Month of January 2024 (Nat’l Avg $3.704)

And don't forget about huge wheels/tires. My neighbor has one, and I laugh every time I see it.

 

With my over—sized tires raising the two Hyundais three quarter to 1 inch taller, the cars maintained high MPG (for a non-Hybrid). I couldn’t have made the tires any taller, but if I could have, I think MPG would have decreased.

 

12:35PM…..Earlier I WAS going to go for a walk in the bottomland, despite the clouds looking darkish. Looked at the weather report & it indicated 85 to 90+% chance of rain. I stayed home. & it is raining now. So checking the weather report DID pay off.

 

10AM…..Woke up in the middle of the night & made up some rice & raisins. Now, with 50% & increasing rain chances, I’ll be dodging rain drops walking to the Senior Center. Lots of beans & rice at the lunch, which I may skip for the church dinner tonight. Any bets the dinner will have beans & rice!
Now, I’m having tomato soup. I just learned to add some diced tomatoes which really makes an easy but good meal. Yeah, I love tomatoes.

3:15PM....Rain chance is only in the single digits, but there are some black clouds toward the west ridge....even a few cloud wisps on the ridge. Unusually tho, the forecast says the wind is stagnant, NOT coming in from the rain west, which pushes rain clouds toward the mountains & increases rainfall. So maybe those dark clouds will stay away.
6:33PM….Yeah, the clouds didn’t come & rain. They left & it’s chillin’. Now we have arctic cold coming(thru the Canadian Frasier River canyon?), eventually going into the low teens. We’ll see if it goes lower. By the border of Canada, it’ll get quite a bit colder.

 

8:30AM....Freezing this morning, with lower temps on the way. I'll dress warm for the Senior Center today. Already had some cereal & now will have rice this morning. To the north some pretty blue sky, but white & black clouds too. Up in northern Canada, some of the towns are below (-50degC). However, the North Pole region above the 80th parallel & after this New Year, has had temperature jumps as much as 40degC above average. This sometimes indicates that warm fronts from the south push Arctic cold off the North Pole to the south opposite the warm front.

To the west is an incoming massive cloud set. Only about 25% chance of precipitation. I think they said there could be some snow.
////////
Now they're saying the snow system is directed more towards Portland, Oregon with less likely snow in Seattle. We'll see. OH, oh. The cloud set to the west is getting darker.

PS, 9:10AM....Oh, oh, again. A bit of snow is falling! Now....more snow. We'll see about my walk to the Senior Center.....

PS I, 1:05PM....Got to the Senior Center OK. Coming back to the apt. the last quarter mile, half snow/hail was coming down lightly. Watching from the apt, its occasionally snow, a trace of slush. Not bad.
In the days ahead, temperatures will fall, but snow chance is in the single digits.

PS II, 3:50PM....Went to sleep, but woke up to lots of snowing now. Must have just started, because the ground isn't covered.

 

Filled up today. Worst tank yet. Last year, I didn't drive the Fit
much until around April because the Prius was my "beater" car.

$3.299 for 87 E10
377.0 miles , fcd = 44.2 MPG.
Pump stopped at 8.874 gal.

There may be 7" of snow by the time I leave work.
It was just beginning to snow when I left home.
Fun ,huh?

 

I have a similar situation, where I was driving the Kia beater last year during the coldest months since gas-only powertrains aren't isn't affected as much by bitter cold. This year, running only with the hybrid, the daily numbers are higher but not that far over EPA.
At least I know I'm doing much better than the crackheads speeding by in the left lane with their Tahoe or Expedition or Ram 1500. We're getting snow next Tuesday, and I look forward to seeing them upside down in the woods on the side of the road, all victims of four wheel drive and three season tires. It may be time to finally get my license plate frame that reads, "Real Men Only Need One Drive Wheel"

 

Less weather impact here this coming week. We had our 1.5 feet of snow last week. The heavy rains a few days after that didn't clear the snow; plenty left. I did have to stay up tending to a leaky set of windows in those specific conditions when the rain comes in with heavy winds from the east.

Due for a fix this spring with a redesign and redo.

crackheads, upside down, one-wheel drive.. you crack me up.

 

4:40PM.....18degF right now. Just came back from a walk. It was chilly, but I didn't think its was that cold. Mergansers, Mallards, & two Bald Eagles were on the river. One of the Balds made 4 attempts to get something from the river, but missed every time. During the night, temp is supposed to get to 10degF. But then, there will be slow warming.

PS, 8:25PM...13degF. The 10degF low temperature forecast remains such, but now spread over 4hours.
Oh, oh, oh.....The forecast changed in the last few seconds, & now the 7am to 8am hours will be down to 9degF. For the last few hours, I thought the forecasters just didn't want to say 9degF.
Oh, oh, oh again....Another forecast says the low temp will be 7degF.

