Snow has arrived!

Old Man Winter isn't done with us yet.  Snow arrived over the weekend as predicted.  Approximately 16 inches fell.  It isn't snowing at the present time and the roads have been plowed and are passable, but they are not melted off.  Here is what Cal Trans has posted about Highway 243:

SR 243
CHAINS OR SNOW TIRES ARE REQUIRED FROM THE JCT OF SR 74 TO THE NORTH
BOUNDARY SAN BERNARDINO NAT'L FOREST (RIVERSIDE CO)

So if you are planning on driving up or down the hill, be sure you have chains with you if you do not have snow tires on your vehicle. 

For those of you with part time homes up here in Pine Cove, yes you will have a berm in front of your driveway.  If you need assistance in plowing you driveway out,  you can check with the Pine Cove Property Owners Association, as they have a list of people who do snow plowing on their blog site.  The link is listed on the left side of this blog.  Otherwise, plan to spend some time shoveling your driveway out if you decide to come up for some fun in the snow.

The sun is peeking in and out, but there are still some clouds lurking about.  The trees are covered in snow and it is very beautiful, as it always is after a snow fall.  Temperatures are expected to rise as the week progresses.  So if you want to play in the snow, now would be a great time to come up and visit.

Just use common sense and be prepared for winter driving and cold, snowy weather.  If you are planning to leave your mountain home, please turn your water off at your customer valve prior to leaving.  While leaks and breaks can occur at any time, it is even more important to do it now when there is a danger of pipes freezing and then bursting. 

Snow Forecast

The weather report for this weekend is calling for more snow and cold temps.  Yikes!  Just when you think it is safe to put your woollies away.  You would think I would know better.  It seems each year around March, I get spring fever and anxiously want spring to arrive.  And invariably, we get a big winter storm right about the time I am ready to get out the Birkenstocks and put away the Uggs.  But that is life in the mountains I suppose. 

So as always, remember to turn your water off at your customer valve when you leave your mountain home.  Check the side bar of the blog for websites containing information regarding road and weather conditions. 

Beautiful Weekend Ahead

There may still be a lot of snow on the ground, but the weather forecast for this weekend is very nice.  After some wind tonight, they are calling for  highs in the 50s and 60s for Saturday and Sunday.  Can you say spring?  I hate to get too excited though,  because just about the time I get to really enjoying the warmer weather, winter generally comes back with a sneak attack.  We have had a very mild winter this year, so I can't really complain, but those 50 and 60 degree days just make you long for spring to arrive and for winter to be gone. 

Visions of gardening start dancing in my head and with all the talk this past week of a possible community garden here on the hill, it makes it even all the more exciting.  This is one community project that I hope does come into being.  Community gardens are such a wonderful addition to a neighborhood.  In addition to the food they can produce for those who garden in them,  they are also very good for meeting and getting to know other people and help to establish a real feeling of community and connectedness to others who live here. 

I have found when I am in my own yard gardening, most everyone who walks by, stops to chat.  I have met the majority of my neighbors while out working in my garden.  Gardening is an activity that most every one, young or old can enjoy and participate in and the fruits of your labors are edible.  Teaching children to garden provides them with skills that will last them a lifetime.   Many times more is grown than can be used and so is shared with others in the community, providing nutritious, fresh fruits and veggies to those who might not otherwise be able to afford them.  Gardening is so much more than just a hobby and I for one will be hoping this comes to fruition.

Animal Care

With this recent storm, please remember to care for your 4 legged friends.   Bring animals indoors if at all possible.  For those that remain outdoors, please make sure they have adequate shelter that is dry so they can get out of the wind and snow.  Animals such as goats and chickens can manage the cold temperatures fine if they have dry shelter with good ventilation.  It is essential they have a place to get out of the blowing wind.

