A trip back to the family farm before the winter storm.

Have you heard about the coming snow storm??? More on that shortly...

Summer, Evan, and I went back to Darke County yesterday to see my grandma.  We had a nice time catching up and then we went back to my parent's house for some good food and more hanging out. We had to drive through some sleet, snow, and rain, but overall the roads were wet and only snow-covered when we were pulling into the driveway back in Columbus.  

The calm before the storm... Today we will have wet/icy spots on the roads early from the rain/snow on Thursday.  Patchy fog this morning then cloudy skies and a few flurries possible today.  Highs today getting into the mid 30s.  Cloudy overnight, but some light snow moving in for Northern Ohio. Saturday we start dry for most of Central Ohio with cloudy skies.  Rain/ice/snow moves in by mid morning.  Snow will stay north, rain stays south and the transition zone between the two will have periods of sleet and freezing rain.  This transition zone will fluctuate some during the day as temps warm and then cool, but generally setting up along I-70 and just south.  If we warm a degree or two then this line will shift north. 

 

"How much snow?" I figured you wanted to know... Where it stays all snow to the north 5-8" of snow likely with areas of 8+".  The transition zone will see a layer of ice, up to 0.5" for the prolonged icing areas, and then 3-6" of snow depending on how long you see the ice.  Southern Ohio will see rain most of the day and then transition to snow late with 1-3" of snow late.  Southern Ohio could also see localized flooding with all the rain and melting snow/ice.  

 

There is a Winter Storm Watch issued for the snow and ice and this will likely be upgraded to a warning later today. 

Most snow with this system will be done by daybreak on Sunday, but some lake effect snow possible, mainly north on Sunday.  The big story Sunday will be digging out and then bracing for MUCH colder air.  Wind chills will be below zero most of Sunday PM and Monday.  Some wind chills could dip as low as -20 Monday morning. Partly cloudy and highs in the mid teens Monday. More rain moves in later Tuesday followed by colder air Tuesday night and we transition to snow by Wednesday morning.  Have a good one! 

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Disney on ice, snow, more snow, oh yea... and more snow...

Dawn's uncle got her (and Dawn and me) tickets to Disney on Ice. Summer was starting to feel under the weather, but she was SO excited when the characters came out on the ice.  So much fun over the weekend.

Summer and I had some fun in the snow as well.  We would fill up the sled with snowballs and she said that they were gifts for all of her friends.

Evan was loving life inside in his bouncer.  Summer liked the bouncer, but Evan LOVES it.

I... love running in the snow.... Check out the snow all in my hair.

I feel like a little kid when running in the snow. 

Fresh snow is fun,but packed snow can wear you out.  I did 6.5 miles on Saturday and it was fine, but the 8.5 miles on Sunday REALLY wore me out.  I did a 5k yesterday around my neighborhood, but I am going to cut back my miles the next few days to rest my strained muscles a little more.  I figured you lose about 10-20% of energy with the slipping.  All that depends on the shoes and traction. 

We have dense fog and frigid temps for your Tuesday morning, so use caution on the roads this morning for the potential for new icy spots.  We will see a little sun once the fog clears then clouds fill back in for later today and highs near 32.  More clouds tonight and spotty light snow by early Wednesday.  We will generally see a dusting or half an inch for the areas seeing the spotty snow by midday Wednesday then mostly cloudy and highs in the mid 30s. 

A low pressure system over Colorado today will head our way for Thursday.  We will need to watch the temps closely because a couple of the forecast models are cold enough for the rain/snow line to set up along I-70 for Ohio.  A couple other models are going about 2 degrees warmer and thus pushing that rain/snow line into Northern Ohio.  Areas that stay all snow could see up to a couple inches of snow, but any rain will quickly cut down on any snow accumulation.  Stay tuned because just a slight temp difference could mean little to no snow, or enough to shovel.  Timing looks to have the rain/snow arrive daybreak Thursday and move out to the east by Thursday evening.

Friday looks quiet, mostly cloudy, and dry for the most part.  Highs in the upper 30s.

