Snow!

[Catrin]

My part of Indianapolis received 10.1 inches of snow yesterday... 45 and sunny today!

[Crankin]

We have had a month of that. I think we are on an upward trend though, with 50s and 60s forecasted for the end of the week. Too bad, with rain, also.
I cross country skied the week before last, after our large storm. Conditions have been awesome for that, not too far away, but now, my brain has switched.
The snow melts fast when it's 45.

[north woods gal]

Catrin, if those temps hold, yes, it will be gone, soon. We've been stuck in a cold, but sunny weather pattern for half a month, now, with just enough melting by day to form a lot of ice. More ice than I've seen in a long time. Just one of those springs.

[ny biker]

Our snow from Wednesday is just about gone, but we only had a few inches and it was already melting before it stopped coming down thanks to the angle of the sun (through the clouds).

I'm having new floors installed in a couple of weeks, including all my closets. I had thought I'd be able to put all the winter boots and coats in storage as I pack things up to get them out of the way, but I am still wearing them! At least I could pack up the long coat and heavy sweaters that I wear for sub-freezing days. But still. I haven't been too bothered by the cold weather we've had all month since we had numerous nice days in February, but at this point I am getting annoyed.

[Pax]

Same here NY, I got out my clothes bins last weekend and started the swap for winter to summer clothes... pulled them back out yesterday.

[Crankin]

I am super annoyed. Thursday is going to be 60. I guess I will commute, because I have to work and then prepare for Passover and guests all weekend. I just saw that on Wed. there is going to be some kind of precipitation in the AM, so the group ride I was counting on will probably not go. I can go to spin, and I actually have stuff to do, but I want to ride! Friday afternoon AND Saturday are going to be rainy, so it looks like Sunday will be the next day I can ride after commuting Thursday.
The weekend of the 7th and 8th looks rainy, too.

[ny biker]

We will finally get temps above 60 later this week, for the first time this month. Just in time for me to head up to NY for a long weekend! Then it will get colder again next week, after I return.

And through it all, I am still suffering from tree pollen.

Still happy we didn't get hit with snow in February when it would have hung around a lot longer...

[north woods gal]

I think we all have a case of spring fever! We're predicted to actually have rain, tonight. If so, it will be the first rain of the yearner us. Mightvmelt some snow, too. It's right at that temperature borderline, though, where it could also come as snow. Crossing my fingers.

[Crankin]

Friday afternoon and now the whole weekend looking OK, now. Yay, we can ride with our friends when they come. Jury still out on Wed. morning.The forecast I saw when I got home tonight said freezing rain, but it was just west of here. But, if it's dicey, or even wet, the group may cancel.

[shootingstar]

Wow, more snow for us along the way. Our area received so much snow, now the municipality has run out of rm. to dump the excess snow..

While thankfully the prairie air is dry to suck up snow water, we're still left with crap in the suburbs. I don't live in the suburbs. :cool:

[emily_in_nc]

Springtime in full bloom here, but with that comes WIND. This morning the Weather Channel said 10-15 mph NNE, which I could tolerate, but it was actually much windier, and during the ride, the wind shifted to the SSE, so we ended up with head or cross winds (mostly head winds! :eek:) in both directions, since our "out" is generally north and east and our "back" is generally south and west.

I turned on the Weather Channel right when I walked in the door, and they said winds were now in the 20-30 range (20 sustained with gusts to 30 mph). D'oh! No wonder the ride was super hard. We did the same ride the previous day with winds 10-15 mph NNE the entire time, and I averaged a full mph faster. My legs are feeling it now! Glad Wed. is our usual day off to do laundry and gym workouts. I need that break.

[Crankin]

Emily, every spring I say something like, "I forgot how windy it is in the spring."
Now, you think that since this will be my 17th spring riding, I would have learned! It doesn't even matter if it is sunny and warmer, I hate wind. Although, the clouds and slightly raw feeling of a typical New England early spring does not help.
I just allow myself to to feel permission to go as slowly as I need to if riding in the wind, and remind myself that whatever wind is around me, it's worse, just 10 miles east, closer to the coast.

