storm Spotter

With today being possibly the last day of the year that gets heated to being in the 80 degree range, with a predicted incoming ice storm with predicted potential bad things, like widespread power outages, detailed below, I decided to take what may be my last HOT sans-shirt Tandy Hills hike of the year.

What you are looking at on the left is the Shadow of the Tandy Hills Thin Man, surrounded by the colors of fall.

I had myself a mighty fine hiking time today. I am so overfilled with endorphins right now I don't think anything could aggravate me at this particular point in time.

This aggravation free bliss is usually of short duration. Likely to last through lunch, maybe.

Below is the aforementioned incoming weather calamity details, from my favorite Storm Spotter, John Basham------

WINTER WEATHER UPDATE
TEXAS - NORTH CENTRAL & NORTHWEST
STORM SPOTTER METOPS FORT WORTH TX
1030 AM CST WED DEC 4 2013

A STRONG ARCTIC COLD FRONT WILL ARRIVE IN NORTH TEXAS TODAY WITH A MUCH STRONGER SURGE OF COLD AIR MOVING INTO THE AREA OVERNIGHT TONIGHT WITH GUSTY NORTHERLY WINDS IN EXCESS OF 25MPH. BY THURSDAY AFTERNOON A COLD RAIN WILL BEGIN ACROSS NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS WITH AREAS OF SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN NORTHWEST OF A LINE FROM BOWIE TO MINERAL WELLS. OVERNIGHT THURSDAY NIGHT INTO FRIDAY MORNING CONTINUED PERIODS OF RAIN AND SURFACE TEMPERATURES DROPPING BELOW FREEZING FROM NORTHWEST TO SOUTHEAST WILL BEGIN A TRANSITION FROM COLD RAIN AND MIXED SLEET TO FREEZING RAIN ACROSS ALL OF NORTH TEXAS. BY SUNRISE FRIDAY MORNING AREAS NORTHWEST OF A LINE FROM GAINESVILLE TO DENTON TO DFW AIRPORT TO LAKE WHITNEY SHOULD ALREADY SEE SIGNIFICANT ICING OCCURRING WITH AREAS OF 1/2" OF ICE OR MORE POSSIBLE THE FARTHER NORTHWEST YOU TRAVEL. HEAVIEST RAINFALL AMOUNTS WILL BE CENTERED OVER THE DFW METRO HOWEVER THIS AREA SHOULD REMAIN WARMER LONGER THAN REMAINING OUTLYING AREAS DUE TO THE SURFACE HEAT ISLAND' EFFECT CAUSED BY METROPOLITAN AREAS. THIS WILL NOT HOWEVER PROTECT TREES AND POWER-LINES FOR LONG AFTER TEMPERATURES DROP FROM AROUND 30 TO THE UPPER 20'S. INCREDIBLY DANGEROUS TRAVEL IS LIKELY ACROSS THE NORTHWESTERN 2/3 OF NORTH TEXAS BY EARLY FRIDAY MORNING.

ADDITIONALLY WIDE-SCALE POWER OUTAGES ARE POSSIBLE AS TREES AND POWER LINES BECOME HEAVY FROM ICE AND FAIL. THIS EVENT IS NOT SIMILAR TO LAST WEEKS WINTER WEATHER EVENT FOR NORTH TEXAS AS TEMPERATURES ARE GENERALLY EXPECTED TO BE WELL BELOW FREEZING RATHER THAN HOVERING AT OR NEAR THE FREEZING MARK. ENERGY, TRANSPORTATION, MUNICIPAL, AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT CLIENTS NEED TO RUSH PREPARATIONS TO COMPLETION FOR THIS EVENT. LATEST MODEL DATA SHOWS THE POSSIBILITY OF A 'WORST CASE SCENARIO' OF ICE ACCUMULATIONS ALONG A LINE CENTERED FROM MCKINNEY TO DFW AIRPORT TO FORT WORTH TO GRANBURY AT ITS PEAK FROM MIDNIGHT TO 3AM EARLY FRIDAY MORNING. WHILE THERE ARE STILL A NUMBER OF SCENARIOS THAT COULD MATERIALIZE IT NOW SEEMS QUITE CLEAR THAT ANY ONE WILL CAUSE SIGNIFICANT DISRUPTIONS ACROSS A LARGE PART OF NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHWEST TEXAS. IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT IF ACCUMULATED ICE DOES INTERRUPT POWER THEN CLIENTS SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR TEMPERATURE DROPS INTO THE UPPER 20'S. CLIENTS WHO RELY ON ELECTRICITY FOR HEAT NEED TO PREPARE FOR THE EVENTUALITY OF NO HEAT FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME. TRANSPORTATION CLIENTS SHOULD PREPARE FOR DRIVERS TO BE STRANDED IN THEIR VEHICLES FOR EXTENDED PERIODS. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION> THAT SHOULD NOT BE TAKEN LIGHTLY. FOR SPECIFIC SPOT-CASTS OR SITE-SPECIFIC TIMING PLEASE CONTACT YOUR ASSIGNED METEOROLOGIST OR THE STORM SPOTTER METOPS FORECAST CENTER. UPDATES WILL FOLLOW AS CONDITIONS WARRANT. THIS IS NOT A NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PRODUCT. METEOROLOGIST: BASHAM

A Storm Of Ice Is Hitting My Windows While I Am Having Trouble With The Air That I Breathe

You are looking at a very rare evening view through the bars of my patio prison cell, this 2nd Sunday night of February.

