Henry Rifle Forums

Been hearing about it all week here in Central Va. and supposed to get really cold with highs in 20's for several days with a lot of what they call
Winter Precip which means snow sleet and ice! Weather info says how much of either depends on how it moves thru. Got everything ready and few more groceries than normal. Generac is always ready and checked it out and the Kubota orange shovel is ready to go if needed. The ice is the big unkown !

Orange shovel!

Forty, take care. It seems you are prepared and have experience with this type of weather event.

Supposed to start here, perhaps tomorrow. We are dropping into single digit temps, getting the rain/snow/ice warnings. Miss T and I are in the 4 - 8 inches area, but the last time we got these warnings and they called for a few inches, we got over a foot, and drifts in the two foot range. This was our first year here, where they said it doesn't really snow in our area.

Yeah negative temps and snow. Got food gas and warm clothes to dig out. It's January. Get through this month and we are a little closer to spring.

The weatherman says it’s currently-4 but my gauge says -9. Tonight and tomorrow he is saying -27 and I wonder what mine will say. I’ve seen it -30 so it might set my record. Long time neighbors say forty years ago this was common and it might last six weeks. The all-time record low is -45. At that temperature propane won’t vaporize. Good thing the tanks are insulated under two feet of snow.

I'm thinking that the generator we bought after hurricane Helene might come in handy for the first time. Started it up yesterday just to be sure...

Sir Henry wrote: ↑

Thu Jan 22, 2026 7:33 am

The all-time record low is -45. At that temperature propane won’t vaporize. Good thing the tanks are insulated under two feet of snow.

My record low here was -46 about thirty years ago. Of course on that day I said we should stay in, but both females just had to go out. Typical.
So the daughter went to see her boy friend and of course when she wanted to come home, her car wouldn't start. Then being a gentleman, he brought her home. He stayed too long and his car wouldn't start, so I took him home, finally.

My propane supplier called me one day and asked if the furnace was working. Then he told me about propane not generating below a certain temp. I asked what I should do if it quit, and he said just build a fire under it.

I don't think so Jack!

cooperhawk wrote: ↑

Thu Jan 22, 2026 9:23 am

Sir Henry wrote: ↑

Thu Jan 22, 2026 7:33 am

The all-time record low is -45. At that temperature propane won’t vaporize. Good thing the tanks are insulated under two feet of snow.

My record low here was -46 about thirty years ago. Of course on that day I said we should stay in, but both females just had to go out. Typical.
So the daughter went to see her boy friend and of course when she wanted to come home, her car wouldn't start. Then being a gentleman, he brought her home. He stayed too long and his car wouldn't start, so I took him home, finally.

My propane supplier called me one day and asked if the furnace was working. Then he told me about propane not generating below a certain temp. I asked what I should do if it quit, and he said just build a fire under it.

I don't think so Jack!

They make electric blankets for propane tanks. In Alaska you don’t see heating propane tanks because of the cold. They heat with diesel.

I detest ice buildup on trees. Does much damage to the trees and causes power outages when the tree or limbs fall on power lines.

South Carolina doesn't see the extremes of cold that some other states see but folks in my area are taking this predicted winter weather event seriously. The two gas stations (yes, only two, small town) in my little town were slammed yesterday afternoon with folks filling vehicle gas tanks and gas cans. The gas cans were in all likelihood for generators. I think I may have gotten some of the last ethanol free gas since fuel delivery from that pump was painfully slow. I speculate that means the station tank was getting low.

In any event, I hope all fellow forum members come thru' this weather event with no significant difficulties or unpleasant situations.

The very best to all you in the path of the coming weather. The western third of the country looks to be spared this time. Feel real bad for the folks in the south that may be experiencing the weather, in particular any ice storms. Stay warm and safe!

We are in the eye, they are saying we'll see it starting tomorrow, first with freezing rain, then a nasty ice storm, followed by a snow storm dumping a pretty good snow (for this area) since we don't usually get snow. The worst of it is supposed to pass out by Sunday evening, heading east.

We have the whole house generator, plenty of food and water, and both trucks are 4x4s in case of emergency. Tina can get to the coops in the Ranger to keep the fowl fed and watered and insure they are safe, and we can insure the property is secure. The polaris gives us mobility in foul weather. Enclosed cab, heat, 4wd, a winch, just in case.

Won't be out in it, unless we have to be.

They pulled snow/freezing rain from our forecast for the weekend/beginning of the week. I do have about 8 gallons of gas available for the generator. The last ice storm we had killed our power for about 8-10 hours. That was probably 10-15 years ago. I remember being out in the garage that morning and hearing "gunshots". Turned out to be limbs breaking from the ice buildup.

They are forecasting a couple inches of snow a week and a half from now, but that's way too far in advance to take seriously. We will get some lows near 20 degrees in the next week or so.

It appears to be snowing here. Sometimes is hard to tell if it’s snowing or a ground blizzard. Lots of drifting and useless to try to keep plowed. It’s best just to stay put and plow after the wind is gone.

We have about two feet.

We are supposed to be below 0 Friday night. Unk how far below, I guess it depends on what site you look at.

I drove past the two gas stations/convenience stores I referenced in my above post and saw that both were out of gas.

Hopefully, both will get a delivery this afternoon (if it has not already happened) but in any event, all of the household vehicles are either fully gassed or close to being fully gassed. But if it turns out that the roads are icy, won't need that vehicle gas.

It's going to be a pain for lots of people in the lower states. They don't get many storms like this, but we do, so most of our roads are pre-treated and snowplows are stationed throughout the state, utility crews are on standby, and municipal parking bans are already in effect.

Some folks here will be in absolute heaven. It's actually been a while since we've had a significant snowfall in my town. It's supposed to be the heavy, wet stuff that's great for kids and challenging for adults. It will be an absolute pain for lots of folks up here, too. Ice and wet snow suck.

I have a short driveway and a large deck, but my back is unreliable so I can't even think about doing it anymore. Luckily, I have a reliable neighbor to do it for me. We're expecting up to a foot and maybe more by Monday afternoon.

HenryFan wrote: ↑

Thu Jan 22, 2026 4:56 pm

I drove past the two gas stations/convenience stores I referenced in my above post and saw that both were out of gas.

Hopefully, both will get a delivery this afternoon (if it has not already happened) but in any event, all of the household vehicles are either fully gassed or close to being fully gassed. But if it turns out that the roads are icy, won't need that vehicle gas.

My cars are full of gas but my tractor only has two hours of diesel. I need to fill my three 5-gallon cans.

Sir Henry -

Do you use your tractor to plow snow?

HenryFan wrote: ↑

Thu Jan 22, 2026 6:18 pm

Sir Henry -

Do you use your tractor to plow snow?

Yes.