 A stronger, more potent, low pressure system then moves in for Saturday and Sunday.  It is currently on the Pacific Coast and will cross the Rockies over the coming days.  Until it crosses the Rockies, the long-range forecast could still see adjustments from run to run.  Right now most forecast models are agreeing that around daybreak we will see the precip start moving into Ohio.  We will be on the rain/snow line again with this system with ice along that transition zone.  Things may change, but this is what it is looking like on this Tuesday morning: Rain showers for Southern Ohio likely most of Saturday. The ice, or transition zone between the rain and snow, sets up most of the day along or just south of I-70.  Then the northern parts of Ohio stay all snow with several inches of snow.  By Saturday night colder air pushes in and we all transition over to another couple of inches of snow for the entire area with strong winds.  A slight adjustment on trajectory or temps could greatly change this, so stay tuned.  Snow showers likely on and off Sunday then MUCH colder air for Sunday into Monday.

ALSO... Total lunar eclipse will happen Sunday evening.  The total eclipse will happen between 11:41 PM Sunday and 12:43 AM Monday. Fingers crossed that we can clear out some of the clouds because if we have clear skies then it will be viewable for all of Ohio. Have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Welcome back to winter! Quick look at the details of coming snow...

Pardon any typos... flying through this before a meeting...

This weeks run went from the 60s on Tuesday to wind chills in the single digits by Thursday morning! I know I may look and sound crazy, but I actually enjoy the really cold runs.  Maybe because I am alone in the world outside while everyone else is staying warm.   I am up to day 50 of my run streak.  At least 1 mile every day for 50 days... but most average around 3 to 4 miles.

Great weather to take the kids to COSI.  My parents bought us annual passes, so COSI is a GREAT way to keep the kids entertained on the cold days.  Summer loved playing dress-up.  I think doctor was her favorite. 

Evan went too, but I snapped this photo before we left of him and Dawn.  Twins?!?! Right???

Alright on to the snow...  Winter Weather Advisory for Central Ohio issued for Saturday until early Sunday morning. Far SW Ohio have a Winter Storm Warning(more snow)

Today we stay dry with a mix of sun & clouds, light winds, and highs in the mid 30s. Clouds will increase tonight with lows in the mid 20s. Then snow on the way... Snow showers will arrive around or just after daybreak on Saturday. The snow showers will continue through the day Saturday and into Saturday night. A few lingering flurries or light snow showers to the south early Sunday.

Confidence on the snow event is very high, but there is still a little uncertainty with snow totals. A couple of the forecast models are trying to bring in some dry air in the afternoon and cutting back on snowfall totals and a few others keep the moisture around with higher snow totals. Right now we are thinking 2-4" of snow by daybreak Sunday for Ohio's I-70 corridor and then a little more to the south and less to the north.

Since we still have more than 24 hours before this arrives, please check back in later today for the most up-to-date forecast. Not a crippling amount of snow, but enough for the roads to messy later Saturday for those that need to venture out. It will be a great snow to have some fun!

More sun returning Monday and Tuesday.  With the fresh blanket of snow, it could lead to some very cold overnight low temps Monday night if we manage to clear out all the clouds.  Another light wintry mix/snow possible next Wednesday into Thursday.  Have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck michael

Runs with the kids, brief warm-up, snow on the way...

I went outside with Summer on Friday night to watch the Quadrantid Meteor Shower and I was able to see about 10 shooting starts including two bright ones.

Then after work I took her for a run while Evan got a nap. 

Saturday was family time with my family celebrating Christmas since my sister was down in Florida until last week.  She is back now and returning to finish up her degree at Kent after her year working at Disney for their college program.

Sunday was cleaning up and Dawn and Summer took a nap.  Evan was wide awake so I took him for a run and he was snuggled up warm and under a blanket and asleep as well shortly into the run.  It was nice getting all the sunshine through the weekend, but now the clouds are back with rain.... 

Today we will see cloudy skies and winds picking up.  We may have a spotty shower or two through the daylight hours, but rain showers are likely this evening.  At least our temps will be favorable and warming from the mid 30s to the mid 50s by the afternoon.  We stay in the upper 40s tonight with the rain showers and winds staying brisk.  Spotty light rain Tuesday with even stronger winds and highs in the mid 50s.  A cold front will push through in the early afternoon tomorrow and push the rain out and colder air to rush in for late Tuesday and the rest of the week.  We will see a few flurries Tuesday night and Wednesday with mostly cloudy skies. Partly cloudy and cold for Thursday and Friday.  Another system is looking more promising for light snow this weekend, mainly Saturday.  A few flurries may linger into Sunday. Right now it appears the snow will be fairly light, but worth watching... Stay tuned!