[rebeccaC]

Springtime in full bloom here, but with that comes WIND.

Think of it as improving your fitness!!!

I can embrace headwinds and see them as resistance training and use it as a good challenge….when I can’t I’ll draft Alex cuz she embraces it even more than I do.:) One good tip she has given me was on wind buffering descents shifting to a higher gear and the pedaling helps a lot in stability.

[emily_in_nc]

Yes, I forget about it every year too, Crankin. I don't remember it being this windy here last year -- March was a lot warmer, and that usually puts a little damper on the wind, but who knows. I am probably just forgetting. And you're right, it would be even worse if we were on the coast of Florida instead of the center of the state!

NWG, I definitely have to look at it that way: "What doesn't kill us makes us stronger". Since there aren't too many real hills (just gradual inclines) on the trails/roads we ride most frequently here, the wind provides for natural intervals. My DH doesn't mind it at all as he is such a strong rider, and on a light wind day doesn't get as good a workout as he'd like since we are not in hilly territory here. So he embraces it more than I. I don't think I'll ever learn to love it, but I can endure it.

Fortunately, looks like yesterday was the windiest day we should see in the next week+, based on the forecast.

Sorry to hijack the thread -- I was thinking that I was posting on the March Rides thread, not on Catrin's Snow thread. Hope your snow has faded away, Catrin!

[Crankin]

Well, this isn't really about the rides we are doing, or not doing! It's about weather and the conditions we are all facing.
The group ride was far away and was listed as, "not really pretty, on busy roads, and the draw is the lunch." Not for me! So, with that off my plate, I got up early, made my matzah kugel for Passover, and then I will head to get my nails done (I will walk there, 1/3 a mile). Then, I'll go for a short ride, as the wet ground should be dry and the sun will be coming out. Meeting a friend for coffee at 3, then haircut at 4. A busy day, but I don't feel stressed. Pretty much all of my holiday prep is done, except for setting the table, and I can't do that until after breakfast on Saturday, since we only have one eating space now. Oh, and preparing some balsamic glazed strawberries. DH is in charge of the main dish, roast chicken, so all I have to do is heat up and put the stuff on the table.

[north woods gal]

Yeah the wind. If you don't mind an old gal reminiscing a bit, I'll tell you about the wind in my life.

I grew up on the prairies of the Dakotas and Nebraska. Wind, out there, is a constant companion. You can go weeks at a time with no letup in the wind. We didn't even consider anything under 20 mph as wind. Not kidding when I say, that when we would get a calm day, it took us awhile to figure out what was missing. :) The wind nearly killed me, more than once.

One summer day as a teenager, a friend and I decided to go for paddle in the canoe out on a large prairie reservoir. Nice and calm, so we decided to cross the lake. Got out in the middle and we got hit with 40 mph winds. Calm one second and raging wind storm the next. It actually blew my life vest right out of the canoe before I could grab it, because I hadn't bothered to strap it on (have never made the mistake, again). I was paddling stern and just managed to keep us afloat as the wind hit. Fortunately, I saw the wind coming across the water so we weren't broadside when it hit, but now all I could do is the let the wind and waves carry us along, because there was no way to turn the canoe with risking having the wind flip us. If you've ever been in a canoe with that kind of wind, you know what I mean.

I'm not at all exaggerating when I say we were traveling as far up and down those huge waves as we were going forward. I had to crest each mountainous wave and drop down in those troughs just right to keep from being washed under those huge waves. Fortunately, I had learned to paddle at an early age, so I had the skill for it, but it was still very close. One wrong move would have been the end for us. A mile later the wind beached us on a mud flat, far from our car. My friend and I crawled out of the canoe and sat down in the mud and hugged each other, both of us in tears.

