The Weather

The winter has been very good here in central Finland. Lots of rain in the autumn, then steady freezing temp and lots of snow since late October. Feels like in the good old days!

My house is 180m2 in two stories. Heating is with air-water heat pump and pipe line in the floor. Air venting has heat conductor. Electricity consumption varies mostly on outdoor temp. an hout basis sauna owwen takes 8kW tyically for 2 hours and PHEV charging 6kW/h for 3 hours. My billing is based on market price which varies from -2 to 200cents per kWh. Night time is cheapest. In January price junped to 200cents when outdoor temp was -33C and no wind. Average temp and price can be seen in the graph. I must also pay the local electricity network operator a fixed transit price per kWh.

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After an extended deep freeze, water pipes are breaking in Tennessee. Their infrastructure is simply not made for extended cold temps. The water mains aren't deep enough, and the plumbing in buildings is just not protected enough from the cold.

Texas had problems with electrical infrastructure last winter I believe. Even though half the country (the southern half) doesn't believe in climate change, in reality they better prepare for more extreme weather events like this in the future. Because all politics aside, it's happening and we have to be ready.
 
Storm Isha has arrived, gusting over 80mph out there now.....used to just be yet another gale but now they name them.
Hurricane bawbag was worse but it's getting loud. I'll get no sleep tonight but I'm prepared, kind of....O2 headphone amp on charge if there's a power cut 👍
They don't name real storms here.
We were told it was going to be a normal windy night back in October 1987. The following morning almost all of the trees were laying down. The people named that one The Great Hurricane.
Then we had to name it ourselves again a couple of years later when we had the Burns day storm. It was in the daytime but the cloud cover only permitted mono images of all that scaffold being stripped off that building that was being renovated.
They will never name it if it is going to be a big one.
 

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Storm Isha has arrived, gusting over 80mph out there now.....used to just be yet another gale but now they name them.
Hurricane bawbag was worse but it's getting loud. I'll get no sleep tonight but I'm prepared, kind of....O2 headphone amp on charge if there's a power cut 👍
Strongest gust of 99mph was here in Northumberland apparently.

It was noisy during the night but we are sheltered somewhat by a small wooded area that takes the sting out of the wind.

Most damaging storm locally was 3 or 4 years ago and that brought down a lot of trees, which the farmers soon hauled away to chop into logs for wood burners.

Thrunton Woods, a popular walking and cycling route was like the aftermath of a big explosion and was closed for a few weeks due to being completely impassable as were other nearby walks.

The power was off for a few hours but my small generator was able to keep my central heating boiler and broadband hub working.

Since then, no power cuts, touch wood and don't want any because my current property doesn't have central heating and my genny is too small to opoerate even my smallest fan heater.
 
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Hope you guys get a thaw soon, freezing rain is a nightmare. It's actually turned quite mild here but it's blowing like crazy, a full on storm....again!
I was going to say something about storms becoming more frequent but a pedant would no doubt pop up to tell me that statistically etc etc.

Anyway the roaring noise is really getting to me now, it's sonic torment. I'm looking online at closed back headphones...
 
Buy some memory foam earplugs from Amazon. They are guaranteed to give you peace and quiet.

I used them when I was staying on my yacht near Oban in windy conditions and it doesn't take much of a breeze to cause the rigging to howl and mooring lines to creak.

We are heading for a record number of storms, whereas 22/23 winter saw only a couple.

2015/16 was the record and it is suggested that as, now, it's because it was an El Nino year.
 
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I used to work as a marine engineer in the Oban area, was based at Dunstaffnage Marina for many years.
I once had a notion to buy an old trawler to convert and live on but the Mrs health deteriorated so I gave up on it which was just as well in the end. It would be serious hardship living on a boat, especially in this weather.
I tried foam earplugs but they don't seal well enough, ear hairs probably don't help, I have the same issue with earbuds.
It's finally calming down out there now thankfully.
 
It's a small world - had my old steel yacht Amaranth in there for a couple of years around 2015.
Fiiited a Chinese engine with the help of one of the lads with the telehandler + jib attachment.
I blew my marina berth budget on the engine so went onto a mooring in Loch Etive near Taynuilt. (I ducked as we went under the Connel bridge)

Prior to that I'd kept her in Ardfern andd eventually ended up back there a few years later.
 
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I worked there as engineer for Alba Sailing early to mid 90s. Was back to help restart the marina, worked a few years for them before going self employed. I packed it in by 2009, I didn't get along well with the guy who went on to rip the place off badly. I lived in Taynuilt for much of that time so yes it is a small world.
I was speaking to the owner in Tesco just last week btw, he's quite a character lol.
 
@Stuey The most picturesque is the west coast from the Clyde north.
There are many ferry trips (vehicle or foot traffic) to the Inner and Outer Hebrides which I have yet to take if my retirement actually becomes just that, rather than still being a part time job.

I miss it.

The east coast is boring in comparison (sorry!) but drier and usually warmer.