Blizzard-Ice Storm January 23-26, 2026

[AzScorpion]

Clay @TxOTRRanger how's the weather where you are now? It looks like most of the mess should be moving out of there soon and I think Morgan @veedubtuner should've been able to make his dinner and play Xbox lol because it looks like the ice wasn't to bad there and was mostly snow.

The latest update from Ryan still shows a lot of ice & snow moving through the center of the country and up the east coast overnight and through tomorrow. Looks like 2.7" of sleet fell in Monroe, LA and emergency responders are having a hard tome keeping up with all the power line fires in Sabina Parish, LA.

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[TxOTRRanger]

Clay @TxOTRRanger how's the weather where you are now? It looks like most of the mess should be moving out of there soon and I think Morgan @veedubtuner should've been able to make his dinner and play Xbox lol because it looks like the ice wasn't to bad there and was mostly snow.

The latest update from Ryan still shows a lot of ice & snow moving through the center of the country and up the east coast overnight and through tomorrow. Looks like 2.7" of sleet fell in Monroe, LA and emergency responders are having a hard tome keeping up with all the power line fires in Sabina Parish, LA.

Weather conditions at the current time. This is what I am hearing outside. It sounds like the "wintry mix" of sleet and snow.

 

[IdahoRanger]

Weather conditions at the current time. This is what I am hearing outside. It sounds like the "wintry mix" of sleet and snow.

My BIL in Chandler, near Tyler, south of you had some snow this morning but not much since.

 

[AzScorpion]

The energy from driving this is coming from all that moisture from the Pacific and Gulf. It's crazy how large this is and watching the jet stream dumping all that cold air down from Canada.

 

[TxOTRRanger]

Dave @AzScorpion, you and Robert @Grandaccess aren't the only weather geeks on here lol. I watch the clouds in the sky after hearing the weather report on 102.5 Mad Rock. Something that I learned from Grandpa.

 

[DukeCanBuildit]

Generators suck. They require hundreds of gallons of fuel for a long outage if you don't have natural gas we found and have to run constantly for small loads. A simple battery backup is much nicer. You only need a small generator for recharging. It runs full load for a short time then peace and quiet for hours. Many plug and play systems available now if you don't have massive loads that can be recharged at EV chargers if you don't want to deal with generators.

These are good points Ed - my generator connection to the house is very close to my natural gas meter - likely the way I’d go.

However, your point that you need to burn a lot of fuel even when drawing a limited amount of power definitely got my attention. Create more demand and it ramps up but there will always be a minimum amount of fuel spent on low demand whether I’m charging my phone or running my fridge. I know, extreme example but I’m making a point.

What I take away from that is…….a battery backup system is more efficient because there is no wasted energy, so to speak. You only deplete what you use. Is that your point?

If so, I’m digging’ that concept!

 

[Dr. Zaius]

 

[TheExtra404]

Got to use what they got. LMAOO

 

[Fordup]

These are good points Ed - my generator connection to the house is very close to my natural gas meter - likely the way I’d go.

However, your point that you need to burn a lot of fuel even when drawing a limited amount of power definitely got my attention. Create more demand and it ramps up but there will always be a minimum amount of fuel spent on low demand whether I’m charging my phone or running my fridge. I know, extreme example but I’m making a point.

What I take away from that is…….a battery backup system is more efficient because there is no wasted energy, so to speak. You only deplete what you use. Is that your point?

If so, I’m digging’ that concept!

If you have natural gas and cheap reliable electricity a generator may the lowest cost for you but it's just gonna sit there and do nothing 99.99% of the time needing exercise and maintenance. With batteries and inverter if you add a couple solar panels you have a savings on your electric bill every month without fuel costs plus it is basically trouble free once set up. This summer there's supposed to be a big drop in battery prices I'm hearing. Actually a fun learning experience if you DIY it.
You actually do have some loss in a system from inverter consumption and inefficiency along with charge controller inefficiency plus battery BMS consumption so when running a 48 volt system there's about a 10% total loss from solar panels to outlets. Less for just the inverter. Lower voltage systems and cheaper components will increase the loss.

 

[DukeCanBuildit]

If you have natural gas and cheap reliable electricity a generator may the lowest cost for you but it's just gonna sit there and do nothing 99.99% of the time needing exercise and maintenance. With batteries and inverter if you add a couple solar panels you have a savings on your electric bill every month without fuel costs plus it is basically trouble free once set up. This summer there's supposed to be a big drop in battery prices I'm hearing. Actually a fun learning experience if you DIY it.

Yeah, it sounds like there’s a lot to learn for sure. I like the idea of solar panels keeping it at the ready but also the savings it brings. Definitely something to look into for the homestead and the cottage - would love to run the heat pump at the cottage all winter long using the sun.

Thanks Ed!

 

[DukeCanBuildit]

That’s pretty funny. I wonder if they had to ask Prime Minister Carney for permission to use Canadian airspace.

 

[got3fords]

Still nothing falling yet here in central Va. Wunderground.com is now at it's lowest prediction at 4.5" of snowfall tonight.

 

[DaveP]

We had a windchill of -38 yesterday and are at a windchill of -9 now in northern Illinois. Honestly, I was expecting more from this (granted -38 is nothing to squawk at). Hoping all in the potentially affected areas see light ‘actuals’.

 

[DukeCanBuildit]

We had a windchill of -38 yesterday and are at a windchill of -9 now in northern Illinois. Honestly, I was expecting more from this (granted -38 is nothing to squawk at). Hoping all in the potentially affected areas see light ‘actuals’.

-38° ? Yikes! I bet Phil stays in his burrow.

 

[got3fords]

Still nothing falling yet here in central Va. Wunderground.com is now at it's lowest prediction at 4.5" of snowfall tonight.

Check that, snowing pretty solid now. Drat!

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