***Official 2025 Weather Thread***

[AgronAlum]

I ******* hate moving snow when it's this cold.

Not bad when you bundle up.

My 6 year old absolutely loves moving snow and I’m here for it. Taught him a little bit how to use the 2 stage last year. He went out the first snow this year and flipped the choke, primed it, pull started it and started going without me saying a word.

We did our own and 2 neighbors today with just me following behind him with a shovel cleaning up the scraps. He even went and cleaned up the deck and patio with shovel behind my 13 year old.

Proud dad moment for sure.

 

[JEFF420]

I ******* hate moving snow when it's this cold.

WE NEED CABS

 

[exCYtable]

Ended up with around 5 Sat. Pain in the butt.

Surprised you can still walk

 

[Agclone91]

WE NEED CABS

View attachment 163645

The old couple we bought our house from actually had a 425 with a cab setup and a blower, very similar to that. I tried to buy it from them during negotiations but they wanted WAY too much.

 

[JEFF420]

The old couple we bought our house from actually had a 425 with a cab setup and a blower, very similar to that. I tried to buy it from them during negotiations but they wanted WAY too much.

ive had and flip 425, 445 and 455s. love em. you can find em cheap around me. hoss lawnmowers

 

[1SEIACLONE]

I kind of like blowing snow with the snow blower, lot easier now that we live in Ames and its all concrete. Rock driveway in Bloomfield was a pain, picking up rocks and chucking them. Takes about 30 to 45 minutes and I get the driveway and the side walk on both side. The new neighbor tried to scoop himself out after the first storm, gave up and purchased a single cycle electric snow blower, he gets about half done and then has to recharge. I try to help him out when I am blowing our off and will do some of his. The neighbors on our other side are snow birds and leave for Arizona when it gets cold, he has paid someone to blow off his snow, but they take forever, so I generally blow off his sidewalk all the way down to his driveway. No sense people walking have to put up with walking through the snow on the sidewalk.

 

[4cy16]

16 below this morning in FD. We've had 28 to 30 inches of snow since the day after Thanksgiving.

 

[Kinch]

Not bad when you bundle up.

My 6 year old absolutely loves moving snow and I’m here for it. Taught him a little bit how to use the 2 stage last year. He went out the first snow this year and flipped the choke, primed it, pull started it and started going without me saying a word.

We did our own and 2 neighbors today with just me following behind him with a shovel cleaning up the scraps. He even went and cleaned up the deck and patio with shovel behind my 13 year old.

Proud dad moment for sure.

Thank you for raising children who do this. We are proud of you too.

 

[awd4cy]

Love the melting. Brown Christmas is fine by me.

 

[CyCoug]

Meanwhile, I'm down in Florida for 6 days. I figured some people would get a kick out of this item from my Google news feed.

 

[ScottyP]

I planned to take the kids to a Brunch with Santa event in Des Moines on Sunday. I made the mistake of taking my FWD minivan and ended up getting stuck on a hill on Merle Hay between Urbandale Avenue and Hickman. Multiple cars were sliding and couldn't get up the hill. I had my wife take over driving while I got out and pushed, when switching spots, she slipped and fell on the packed snow and messed up my driver mirror. I eventually got it up the hill with the help of some others. Multiple cars were sliding in the intersection of Merle Hay and Hickman so I decided to just go back home. Urbandale's streets were fine, but Des Moines roads were terrible (even the main ones).

Is it worth it to get some snow tires for the front wheels? My kid's daycare is down a hill so I end up having to do pick-up/drop off anytime there is snow because the van can't make it up the hill if it has snow on it.

 

[BillBrasky4Cy]

I planned to take the kids to a Brunch with Santa event in Des Moines on Sunday. I made the mistake of taking my FWD minivan and ended up getting stuck on a hill on Merle Hay between Urbandale Avenue and Hickman. Multiple cars were sliding and couldn't get up the hill. I had my wife take over driving while I got out and pushed, when switching spots, she slipped and fell on the packed snow and messed up my driver mirror. I eventually got it up the hill with the help of some others. Multiple cars were sliding in the intersection of Merle Hay and Hickman so I decided to just go back home. Urbandale's streets were fine, but Des Moines roads were terrible (even the main ones).