Fresh, warm water is a welcome treat that many animals enjoy on a cold morning after a frigid night. Remember, they are dependent on us for their care and we need to be responsible animal owners

Road Conditions

Jerry just got back from Idyllwild and declared that the roads are in good shape.  There is one closure though.  Highway 243 from Banning up to Pine Cove is closed due to a big rig that spun out and is blocking the road.  Once they get it moved, the road will be re-opened.  If you are planning to come up the hill today, you will have to come up from Hemet or Palm Desert instead.

Winter Weather Alert

It looks as if winter has finally arrived.  I got this weather alert email this morning.

WARNING

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT


NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN DIEGO CA
801 PM PST SUN FEB 12 2012


...A SERIES OF COLD WINTER STORMS TO IMPACT SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA THIS WEEK...

SEVERAL WINTER STORMS ARE POISED TO IMPACT SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA THIS WEEK WITH PERIODS OF RAIN AND MOUNTAIN SNOW...GUSTY WINDS AND COLD WEATHER.

THE FIRST STORM WILL BRING LIGHT PRECIPITATION AS EARLY AS MONDAY MORNING AS IT APPROACHES FROM THE NORTH. RAIN AND MOUNTAIN SNOW WILL BECOME MORE WIDESPREAD DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING WITH THE COLD FRONT. RAINFALL IS EXPECTED TO BE LIGHT TO OCCASIONALLY MODERATE WITH A TENTH TO A QUARTER INCH WEST OF THE MOUNTAINS. UPWARDS OF A HALF INCH IS EXPECTED OVER THE MOUNTAINS WHERE SNOW WILL FALL ABOVE 5000 FEET. A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR THE SAN BERNARDINO MOUNTAINS FOR 4 TO 9 INCHES OF SNOW. HIGH WIND WARNINGS AND WIND ADVISORIES ARE I N EFFECT FOR THE MOUNTAINS AND DESERTS MONDAY...AND A GALE WARNING WILL BE IN EFFECT OVER THE COASTAL WATERS.


THIS FIRST STORM WILL MOVE EAST ON TUESDAY AND THE PRECIP WILL TAPER OFF DURING THE DAY. A SECOND STORM WILL APPROACH THE AREA WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. MOISTURE WILL BE LIMITED WITH THIS SECOND SYSTEM...AND PRECIPITATION AMOUNTS ARE STILL BEING DETERMINED. HOWEVER...IT WILL BRING ANOTHER SURGE OF COLD AIR AND GUSTY NORTHERLY WINDS INTO THE REGION WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING.


A BREAK IN THE WEATHER FOLLOWS WITH DRY WEATHER AND OFFSHORE FLOW THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND FRIDAY...BUT THE LONG RANGE MODELS SHOW THE POTENTIAL FOR A THIRD WINTER STORM NEXT SUNDAY OR MONDAY.

So if you are traveling up or down the mountain today, take the necessary precautions.  As of 10 am, there is no snow and it is not raining presently.  It is cold and foggy though. 

Winter is Back

For a couple of days anyway.  It is hard to believe that it is the last full week of January and there is no snow or snow pack.  I do remember other winters where we had almost no moisture and then around February, we would get hit hard.  Will this year repeat that pattern?  Who knows.  But it would be nice to see some snow up in the high country.  Perhaps Old Man Winter is just a little slow in getting started this year.  Time will tell. In the meantime, enjoy this cold, wet weather because the forecast says it will start warming up again by Wednesday.  One good thing about the rain is that you do not have to shovel it!

Weather Update

Can you believe this weather?  We are lucking out for another week with above normal temps and no storm systems.  I don't know how long this will last.  If you have any yard work or abatement that needs done, now is a great time to get to it.  The winds that we had in December made quite a mess, so at least Mother Nature is being kind enough to give us the chance to clean up the mess she made!  What more could we ask for?

