Winter Storm Fern 2026 Check-in and Hot Beverage Bar

Forums: Weather, Community, Snow, Winter Storm Fern, Frozen Us
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Greetings from a Winter F'ing Wonderland, AKA the World's Largest Snow Globe.

Are you affected by the unfolding situation of much white stuff falling from the sky and wreaking havoc with the lives of literally half of the US (both geographically and population-wise)?

Evidently, over a million people in the south are sans power right now, undoubtedly due to ice (not ICE) accumulating on power lines. Although I imagine if ICE were to perch on power lines, a similar thing would happen.

Here in the ole hub o' the universe, we've currently gotten over 4" although RP says he thinks it's more. See: https://www.wcvb.com/article/snowfall-totals-massachusetts-jan-25-2026/70128638

We just bought a new microwave. Set the old one by the curb yesterday, and some neighbor took it. I fully expect it to become a space saver by morning. Extra points if someone plugs it into an outdoor outlet and heats up cocoa in it (mind the flaking paint on the ceiling of that thing; hence the replacement).

Oh, and this is image is from a severe weather site in the EU:

https://www.severe-weather.eu/wp-content/gallery/andrej-news/live-tracker-winter-storm-fern-update-snow-ice-frigid-cold-polar-vortex-united-states-globe.png

Eek!

How are you holding up? How many inches ya got? Take yer minds outta the gutter.... How are you keeping warm?

We tend to not keep the house very warm in the winter ('cause bills) but it's lovely in here right now, because outside currently, it's a tropical 21 but per the Weather Channel, feels like 9. We seem to be firmly ensconced in double digit temps now, but tomorrow AM, it'll go down to 11 (insert quote and accent from This is Spinal Tap here, RIP Rob Reiner).

Of course, if you want to share info on your hot beverage of choice, or how you're keeping yourself warm, or music about cold and snow, or you just want to yak, please feel free. Let's hold off on politics, apart from any requests or prayers for FEMA to get a lot more funding 'cause they're gonna need it.

Many thanks and please don't add rum to your cocoa if you're running a snow blower or driving a snowplow*

* PS I recall timberlandko used to drive a snowplow for his town so I tend to think of the big guy at times when the weather is like this.

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Type: Discussion • Score: 5 • Views: 180 • Replies: 14

@jespah,

This afternoon I went out and maneuvered the snowthrower into position for tomorrow – it felt like it was going to snow. It started at for real at 5:00 pm. I'd just gone out to fill the covered bird feeders and replace the water in the heated bird puddle. Then I retreated to my living room to read Dorothy Sayers with a purring cat in my lap, my weekend bourbon on the little end table. About five minutes ago the first plows were heard. I shined a powerful flashlight beam down the hill toward the harbor and it illuminated a beautiful diamond-covered landscape. The thermometer reads 4º – that's good. As long as it stays frigid the tree branches and powerlines will be secure and the roads will stay ice free. The worst of winter always occurs when the temperatures are in the 29º - 31º range and the precipitation doesn't know what form to take.

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Our last rain was around 4 AM. Since then it has been in the twenties. My porch steps have ice. I didn't move my porch cactus, just eased a lidless ice chest over it. If it dies I can get another. Going to be low 20s or teens Mon AM. My one worry is that a pipe could burst. Mobil homes are not well engineered.

1 Reply

@edgarblythe,

Hey edgar, I was hoping we'd hear from you. Glad it's not any worse. Do you still have power?

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@hightor,

We never lost power. The rain and ice is not so bad, if I don't drive. As I said, my only real worry is if a pipe bursts.

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According to local news, Boston got 15" as of ~ a half an hour ago.
https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/boston-massachusetts-snow-totals-january-25-2026/

We have a good chance of getting another 4" by morning, it seems.

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We were snug in our bed underneath covers and electric blankets, when a rainstorm battered the house and boomed thunder. I awakened to discover Ringo, the Belgian Shepherd, standing by the bed, terrified. I got up and sat with him on the couch the rest of the night. He doesn't mind cold or a little rain, but thunder is a big no no with him.

