2011-2012 Winter... Worse than last year?

[billjustbill]

Are you putting up more wood for this winter than before?

I've read that a long range weather guy with the last name of Bastardi is saying
that since last winter was bad, the second one usually is worse...

What are you feelin'... ?

 

[lukem]

I don't trust weathermen...and I especially don't trust anyone with "bastard" in their last name.

I have enough dry wood for the next 2 winters, so mother nature can do as she pleases.

 

[Slow1]

It will be worse... or better... it almost certainly won't be the same

Then again - better/worse is all a matter of definition. Some like more snow, some like less. Some like it warmer others colder. Can't please everyone all the time. All in all it seems rather early to make any specific predictions for this winter but that won't stop people fro trying.

Last two winters I put up 4 cords in my "ready to burn this winter" pile. I burned about 3 1/4 cords each year. I plan to actually place just over 3 1/2 cords in that pile this year. IF I had to I can always dig into some of the other piles - it just wouldn't be as conveniently placed. I also have about 1/2 ton of envi-blocks left over from my first year burning that I keep meaning to burn... that should be equal to another 1/2 cord of wood so all in all I should be ready for a colder than normal winter if it comes to that.

 

[blowell]

Don't know if it will be worse in terms of cold or snow, but I don't think it could get much worse in terms of when I began burning and when I stopped. I began late September in evenings, and in late October every day until May. Burned about 4 cords.

Then again, I say it can't get much worse, and I jinx myself/all of us, right?

 

[smokinj]

I will start mid Oct. and the winter will be over at the 10 cord mark... ;-)

 

[PapaDave]

I'm feelin' groovy. I've got no planes to catch or promises to keep.
I'm also feelin' sweaty. Pretty hot for the last few days with more coming.
I've been putting up more than needed since 2008, and intend to continue that as long as I burn wood.
I'll check back with Bastardi roundabout April-May to see how he did. Mother nature tends to do as she pleases, not as we want.
Prepare, or be square.
How much do you usually use, Bill?

 

[billjustbill]

I'm feelin' groovy. I've got no planes to catch or promises to keep.
I'm also feelin' sweaty. Pretty hot for the last few days with more coming.
I've been putting up more than needed since 2008, and intend to continue that as long as I burn wood.
I'll check back with Bastardi roundabout April-May to see how he did. Mother nature tends to do as she pleases, not as we want.
Prepare, or be square.
How much do you usually use, Bill?

I'm still new in my 2 year transition to the Lopi from a floor-level fireplace where I built my own insert out of 1/4" boiler plate and 3" channel iron. Then, I used the slowest speed on a newly replaced squirrel cage blower of a neighbor's old gas furnace for air and a set of "Country Flame" airtight doors with spin-drafts.

Here, near Ft. Worth, Texas, with the Lopi and a 2,000sq.ft., 1958 ranch-style home, I've used just a little over 1-1/2 cords of seasoned Mesquite and half-seasoned Red Oak last winter when we had some single digits and more days than usual of snow and ice. That amount kept half the house very comfortable and the bedrooms about 65 degrees. With added insulation, tightened up the house, and the wood EPA insert, we've gone from three 400 gallon fills of Propane a year, down to one tank a year.

Nothing like the sight of slow floating secondary combustion flames and the full feeling warmth of a fire!!

 

[NordicSplitter]

In a word......Barbaric. LakeErie is@ 75F......I'm rite off the lake. One Alberta Clipper after another bringing major lake effect snow. One year we got 7ft in about a week. I hope it shuts this town down for a good week or two! Haha. Have 5 full cords ready to go for my first season.

 

[cptoneleg]

Are you putting up more wood for this winter than before?

I've read that a long range weather guy with the last name of Bastardi is saying
that since last winter was bad, the second one usually is worse...

What are you feelin'... ?

Hot Dog Hot Dog Hot Diggity Dog I can't wait I hate this Hot

 

[Slow1]

Hot Dog Hot Dog Hot Diggity Dog I can't wait I hate this Hot

Hot I can deal with - the humidity folks can keep. I put out a load of laundry on the line this morning. 12 hours later it was still damp despite hitting well over 90*f and having full sun much of the day. (Hmm.. cue up the wood drying relative humidity debate?). Bah humbug. Glad I had to be in the office all day although the company keeps it a bit cooler than I like so it is good to be home again now. Weird to have to have a jacket in the office on a day like today. But I digress...

I like burning season - can always put on more clothes outside or feed the stove inside if cold. Can only take so much off outside in the heat before making the local papers in a bad way.