New Year approaching

Good Morning blog readers.  Well we all made it through the holiday weekend and the nice weather continues to hold for the coming New Year's weekend as well.  While it is great to have such nice weather in December, it makes the return to winter, and you know it will return, sort of depressing.  But I guess we can just enjoy it while it is here.  From the weather reports, it looks like we will have highs of about 60 degrees all week and into the weekend.  So enjoy!

First Day of Winter?

Tomorrow is the first day of winter, even though here on the hill, winter arrived several weeks ago. But as Christmas Day approaches, the weather is actually taking a turn for the better.  The holiday weekend should be clear sailing weather wise with highs possibly getting into the 50's.  So it seems we will be able to enjoy the holiday weekend without having to worry about any weather problems.  Enjoy your weekend!

Tuesday Morning

Good morning all.  It is a brisk morning, but those winds from last week are gone and the sky is partly cloudy today.  They aren't calling for any more snow this week and in fact, the weather service says it should be in the 50's by the weekend.  So a little reprieve from the cold winter weather we have been experiencing.  The roads still have the occasional icy spots in the early morning from the snow that melts during the day and then freezes up overnight.  So if you are out on the roads heading to work, be careful.  Otherwise, the driving is fine here in Pine Cove.

But don't let the daytime temperatures fool you. It still gets cold at night and water pipes can develop leaks at any time of the year. So don't let your guard down just because the daytime temps have warmed up a little bit.

Turning off your water at your customer valve, when leaving your mountain home is the single most important thing you can do to prevent damage and loss from a water leak or a frozen or broken pipe.

 It only takes a minute and could save you a lot of headaches and money. So get in the habit of turning it off when you leave your mountain home.



With the upcoming holidays, many part-timers and visitors will be here on the hill.  Luckily, the weather will be nice so we won't have snow covered or icy roads to contend with.  It should be a beautiful weekend for this time of year and we hope everyone has a memorable time while here in Pine Cove.

If you are visiting, please remember to find a safe place to play in the snow and not on the side of the road.  County Park in Idyllwild is a great place, as there is plenty of parking, lots of room, to run around and play, rest rooms, picnic tables for a picnic in the snow and no danger of accidentally going into a busy road.

REMEMBER, the turn outs are for cars that need to pull off the road and are not parking areas. It is also dangerous to let your children play in the turn outs because should an emergency occur and a car needs to pull in there unexpectedly, someone could get hurt.  It is also very dangerous to play along the side of the road. So please play in a safe area so that you go home with nothing but wonderful winter memories.

Hold on to your hats!

Update:  At 10 a.m., the sun is peeking through, but there are still dark clouds looming over us, so I don't know what the day will bring.

Wow, what a windy night we had. I was awakened at 3 a.m. by things hitting my metal roof.  That is the trouble with a metal roof.  A gentle rain sounds like a hurricane and small bits of branches sound like whole trees.  So I just lie there awake listening to all the noise.  It has died down some what, but it is still windy and snow flurries are flying around helter skelter.  The sky looks ominous and I don't know what is in store for us.

Here is what the National Weather Service has as the forecast for us.

Today: Partly sunny, with a high near 41. East wind around 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph.

Tonight: A 30 percent chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 30. Breezy, with a east wind between 20 and 25 mph, with gusts as high as 40 mph. New snow accumulation of 1 to 2 inches possible.

I can tell you from where I am sitting here in the office, it is not partly sunny.  We had a small accumulation of snow late yesterday afternoon and evening.   The side roads have been plowed and cindered, but some of them are still slick as it was very cold and windy overnight.   Hwy 243 seems to be OK.  If you are planning to come up, I would advise checking road conditions first, just to be on the safe side. There are links on the left side of this blog to check weather and road conditions. 

Hope you all have your propane tanks filled or your wood shed full.  As always, please remember to provide for you outdoor animals.  Bring them in if possible.  In the case of other types of animals, please provide them with a dry, draft free shelter and fresh food and warm water.   This morning my chickens are enjoying hot oatmeal with apple cider vinegar and sliced apples, topped with meal worms and corn.  They also got hot water with vitamins and have a thick layer of pine shavings in their coop and in their nest boxes.  The warm food and water helps to warm them up from the inside out after a long, cold night. 

