Snow Surprise

 

Snow surprise! The view outside my trailer February 21, 2022.

I sleep lightly.

I sleep especially light occupying my trailer as 24 hour armed guard and building consultant on the house construction site. 

I consult the weather app often, usually I see a range of high percentage chances of rain for Western Washington. 

After checking the weather app, I bed down in my sleeping bag, expecting temperatures in the low to mid-20's. Cold and dry for February 21st is the forecast, rain chances negligible my app tells me. My fingers hurt when it is cold, I dislike the cold, but it is February and February is a cold season. I am quite tired of the rainfall from the atmospheric river that has been flowing and flushing Western Washington these past five months. A dry cold is preferable to a rainy cold.

I sleep light, but not so light as to be awakened by the cat-foot sound of falling snow. Yet awaken I do, and by the light of my exterior trailer lamp, I see what looks like lumpy porridge drifting down from the dark sky. It is 2:30 AM and an unexpected inch of snow has collected on the hood of my SUV. I was not expecting this.

The plan was to have the metal roof finished by Tuesday. I think, like so many of my plans on this project, the plan is kaput - certainly delayed.

Roofers do not show up in the morning, I am not surprised. Climbing about on a pitched slope covered in snow and ice is an unwelcome risk to neck and noggin, even for half-mountain goat roof installers. They will wait for warmer weather.

Even if the roofers do not show, the sun does show on Monday morning, melting away the 2" that fell overnight.

Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me. I check the weather app, the forecast is for no more precipitation under clear, hard freezing conditions, but dry conditions. I tuck in for the night, my electric heater is set on high inside my trailer. 

I wake to a new inch-and-a-half of snow on Tuesday morning. Like last night, I was not expecting this. It is February 22, Washington's Birthday. A white Christmas is one thing to wish for, but a white Washington's birthday? - c'mon, give me a break.

White Christmas extends to Washington's Birthday

This next snow keeps the roofers off the job and on ground level. Tuesday's snow sits on the ground under overcast clouds; it does not melt. It lingers in shady spots until the weekend.

 

 

Roofing Co. owner brooms snow off

 

Roofer applies propane torch flame to melt stubborn icy patches

 

 

 

 

 

 

The forecast is for no snow on Wednesday, and this time it is accurate. Thursday has no precipitation predicted - until late in the afternoon, when the forecast changes to chances of snow on Thursday night. It snows again late Thursday through early Friday.

I need a roof. The roofers want to finish up my weather-delayed job and get paid. The roofing company owner comes out to my house with a broom to sweep the snow off the pitch and get it ready for work. He fires up a propane torch on the roof to melt off the icy patches that can not be swept off with a broom. I cringe at the sight of an open flame, envisioning another fire burning down my house and having to start over again.

The snow has stopped falling, and with a propane prod to speed along the natural process, the roof snow is gone and the roofers return in the rain to add that hunter green barrier between me and the elements above.

The house under 3 days of late February snowfall.