Not much to blog about.

As any of you who still look here from time to time have noticed, there hasn't been much activity here lately. Spring has brought boring weather and camping season is upon us, leaving little time for blogging. Don't despair! While blog entries may be fewer, I do intend to report any interesting weather, any interesting happenings here in Sha-town, and I will report on our camping exploits, so stay tuned...

Yet more cold, wet weather!

OK...I've consulted the Oracle of Schaefferstown, second only to the one at Delphi, and here's the scoop: It seems we can't get out of this cold, wet pattern, and the next week will be no exception. Wednesday should be OK for the most part, albeit cool. After that, it's down hill again. A stationary front will set up right over our heads and act as a conduit for a series of weak storms. We could be looking at 2 inches of total rain by Saturday. At least the temperature should be warm enough to keep it all liquid in the southern part of the state. As always, timing is everything. Hopefully, the front will be lifting out of the area Saturday as dryer air builds in. Saturday afternoon and Sunday should be dry and in the 50s, but look out for next week...yet again!

A cold weekend in Sullivan County

Well, cabin fever had finally taken it's toll here at Radio Free Schaefferstown. In a effort to cure this Cabin Fever attack, we decided it was time for a get-away trip. So, this past weekend we took the pop-up camper out of its winter rest and headed north. After about 2 to 3 seconds of discussion, it was detected that World's End State Park in Sullivan County would be the destination. (World's End is one of the few State Parks to keep it's camp ground open all year.)
On Saturday morning we awoke to a surprise...snow! OK, so snow in Sullivan County shouldn't be a surprise, but it was cool, non-the-less.
On Sunday we discovered that the camper needed a bit of repair, never underestimate the value of a good multi-tool!
Monday morning the temperature was 20 degrees at 7:30 and had only warmed to the low 30s when we were packing up to leave. All things considered, an interesting, if chilly, trip. The camper's heater and good L.L. Bean sleeping bags kept us toasty during the cold nights.
Since we didn't feel like cooking, we are now able to recommend all the restaurants between Forksville and Dushore as fine eating establishments, including The Forksville General Store, Molyneux's Diner, The Jolly Trolley in Dushore, and Pam's, also in Dushore. We needed to support the local economy, after all.

It's a rainy night in PA

As I sit here I can hear the heavy rain against the window. The wind speed has been topping 20MPH and has been as high as 33 in the last hour. Looking at the radar, there is more to come! I'm glad I don't need to be out tonight and I also hope the power stays on! Folks, it's ugly out there!!

Hardware failure at the weather station

The Davis weather station here at N3HCP has, after many years of continual service, finally failed. To be precise, the computer interface has failed. I still have access to the data, but can't post it on the web.

Friday's storm

It looks like another winter mess for the area from late Thursday or early Friday into Saturday morning. The question right now is how bad this thing will get. Best bet now is for a couple inches of snow over the area followed by sleet and freezing rain, maybe turning back to snow before ending. That said, the potential exists for several inches of snow, so keep those shovels handy! Ice accumulations could be a quarter inch or more. High pressure will build in for the weekend, but look out for yet more snow for the first of the week.

Snow for Wednesday?

Yep...looks that way. A clipper system looks poised to slide just south of us on Wednesday bringing an inch or two of snow to the area. The good news is that there is enough cold air in place to keep this on all snow. The storm for the weekend is a bit less certain. Forecast models can't agree, but some precipitation is almost a sure thing. The amount and type are "up in the air" (pun intended) for now.

Here we go again.

Well, it looks like we are in for yet another wintry mess for Tuesday. A low pressure area will be in southern Ohio by Tuesday morning and track east bringing the usual snow-sleet-freezing rain-rain scenario to the area. Accumulations are still up in the air, but a couple inches of snow followed by 1/2 inch of ice seems likely. Oh, joy!!

"Storm" update!

What I thought was sleet last night during the thunder storm turned out, under closer examination in the bright light of day, to bee hail! The hail stones were about 2-3mm in size. Yes, I know, by definition hail must be at least 5mm in diameter, but, at least here in Schaefferstown, little round, layered balls of ice that fell from the sky during a thunder storm are hail. So say we all!

Strange day...

This was a strange day, especially for February. We started out with a snow squall this morning, followed by temperatures in the 40's and then a thunder shower in the evening, with sleet, no less!
As for the next few days, cold is the word. Temperatures will be back to, or even below, normal. Sunday will be windy with the chance of a few snow squalls.

News Flash!!!

Union Canal Unie (sp?) failed to see his shadow this morning in Myerstown. As a result, we are told, Spring is just around the corner...stay tuned!

Will the Groundhog see his shadow?

