For people who depend on the weather/prefer milder weather

Min · 09-01-2013 11:11am #1

I am doing this topic as a lot of people on the forum don't depend on the weather for their livelihoods,
It also doesn't go down well in other topics if you happen to hate cold weather.
For farmers, we love early springs, decent summers and a dry autumn that is conducive to extended grazing.

Surveys in the Farmers Journal and the farming independent show farmers need an early spring, due to the bad summer which meant the fodder for the livestock was not as good as other years. There is a fodder crisis as in lack of feed so many farmers will be hoping for an early spring.

In this thread we who like milder weather can ramp away. To be a weather enthusiast you don't have to be a fan of snow and cold. You might prefer warm weather, dry weather, thunderstorms, tornadoes, wind events, rain events.

For me I like mild to warm weather, fairly dry but a enough rain so grass growth is not restricted.
I would be a very stupid person if I was a ramper of cold and snow as it is not in my interest as a farmer.

For farmers reading this, it would not be a bad idea to order in some concentrated feed before the weekend if running low given we are entering an uncertain time with cold and snow forecast.

The grass was growing during the mild spell, but as one neighbour said to me a few years ago - January grass never lasts.

http://www.met.ie/latest/agricultural.asp for things like soil temperatures, once above 6 degrees celsius there is grass growth, above 9C the clover will grow.

Current indications are the soil temperatures will fall below 6C with the chance trafficability will improve in drier colder conditions.

A lot of farmers and indeed a lot of other people will be hoping for things to turn into what happened last February and March, where it was dry and mild.
I think we deserve our own thread, given we are not allowed to post about wanting anything mild in any other thread. It is very discouraging to have nowhere to post about wanting mild dry weather and if posted in any other topic it ends up deleted.
So I hope this is a solution and people who hate the cold and snow can post away to their hearts content in this thread.

Min · 09-01-2013 11:24am

After posting this thread, the latest model run from the GFS - http://www.meteociel.fr/modeles/gfse_cartes.php show a trend that the current predicted cold spell will be short lived and not too bad overall, however know that these are open to change so keep yourself updated.

The GFS 06z has it becoming milder next week with our weather being influenced by the Atlantic rather than the East.
So good news for the grass if this current trend continues.

nilhg · 09-01-2013 1:01pm

I'd like 3 or 4 days of really hard penetrating frost (-8 should do) so I can finish all the bits of hedge cutting on the headlands that are too wet at the moment (be best it these days didn't fall on a weekend) than some nice dry, slightly cloudy weather for a week or two so I can plough all the fields with nice freshly cut hedges.

A dry March would be next on the agenda but that's deep FI at this stage

weisses · 09-01-2013 1:26pm

Here in the west from my perspective mild weather means grey muck drizzle flooding s .. . a couple of my colleagues are par time farmers and had to keep there cattle in loads of time last year because the land was to saturated

Rikand · 09-01-2013 6:08pm

Anything other than frost or snow. Trying to run competitions in the golf club and i really dont need the hassle

AK333 · 09-01-2013 9:53pm

I live half way up a hill in Tipperary - and there is ice on the car windscreen as we speak - I'm terrified my water pipes are going to freeze again - somebody please tell me its not cold enough for the pipes to freeze at the moment

NIALL D · 09-01-2013 10:06pm

AK333 wrote: »

I live half way up a hill in Tipperary - and there is ice on the car windscreen as we speak - I'm terrified my water pipes are going to freeze again - somebody please tell me its not cold enough for the pipes to freeze at the moment

plenty cold enough for them to freeze , if outside above ground ?!! not cold enough for them to freeze in your attic jus yet !! unless u have zero insulation !!!
i noticed this evening the wheel barrow outside had a good bit of water in it from the rain , and it didnt even melt all day , and it was fairly solid too !!
didn get above 2 c here all day . the fog was serious didnt lift at all . in tipp also !

AK333 · 09-01-2013 10:12pm

NIALL D wrote: »

plenty cold enough for them to freeze , if outside above ground ?!! not cold enough for them to freeze in your attic jus yet !! unless u have zero insulation !!!
i noticed this evening the wheel barrow outside had a good bit of water in it from the rain , and it didnt even melt all day , and it was fairly solid too !!
didn get above 2 c here all day . the fog was serious didnt lift at all . in tipp also !

I have a well and I'm more worried about the pipes coming from the well to the house. They are underground but not very deep and froze the winter of 2009 and 2010. Fog lifted here but was constant around the River Suir. Should I leave the tap running tonight?

