Weather or Not You're Ready, Winter Will Come
Last year we barely saw a flake of snow and I don't recall any school closings whatsoever on the peninsula. However, this year might be a different year, according to reports. Plan ahead for weather changes and it will reduce your stress when it happens.
2007 was a La Nina year which in our language means "Even More Rain." December 3 brought us more than 10 inches of rain. Roads washed out, floods occurred, businesses and schools closed and it was just nasty. Yikes. If that had been snow like I was more used to back in the Midwest, it would have been close to 3 feet.
How we got home on simply wet roads that weekend by the grace of God. But when we got home, we had to shovel our way uphill and around our circle drive with chains on our cars to get home. That was one day I was REALLY happy my adult son was riding with me. He kneeled in the slush to put on chains and slogged thru the snow to find the snow shovel.
The first year I moved here, being from Chicago, I bought a snow shovel. My husband-then-boyfriend laughed at me. He doesn't call me the Weather Bunny for nothing! Sure, the snow shovel stayed unscathed in the garage for 7 years until 2008 when we were happy to have it. There wasn't a snow shovel to be found in Kitsap County.
According to the Kitsap Sun (and other weather sources), "Winter forecasts are based on Pacific Ocean water temperatures near the equator. If the water is warmer than usual, it�s a generally mild El Nino winter. If it�s cooler, La Nina prevails. Water temperature affects the air above it, which helps dictate the strength and location of the jet streams that deliver the Northwest�s weather.
Now, the water is chillier than it has been in 60 years, they say.
So be prepared. Get on your school system's school closure email list. Check out sites that have good suggestions for keeping you prepared and safe in your home and car.
It is also a good idea to get your home ready for a rough ride. Just a few practical tips from me. Keep in mind I'm no expert. If you're new to a house, it might be well to pull out that inspection report and see what they suggested for maintenance or those little things that needed attention. If you're unsure, call someone who knows what they're doing.
1) Make sure your gutters are clean and functioning.
2) Remove moss now before winter and rains come.
3) Touch up paint where moisture might start damage over a long wet winter.
4) Insulate your pipes to protect them from freezing. Cover your outside water spigots.
5) If your windows aren't the newest and you get a draft, check out the window kits which you can use to cover them with plastic. That works and helps keep your heat INSIDE.
6) When the ground is totally saturated, do your laundry in phases if you're on a septic system. Your septic needs love, too. When you overload it with 10 loads on laundry day and it's already saturated, you may be causing yourself a problem. If you just moved into a home with septic and you have 3 kids, you're septic might not be ready if a little old lady lived in that house for ten years. Go easy. Call an expert if you think you're having trouble.
7) Keep some "salt like" supply around for icy sidewalks. No one needs a thump on the head from an avoidable fall. There are environmentally safe products you can find at your local hardware store.
These are additional tips from me, who grew up with cold Canadian winds blowing over Lake Michigan. When the power goes out, you still need to keep your family warm. My son was a Boy Scout, so we made it like a Scout campout.
1) Keep extra socks, sweatshirts and sleeping bags around for those times when the power might go out.
2) Have plenty of extra batteries and some good flashlights that are easily accessible
3) Keep your cell phone charged. Many have done away with home phones but when the power goes out, you'll want to conserve that battery life. Your teens will be the first to complain that their battery is dead since they live on them 24/7 nowadays! You might want to keep an extra charged battery around. If you have a home phone, you might want to keep an old phone around that doesn't require electricity to operate. Of course, your teens won't use it because they can't text, so it'll be free for your use.
4) Keep your BBQ propane tank filled. You may need to cook on it for a few days! Sounds silly, but we had some good burgers and kept warm while cooking more than once. Do not build fires in your bathtub or anywhere else in your house unless you have a fireplace.
5) Make sure you have a first aid kit on hand. Stumbling around in the dark can lead to minor injuries.
6) Keep a written list of contacts available. If your phone is dead you've lost your database. Maybe that neighbor you haven't talked to in years because you can't text hi,has a phone in his/her house.
7) Plan now, because once the weather hits, it takes about 48 hours of local retailers to sell out of the basics
8) Buy a snow shovel now. Lowe's Home Center has them from $10 and up. Plus you'll see other supplies you might need for winter by clicking on this link: http://www.lowes.com/pl_Winter+Tools+%26+Accessories_4294857409_4294937087_?UserSearch=snow+shovel&langId=-1&storeId=10151&y=9&catalogId=10051&N=0&x=38&newSearch=true&ddkey=http:SearchCatalog
9) Keep some canned food on hand and staples. For those who don't know what staples are, you'll be knocking on the neighbors door for dinner. There is a plethora of websites that give lists of what to keep on hand in "emergency kits". Just google it. I jsut did and I can't decide which of the first thousand to link for you!
However, Costco has a 72 hour emergency kit with enough for 4 people in the event of a disaster. For some, losing electricity is a disaster!
10) Do not, I repeat, DO NOT, pour hot water on a frozen car lock. Keep some lock de-icer handy. Another tip, if your driver's door is frozen, try another door. Sounds silly, but it might just be that lock. It usually doesn't get cold enough for this to occur here, but if it rains and then freezes, the lock mechanisms could freeze as well.
11) My mom used to keep dried milk around for these times. Just add water. It became one of those childhood things I could not repeat as a mother. The smell still freaks me out. Most of us can do without milk for a few days. Some kids actually like Cheerios with apple juice.
Bad weather can bring out the best in people. Maybe it's a good time to get to know a neighbor. If you can walk to a gas station or store that's open, maybe there's someone in your neighborhood that isn't able. Go knock on their door and make sure they are okay. A lot of older folks don't like turning up the heat so maybe you can take them an extra blanket or those slippers your grandmother made that you will never wear. We can warm soup on that Weber and take it over to a neighbor. It's an opportunity to take care of each other.
I never miss scraping off my car windows every morning or having to shovel the driveway from November until March. I never miss worrying about a big old oak tree falling on my house. I don't miss gripping the steering wheel while driving in a blinding snow, although I do get a chance every year in the mountains.
What I do miss sometimes, is how weather can truly bring people out of their houses, out of their protective shell. Even if it's just to talk about the weather.