 

5:10am.....One weather report says 8degF, BUT other reports say 11degF. (?) Also, predictions for high winds may occur. Looks like a general reversal of wind directions will occur with winds coming out of the eastern Cascade Mtn passes 25-40MPH, with gusts to 65MPH. Some temps in eastern Washington have been well below 0degF, even below -10degF in higher elevations. Eastern Washington Waterville, WA is -20degF, now. Of course, wind chill makes it colder.
We'll see if we might lose power too. I've been smug, living in a third floor apt & being heated from the apartments next to & below me. But, a general electric power outage might wipe my smug away.

2:40PM.....Walked to the church breakfast this morning. Not too many people attended (due to the cold?). Chilly but no wind.
Watched the Formula E first race of the season in Mexico City. With the ONN 43 inch TV, I enjoyed the race. Pascal Wehrlein passed Sebastian Buemi to finish first. In 2009 an Arctic cold wave moved fast across Canada & the US(set Maine's lowest ever temperature of -50degF). The cold wave moved into Mexico, setting cold temperature records. If the cold wave had occurred today, I wonder if it would have affected the race. That 2009 Arctic cold wave even continued into Central America setting cold records.
So far this afternoon, no wind storm here, so I had two walk-abouts. Some people got some wind tho. Yeah, if it had been windy, I wouldn't have gone into the bottomland.

8:10PM....Supposed to get down to 14 or 15degF from midnight to morning sunrise.

 

9:10AM......12degF. Never got bad winds here. Over on the Eastern Washington high plateau at Waterville, this morning's -12degF. temperature has warmed up 8degF from yesterday. I like Waterville a lot...decaying tho, from a robust hey-day period, that supported the fairly distant Grand Coulee dam, so many decades ago. But recent -20 degF, & historic low of -39degF winter weather? Not my cup of tea for a home town.....cold (frozen) tea at that.

 

Today , -11 deg in Naperville and Elk Grove

Wind WSW 10

33.4 miles, fcd = 42.0 MPG

 

Central and high plains having a rough patch of weather I see. I suppose people get used to it, but too extreme for me.

Joyce (real estate broker wife) has a client doing a pre-closing walkthrough this afternoon. 43 miles each way. Opportunity to do a pack ride. We go everywhere with our all-poodle cockapoo. Oh, first time my workplace has given us this holiday off! Yay.

18°F and sunny. A 10-minute storm cloud gave us blizzard / whiteout conditions late yesterday. Everything is snow covered again. Strange stuff..

 

The High Arctic above 80arcdeg latitude is nearly averaging 10degC warmer than normal. Appears that a southern warm front has moved up near the North Pole, pushing North Pole cold to the south onto Canada & into the US. Watson Lake, Canada is near -30degF & some snow is predicted. Yellow Knife, Canada is -37degF & present Montana is as low as -32degF.

 

Today , -5 deg F in Naperville and Elk Grove.

Wind WSW 14

33.4 miles , fcd = 42.5 MPG

 

7:10AM.....Weather continues to warm. Up to 38degF high today, but then cooling to just above freezing. Precipitation will start into the evening. Supposed to be rain at this time, but we'll see what's ahead.

PS, 10:38AM.....Now they predict that freezing rain will be in the 9PM hour.

PS I, 6:30PM....Now the freezing rain is supposed to occur for 4 hours, till 1am tomorrow.

 

The family that.....takes garbage out together, stays together. First, the little trotting son appeared with his equally little bag, maybe full of garbage, had to lead the way to the garbage drop. Then MOM appeared, with both hands full of much larger bags(full too). Third in line is the daughter, with a little bigger bag (pink too) than her brother's. Finally, Dad, understandably takes up the rear, with 2 very large bulging bags, nearly dragging on the ground. Everybody doing their duty & happy too.....maybe just the kids.

 

Today , 1 deg F in Naperville , 2 in Elk Grove

Wind SSW 11

33.4 miles, fcd = 43.7 MPG

One of these days it will rise above freezing enough that
I can finish cleaning my driveway. Most of it is still frozen snow.

Hoping to go to Detroit again on the 26th. We'll see how the weather goes.

 

10:15AM
From yesterday:

This morning, there was some slush on the ground from the snow/sleet last night. It's been raining pretty good for hours. But the rain is so cold, its not getting rid of the slush. I'm going to take the Elantra to the Senior Center. If I walked, all I would need is to slip a bit to put my back out.

PS....Went to the Senior Center & it was closed. Was wondering if it might not be open. Anyhow, the Elantra got a little exercise. Intermittently snowing now. Higher Cascade foothill elevations to 1300 feet should have 2 to 4 inches(more due to the earlier rain that might be snow at altitude?).

 

Today , 19 deg F in Naperville, 18 in Elk Grove.

Wind NW 3

33.4 miles , fcd = 44.5 MPG

We're having a heat wave.