Winter doesn't even begin until next Thursday, but it seems as if it is here in full force, so we better be ready.  Hope you all have full propane tanks or woodsheds.  Please remember to check on your neighbors, especially the elderly ones, during these bouts of cold weather.

Winter Weather Ahead

The official start of winter is still over a week away, but no matter what the calendar says, it is here now.  Snow is falling as I type and I have heard all sorts of wild predictions.  Everything from 1/2 of an inch of snow up to 20 inches.  I always say to prepare for the worst and hope for the best.  Emergency preparations are never a waste of time in my book.  I don't think anyone can be too prepared. 

As we go around our homes preparing for winter weather and storms, lets not forget out pets and animals that are outside.  Bring pets indoors when ever possible.  If you can't bring them indoors with you, perhaps you could put them in a garage or other protected area of your home.   If your pet must stay outdoors for some reason, please be a responsible owner and make sure that your pet has an adequate, clean, dry shelter complete with bedding such as straw and a few old rugs or blankets for warmth.  These suggestions also apply if your pet is in an unheated space such as a garage or basement.  Be sure they have plenty of fresh, clean food and water as well.  Many outdoor pets enjoy something warm to eat as well.

It is also important to provide clean, dry, draft free shelters for other animals you may keep outside as well.  Many animals, such as chickens, goats and horses, do fine in cold weather as long as they stay dry and draft free.  They too also enjoy some hot water on these cold, snowy days.  It helps warm them up from the inside out.

The CDC has some great information on their website about preparing for winter storms.  Here is a link to their site and I will put it in the side bar as well.

http://www.bt.cdc.gov/disasters/winter/takesteps/

Please take some time to read over their site and make sure that you, your pets, your home and your car are prepared to deal with what ever Old Man Winter throws out at us.

Post Thanksgiving

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!  The weather could not have been more beautiful.  What a pleasant experience being at the Tree Lighting Ceremony and not freezing!  It was so much more pleasant.  That, plus they didn't make us wait forever to light the tree like they did last year.

This week looks to be fairly nice as well, so enjoy the good weather because you never know when it will abruptly end.  If you haven't already prepared your home for the upcoming winter season, now would be the time. 

Wrap any exposed water pipes, disconnect outdoor hoses from hose bibs, insulate water pipes in uninsulated areas under your house and cover hose bibs with insulation socks.  These may seem like small measures, but they help prevent frozen water pipes.  And as always, please turn your water off at your customer valve when you leave your mountain home.  It is really the single most important thing you can do to prevent a leak or damage from frozen or broken water pipes. 

Last year we had several leaks in unoccupied houses due to the water being left on.  It is a simple matter to just turn the water off at your customer valve.  If you forget to do it, you can give us a call at 951-659-2675 and we will be happy to go out and turn it off for you for the fee of $15.  This is much more reasonable that what the cost of a leak or broken pipe would be.

A little preparation this time of year goes a long way.

Winter Survival

Here is a little something I wrote for the Idyllwild Town Crier.  Hope it helps someone.

Winter Survival by Vicki Jakubac


Winter in the mountains brings to mind images of roaring fires in stone fireplaces, cute, snow covered cabins and children frolicking in the snow. However, there is another side to winter that everyone, whether visitor or local, needs to be aware of.

While winter in the mountains can indeed be beautiful and idyllic, it can also be dangerous. Preparing yourself, your car and your home prior to a storm arriving, will help you survive should a winter emergency befall us.

Some unique challenges we face here on the hill are frozen or broken water lines, power outages and dangerous or impassable roads. High winds and heavy wet snow can topple trees onto roads or houses and you can find yourself being housebound or isolated for the duration of a storm. Preparation is the key to warding off a potentially, life threatening situation.

