Monday, December 29, 2008
Begone, 2008! And take the weather with you!
Oh my gosh, the weather has turned off just nasty here in the Mat Su Valley. Depending on where you live, and the surrounding terrain, you could have maybe five to ten degrees above with winds gusting to 75. Or, it could be dead calm and -20!
At my place, I am right now at 5 degrees above. Winds are moderate, I hear no really big gusts just this moment. I would estimate the winds at 10 to 20, roughly, enough to drop down into the negative category on wind chills, but bearable. In other areas, temps are just dropping like a stone, with -20 degree readings in some places.
You can go to www.wunderground.com and type in 99629 or 99654 and once that page loads, scroll down to the bottom for a list of weather stations and current conditions around the area. If you live here, and think the weather is bad, just type in "Fairbanks, Alaska" and see just how bad our northern neighbors have it :(
Yesterday, knowing this was coming, I snagged my cousin and we went to my shop to load up on munchie hay. I always try to buy 100+ bales of this hay, which I prefer to be mixed grasses, barely fertilized, just dry and clean. I had quite a bit stuffed into the storage container there, so we loaded up another ten bales, to augment what I had on hand at the barn. Wow, the wind was howling across the Palmer Wasilla Highway and it was terrible! We also tossed on some of the imported hay as I haven't been able to get bundles home due to broken brakes on the forklift. Last night, I fed out nearly a whole bale of the munchie hay, in addition to regular rations. They've been eating this munchie hay for a while now, just a little bit-just in case. This morning, they weren't exactly hungry, which is always good.
We also loaded up firewood the day before yesterday, and brought more to the house yesterday afternoon. When it gets to be -20 plus, it's just miserable doing outside chores and I know this deep cold is coming in a day or two. In preparation for that, today I will be suiting up and topping the stock tanks again. Everyone gets a hot mash when the conditions are like this, and I drop all concentrates and add extra salt instead. Can't run the risk of impaction colic at these temps!
Today I also have a few chores in town, and I am not looking forward to that! I also have to arrange the repair on the forklift, without which I am totally out of business there at work. Since I have this week off, I am hoping to just hunker down here at home, and take care of the horses as best I can.
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So far, the ambient temperature haven't been too bad, in the 4 to 6 degree range (above). Yet, not that far away, temps are plummeting. Any place with winds is in positive territory, but where it's calm? Temps down to -26 in the Butte area for example. (The Butte is east of Palmer along the Matanuska River)
Weather folks are calling for lows in the Interior of the state (That would be Fairbanks, Salcha, Nenana, and all the Interior villages) to reach between -50 and -60 below.
Having lived in Fairbanks in the late 70s, I do personally know what those temps are like. I extend my heartfelt sympathies and concerns for all residents up there. I can't imagine having horses at those temps either, I just can't. The last big cold spell down this way was nearly a decade ago, we had temps down around -30 for three whole weeks. I did have a recovery horse at the time, and between three big mashes and two blankets with a snuggy underneath, he actually gained weight.
Last night, we topped the stock tanks, and of course fed out a lot of hay, and I do mean a lot. We still have winds but not the huge winds of the central areas-but maybe ten to 15 mph with larger gusts to around 25 to 30 mph. It's pretty brutal, that's for sure.
Stay warm, and if you have horses up here, stay in touch with others who may need help. In these conditions, we all need to pull together to get through it!
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