The Weather We Rarely Receive

 It's in the mid thirties tonight. That is as far as it will fall, and tomorrow is forecast to stay in the upper thirties to low forties. This is the harbinger of what's to come over the next three days, which is rare for this far south. 

Tomorrow night, if the forecast holds true, will be in the low thirties, somewhere around freezing, and there's a fair chance of some freezing rain. That will lead to a rain free Sunday, but continued clouds and temperatures in the thirties. Sunday night is when the rare weather will begin. 

Sunday night is forecast to be in the twenties, with increasing chances of precipitation. Monday is forecast to be slightly below freezing, with a seventy percent chance of freezing precipitation. What type of precipitation? Weather folks thing most will be freezing rain, and by evening some snow flurries. That's what causes the biggest problems. 

We have lots of live oak trees, which are evergreen. That, and pine trees that grow large canopies over time. Both will have limbs that strain with the accumulated weight, and some of the local electrical providers don't trim their trees enough to prevent these trees from sagging into the wires. 

The last time this happened was in the late nineties. The result was disastrous for many, since the amount of repairs was way beyond the capabilities of the utility companies. To add insult to injury, the large swath of freezing weather caused damage that didn't allow for other companies to assist. Power took a long time to restore, and with me, it took a week. The first days were the worst, since my all-electric home didn't have any heat source but a small space heater run by a small generator. The well was down, and my biggest concern was for warmth. Until the temperature rose above freezing, there really wasn't any hope for water anyway. I did manage a spit-bath with water heated on a colander over a candle. After days without running water, I'd had enough. 

One good thing about this current episode is the foresight by my local electric co-op. Last summer, they spent huge amounts of money clearing their lines, cutting the right of way to the ground, and insuring trees that sag won't influence the power supply. That was good, since the large supplier where I used to live has obviously not been as diligent. Even with the damage from the last hurricane, problems still exist, and I can see where there will be many people without power on Monday night. With temperatures in the low teens some will find life very uncomfortable. After that, there's the possibility of more freezing rain later in the week. Regardless of the work force size, the line workers will be working in miserable conditions, and their efforts slowed by the cold. 

The is rare, and from what I've read, it weather will be extra cold for a large part of the country. I'm blessed, since it will be a short event. Others are already facing what is forecast for me, and have more days of this brutal cold.