Any time you come to the mountains to visit, make sure that you let friends and family members know where you are going to be. Power outages are common during winter storms and you cannot be sure you will have phone service or power to charge your cell phone if there is an extended outage. If you own a mountain home, it is best to keep one old fashioned corded phone in the house that does not rely on electricity to operate.

When planning a trip to the mountains, think ahead! Bring adequate amounts of the proper clothing and footwear for cold, wet, snowy weather for each person in your party. Many people are surprised at just how cold it can get during the winter and how wet snow can be. Having the proper attire and footwear will make your snow experience a more pleasant one.

Winterize your car and be sure to have a full gas tank prior to leaving for the mountains. Stock it with emergency items like tire chains, flash lights, snow scrapers, sand and a few old rugs. Make sure you have enough blankets, snacks and drinking water handy in case you get stranded in your car. And remember, if the roads are bad, it is always best to just stay home and wait until it is safe to venture out. Preventing an emergency situation is always easier than trying to rectify one.

If you are planning to stay on the hill for several days, be sure you have enough food and an emergency supply of drinking water to last through an extended power outage. People don’t always realize that if your pipes freeze, you will not have running water. With just a little forethought and preparation, you will have a much better chance of getting through whatever Mother Nature throws at you.

If you own a home here on the hill, winterizing it is the first step in preventing unexpected emergencies such as frozen or broken water pipes, which can cause leaks. Insulate all water pipes and faucets in unheated and outdoor areas before temperatures plummet. Disconnect and drain hoses from outdoor faucets allowing water to drain from the pipe. Seal off access doors, cracks and around vents. Winter winds whistling through overlooked openings can quickly freeze exposed water pipes. When you leave your mountain home, turning your water off at your customer valve is the single most important thing you can do to prevent coming home to frozen or broken water pipes.

Winter can be a magical time here in the mountains, so be informed, come prepared and you will leave with wonderful, winter memories!

What the heck?

OK, who ordered all this snow?  Not me, that is for sure.  I am not ready for winter.  I was highly enjoying our brief autumn season.  Some of the trees hadn't even turned colors yet and now they are flopped over heavy with snow.  That is the funny thing about living here in the mountains.  The seasons can sure trick you.  So ready or not, here we are with a pile of snow to contend with and it is only early November. 

Last night was quite the show as well with the thunder and lightening.  I always find that strange to have thunder and lightening with snow.  I am not sure why, but I think it is weird.  Snow fall always seems to be a quiet type of weather.  So many times when it is snowing up here, it is so very quiet.  I love that.  No cars on the road, no snow plows noisily flying down the road.  The animals all seem to have disappeared, hopefully taking shelter somewhere dry.  The world just seems to go to sleep while the snow silently falls.  Thunder and lightening is not part of my snow picture and I find it somewhat unsettling.

The snow also presents a challenge if you have animals that you keep outside.   Please be sure to give them fresh warm water, clean, dry, fresh food and make sure they have a shelter out of the wind, rain and snow.  Remember, they can't self cater and rely upon us for their needs.  If you take on the responsibility of an animal, please be a responsible owner and see to their needs.

Also use caution when driving because as we all know, the roads here can be treacherous and many times it isn't the road conditions so much as the other drivers on the road.  Beware of people who don't know how to drive in the snow.  I have had many near misses due to inexperienced drivers coming up to the mountains  unprepared.  Go slow and leave a large distance between you and the cars in front of you.  As always, if you don't have to go out, then don't.  No sense risking life and limb for something that can wait until another day. 

So stay warm, stay dry and stay safe.  Hopefully it will warm up and most of this snow will melt away and autumn will come back and give us a few weeks before we settle into winter for good.  I am so not ready for winter.

Heads Up! Weather change coming

Well it is that time of year again folks. The weather can change on a dime and while we have been enjoying nice weather these past few weeks, there is change afoot.  There is snow in the forecast for tomorrow.