Harps · 09-01-2013 10:24pm

Its forecast to get milder again in the South and west as the night goes on so the next few hours will be as cold as it gets

NIALL D · 09-01-2013 10:30pm

AK333 wrote: »

I have a well and I'm more worried about the pipes coming from the well to the house. They are underground but not very deep and froze the winter of 2009 and 2010. Fog lifted here but was constant around the River Suir. Should I leave the tap running tonight?

to be honest i dont think the frost would be severe enough to penetrate the ground that much !! yes indeed 09 / 10 was something crazy , im a plumber with 10 years and was flat out with fixing bust pipes and sorting frozen pipes . pipes were frozen under footpaths in places and nothing i could do only they had to wait for the thaw ! also pipes froze in places almost 2 feet underground ! ..

*normally if pipes are buried in soil / clay it needs to be very cold for pipes to freeze , but if they are buried in rubble / stone they freeze much easier as there is so many air pockets under the ground around the stones and pipes the frost penetrates the ground much easier !

id say you should be ok for tonight unless its goina be touchin -4 or that !!
well hopefully anyway ha

AK333 · 09-01-2013 10:40pm

Thanks Niall, you've put my mind at rest, I would hate to have the winter like 2009/2010 - it was a nightmare. Life is tough enough at the moment without worrying about flushing toilets or not as the case may be. I might need a plumber if the worse comes to worse.

NIALL D · 09-01-2013 10:58pm

AK333 wrote: »

Thanks Niall, you've put my mind at rest, I would hate to have the winter like 2009/2010 - it was a nightmare. Life is tough enough at the moment without worrying about flushing toilets or not as the case may be. I might need a plumber if the worse comes to worse.

no prob , but if what is showing on the charts at the moment does happen we could be looking at a similar situation again !!!
time will tell , as you can see in the other threads the guys on here with even the best of knowledge are finding it hard to pin down whats going to happen in the next few days as the charts / models are all over the place at the moment .

Nabber · 10-01-2013 12:12am

I taught a cold winter was good for killing off the majority of a pest/bug populations. So the cold must be some what good for farmers?
I know blueberries and grape vines have a better growth after a cold winter.

My work is not affected by weather so I don['t know the hardship created by weather. But I can respect that it can make peoples lives misery. In and out of work.

Good luck to the farmers if this cold spell comes off and to anyone else.

12-01-2013 5:23pm

I start a new job on Monday so could do without snow & ice on an unfamiliar road!
Things are looking OK at the moment, hopefully no nasty surprises in the morning.

gbee · 13-01-2013 4:26pm

in the past I've got stuck a few times in my storm chasing or snow chasing events.

On several occasions local farmers came out with their tractors and pulled me and my family out of bogs, steep slopes, deep mud, snow drifts and one flood.

So just a thank you, my family has grown up and I've upgraded to an SUV so I hope I won't be needing so much help during the next event.

bb12 · 13-01-2013 9:17pm

thanks for the thread. snow is just an absolute nightmare to deal with. animals all need extra feed and after the summer we've had all forage supplies are running low so we don't need any more hassle from the weather. snow brings a nightmare in driving anywhere to check on herds or flocks...had to get a herd of sheep out of a snowstorm a few years ago and when pulling the trailer of full sheep up over an overpass she started skidding on the ice and we all nearly ended up sliding backwards...nightmare but got out of it thankfully...plus not to mention the terrible effect on wildlife etc...can't understand it at all when people wish for so much snow!

AK333 · 14-01-2013 12:21am

BB12 I agree with you. When you live in rural Ireland or have to work outside, severe extremes of weather are a nightmare and can be very dangerous. I dont mind it really cold at night, helps kill of the bugs/viruses IMO, but as long as it breaks in the morning so that we can all go about our normal day to day stuff. Trying to get up hills with ice and snow, that aren't gritted is horrible.

djmc · 14-01-2013 11:09am

I am a farmer and love snow for a short time
It does make things a bit harder but I see it as a challenge
The tractor will do the job if the car or quad wont.
Dont really mind cold either as long as its dry and in winter what I really hate is months of endless rain if it didnt rain for the next 6 months it would suit me fine.
I am short fodder and hoping for an early spring and dry mild feb and march
but if it snows in january thats ok too

Aoife9 · 14-01-2013 1:40pm

I'm praying the snow passes us by, my poor Dad just had a triple bypass and is due for discharge on Wednesday so my brother has to drive him home from Dublin to Donegal, it's a long enough journey when you are feeling well never mind after major surgery add snow/ice to the conditions and it becomes dangerous so needless to say I am really anxious about the threat of it!

