Frigid and Sunny Sunday

Mornin'!  It's 6° in Wildwood NJ.  Wind chill is -7° with the N-NW winds at 15-18mph.  It's amazingly and brutally icy cold outside.  Of course, I was checking back porch conditions in my slippers and robe for just seconds but how anything can live and survive out there is a miracle (seagulls, ducks, squirrels, birds, rous and cats (yes...cats who are feral and live by the neighboring harbor)!  We haven't seen a squirrel since the storm.  We're still majorly knee deep in the thick of it with deep snow in some spots and still white everywhere (no thaw yet) with those NW breezes that are the killer.  It'll be another sunny day (Ms Sun's due up in less than half an hour) thankfully with temps in the upper teens (although it'll feel like single digit temps) and breezes finally calming down out of the W-NW at 10-12mph.  Tonight...clear with temps in the mid-upper teens and breezes out of the SW at 10-12mph.  Tomorrow looks warmer as temps will climb up into the mid-upper 30s (hard to believe I'm looking at the temp as a relief) with a partly sunny / partly cloudy day.
High tide:12:12p.m.
Low tide:6:16p.m.
Ocean temp:41°
Sunrise:7:17a.m.
Sunset:4:55p.m.

Twelfth Night and The Freeze is Still On!

Mornin'!  It's 10° in Siberia...oops I mean Wildwood NJ.  Today is the twelfth night after Christmas and is the start of Mardi Gras / Carnival season.  The wind chill is 0° as the West-NW winds are still ramped up at 18-25mph w/gusting.  Oh...the winds aren't checking out until tomorrow afternoon.  There's a wind-chill advisory posted until then.  We're covered in a huge blanket of drifting, hard, icy snow.  Lots of digging out going on all over the island but difficult due to the deep drifts, very cold temps, and those annoying, intolerable, blustery winds.  It'll be another frigid sunny day with temps tapping the mid-teens but with the 20-25mph w/35mph gusts out of the West making it feel as low as -7°.  Tonight...clear with temps back down into the single digits (maybe 10°) with winds out of the NW 20-25mph w/gusting.  Tomorrow...sunshine with temps in the low-mid 20s!!!
High tide: 11:16a.m.
Low tide:5:22p.m.
Ocean temp:42°
Sunset:4:54p.m.

A Taste of Siberia

Mornin'! It's 10° in Wildwood NJ (Siberia of the east coast).  It's sunny and windy (W-NW 27-37mph) with a wind chill of -5°!!!  It's crazy out there.  Ms Sun's up and glistening on all the snow both laying everywhere in huge drifts and in the frosty, sparkling, twirling, winds.  These incredible non-stop winds will not settle down and give us a break.  Last I heard, we were the winners for snow accumulation yesterday...17" on the white stuff.  What sucks is the drifts...much more than 17" in some spots.  This isn't just pushing the shovel to clear the walkway...it's chop at the top of the drift layer by layer to get to the bottom layer so you can shovel.  I'm just happy to report...no flooding, we have electric, heat, and Ms Sun's shining through the front windows of my entire home at the moment!  It'll be mostly sunny all day but she's got her work cut out for her as the temps won't get any warmer than 18° and along with those intense, relentless, howling winds (25-30mph +gusting)...I'm afraid the wind chill will be between 1° and -1° today down the shore.  Tonight...mostly clear, high of 13°, wind chill of -6°, winds out of the West 25-30mph.  Tomorrow...a repeat of today.  The Asian Noodle soup was delicious yesterday.  We enjoyed it for both lunch and dinner.  I kicked it up a notch by adding wasabi powder, lots of fresh ginger and a shot of hot pepper flakes.  Thankfully, that soup will be available for today and tomorrow!
High tide:10:20a.m.
Low tide:4:31p.m.
Ocean temp:42°
Sunset:4:53p.m.

Doing a Wendy and Jack in the Overlook Hotel today

Mornin'!  It's 28° in Wildwood NJ (feels like 12° with that blasting wind chill). It's been snowing since around 9p.m. last night and we've got a couple of inches of the white stuff depending on where you look (the winds are having their way with where the snow accumulates).  They're intense and howling (in fact that's what woke me this early morn) out of the NW at 30-40mph w/gusting and already creating snow drifting (it's the light variety and blowing everywhere).  It's the start of a blizzard here down the shore as I can't help but think of Wendy and Jack in The Shining.  The coast is experiencing frigid, arctic air with a strengthening Nor'easter bringing blinding snow and gusts of blizzard condition winds all day today. As we hunker down, the coast is to expect minor-major coastal flooding and beach erosion, especially during high tides.  We're also to expect dangerous travel conditions, scattered power outages and bitter wind chill across the entire east coast (wind chill will be below 10° today).  Blizzard warnings are posted until tonight around 7p.m.  The snowfall could be heavy at times as temps tap 30°.  Winds will be out of the NW (even though it's a Nor'easter) at 25-35mph w/gusting as high as 40+mph.  The forecasts are saying that snow accumulation will be 3-6" (we can only hope).  By late afternoon, the heavy snowfall should turn into snow showers and by tonight...the snowfall should be gone and we'll have just those frigid-icy temps with those nasty, biting winds hanging around...low around 17° and West winds at 18-22mph w/35mph gusts. We're hunkered.  Candles are ready.  Ice is made for the coolers.  Vehicles are moved.  Tomorrow...a mix of clouds and sun but very cold with below zero wind chills.  So...today's soup ingredients are in as I'm going with a recipe I haven't tried yet...Asian Noodle Soup.  This one has Pork, snow peas, cabbage, carrots (I'm adding parsnips too)and of course noodles with lots of tasty herbs and spices...green onions, cilantro, parsley, ginger root, and tamari (I prefer this instead of plain ol' soy sauce).  Stay safe all you Coastal folk!  Here's Johnny!
High tide:9:25a.m. and 10:05p.m.
Low tide:3:42p.m.
Ocean temp:43°
Sunset:4:52p.m.
FOOTNOTE: It's 9a.m. and the local weather man (a weather genius in my book) just announced that the coast will receive at least
 12" of the white stuff. 

