Gone with the wind.

[Bibbyman]

Wind speed right now is 28mph gusting to 38..  It's driving me nuts! 

There is no way we can saw in this wind.  The sawdust just chews us up.  Even with doors on our building, the wind will whip around and come in someplace and churn up the sawdust.

I've spent the morning in town getting filters and oil to do maintenance on the Terexes.  Got home and did that. But even that is a struggle.  The wind tends to give me a headache.

Mary's on the road from delivering flooring lumber.  It's got to be miserable out there driving.

[Tom]

Hire an old, retired, useless, visitor to stand on the upwind side of you.  He will break the wind!  ;D

[paul case]

not so tom,

they just make more.
the wind here was that way yesterday and today is just as bad with a lil cooler air temp. pc

[Bibbyman]

I got my dose of that kind of wind already.  When I stepped in the oil distributer's office to get some motor oil for the Terexes,  one guy was in there that normally does deliveries.  He jumped on me right off wanting to know how big a log our mill could saw.  After a lot of wind,  his brother-in-law has a bandmill and they'd been given a bunch of cottonwood logs that were too big for market. (he didn't know that).  He'd been slabbing the sides off so they would fit between the rails of and 4 post mill.  He was leading up to asking me to saw them.  I all but told him flat out I wasn't going to mess with them.  I finally got the transaction made with the lady behind the counter and the guy goes off and gets my oil.  The lady behind the counter says, "Don't get him started about religion or politics!"  He gets back with the oil and starts in about the logs again and who he knew back when they were kids, etc. on and on.  His cell phone rings.  I say,  "I got to go."  And I went.

Get home and do some work outside and come in for lunch.  Message on the phone from a crazy lady that had ordered a couple of special size boards over a month ago.  We sawed them and called her to come get them.  She ordered a third board.  We sawed it and called it can called her again.  She's left some convoluted message about not being able to get someone to come out and get the boards.

[Ron Wenrich]

Hire an old, retired, useless, visitor to stand on the upwind side of you.  He will break the wind!  ;D

Good thing you had the word "the" in there.  Otherwise you might want him to stand down wind.   :D

[Jeff]

Winds are gusting to 60 here. We are in the midst of one of the worst wind storms I have ever saw while here in the eastern U.P.  News crawl on the t.v. a couple hours ago was that they were closing school to get the drummond Island kids on the next ferry home before it got any worse, and its suppose to.

[mad murdock]

Wow! You guys are getting hammered!  I could just imagine what things look like on Gitch-e-gumee right now.  I guess the November storms are coming early by you guys.  Hope you all weather it ok.

[Jeff]

From our weather man...

We are looking at a prolonged high wind event continuing into at least Wednesday evening...perhaps even into most of Thursday.

Sustained wind speeds are expected to be in the 20-30mph range but gusts, at times, will top 60mph.

The Coast Guard is urging people *not to go out on the water with 12'-20' waves possible.

Also, do not attempt to visit any Lighthouses or their piers due to the intense winds and waves.

---------------

Power lines and branches down in northern Mecosta County at 915a.m.
5 miles E/SE of Big Rapids

Wind gusts in the 40mph in many areas this morning.

1st Tornado Warning (in Michigan, anyway) 10:22a.m. for Allegan and VanBuren Counties (SW Michigan) for Rain Wrapped Tornadoes.

Just after 2p.m., a tree fell across the road and hit a car traveling in Sault Ste. Marie near 3 mile and Ridge. Some damage to car.

Peak wind on Mackinac Bridge so far 60mph

73mph (1mph below Hurricane Force) at Port Inland on Lake Michigan on the Schoolcraft/Mackinac County line in the U.P.

65mph at Big Sable Point Lighthouse in Mason County

54mph in Cadillac from a weather spotter

45mph at Frankfort Airport

41mph in Rudyard

---------------

This is a storm that bears some serious attention. We are looking at a solid two, maybe two and one-half days of sustained winds 20-30mph but the gusts will at least be double that, if not more.

This storm is similar in strength to the Armistice Day storm in 1940 where 5 vessels and 66 lives were lost on Lake Michigan alone.

Peak wind gust was 75mph. Telephone and power lines were downed. Roofs were blown off. Trees were uprooted, small buildings were overturned and brick walls were toppled.

This storm is also similar in strength to the Nov. 10-11, 1998 storm where winds of 80-90mph destroyed the hangar at the Frankfort Airport in Benzie County. Six private jets were damaged. In Lake City, a roof was blown off a hardware store onto an adjoining bank. A peak wind gust of 95mph was reported on Mackinac Island!!!

And finally, our Michael Stevens did some research on previous strong storms. If you remember the Blizzard of '78, this storm was the "strongest low pressure system in Michigan history" with a 950mb reading. This current system could drop to around a 955mb reading (over MN or extreme SW Ontario).

