Winter

Nor’Easters, El Niño and a Warm Atlantic Ocean

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One thing not getting a lot of coverage this year is how warm the Atlantic Ocean still is going into December. But a weather video on YouTube mentions this.

While the winter is likely going to be dominated by mild conditions due to El Niño in the Pacific Ocean, and right now the polar jet stream is well north of us and for the most part the subtropical jet stream is below us. That means dry, fairly stable conditions. But one thing to watch is when the jet stream inevitably gets wavier as winter progresses, and we get one of those classic arctic blasts as the polar jet stream dips north. All that energy embedded in the warm Atlantic Ocean could make for one hell of a Nor’Easter.

That is all. Do watch this video.

Ten degrees winter camping threshold ❄

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I find my winter camping gear is good down to roughly about ten degrees. Colder then that things get potentially dicey.

  • My stacks of sleeping bags are comfortable down to around ten degrees, any colder and my feet and hands start to feel cold at night.
  • It seems like my truck’s starting battery and load from thick oil increases at below ten degrees, leading to somewhat sluggish starting after a night of opening and closing doors.
  • My propane heater throws off less heat below ten degrees, the camp stove cooks slower and the lantern is dimmer due to propane and condensate starting to conjeal in the lines and regulators.
  • House / Accessory Battery voltages drop leading to them tripping out due to under voltage much more quickly.
  • Much greater risk of the propane heater or stove malfunctioning due to conjealed lines from condensate and jelled propane, plugging up regulators and propane lines.

I’ve camped a few degrees below ten degrees but it’s not pleasant and leads to more headaches then it’s often worth. But above ten degrees generally things are smooth sailing with the gear and set up I have.

How Long Do You Plan to Stay Here Joe.

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“Tell me how long you plan to stay here Joe,
some people say that this town don’t look good in snow.
You don’t care, I know.“

Railing

It is a life goal of mine to eventually get out of New York State in search of greener pastures, where the winters aren’t as cold, the taxes are lower, the regulations are less zealous. Certainly it would be nice to have winters that are less harsh, but honestly having a place with a good woodstove and snowmobiles make it a little less harsh, although I still hate driving on icy roads in the winter.

But it’s not going to happen next week. I plan to stay in New York at least as long as I have family around, which is probably another 10-20 years. I can’t leave my elderly parents alone, especially as my sister has my niece to take care of and she lives over an hour away. They sometimes fall or need to be driven to doctor. And in New York, at least in the Capital Region, there are a lot of good jobs that just aren’t available in Rural America, were wages are lower and the work is generally harder. Albany is able to siphon quite a bit of wealth off America’s biggest city and if you can live frugally, you can put it away for a better tomorrow.

The wind is cold and harsh. Your dress shoes and pants gets covered with road salt, the days are short and gray. Road salt covers your car or truck, burns holes in the sheet metal and corrodes everything up. The best roads to backcountry are blocked off by the snow, although you have question whether or not you would want to camp in the cold and dark nights of winter. But it’s good, I stay home, I save and invest for a better tomorrow. Heating bills may be high, but their offset by lower fuel and supply bills from road trips.