Tonight: A 20 percent chance of rain after 11pm. Increasing clouds, with a low around 32. West wind between 5 and 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.

Friday: Rain showers likely before 11am, then snow showers. High near 34. West wind between 15 and 20 mph, with gusts as high as 35 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches possible.

I guess 1 to 3 inches isn't too bad for the first storm of the season, but I am enjoying this fabulous fall weather and would prefer to keep it at least until December.   However, moisture is always needed and welcome, so should we receive some, I will not complain. 

So make sure you are ready for snow.  It is better to be safe than sorry because the weather can be unpredictable at this time of the year.  As always, remember to turn your water off at your customer valve when you leave your mountain home.  This is the single most important thing you can do to prevent leaks.  Please take a minute and check the side of the blog for more cold weather tips.

Also, if you have animals outside, please be sure you provide for them in this colder weather.  A warm, dry shelter out of the elements is essential as is fresh food and water, no matter what the weather is.  Remember, they depend on you to provide for all their needs and it is your responsibility as a pet owner to provide what they need. 

We also have a link to the weather forecast on the left hand side of the blog as well many other helpful links and phone numbers.  I continually add to the list any websites or phone numbers that I think may be useful to the residents here in Pine Cove.  If I have missed any, please drop me a line at Vicki@pcwd.org and let me know.

Springs

Due the the wet winter we have experienced, you may notice that springs are popping up all over Pine Cove!  It may seem like someones water is leaking as some of them are running pretty good.  If you see water running and you aren't sure if it is a leak or a spring, give us a call and we can probably tell you if it is a spring or not by the location. It is better to be safe than sorry.

Still Snowing!

Well, it doesn't look like we are going to get a break from winter any time soon.  At least not until Saturday by the looks of the weather forecast.  On the water front, this is good.  The more moisture the better.  While this type of weather does make life tougher, it is wonderful for our water situation.  Plus we were lucky that at least this recent storm held off until the snow from the previous storms melted off.  So at least it isnt' piled up over our windows or anything. 

So even though it says spring on the calendar, here in Pine Cove it is still winter for now.  It will make spring and summer all that much sweeter and hopefully give us another year where we don't have to move into a higher stage of water conservation.   While we aren't out of the woods drought wise just yet, having these wet winters is certainly a welcome relief.  It may not end the drought, but at least it keeps it from getting worse.  It is so easy to forget we are in a drought when we are sitting here with all this snow, but we have to remember that it isn't what is on the ground that counts, it is what percolates back down into the ground.

So don't put those boots and heavy coats away just yet.  Perhaps in a few weeks we can think about doing that, but for now keep your snow shovel and boots by the door and make sure you have an adequate supply of propane and/or wood so you can stay toasty warm. 

Spring arrives with snow

Well, I knew the weather has been too good to be true.  As spring arrives this Sunday, they are calling for snow.    Up to 11 inches.  While the moisture is fabulous and we can certainly use all we can get, snow in the spring is just cruel and unusual punishment.   I would much prefer it to be in the form of rain, because after all April showers bring May flowers, right?  No where is there a saying about Spring Snow, but what can we do?  We just will have to deal with it and continue to suppress our urge to get outside in the garden.

I noticed some trees are flowering and budding up.  I hate to see this happen.  I always think these plants and trees will acclimate, but they never seem to.  Each year as soon as the weather gets nice, they start to grow or bloom, even if it is only February or March.  Then bam, it snows and they get frozen again.  They never seem to learn or get with the program.  The oak trees seem to be the only ones with enough sense to wait until the end of May before emerging from their long winter nap.  I don't even know if it is possible for other species of plants to acclimate to our climate.  They seem programed to spring to life after a few days of warm weather no matter when it arrives.

So, I guess all we can do is be thankful for the  moisture and take consolation in the fact that spring has to arrive sooner or later and when it does, we will be ever so grateful and excited!