Winter Officially Begins

When Kalamazoo churches cancel Sunday morning services, that means the weather is on the "totally hostile" edge of the bell curve.

For SW Michigan today "totally hostile" means temperature at zero (-18C), high winds with a wind chill temperature of -17F/-27C, and blowing, drifting snow. The salt doesn't work on the roads and anything cleared of snow fills in rapidly with the blowing snow.


Things are expected to get worse overnight.

From the National Weather Service:
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GRAND RAPIDS HAS ISSUED A BLIZZARD WARNING...WHICH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 AM EST MONDAY. THIS REPLACES THE WINTER STORM WARNING...WHICH HAS BEEN CANCELLED.

WINDS GUSTING TO 40 MPH AND HEAVY LAKE EFFECT SNOW SQUALLS WILL REDUCE VISIBILITIES TO BELOW A QUARTER MILE WITH WHITEOUT CONDITIONS ON MANY ROADS TONIGHT. WIND CHILL TEMPERATURES WILL BE WELL BELOW ZERO TONIGHT.

There hasn't been as much knitting getting done as I'd like because I've been sore from shoveling.

There isn't going to be any more shoveling until it warms up a little, so I'm planning a knitting evening tonight instead of the church Christmas concert I was looking forward to attending.


We've kept the bird seed flowing out the door today.

Still, this Bluejay wants to know if he can come in and warm up for a while.