Coming our way. It is supposed to start snowing (all freezing rain for the last five hours) around noon and keep snowing until midnight. TWC still says we will get up to 5" here.

Yup. After melting away yesterday, that's what it looked like again this a.m. It's melted again and we're supposed to get in the 50s today. But that will be a short lived break if the weather people are correct. Mid 30s for the high tomorrow and not supposed to get out of the 20s for the high on Friday. I'm not liking it. I hope it starts warming up this weekend.

Well, I wanted snow! It's 45 and sunny.

It was white here, but it wasn't snow. Large sleet again. Both of the sleet events were almost as large as small hailstones. Very chunky sleet. I don't remember ever seeing it so large. It's usually much, much smaller.

Is there such a thing as "hail-size sleet" Donald?

I'm not sure, Ken. I wondered if it wasn't just a winter hail storm and not sleet at all! Both are forms of frozen precipitation which result in hard frozen ice drops. I expect the definition may be more related to how the frozen moisture is formed than to the size of the ice chunk. My best guess, anyway. I've seen hail come as small as a BB, but it's more common to see pea sized and marble sized hail and after that I think the sky is falling!

My understanding is that sleet is frozen in the clouds and falls in the same form. Lots of "rain" starts off frozen, then when it reaches warm enough air, it becomes rain. Hale is formed first as sleet-size droplets, falls some through rain and that rain sticks to the sleet over and over again, until it is hail. Needless to say, since I am not in a winter-weather ice region, I don't have much experience and certainly not much knowledge how this stuff works.

I've had enough, thank you! Not that I can do anything about it. It was 40F when I got up today, but by 8 a.m. it was snowing and gradually the temps fell below freezing and stayed that way. I think we are not supposed to have temps rise above freezing until Saturday afternoon. That's a wicked bit of cold for us, especially so late. I know the folks up on the east coast laugh at me, but there it is.

I, for one, did not move this far south to be this cold!

I was born in Wisconsin but there's a very good reason (several actually) that I live in Texas. I'm ready to get back to Tee Shirt weather.

dave said: I was born in Wisconsin but there's a very good reason (several actually) that I live in Texas. I'm ready to get back to Tee Shirt weather.

Tank tops and flip flops are my signature look most months. This cold weather is ruining my image

Tee shirt, shorts, crocs and a hat are my usual attire about half of the year. On the other hand, extreme heat, skeeters, tick and flea season are not things I'm looking forward to.

Linda, after I planted Penny royal around my ponds I have not had any fleas or ticks at all for three years now. I am not certain that is the reason but it sure does P.O. my vet to be so irregular buying the expensive flea pills for the dogs.
My issue is fire ants. I do not use chemicals at all here and DE only goes so far. I think this year I just might break down and go nuclear on them. They really ruin my flip flop look

I'd rather think the fire ants are why you don't have fleas and ticks. After they arrived here and got established, the ticks have nearly disappeared. Even the deer the hunters killed are clean of them. I quit finding them or fleas on the dogs and prior to their arrival one trip down in the pasture and poking around in the brush was enough for them to load up with ticks. They also are efficient at keeping cotton fields clean of boll weevils - or so I've read.

needrain said:I'd rather think the fire ants are why you don't have fleas and ticks. After they arrived here and got established, the ticks have nearly disappeared. Even the deer the hunters killed are clean of them. I quit finding them or fleas on the dogs and prior to their arrival one trip down in the pasture and poking around in the brush was enough for them to load up with ticks. They also are efficient at keeping cotton fields clean of boll weevils - or so I've read.

That is interesting. I guess they do have a good function. I met an author of a book that truly believed all bugs are good and I believed it. Except for fire ants. I have been rearranging some things in the garden and digging up some of their mounds. I am actually kind of scared of how menacing they will be this year. I have lost more baby chickens to these beasts than any other reason. Nothing makes me lose my cool faster than a bunch of fire ants biting the beejeeses out of me. I could become a member of the band howling monkeys and would have the dance moves to go along to the tune.

I agree that fire ants are the ultimate insect predator.

porkpal said:I agree that fire ants are the ultimate insect predator.

Well, I got some stuff to think about. Sure is hard thinking fire ants are useful.

off topic! I eat grass fed organic stuff and the market on this is pricing me out. $10lb for ground pork? Me and fam is starting to starve. Any Ideas? I order from Ted Slankers but they have only soooooo much. I have only used then for bone broth these days.

@needrain I have finally developed "cabin fever" and have resorted to creative cookie baking.

Here is my interpretation of Texas Cattle in the Snow of 2015.