Noffles · 14-01-2013 2:03pm

Was directed to this thread....

Mild today, glad to see it and may it last... I hate snow, to be fair I only started hating it when I moved rural (shocking error on my side) and now live in mortal dread when I see anything about it..

Go away... Roll on SUMMER!!

gbee · 14-01-2013 2:08pm

Aoife9 wrote: »

I'm praying the snow passes us by, my poor Dad just had a triple bypass and is due for discharge on Wednesday so my brother has to drive him home from Dublin to Donegal,

This is going to be torturous, make sure you have plenty of blankets, head gear scarfs etc. You'll probably need to stop every few miles so be prepared for that too, and getting in and out of the car is not an option.

You'll need a med stop too and plenty of fresh air, the air conditioning or the car's heater will aggravate the situation and avoid all perfumes and after shaves and any junk food for yourself as the mere smell of it causes chocking and breathing difficulties.

Travelling, travelling by car is the single worst thing he'll face. Make doubly sure he has his Teddy Bears and really get the driver to pay attention to those speed bumps that he used to fly over, smooth driving, slow acceleration and avoid breaking.

Aoife9 · 14-01-2013 11:35pm

gbee wrote: »

This is going to be torturous, make sure you have plenty of blankets, head gear scarfs etc. You'll probably need to stop every few miles so be prepared for that too, and getting in and out of the car is not an option.

You'll need a med stop too and plenty of fresh air, the air conditioning or the car's heater will aggravate the situation and avoid all perfumes and after shaves and any junk food for yourself as the mere smell of it causes chocking and breathing difficulties.

Travelling, travelling by car is the single worst thing he'll face. Make doubly sure he has his Teddy Bears and really get the driver to pay attention to those speed bumps that he used to fly over, smooth driving, slow acceleration and avoid breaking.

Thank you for the advice, yep we're dreading it alright, he only be a week post op on Wednesday and is doing great but we're all just praying we get him home safely and as comfortably as possible preferably without snow!

Pangea · 15-01-2013 12:25am

gbee wrote: »

Make doubly sure he has his Teddy Bears

munsterlegend · 15-01-2013 12:40am

Pangea wrote: »

That confused me as well....not making light of a serious conversation!!!

slowburner · 15-01-2013 1:03am

Snow is a novelty on this temperate island of ours, so it's unsurprising that many of us eagerly anticipate a change from the usual gloomy winter weather.
The things we associate with snowfall; the reflected light, the silence, the fun and games, the disruption of the routine, are all a welcome diversion from the mundanities of everyday life and a reminder that we are Mother Nature's children, not her manager.
But spare a thought for people who suffer in the snow. Not just farmers - anyone who works outdoors suffers in this weather.
And think of those who are struggling financially; all the extra expense, the heating, the drying, the transport problems.
If you're young, fit, work indoors and financially carefree, snow is great fun.
If you're not, snow is a serious challenge.

gbee · 15-01-2013 10:01am

Pangea wrote: »

It's a medical term.

DOCARCH · 15-01-2013 1:53pm

slowburner wrote: »

Snow is a novelty on this temperate island of ours, so it's unsurprising that many of us eagerly anticipate a change from the usual gloomy winter weather.
The things we associate with snowfall; the reflected light, the silence, the fun and games, the disruption of the routine, are all a welcome diversion from the mundanities of everyday life and a reminder that we are Mother Nature's children, not her manager.

Spot on!

Plus the fact that the sight of snow falling is just fantastic/mesmerizing.

gbee · 15-01-2013 1:55pm

DOCARCH wrote: »

Spot on! Plus the fact that the sight of snow falling is just fantastic/mesmerizing.

Com'on, I'll take your hand over to the ramping thread!!

Pangea · 15-01-2013 3:36pm

gbee wrote: »

It's a medical term.

I see, meaning what?

dsmythy · 15-01-2013 11:38pm

So I'm thinking the rule for this weekend is the further south west you are the safer you are.

Robxxx7 · 16-01-2013 3:31pm

dsmythy wrote: »

So I'm thinking the rule for this weekend is the further south west you are the safer you are.

That suits me just fine .....

For people who depend on the weather/prefer milder weather

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