 

[maplewood]

I'm not built for heat. Let the cool and cold come.
I'll have 16 cord ready for this coming season, and at least 8 for next season.
I'm burning a lot of softwood now - the Econoburn can eat anything. I just need more of the softwood to get the same BTU's from the hardwood.
(Softwood is free to me, from my own property. Hardwood is $130/cord for tree length.)
This winter I'm going to do some pipe insulation on my exposed boiler loops, and lower the basement temp a bit. I may see a reduction for these reasons.
Happy burning.

 

[SolarAndWood]

I usually have 10-12 under a roof by the time the snow flies. Last year we got 6 feet of snow early. That would have been a lot of digging to stay warm. Been there done that won't do it again.

 

[thewoodlands]

Are you putting up more wood for this winter than before?

I've read that a long range weather guy with the last name of Bastardi is saying
that since last winter was bad, the second one usually is worse...

What are you feelin'... ?

Once the snow hits we will be 5 years ahead, we burn what we have to and keep cutting.

zap

 

[peterc38]

Weatherman can't even accurately tell us what it will do tomorrow, so I'm not gonna put much stock in a long range forecast. I just prepare like its gonna be another Maine winter and that works for me.

 

[mayhem]

We won't know till winter what winter will be like. Weather forecasts decrese in reliability the further out you look. The most you can reliably tell from this time of year abuot this coming winter is its going to be colder out.

Regionally the winter up here in the NE was ALOT milder than usual IMHO. We never even hit 0 except the occasional overnight drop...I can't remember any winter in my life that happened before...we usually get at least a few days if not a week or more of extended subzero daytime temps. Snowfall was pretty good, had a heavy precipitation year and it was fun toplay in the deep snow with the plow, snowblower and the kid and the dog loved it.

Best bet is to put up as much wood as you can store or process every year. You're prepared for the worst and if the worst doesn't happen, you're ahead for the next year.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Bastardi does about as good as anyone on these forecasts but one has to remember that if the winter ends up 1 degree below normal, one can still say it was colder than normal. However, it would not necessarily feel like it. Same for snowfall. If one area averages, say, 80" of snow and some year gets 85", it is an above normal snowy winter.

Too early for me to predict although I keep being haunted with the old saying about the weather; one extreme usually follows another. Hot summer, cold winter, etc.

 

[granpajohn]

Are you putting up more wood for this winter than before?

I've read that a long range weather guy with the last name of Bastardi is saying
that since last winter was bad, the second one usually is worse...

What are you feelin'... ?

I believe Mr. B. is talking about the winter after next, (i.e. 2012-2013).
http://www.accuweather.com/blogs/news/story/36990/combination-of-factors-could-m.asp
(That was the easiest link I found. The Weatherbell premium site is now subscription only. It may be almost worth it.)
There are a lot of Bastardi bashers around, but 2 winters ago he called it dead on and he was in the minority.
As with all of life....track record is everything.

Oh, one more thing. We are in a significant trend to colder winters; and forecasting with the trend is usually good.

 

[joefrompa]

Colder is fine. But keep the wind down. I don't care if it's 10 degrees colder if the wind is always below 5mph all winter.

I've got ~5-6 cords of seasoned/seasoning pine and expect to use about 3-4 cords total. Maybe .5 cord of some hardwoods to mix in as well.

 

[BrotherBart]

grandpajohn hit the nail on the head. Winter before last Bastardi called every major event way ahead of time. I thought he quit accuweather and went to a subscription forecast business of his own.

 

[granpajohn]

. I thought he quit accuweather and went to a subscription forecast business of his own.

That's the WeatherBell outfit I referred to. Thanks BB...I should've been more clear there....
http://www.weatherbell.com/
His partner; Joe D'Aleo, is even better. He was the face behind Dr. Dewpoint at Intellicast for some years.
Mr. D'Aleo also has a non-pay site: http://icecap.us/index.php
They've been called the Dream Team of weather, but this just started a few months ago.

 

[woodchip]

I'm collecting standing dead wood as fast as I can, on the basis that if I need extra this Winter it's there to burn.

I suspect we might get another cold one, but will be very very happy to be proven wrong on this one ;-)

 

[Backwoods Savage]

With luck, I'll have enough on hand to run this winter.

 

[PapaDave]

Oh, so now you're a comedian too. :lol:

 

[dafattkidd]

Dennis, when you sign, "over 50 years of heating with wood" Are you referring to your wood pile being able to heat your house for 50 years to come? Don't you think that's a little overkill?

 

[Backwoods Savage]

:lol: Can you imagine the wood pile we'd have for that?