Does cleaning your storm drains prolong a drought?

[elagache]

Dear WeatherCat home maintenance handymen,

The two forecast models have been threatening the San Francisco bay area with some of the remnants of hurricane Olaf.  I had been holding off checking the storm drains because I didn't want to clean them and then have another prolong period of dry weather when junk might still get into them.  However, I decided this threat was serious enough that I'd better check ASAP just in case there was something seriously wrong that needed time to fix.  So this afternoon I did the dirty deed.  This afternoon's forecast discussion is mixed:

The main focus continues to be for the middle of next week as moisture associated with hurricane Olaf becomes entrained in the flow and moves toward our region. The latest model guidance is in good agreement that at a minimum we will see some rain on Wednesday. Where there is still some disagreement is whether or not the moisture will break up into at least two pieces as it moves to the coast or if it will stay in a solid band. At this point the ECMWF continues to be the most bullish with rainfall amounts and has the energy in a solid piece moving through our entire region on Wednesday. The GFS splits it into two pieces of energy with some of the rain diverted to the north and south of the CWA. even with the drier solution rain looks likely for most spots so pops were increased across the board. If the ECMWF verifies we could easily see an inch in many urban spots with several inches in the hills.

So we'll see if I jinxed the rain or if I was the prudent home handyman!

Cheers, Edouard

[HantaYo]

Not buying new snow tires worked for me so I think you just turned the rain my way    I'll take it!   El Nino has finally delivered some much needed rains and snow (just .96" of rain and no snow at the house).  My daily commute over a 11,000 ft pass was a little less secure with almost bald snow tires. Snow, ice and slush were the norm.  6 cars in the ditch last night, bus putting on chains in the middle of the road and a jack-knifed semi. But the all-wheel drive Subaru delivered me safely home both nights.  I have some new snow tire on order 

[Blicj11]

Subaru has the all-wheel-drive thing nailed. Stay safe.

[Felix]

The Farmer's Almanac is predicting we'll have a very snowy winter along the East Coast while the local 'professional' meteorologists debunk that long-range forecast and insist we'll have higher than average amounts of rain but that it generally won't be cold enough to fall as snow. I guess we'll revisit this debate next spring to see who was correct but in the meantime I've ordered the following to replace my 15 y/o trouble-prone snowblower. I figure buying a new machine will ensure we experience minimum snowfall this winter.   

[Blicj11]

You cannot beat Honda's offerings in walk-behind snowblowers. However, they don't quite cut it here in the mountains. I am attaching two photos. The first one is what is what one of my neighbours a couple of miles away uses. The second, a poor quality photo, is from my security camera and is a selfie of me clearing the driveway with my blower, attached to the front of the ATV.

[elagache]

Dear Jeff, Blick, Felix, and WeatherCat drought watchers and snow removal experts,

Well, this morning the GFS model started to agree with the European ECMWF forecast model.  So it appears that my precautions were prudent.

  . . . However, I must tell all you guys in snow country that when it comes to snow removal, nothing beats one of these!! . . . 



Of course the only rotary snowplows really worth their salt are powered exclusively by steam! . . .

Cheers, Edouard 

[HantaYo]

Dear Jeff, Blick, Felix, and WeatherCat drought watchers and snow removal experts,

Well, this morning the GFS model started to agree with the European ECMWF forecast model.  So it appears that my precautions were prudent.

  . . . However, I must tell all you guys in snow country that when it comes to snow removal, nothing beats one of these!! . . . 



Of course the only rotary snowplows really worth their salt are powered exclusively by steam! . . .

Cheers, Edouard 

Hey, where do I get one of these.  My Kenmore snowblower wheels spin in the drifted snow

[elagache]

Dear Jeff and WeatherCat "industrial scale" snow removal wannabees,

Of course the only rotary snowplows really worth their salt are powered exclusively by steam! . . .

Hey, where do I get one of these.  My Kenmore snowblower wheels spin in the drifted snow

  . . . Well that depends, . . .

If you want one for a model railroad, visit your local hobby shop.

If you want one that is 12 inches to the foot, well that's bit harder to come by.  I know there is a couple at the Roseville, CA yard of the Union Pacific; however, the locals might get plenty upset if you try to "borrow" one of them! . . . 

Cheers, Edouard 

[xairbusdriver]

I think you can still find some narrow gauge equipment in southern Colorado/northern New Mexico... whether it works or not is another story! There are many great vids around on their operation.

You might want to take their <Engineer or Fireman> class before trying to operate the rotary, however!

[Felix]

With a powerful El Ni?o already underway in the Pacific Ocean and chances increasing for strong winter rains, federal emergency officials have urged Californians to buy flood insurance before it?s too late.

Purchasing insurance is the most powerful action residents can take against El Ni?o, said Roy Wright, FEMA's deputy associate administrator for insurance and mitigation, on Friday.

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/USA-Update/2015/1024/FEMA-to-Californians-Buy-flood-insurance-before-it-s-too-late

You already have yours, Edouard?   

[elagache]

Dear X-Air, Felix, and WeatherCat extreme weather planners,

I think you can still find some narrow gauge equipment in southern Colorado/northern New Mexico... whether it works or not is another story! There are many great vids around on their operation.

I'm a big rotary fan because I started out modeling the Southern Pacific which had the unenviable task of moving trains right up one of the most difficult lines straight through the center of the Sierra Nevada mountains.  My first model railroad had a Southern Pacific rotary.  My current logging railroad also is scheduled to get a rotary.  Some logging railroads were is such difficult terrain that at least one built their own rotary.  Here is a link to a picture of the critter:

http://archives.csuchico.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/coll10/id/1351/rec/1

There is even a model kit adding this snow plow wouldn't be too much trouble to my current railroad.

With a powerful El Ni?o already underway in the Pacific Ocean and chances increasing for strong winter rains, federal emergency officials have urged Californians to buy flood insurance before it?s too late.

Purchasing insurance is the most powerful action residents can take against El Ni?o, said Roy Wright, FEMA's deputy associate administrator for insurance and mitigation, on Friday.

I live almost at the top of a very steep hill.  It is just about impossible for our house to flood.  On the other hand, I'm much more worried that all this El Ni?o hype isn't going to break the drought.  The winter weather patterns of past couple years would create conditions that would keep most of the moisture away from northern California.  Already the monster storm that was supposed to hit us on Wednesday now might not bring us any rain at all.  By Halloween we will be back into the 80˚ . . .

So I'm plenty worried, but not about flooding, at least not yet.

Cheers, Edouard

[HantaYo]

With a powerful El Ni?o already underway in the Pacific Ocean and chances increasing for strong winter rains, federal emergency officials have urged Californians to buy flood insurance before it?s too late.

Purchasing insurance is the most powerful action residents can take against El Ni?o, said Roy Wright, FEMA's deputy associate administrator for insurance and mitigation, on Friday.

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/USA-Update/2015/1024/FEMA-to-Californians-Buy-flood-insurance-before-it-s-too-late

You already have yours, Edouard?   

Do they sell snow insurance.  Worried I might get buried and not see daylight till spring

[elagache]

Dear WeatherCat drought watchers,

You may remember that this thread started when northern California was threatened by a lot of rainfall from the remnants of hurricane Olaf.  That was too much of a threat and so I did my storm preparation.  Well, within a few days the deluge was reduced only a limited chance of rain.  Still last night we were expecting 0.1" of rain out of this storm today.  Well today has come and . . . nothing.

So I suppose the answer is clear.  Cleaning your storm drains does prolong a drought . . . .

Oh well, . . .  Edouard