02 December 2010

Taking a snow day

The snowstorm that came up from the south yesterday pretty much missed Saint-Aignan and this part of the Loire Valley. We had some flurries overnight, and a flurry or two yesterday morning, but very little new accumulation. High today: –2ºC, about 28ºF.

Today a storm is moving in from the northwest and is supposed to drop snow over about two-thirds of France during the day. It sounds like it will be light snow, however. The Paris area will get a few inches, and that's always a problem up there because there's so much traffic around and in the city.

The French weather forecast for Thursday 02 December 2010.
We're under that –2 below the cloud with the sun hidden behind it.

And I have to go out. Just to Saint-Aignan, which is three miles down the road. I hope the hill isn't too slick. We saw a few cars on our little road yesterday, so some people were out driving around. I talked to a neighbor who grew up at La Renaudière and he told me he had never seen snowy weather like this so early in the season. He said he has vivid memories of a period of such weather around Easter one year when he was growing up. I thanked him for pointing out that the snow might last well into the spring!

A friend from Blois called last night just to say hello and see how we were doing. She said the school buses around Blois haven't been running this week, so all the kids are staying at home. Teachers are posting lessons for them over the Internet to keep them busy and productive. That's the 21st century, I guess.

Fact is, weather forecasts are saying that by Sunday we'll have high temperatures in the range of +6 to +8 ºC. That will feel like a heat wave. And with the milder temperatures (mid-40s) will come rain. That will wash the snow away. Then life will get back to normal.

9 comments:

  1. I smiled when I saw the weather map you posted. I live under the only sunny spot on the whole map :)

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  2. We had some rather heavy snowfall overnight (on top of the 2cm we had on Monday and Tuesday) and this morning, at half past six, there was at 10cm in the courtyard behind the apartment. The roads were cluttered too and it took some careful and stressful driving to get to the office. But I made it. Now it's just a question of getting home safely this afternoon ... Warmer temperatures are expected as from Saturday, so that should 'wash' most of the snow away. And to think it isn't even winter yet! Yuk! Martine

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  3. Hi Meredith, do you have howling winds? I hope not. Enjoy the sunshine. I spent six months in Aix-en-Provence years ago, but now it's been nearly 10 years since I've even visited Provence.

    Martine, yes, yuck. I'm sick of the snow now. This morning on my walk with the dog there was a bitingly cold wind right in my face. And underfoot everything was frozen hard and crunchy. I had to cut the walk short. Good luck, and be careful, getting home later today.

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  4. Oh, and after seeing how icy everything is, including our road, I decided I didn't really need to take the car out after all. Instead, I'm cooking endives for a gratin au jambon.

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  5. Always jealous of your having
    an ample enough supply of
    endive for use in a main dish.
    When we are lucky enough to
    find them, they run about $4.00
    a pound...imported from Guatemala!
    I could easily eat a large salad
    bowl of them with just some
    Dijon dressing. Heaven for me.

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  6. How clever of the teachers to use the internet to keep the kids up to date.

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  7. Ken... yesterdays post you said you had been looking for cheesecloth.... try the motoring area of the Bricos... I got some natural cotton cheesecloth from the Brico-Marché at Yzeures-sur-Creuse... sold as polishing cloth! It is not the re-cycled fibre version [as sold in the UK for the same purpose]... and doesn't have a thread removed every so often to indicate "non-food grade" so I guess it is the kosher stuff. I've been washing lengths and using them to first-filter our home-made cassis and framboise liquers.
    [Unfortunately it is no longer in its packaging! Otherwise I'd've told you the make.]

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  8. I really like the post..Its informative and interesting..Thanks for the update..I really love snow..

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  9. i really like your post a lot... and the content is seriously very innovative..thanks for sharing the information..i think this information will help me a lot...

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