A 950mb reading converts to 28.05"

A 955mb reading converts to 28.10"

The center of this storm will move from the Northern Plaines to MN then N/NE into SW Ontario, so Michigan *might not see the true lowest pressure of the storm. However, if the storm moves over Lake Superior or the U.P., it could be very close to that record low pressure.

This is the kind of (prolonged) wind storm that will also create blowing and drifting sand along the Lake Michigan shoreline.

It will remain windy tonight with winds SW 20-30mph with gusts over 50-60mph possible. Partly cloudy skies are expected with a few showers in the U.P. and NW Lower Michigan.

Wednesday will be interesting in many ways.

We will see highs in the upper 40's to lower 50's for much of the E.U.P. and into the 50's across much of the NW half of Lower Michigan and into the lower 60's for Alpena, Atlanta, Mio, West Branch, Mt. Pleasant, etc.

A few showers should develop in the cooler areas mentioned above later in the afternoon and evening hours while some sunshine is expected farther SE. Winds will be SW 20-30mph with gusts topping 60mph very possible.

The winds will shift more W/NW Wednesday night into Thursday and remain on the gusty side. Sustained winds should be 15-30mph with gusts over 50mph. Highs Thursday will only be around 40 north and into the 40's south with scattered showers possibly mixed with snow showers north.

Friday will be much quieter!

-Stay tuned to 9&10 News/FOX 32 News for complete coverage on this midweek storm.

-Meteorologist Jim Lehocky

[Jeff]

I stepped out and took a quick video clip. I'll post it as soon as it finishes up loading.  Jeez, I about got soaked and never left the screen porch.

[Jeff]

They say its just getting started.  :-\
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xp8zOJ7e-pU

[Chuck White]

Whow, that's pretty bad Jeff.

Much worse and you'll be watching tv, wearing a slicker and hip waders.

[DR Buck]

You guys better tune up the sawmills and sharpen some blades.  I'm thinking there's going to be a lot of urban timber needing to be milled.   

[mad murdock]

I am sure there will be a lot of "windfall" from this duesy! I hope that people can stay save, especially the guys plying the waters of Superior and Michigan! I have seen 10 ft waves on Superior up by Egg Harbor, I can't imagine what 20 ft seas are like on one of the lakes!  would probably break apart anyone caught in the fray!  I'll stay tuned.  Thanks Jeff for posting the video and the MET synopsis.

[WDH]

Hey Boss, the pig won't fly in that weather............Hold on and hang in  .  The weather is crazy.  I am in south Louisiana and the temps were pushing 90 degrees, possible record high today.  Global craziness  :.

[ahlkey]

Winds hit near 55 miles an hour this morning and three trees close to the cabin just broke off like a pretzel?  Tomorrow they are saying the winds could reach 60 miles an hour. Hate to survey the overall damage once the storm passes but I am sure I will have a few more sawlogs to cut and plenty of firewood.   One of the worst wind storms I can remember.

[Coon]

Hey you guys are getting rain but we are getting snow.  We have blizzard like conditions here.  I'ma upload some pics in a minute. 

[Coon]

These pics don't do the storm any justice of what the actuall conditions are but here goes...









Environment Canada is claiming that this is part of the "noreaster" that some of you are getting right now.  We don't normally get these same weather patterns as the majority of our weather comes from the westerly directions. 

The temps are supposed to drop off to -10 Celcius or so by tomorrow night so we should have some decent skidding conditions on the higher land.  ;D  I guess I had better get the snowmobile and arch ready for some action.  ;D  A foot of snow or better is expected before it cools down.... I think that'll be enough for easy pulling.   

Brad.

[Dan_Shade]

what's that white stuff?

[Coon]

I think the man up above has dandruff again.  :D

[Papa1stuff]

White sawdust ;D

[Coon]

Actually I think it just means easier skidding.  ;D

[ScottAR]

I think I saw a snow snake in the yard...  Do be careful out there... 

[SwampDonkey]

They've been over exaggerating the weather again on this end. Suppose to be all this rain and we ain't had 1/4" in 3 days. We had some wind last week, but it was dry weather. It's suppose to get into the 60's here for a couple days. The last two days in daylight hours, it never rained a drop while brush cutting, but a shower after work.

Now talking about wind. Every time I go to Woodstock to get groceries and bank and stuff the wind just howls in the parking lots. I asked the gas attendant if the wind ever stops in this town. :D

Coon, just call me if you need a hand sled to go get the groceries. :D

[Coon]

Swamp I think you better bring one out this way as long as you come with it.  Kinda a package deal..... will need ya to pull it around.  ;D  Remember the prairies are fairly flat and it's uphill both ways.  :D 

[SwampDonkey]

No dogs or horses? :D