Posted on 10/07/2013 6:29:58 PM PDT by Olog-hai
A record-breaking storm that dumped 4 feet of snow in parts of western South Dakota left ranchers dealing with heavy losses, in some cases perhaps up to half their herds, as they assess how many of their cattle died during the unseasonably early blizzard.
Meanwhile, utility companies were working to restore power to tens of thousands of people still without electricity Monday after the weekend storm that was part of a powerful weather system that also buried parts of Wyoming and Colorado with snow and produced destructive tornadoes in Nebraska and Iowa. At least four deaths were attributed to the weather, including a South Dakota man who collapsed while cleaning snow off his roof. …
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Ah, cold snobism and elitism. Hahahaha. Boy, do you ever need a life. I don't plan on going to ANY climate that is cooler than 50 degrees or warmer than 70 degrees. Well, that's a lie; I'm going to Cancun for Christmas with an old friend and her family.
I do know what hot is. I lived where the weather was 146 degrees (in the open desert) with 95% humidity. The water (sea-200 yards away) was 95 degrees and it felt cool compared to the air temperature.
Fortunately we were paid EXTRAORDINARY wages to put up with the weather and we could get our homes down to 60 degrees, with double compressors. We were able to buy a house in San Francisco after two years, return home after five years and pay off the house in nine years. Husband is passed away and I don't live in that paid-for house anymore, but sold it for a FORTUNE.
So, you stay tough up there in the minus 60 degree (F) weather and WEAR YOUR WOOLIES!! It hasn't BEGUN to get cold.
****Get your ticket for a short vacation in Florida or Mexico for a quick, though temporary, thaw-out.
Ignore the troll.
I think I may work off some anger first, then I’ll sleep.
I always felt bad for the vet. We had a cow break a leg in a feeder; he was out at 9 or 10 that night diagnosing and helping us put her down. Both of my kids have been to the vet to “assist” with c-sections on cows.
Again Mr Idiot, you assume we are not?! Newsflash, I can multi-task. I am just as passionate about what is going on, but don't come on here - act like an idiot and like you know something when you have no clue and insult the best people in this country and expect to get a pass. Won't happen. And I'm glad you aren't married to me either - I married a man with intelligence who loves that I am passionate and fiesty.
I live in Rapid City. Look at a map, dude. It is in South Dakota!!!!!!
Slaughterhouses better rock
Are you sure?? (I am kidding of course).
I just went to the NOAA site for Rapid City to check their forecast discussions, which you can find on most NOAA websites.
The first time they looked at their models and issued the blizzard warning was 3:22 pm, Thursday October 3rd. By that late in the day, there was precious little any rancher could do. The next day, the blizzard set in.
That’s how little time they had: About 12 hours from the prediction to the start of the heavy snowfall.
Here’s the link to the discussion:
Now, fast-forward through several updates to about 12 hours later, and you see how NOAA changed their tune - big time:
Again, there was no “several days’ notice.” There was at most, one day - and more like 12 hours.
No one here is looking for government hand outs. We look after ourselves and each other. We pull together. We are true “red state” conservatives. You insult me, my friends, my family and my neighbors.
I'm not going ANYWHERE bad with the comments. It's a tough life you chose. You LOVE it and that's enough for you. You are lucky to be doing something you love. It has its risks but they are obviously worth it.
I don't recall being snide about ranchers. So, you HOPE tragedy and hard times for the ranchers makes me feel better? Well, talk about snide. Lol. Did I hit a nerve? Sorry! But, never mind. You must be having a hard time THESE days and aren't up to FReeper comments. No problem. Whine away. We all try to develop thick skins.
By the way, people who experience failed businesses CHANGE their business to something more safe, reliable, dependable, whatever.
It has been made CRYSTAL CLEAR to me about the risk of ranching. But, it's what you chose so ENJOY.
And don't forget to book a week in some place WARM for the coldest part of winter. That would be January and February. Better make it two weeks.
I am truly amazed that so many seem to second judge and scorn ranchers and feel no compassion for someone in hard times. I was raised that the cattle come first as most all ranch people are so I know the heartbreak that comes from the effort they must have made to save all those cattle and then not be able to save them all. I feel every loss, even of old critters.
It is hard to adjust to agriculture if you are not born into it. I knew a city girl that was convinced that her husband was having an affair when he would leave at all hours during calving season. After she cried on my shoulder I told her to get up and go with him, help him- and she started doing that and she fell in love with the life, which of course she had to or lose him eventually. I think it is hard for others to imagine someone willing to put up with the long hard hours, the worst mother nature can deliver, the financial uncertainty and still be in love with the life.
I once found the perfect birthday card for my father-in-law, it said on the front I was going to give you a million dollars for your birthday...then when you opened it up inside it said but I knew you would just keep ranching until it was all gone...
Lol. I don't blame you one bit. I live in the city and love it but I live in an extraordinary area...trees, owls, blue jays, skunks, raccoons, eagles (red-tailed), hawks, squirrels (of course) and the usual field mice.
One thing about having animals around. If there are "wild" animals around [See above.], there are no human beings anywhere near.
Exactly.
The point I’m trying to make is that the weather models here aren’t anywhere nearly as advanced as they are in other states. One of the reasons why the winds are so high in the WY/SD/ND area is because we get these HUGE changes of barometric pressure as fronts slide across us - and sometimes the weather-guessers can tell us that we’re going to get winds of 70MPH, and sometimes they can’t. The failure in models isn’t just for snow - it’s for everything we go through.
I’ve nearly had the windows torn off the house (I’d like to tell people right now, for the record - do NOT buy or build a house with casement windows in these areas) when the sky was clear blue overhead. Nothing but stars visible in the middle of a nice summer’s night.
What happened to cause the wind? Easy - only in hindsight. A very large t-storm up in Montana died. The huge convection build in the storm cells dies a rapid death by about 2200 in the evening, and all that previously heated air lofted up to 50K feet has now cooled and comes falling back down towards the ground. People for about 100 miles around get this huge 10-minute windstorm as this huge body of air literally falls out of the sky.
Does NOAA have any way to predict this? Heck no. We call them “Wyoming WTF?! winds.” They’re the reason why you never leave doors and windows open in the shop or outbuildings once you take your boots off for the evening.
As for AGW: the AGW models have little to no predictive skill. They can’t even hind-cast what we’ve observed well, much less make forecasts into the future with high confidence. I’ve noticed that IPCC keeps pulling down their expected temperature rise with every report - which means that they’re grudgingly admitting that there’s little need to panic and run in circles like our hair was on fire or something.
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