Snowpockolipse, that was so 2017! A Short Warmer Winter in 2018.

Yes, a bit over a year ago, as I write this post, there had been the dump of right at four feet of snow from February third to the fifth. An area record that was then compared to the winter of 1996 which had been the most snow in the recent history with memories of up to thirteen foot deep drifts.

From last year, February 6th, 2017

Above and Below: When we woke up to go to work that Monday morning we were, as everybody in the region was, very surprised to find so much snow had fallen overnight from Sunday to Monday. As we took stock of what we would need to do I measured several spots to be over three feet deep on our property. We weren't going anywhere fast that day. That one pathway was made by a cat getting from the parking area to the back porch to be fed.  

Below: Our travel trailer at the time, a Forest River Wildcat Maxx at the time that February morning was well buried. 

During last summers vacation, we were parked for a couple of nights at the KOA in Miles City, Montana. As we were all sitting and the grandkids playing outside the RV, I first noticed the rear jacks were actually slightly curved, not straight anymore. And I had thought we'd been lucky the roof didn't cave in from all the snow! We didn't trade this RV in for our new 5th wheel because of that, but after discovering the bends and seeing what it was possibly going to cost to get them fixed, I was OK with the new 5th wheel, plus the Jayco has a much better layout for the grandkids coming along for the trips.

 Above: Stacy and I wound up spending the entire day clearing the driveway and around the house so we could get out! The above photo is taking a bit of a break since the snow thrower was icing up and would not throw snow until the auger was cleared, we used water which is the spots in the snow in front of the machine.
No mail was delivered, not many people got to work that day either in the whole county. Stacy had to cancel a flight she was to go on to Boise for meetings because it took all day to get dug out.
Below: Our mailbox after I dug it out enough to get mail delivered the next day.

And now, February 6th, 2018.

Above: although we did get some snow and had a couple of good snow events, the most being about two feet of snow, overall it was a warm winter for our region. Both these photos could easily be from mid-March by the snow disappearing as quick as it is. 

Above: Comparing the photo back up in the post of the old Wildcat Max trailer in February 2017 with this, the February 2018 photo of the Jayco 5th wheel and the lack of snow weighing in down. Earlier in the winter, we did get about 2 feet of snow at one time but that turned out to be the most all winter at one time. Any other snows and there were a few, were usually in the 3 to 5 inches type with often warmer weather coming through within a day or two of the snowfall quickly melting the accumulations back down to the real frozen snow on the ground.  

The winter of 2018 has been generally warm especially compared to last years or even much of the midwest and east this winter. It still seemed like the real winter weather started about mid-state Montana and eastward. We had a few weeks of real winter weather, it even got close to zero a few nights with the 'highs' in the teens, but more often than not, and throughout most of January, it was highs in the mid to upper 30s and lows in the low 30s with no real variation here. The last couple of weeks it has been in the low 40s during the day and upper 30s at night. Well above what used to be "normal" for this area at this time of year. 

Above and below: Taken yesterday, the eighth, showing the springlike conditions in what used to be still dead of winter in this area. Above is what will be an Alfalfa field in a few months and below, the "Road Closed" signs are already posted limiting heavy truck traffic on most all the off the highway back roads. Locally it is called the "Spring Breakup" and is due to the frozen ground melting even under the road surface which can weaken the blacktop so heavy trucks can really damage the roads not to mention the area dirt roads that can become muddy quagmires with the saturated ground melting after being frozen a few feet thick for the last month or two.  

Above and below: Also taken yesterday the 8th, a week ago there was still a layer of snow/ice all over the grass areas at the Armory offices. Now, the snow is all but gone, and the grass is already turning green! The last little bits of snow are as shown below. There is still a bit more piled up in the parking lot here and as you can see in the photo above although it looks like a dirt pile that's all snow and ice across the street. 

So, an early spring? Maybe, probably! Could we get more snow? Of course! Yesterday it was in the upper 40s and then last night it got down to 23 and the high today has only been 28 with a cold wind blowing. Overcast all day but nothing falling from the clouds. It is highly unlikely we could get another big snow event. Even last year there was not really any more snowfalls after the "Snowpocolipse" of February 5th and 6th, and yes we've had snow falling in June before but not enough to stick much or stick around more than a day or two in the shady spots. 

Positives for us is almost no use from our wood piles at home due to Stacy's father being at the Restorium and the warmer weather meaning our one always on gas heater in the basement could adequately keep the house warm enough.  

Until next post, Tad