Who knows! It seems the groundhog's eye sight has little or nothing to do with the actual weather on Feb. 2. So, where, you ask, did this Groundhog Day stuff come from anyway? Good question. It depends on who you ask. It is interesting, however, that Groundhog day is also Candlemas Day. It also marks the mid point of meteorological winter. thus the old Scottish poem:

As the light grows longer
The cold grows stronger
If Candlemas be fair and bright
Winter will have another flight
If Candlemas be cloud and snow
Winter will be gone and not come again
A farmer should on Candlemas day
Have half his corn and half his hay
On Candlemas day if thorns hang a drop
You can be sure of a good pea crop

Said another way, you may have heard that "half your wood and half your hay should remain on Candlemas Day".

So, if he sees his shadow or not...Happy Candlemas Day!

That was a rainy day!

Schaefferstown received 2.47 inches of rain up until 6:00 PM. The official weather station at Harrisburg had a little less, but still set a record for the day. Aren't we glad the temperature warmed up and most of it was liquid and we didn't have over 2 inches of ice!

Boring...still!

Can the weather get any more boring for January? It's not all that cold, there's no snow, there's just nothing to talk about. The next week of so looks like more of the same. I suppose that's good for the heating bills and snow removal costs, but, come on, it's January! As the days get longer and the angle of the sun continues to increase the chances for real winter weather continues to dwindle. Oh, well, spring is just around the corner anyway. Soon time to "un-winterize" the campers and hit the road!!!

As the storm winds down...

Today's storm brought a bit more snow then I expected. The surface temperature was lower so the snow "stuck" as soon as it started. We ended up with 2 inches of snow before the change over around sunset. The total liquid was .36 inches.
Looking down the road, the coming cold front will be here sometime around 3:00 AM. The air behind this cold front isn't all that cold, so the big change will be a shift in the wind to the west with speeds in the 20 to 30 MPH range. There may be a couple snow showers through Saturday until the next front comes by. That one is colder, so watch out for some of the coldest air of the season through at least the middle of next week.

Last minute storm update

It now looks like the "storm" will start out here as a bit of snow this afternoon. It's already snowing above us, but dry air near the surface is preventing the snow from reaching the ground.
I expect to see a change over to ice pellets and freezing rain this evening and overnight with maybe a half inch or so before it all ends tomorrow morning. Colder air will follow for the second half of the weekend.

The rest of the week...

So, you ask, what about the storm coming this way for the later part of the week? Will we finally get some snow? The short answer looks like "no". Yet again we are near the infamous rain/snow line and, although colder arctic air is headed this way for the weekend, it won't be here in time for the precipitation event later this week. Look for mostly (or maybe even all) rain late Thursday into Friday with much cooler but dry weather for the weekend. This mat herald a change to more seasonable temperatures further down the line, we'll see!

Another shameless "commercial"...

Having just returned from a Council of Delegates meeting for Lebanon County Christian Ministries, it seems like a good time for another "word from our sponsor". I looked at the last such post and, since I did such a good job on that one, there seems to be little hope of improving on it now...so here's a re-post:

OK, it's not the sponsor, but here's the commercial anyway. I'm talking about Lebanon County Christian Ministries, now and hereafter referred to as LCCM. Among other services, LCCM operates the local food ban, where both my wife and I volunteer. Check out the web site at http://www.lccm.us/ .
The food bank is always in need of donations...nonperishable food, personal care items, paper products, anything you buy every week at the grocery store. We will gladly accept contributions from individuals as well as churches, businesses, anyone who wants to give.
Readers in other areas, don't despair. Most places have some sort of food bank to which you can donate. Just pick up a few extra items the next time you go grocery shopping and drop them off. It will be appreciated!

The coming storm...

After looking at the computer guidance for the next 24 hours or so, here's the current thinking about the storm for this evening. The precipitation should begin as snow or a rain/snow mix early this evening, changing to all snow later in the evening. Total liquid equivalent could be as much as an inch. If that were to be all snow it could be about 10 inches of snow...don't hold your breath. Given the warm temperatures expected this afternoon, even if the precip start as snow, much of it will melt on contact for the first couple hours.

So, best guess right now...look for precip to start early this evening as a mix, changing to all snow later. Look for snow showers to continue on and off through most of Monday with total snow accumulations around 1-3 inches.

The weekend...

Well, it looks like the snow Sunday into Monday will pass us by. The coastal areas up into New England may benefit from this storm, but not us. The temperatures should be cooler then what we've seen over the last week or so, but still above average for this time of year. Next week could bring a return of more seasonable temperatures and, again, the possibility of a bit of snow. Stay tuned...