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@edgarblythe,

Quote:

As I said, my only real worry is if a pipe bursts.

Do people use "heat tapes" down there or are these temperatures so rare that it's not worth it?

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As of now, only 3½" here on the coast but more expected throughout the day; no "warming" in sight until the weekend when we might see the mid 20's.

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@hightor,

This is kind of funny – when I got up I wanted to know how much snow had fallen as it was still dark and I couldn't see much. There was a wind so I could make out that there were drifts in some places and while other places were scoured clean. So, it being the 21st century and all, I did an online search, putting in my zip code and a query for the depth of snow. That's how I got the report of "3½ inches". The [url=precip.ai/snow-totals/]site[/url] now reports "2½ inches". I just walked outside. It's at least a foot. So much for AI!

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I'm not certain how people with real houses handle pipe protection. My mobile home has a layout of pipes you can't drain. I drip faucets. My one outside faucet, I cover it and most of the skirting on that end with a huge pile of pine needles and leaves. Never had a broken line due to cold, in 30 years, but there is always a first.

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We only have a few centimetres of snow (again, because it has been snowing since last night).
The snow in front of the house is relatively easy to remove with a broom (and a snow shovel where necessary).

However, it is a problem for younger drivers in particular, as many are driving in snow for the first time. (For years, there was virtually no snow here in winter, unlike in the past).

We rarely have problems with frozen water pipes here, as they are all buried deep enough in the ground and in the masonry.
There are also no power cuts due to snow*, as the cables are underground. *(Exception: the Münsterland snow chaos of 25 November 2005 is considered one of the most severe power blackouts in German history, caused by heavy, wet snow masses that formed tonnes of ice on ultra high voltage overhead power lines. [And we got more than 50 cm snow])

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@edgarblythe,

>I'm not certain how people with real houses handle pipe protection.

In the north, houses are usually constructed with basements, or a dirt-floored fieldstone cellars in really old houses like mine:

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftse4.explicit.bing.net%2Fth%2Fid%2FOIP.odknIAdXFFc-VbUD_Y2wsgHaFj%3Fpid%3DApi&f=1&ipt=ad6d4a03bc2263a417cfb2647547a4846d7e85ad4da87c03fd3886bc4f2b99ee&ipo=images

or at least a concrete frostwall"

https://s1.qwant.com/thumbr/474x315/9/f/b68b16864174d7e391f3ad2191147207d117b47c48019e59b6fd8977ee6a7d/OIP.VJL8wBNpJAZfD9spSPRurQHaE7.jpg?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftse.mm.bing.net%2Fth%2Fid%2FOIP.VJL8wBNpJAZfD9spSPRurQHaE7%3Fpid%3DApi&q=0&b=1&p=0&a=0

There's usually a crawl space where the pipes run before they turn up and go through the floor. These pipes can be accessed though a trap door. Ground temperature and insulation usually prevent freeze ups. A bigger problem – pipes that run up to the second story in exterior walls. Inadequate insulation or failure to drain pipes during a long winter absence can cause water damage that's expensive to repair, especially if a water meter is running all that time.

Fort years ago, when I had a hell of a lot more energy and ambition, I re-plumbed the lines going to my kitchen. Took them out of the dirt-floored crawl space and redirected them through an interior wall and then behind some cabinets to the sink. Haven't had a problem with frozen pipes since.

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@hightor,

I once lived in Providence. Also Kansas City.
Years ago I helped a van driver unload his truck at a house in Dallas. As we worked, I observed with amusement, the family, just arrived from the northeast, swarming the property, looking all over for the basement. We all know the results of that search.

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@edgarblythe,

Quote:

... looking all over for the basement.

I remember chai relating a similar tale!

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Winter Storm Fern 2026 Check-in and Hot Beverage Bar

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