Winter winds were the worst, though, and equally deadly. One January day in high school, my ride couldn't make it to pick me up and take me home. Foolish me decided towel the 3 and a half miles home, out in the country. Temps were single digits, but the wind was a solid 30 mph blowing against the left side of my face. Woke up the next morning with a black and blue cauliflower left ear. I was very lucky it didn't go gangrene or I would have lost it. To this day, though, I carry a reminder of that day because the outer lobe of my left ear is still as hard as a rock, even after all these years. Lived through my share of prairie blizzards, too. Not being able to see three feet in front of your face was no Hollywood exaggeration. Really happens. True killer storms.

Was never in a tornado, but was close enough to actually see a couple of them and was also witness to the aftermath of one. That was as much as I wanted to see. Had cousins who lived though a whole night of several tornadoes in succession. They escaped without a direct hit, but they told us that it really did sound like a freight train on top of them, just as people say.

As for bicycling, the most dangerous part of those winds was getting blown out of control and being thrown into traffic or an oncoming vehicle. Of course, we've probably all been there at one time or another, regardless of where we live.

Do I miss those prairie winds? No, not at all, but years of living with those winds have marked me. They're still a part of me, even though I no longer live in that open country with those relentless winds.

[Catrin]

I remember those spring winds! Sadly we really have not had ANY spring here, not just yet. 10+ inches of snow on Saturday, all melted and over an inch of additional rain = flood risk and fog warnings for tomorrow morning. As fat as that list bit - after the snow - I guess that DOES sound like spring in Indiana :rolleyes:

Thankfully my hip and leg is settling down - managed 15 minutes on the ArcTrainer today with no discomfort (just one twinge), before I hit the weight machines for my shoulder PT. Things are looking good for hitting the trails - once things warm up and dry out!

NW Gal, I remember the winds from when I lived in Nebraska "back in the day". I sort of remember the winters, but I mainly remember the hot summer winds. I seem to have always lived in areas prone to tornadoes for some reason, but there is something about the wind that I love. They were great on the bike here in Indiana - as long as I could manage to get a tail wind! Those cross winds however, ugh!

[emily_in_nc]

I enjoyed reading your wind stories, NWG. High wind is definitely not funny. We've kayaked in some pretty windy conditions, not dangerous, but just bad enough that it could take 4x as long to return to your starting point as when heading out. I remember some very sore shoulders after that! We quickly learned to head into the wind first if at all possible.

We also owned a sailboat (Catalina 30) for three years. I much preferred sailing in lighter winds even if it meant a "boring" sail, as when the wind started freshening, at some point it could become scary, sometimes rather quickly. There are obviously things to do to deal with it (reefing sails, and so forth), but I always tended to get in a bit of a panic. Wind also caused choppy waves where we sailed (Neuse River area of NC), and just like your canoe story, we would have to aim the boat into the waves so as not to be hit broadside. Not comfortable sailing at all, nor any fun. We also spent one very looooong night in the boat in our marina slip during a Cat. 1 hurricane, and got blown all night after the power went out. It was super uncomfortable and scary. We had done our prep and all was well, but the boat was banging into the pilings (with fenders in between) all night long. Not many winks of sleep that night! I loved being in the boat and on the water when conditions were mild, but I had no interest in heavy-weather sailing, which is one reason we eventually sold her.

Looks like we're in for another breezy ride today but not quite as windy as Tuesday, at least per the forecast (10-20 mph SSE).

[north woods gal]

For sure, you don't have to go to the prairies to find wind. :) We've all had to deal with it , whether riding a bike or whatever. I have not experienced a hurricane and hope I never do. To this day, any big storm makes me very nervous.

Four or more inches of snow, tomorrow night. Was crossing my fingers that I might escape more snow, but I'm way too far north to get away with that so early in the spring. Did get some good snow melt, yesterday, though, so spring will get here, eventually ... I hope.

[Crankin]

They took the snow stakes out of my work parking lot, so that means, of course, it will snow!
I've been through a couple of hurricanes as a kid and 2 since 1990, in Massachusetts. Both times, we were very lucky, with no tree damage and only losing power for a couple of hours. Yet, people all around me had terrible damage, all from wind.
I lived in Florida for almost 5 years and there were no hurricanes.
Then there are dust storms... those were scary and I had to pull off of the road a few times when I lived in Tempe.