Thursday, January 08, 2009

The Dreaded East Wind


Ahh, the weather. One would think I would get tired of talking about weather. Half a foot of snow last night, results in knee high drifts. It was the dreaded East Wind this time. Normally the wind is from the west, but occasionally, a tendril of low pressure hammers up into Canada causing the usual frigid Canadian airflow to hook around in behind and freeze the humid southern breeze. The result is a horizontal blast of tiny snowflakes which packs into the engine compartments of cars and drives up under soffits where it will melt when the sun comes out. The East Wind is a beast that gusts and knocks trees over, lifts shingles and drifts snow. The East Wind is a fighter though, mean, nasty and quick...a welterweight that comes in, strikes, and slides back out of reach. It never lasts long, and always eventually gives up fighting against the mild mannered but bone chilling North West Wind. Last night, I brushed off the outdoor hot tub and luxuriated in the steam as the two great fighters stopped to catch their breath. The moon actually came out for a brief apperance, and like the high heeled honey holding the sign announcing the next round in a boxing match, didn't stay nearly long enough. Second round came in about one in the morning, leaving only an inch of snow, and the match to the west wind.


So today will be hours of hammering steel, interspersed with hours of shifting snow.


1 comment:

Jennifer said...

Yikes!! I could not stand those Canadian winters for even one week. Winter has not been nearly so bad here this year.....KNOCK ON WOOD! We get more ice than snow these days. When I was little I remember a lot more snow. But we normally do not get hit with anything substantial until February or March. It is freaking COLD though!