Climate change is definitely effecting the seasons. We have gone from drought to crazy rain to snow. Records are being set in Northern California, highways are closed and tens of thousands of people are without power. The ski resorts up in Lake Tahoe have gotten about 200″ in the month of December which is great. However the highways leading to Tahoe have so much damage with downed trees and power lines and are closed so skiers cannot get there!
We haven’t had this much snow since 2013. It seems like we used to get one good snowstorm each winter but for the last 8 years or so we have hardly seen a flake.
The first snowfall we had was a couple of days ago and we got about three or four inches. The neighbors just a bit farther out, got substantially more. The snow was very wet and heavy and was complicated by some winds. This caused a lot of damage in our town. Our area has a large number of oak trees which were already compromised by the drought and then saturated with recent rains. Oak trees do not like to be soggy! Many, many trees were uprooted and came down on Sunday night.
This is my neighbor’s house – A huge tree fell on the garage, crushing the roof. It is hard to see but his truck is parked parallel to the garage and is under the tree. Their other car is in the garage but he can’t get to it to see what sort of damaged happened to it. A number of other enormous trees fell on his property. It is a disaster. Our subdivision was hit very hard so there are quite a few homes with this sort of damage. So much so that a Sacramento news team came out and did a story on it.
The power went out Sunday night and the generators started up Monday morning. We are on wells in this area so we need to have electricity to have water. Those with all electric houses are really feeling it as are homes without generators. We have a gas stove so we can cook and the generator keeps the water going. My Mom and Dad are still without power – we got lucky and ours came back on last night. Actually it is more than luck, our power line is shared with the line that powers a stoplight on the highway a mile from our house. If the traffic light goes out, it is at the top of the list for repairing so usually we are not without power for too long.
This is just down the road from us – several power lines in our neighborhood were knocked down. This happened on so many streets – it is going to be a long project to get all of the lines restored.
This is the rootball of a tree that fell on the corner of our road. It is enormous!
Yesterday, before our power was restored, we took a walk through our neighborhood and a PG& E truck (our power company) drove into our little street. Julia and I got so excited!! These poor guys are working long days and nights to get the town going again.
Yesterday the snow got slushy so Ray and Julia shoveled a bit. Of course this morning we woke up to a fresh three inches on the ground! Murphy’s Law I suppose!
I was their cheerleader as they shoveled. So darn unfortunate that we only have two snow shovels……
Now that we have some power, I am going to work on quilting my Meadow quilt. Back soon with a progress update on it. Hope you are all safe and warm, enjoying the wonders of electricity!!
I’m so sorry this happened to you and your neighborhood. Here it is in the 70s and we are expecting a pretty good risk of tornadoes in our area, tonight. Take care of yourself and hopefully everyone will have power restored soon.
Isn’t it wild – the different weather swings everywhere?? Stay safe – hope the tornado never happens or it blows away from your home!
Oh wow, that’s such a mess. I’m so glad that you all are okay and I hope your neighbors can get their power back and then on to repairs and fixes as quickly as possible.
Thank you Yvonne – I suspect it will be a challenge to find contractors. Between the homes lost to fires, these guys are so busy!! Plus the annoyance of dealing with insurance coverage and supply issues. I really feel for the community.
Yes the weather pattern has gone weird over the last 8 years . What luck for you on the electricity line! Did you know that when you bought? Hope you and yours stay safe.
CA Bobbie
Hi Bobbie, No we didn’t know about this. It has been an added bonus for sure! Sometimes we almost feel a little guilty because our street has power and all neighborhoods around us don’t.
Stay healthy and safe – all the best in the New Year.
Those terrible winds made their way here to Idaho the other day. We had a ton of heavy snow on the fir trees and one branch was lost. Nothing at all compared to your neighbors! I feel for the folks trying to get power restored and highways open again. They deserve their pay, that’s for certain! Stay warm and safe.
Thanks Barb – It was a wild storm. I am thrilled to see the rain and snow filling the reservoirs but yikes, this has been crazy!! Happy New Year – hope the year is filled with family time for you and your grandchild!!
Bernie, I’m so sorry you’re dealing with extreme weather. Sad for your neighbors but I am glad you and your family are all safe in your solid house. It’s like the year can’t end soon enough!!! May the 2022 be good to you and yours.
Thank you Elana. This was so much more than anyone expected! We are grateful that our home is intact. All the best to you in the new year!
It has been such an awful year for weather disasters like those tornadoes that destroyed towns. I can’t imagine all the rebuilding going on everywhere between fires there and tornadoes and hurricanes. We had high wind storms come thru our area a few weeks ago and utility trucks from all over the country came here to help so I imagine many of these companies now ask their staff up front “ who’s willing to travel?” cause they go wherever they are needed now. Just glad you are safe and soon you will be with your son and family so someone else close by to look in on you.
Hi Kathy – I was just reading that the power company is bringing in extra workers from other parts of the state so that is encouraging! What a hard job – seems like the rebuilding is constant, isn’t it? Floods, fires, tornadoes – each part of the country has their weird weather to deal with.
Hope your holidays were wonderful – Best wishes for 2022!!
Wow, what a storm, Bernie! We’ve been following the storm that has closed so many roads, but didn’t realize you were that close to it. Hope the clean up isn’t too difficult around your neighborhood.
Oh boy! I love the idea of snow at Christmas but of course the realities are never the same as the fairy tale! Glad to hear you are safe and with power again. x x
Oh no! So glad you are safe, Bernie, but it looks like a lot of damage. Hope your neighbors are also ok. I know what you mean about it being more than luck for getting the power back. When I was a kid, we lived a block from a hospital and were on their power grid. Our electricity always came back super fast–my mom says you could hear the emergency generator kick in. I hope your electricity. continues to stay on and you can snug in your house
That looks more like Minnesota! We have very little snow here this season (so far). Looks like you are making the best of it.
Oh my goodness! Climate change is really bizarre and these odd storms and shifts keep on happening. Glad to see you smiling amidst the mess, and that you were mostly spared any real damage. It is almost snowless in New England, we have a little snow in Maine (we are southern ME) and today it is raining. I do like your little snow dance, it made me smile!
Oh, all this damage makes me sad! The loss of big trees is especially hard since there’s no instant replacement. Your weather woes are real and scary. Our area was hit with the unusual Minnesota tornadoes. Thankfully our damage was minimal and power restored within 24 hours. Now a generator is moving up on our list of priorities!
It’s always feast or famine around here. I’m down river so we’ll probably be on river watch when it all starts to melt.
So sew, glad you got your power back. The things we take for granted. s