I am more than just slightly appalled that due to the fact that I did not blog today about any endorphin inducing hiking endeavor that I have been getting emails, phone calls and text messages inquiring as to my well being.

Well, I am being fine.

I did not feel like going out in the COLD today. I am currently enduring a very annoying respiratory woe that is affecting the ease of breathing. I have never been an allergy sufferer.

Til now.

I also have never breathed air polluted by the pollutants that pollute the air that I breathe where I am now doing my breathing.

Special Weather Statement
From The National Weather Service

A few minutes ago ice began hitting my windows.

I really am not in the mood for an Ice Storm. But, I think an Ice Storm may be what is currently happening.

The National Weather Service has issued one of their Special Weather Statements, shouting the statement all in CAPITALS...

...WINTER WEATHER EXPECTED FOR NORTH TEXAS...

A MIX OF SLEET AND SNOW IS EXPECTED TO OCCUR OVER MOST OF NORTH TEXAS THIS AFTERNOON INTO MONDAY MORNING. A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR ACCUMULATIONS OF ONE TO TWO INCHES HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR AREAS ALONG AND NORTHWEST OF A LINE FROM EASTLAND TO WEATHERFORD TO DENTON TO MCKINNEY TO PARIS. SOUTHEAST OF THIS ADVISORY AREA...THE REST OF NORTH TEXAS WILL SEE A MIX OF SLEET AND SNOW THIS AFTERNOON INTO THIS EVENING...BECOMING SLEET MIXED WITH RAIN NEAR MIDNIGHT AND THEN ALL RAIN BEFORE SUNRISE IN ALL AREAS EXCEPT THOSE NORTH OF INTERSTATE 30 AND EAST OF INTERSTATE 35. BY MID MORNING THOSE LAST AREAS WILL CHANGE TO RAIN AS WELL. ACCUMULATIONS NEAR THE WINTER ADVISORY AREA MAY REACH UP TO THREE TENTHS OF AN INCH...BUT WITH WARM GROUND TEMPERATURES THESE ACCUMULATIONS SHOULD ONLY AFFECT ELEVATED SURFACES SUCH AS BRIDGES AND OVERPASSES. EXERCISE CAUTION WHEN DRIVING...BECAUSE IT MAY BE HARD TO SEE ANY ICE ON ROADWAYS BEFORE REACHING IT. AS THE ATMOSPHERE CONTINUES TO WARM OVERNIGHT. PRECIPITATION WILL CHANGE TO RAIN AND THE WINTER WEATHER THREAT SHOULD END BY SUNRISE MONDAY WEST OF INTERSTATE 35 AND NORTH OF INTERSTATE 20...AND BY MID MORNING IN ALL AREAS. AS WITH ALL WINTER EVENTS...THE SITUATION HAS THE POTENTIAL TO CHANGE. IF ACCUMULATIONS ARE EXPECTED FARTHER SOUTH...THE ADVISORY MAY BE EXPANDED.

Winter Weather Advisory, Again, For North Texas With Snow & Cold Ducks

The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Weather Advisory for North Texas, from 3am tomorrow morning, til 9:45pm, Tuesday.

How does the National Weather Service come up with such a precise time for the end of the bad weather?

As you can, in the middle of Monday afternoon it is only 4.2 degrees above freezing in Arctic Fort Worth, Texas.

Winter in Texas used to be cycles of a few cold days followed by days in the 70s and 80s.

Did Mother Nature not get the memo about Global Warming?

When my stir crazy neurosis kicked in, today at noon, I again went to my default walking location, Oakland Lake Park, to walk around Fosdic Lake.

It was windy and too cold. I was not having myself a fine time communing with nature. Though the birds were being interesting. I saw 2 huge herons, but they would not cooperate in posing for a picture.

The Fosdic Ducks did not seem to be liking the cold water, unlike me, this morning, when the pool was way warmer than the air. A big herd of Fosdic Ducks were out of the water and waddling on land.

I also saw a pair of Canadian Geese. The Canadians are aggressive geese, just like the people they are named after. I was chased and bitten by a Canadian Goose once. It hurt. Really bad.

I actually was also bitten by a Canadian once. And that also hurt. Not as bad as getting bit by a Canadian Goose, though.

If you see a Canadian Goose acting at all aggressive, as in coming towards you, well, you'll want to back off real quick.

The Fosdic Canadian Geese just maintained their position, they did not move at all. But, they did not take their evil Canadian Geese eyes off me.

I am venturing out into the cold again in a bit, going to Miss Puerto Rico's to fix her computer. Hopefully.