Is it worth it to get some snow tires for the front wheels? My kid's daycare is down a hill so I end up having to do pick-up/drop off anytime there is snow because the van can't make it up the hill if it has snow on it.

That reminds me of that snow storm we got just a couple days before Christmas about 10 years ago or so. It absolutely unloaded starting at like 3:00 just in time for the commute. It took me 2 hours to drive from Urbandale to West Des Moines. All the roads got super packed and iced over and cars couldn't make it up the hill on Valley West Drive to get over 235. It was such a mess. It took the DOT and the municipalities close to 5 days to get all of the snow pack off the roads.

 

[wxman1]

That reminds me of that snow storm we got just a couple days before Christmas about 10 years ago or so. It absolutely unloaded starting at like 3:00 just in time for the commute. It took me 2 hours to drive from Urbandale to West Des Moines. All the roads got super packed and iced over and cars couldn't make it up the hill on Valley West Drive to get over 235. It was such a mess. It took the DOT and the municipalities close to 5 days to get all of the snow pack off the roads.

Sounds like 2012. I think it was around the 19th or 20th.

 

[BillBrasky4Cy]

Sounds like 2012. I think it was around the 19th or 20th.

Yeah that sounds about right.

 

[wxman1]

Yeah that sounds about right.

I was working at the DSM airport at the time. I was second shift so barely into my shift. **** is hitting the fan and to me it is damn obvious that the airport is essentially going to be closed soon. I fueled my last couple of aircraft that were there and left. Management wanted me to stay and were offering to put me up in a hotel but I was going into my two days off and wanted to get back up to Ames and hunker down.

None of the aircraft left so I stand by my decision.

 

[KidSilverhair]

I kind of like blowing snow with the snow blower, lot easier now that we live in Ames and its all concrete. Rock driveway in Bloomfield was a pain, picking up rocks and chucking them. Takes about 30 to 45 minutes and I get the driveway and the side walk on both side. The new neighbor tried to scoop himself out after the first storm, gave up and purchased a single cycle electric snow blower, he gets about half done and then has to recharge. I try to help him out when I am blowing our off and will do some of his. The neighbors on our other side are snow birds and leave for Arizona when it gets cold, he has paid someone to blow off his snow, but they take forever, so I generally blow off his sidewalk all the way down to his driveway. No sense people walking have to put up with walking through the snow on the sidewalk.

I lived in a house for 19 years with a vacant house right next to it for all but the last four months we were there. The owner didn’t neglect it, he’d mow the yard, fix it up, put in on the market from time to time, but he wanted too much money for it. Anyway, he would clear the snow, but he wasn’t very quick about it, so I’d usually do his sidewalk - just like you said, no reason to make it harder on people walking, and since I was out anyway, it was no big deal.

I also never used a snowblower - I had a thing called a Snow Wolf, a big scoop on a long metal bar with a huge wheel in the middle. It was a great lever to push and then toss the snow out of the way. I could clear my driveway and sidewalk in hardly any longer than it would take a snowblower (plus no gas, spark plugs, or snow packed augers to deal with). I used that sucker for over 15 years, getting replacement scoops and other parts occasionally. Unfortunately I think the company stopped making them sometime after 2010 or so …

 

[KidSilverhair]

Meanwhile, I'm down in Florida for 6 days. I figured some people would get a kick out of this item from my Google news feed.

View attachment 163708

Mid-fifties in the mornings? Break out the parkas!

 

[Cyrealist]

Is it worth it to get some snow tires for the front wheels?

Usually all-weather radials are fine on FWD unless they're worn. Most people only need the AWD a few days a year.

 

[BoxsterCy]

Usually all-weather radials are fine on FWD unless they're worn. Most people only need the AWD a few days a year.

I had summers on the old Audi and replaced them this spring with new all-seasons. Being brand new, like 2k on them, they have been really good in the snow so far. Got caught short with the early snow and didn't get the snow boots on the car and now thinking I'll just skip it.

 

[Cyientist]

I feel bad, we have been out of town for both the Thanksgiving snow and this past one so we are the neighbors that haven't been able to clear snow until Sunday afternoon when we got back.