A Nor'easter Has Us In Its Sights

Mornin'!  It's 19° in Wildwood NJ.  It's clear, starlit and moonlit with no breezes to note.  In fact, there's no wind chill to report at the moment.  It's just cold as hell.  It'll be fairly decent today as winter days go with mostly sun shining down and temps climbing way up into the low 30s!  Cloud cover will filter in later today.  Winds will also commence later this afternoon from the West first at 5-10mph then switch out of the East at 10-15mph becoming 20-25mph by tonight.  Tonight's temps will drop into the low-mid 20s as a Nor'Easter comes-a-knockin' and brings snow and winds beginning around midnight.  Now would be the time to expect Wind Chills to check in.  During the overnight and into tomorrow expect major winds (gusts of up to 47mph) and 2-4 inches of the white stuff.  Friday...Ms Sun returns but with even bitter colder temps and those stupid winds which have no intention of checking out creating a wind chill factor of biting miserable proportions.  At this time, the weekend's looking sunny but frigid.  If you ever wanted to come to down the shore and see the Delaware bay and all the surrounding harbors frozen...now's the time to do it!  I still haven't decided what kind of homemade soup's on the menu.
High tide:8:32a.m.
Low tide:2:52p.m.
Ocean temp:43°
Sunrise:7:17a.m.
Sunset:4:51p.m.
Moonrise:6:58p.m.

The Freeze is Still Checked In

Mornin'!  Our furnace is getting a good workout. It's 17° in Wildwood NJ.  There's an 8° wind chill factor as the NW winds are wifting (wafting) over the island at 15-20mph.  It's clear and moonlit (that Supermoon is shining down and making the island almost look like daytime). The Freeze continues today with temps in the low-mid 20s, breezes out of the W-NW at 10-15mph and clear, sunny skies.  Tonight...clear, moonlit and cold.  Tonight's temps will be in the low 20s (13° windchill) with breezes out of the West at 10-15mph.  Tomorrow...more sun and slightly warmer temps.   Hope all our absentee owners (Shoobies) have shut their water lines (outdoor showers, hoses etc) off.  And, the new norm for setting the house heater thermostat is 60° when leaving your beach home for the winter.  Rest assured...once things settle down and warm up a bit, all those frozen pipes will begin bursting if you didn't drain your pipes or forgot to turn your furnace on and set it on a decent temp.  The emergency workers are finding that 50-55° may not be cutting it in some cases when it becomes this consistently cold.  Better to be safe than sorry.
High tide:7:40a.m.
Low tide:2:02p.m.
Ocean temp:43°
Sunrise: 7:17a.m.
Sunset: 4:51p.m.
Moonrise:5:48p.m.

Happy New Year - Super Moon Monday

Mornin'!  Happy New Year!  Welcome 2018 and  a Super Moon!  It's 9° in Wildwood NJ.  It's breezy with N-NW winds at 18-20mph making it feels like -10°.  We're in it!  Ms Sun's shining brightly.  No clouds in sight.  The harbor's got a layer of ice on it.  There's some leftover snow residue here and there on the island. We're in for a cold one to kick off 2018 and I'm not talking a brewsky.  Temps will barely tap 20° with breezes out of the N-NW 18-20mph so expect a wind chill factor.  Ms Sun's staying checked in until dusk.  Once the sun sets...clouds roll in as temps drop into the teens again and winds out of W-NW will be 16-20mph.  Tomorrow...almost a repeat of today but just a tad warmer.
High tide:6:48a.m. and 7:22p.m.
Low tide:1:09p.m.
Ocean temp:44°
Sunset:4:50p.m.
Moonrise:4:42p.m.
Some info on that 1st Supermoon of the year (the next is January 31st...two this month)...it's known as the Wolf Moon when the Native American tribes would hear the wolves constantly howling in hunger.  It's the "super" moon because of how big it appears...14% larger than normal due to "perigee" which refers to the Moon's closest point to Earth and "syzygy" which is when celestial bodies line up (as the Sun, Earth and Moon do during each full moon).  This moon has an oval or elliptical orbit, not a "round" one.  At its closest extreme (tonight and 1/31/18), the Moon can be 14% closer and thus appearing 14% larger than other full moons!
Happy New Year everyone!