Here is a look at the temps for the week ahead along with the wind chills.  It will feel MUCH colder later this week so take advantage of the warmer temps today and tomorrow.  Have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

The start of 2019... warm and damp... for now...

Final run of 2018, with 935 miles total this year. Exactly 200 less than 2017, but another life was added to the family this year. Today’s wet run was spent reflecting. I’m blessed with a healthy family and the ability to clear my mind on these runs. I am not sure what 2019 has in store, but I foresee a lot of runs with the kids together in the stroller and always putting family first. Dawn has been supportive of me running while the kids nap or early once they wake up. Without her my running would be even less.

We managed to shoehorn in 1.01" of rain on the final day of the year and it bumped us up to the #1 wettest year ever recorded in Columbus, Ohio! Crazy!

I was blessed with a visit from my buddy Luke this week.  He and his son stopped by the house to visit.  Luke is a Lieutenant in the Navy and was stationed at Ohio State as a ROTC instructor the last past couple of years. He now will be heading out on a new destroyer this year, but has some schooling for his new role on the ship, so he is leaving today for his next chapter.  You may remember him from the wedding I was in earlier this year.  He and his wife are expecting a newborn in the middle of May.  I will miss seeing him around, but thanks to technology he won't be too far. 

The clouds will be sticking around today, but some sun is on the way! Mostly cloudy with temps in the 30s most of the day and topping out around 40. A weak disturbance tonight will bring a few sprinkles and flurries, mainly north, this evening and early tonight. Mostly cloudy overnight with lows in the lower 30s. Clouds will start breaking up early tomorrow and more sun by later in the day Thursday with highs near 40 again. Light winds the next couple days. Increasing clouds on Friday with scattered rain moving in later in the day to the south. Evening and overnight rain, mainly south, for the start of the weekend. The rain will move out quickly early Saturday then some afternoon sun. More sun Sunday as well with highs in the upper 40s for the weekend. More rain moves in later Monday and Tuesday and this looks like more of a soaking rain for all of Central Ohio. Winds also are looking brisk with this system. High temps still staying in the upper 40s for the start of next week. Our normal high for early January is 37, so a mild start to 2019.  No snow systems on the way in the near future, but I do think we will have big temp swings on the way for the end of the month... so there is some colder air on the way.  We just need to time it out with precip to get snow. Have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Christmas wrap-up... rain on the way for us...

We had a pretty good Christmas at the Michael House. We were all blessed with good health and safe travels.  We started off by sprinkling Magical Reindeer food on the front lawn so Santa did not miss our house. 

The mild temps last week were nice enough to take Summer on a run with me along with Evan.  Evan slept and Summer said she wanted to run too, so I let her run until she got tired.

I had to work part of the weekend and I got to see Santa!  Dawn and the kids were visiting her family to the north.

The went to Chandler Commons.  If you have never been there, you should check it out if you are ever up near Cleveland.  Just a short jump off of I-71.  

During the Sunday morning show I had a lot of coffee.  Normally I run while the kids take a nap and Dawn is working.  Which limits my time to run.  I was home alone, so I figured I had enough energy to do a handful of mile.  Then I started running and thought I had 10 miles in me... then I wanted to keep going so I pushed it to 13.1 miles. 

Nothing like a Christmas Eve Eve Half Marathon through a shipping yard/industrial district to ring in the holidays. I made up for it by indulging on extra cookies.  I did meet up with the family after the morning show on Christmas Eve.

Summer's excitement made my heart sing.

It was a good Christmas for everyone. Grandparents are helping out with zoo membership and other fun "experience" gifts.  Which is great because the memories will last forever. (Along with all the photos) 

Dawn got me this sweet medal rack for all my races.  I will probably add a few more to that this year.

Thankfully not nearly as foggy as it was on Wednesday morning! Thanks to a breeze out of the southeast it is keeping our visibilities great for your Thursday morning commute. It is chilly this morning with temps in the lower 30s and a few passing clouds. More clouds as we go through the day today with winds picking up as well. We will warm into the lower 50s by the afternoon and becoming overcast with rain showers arriving for the late afternoon. The steadiest and heaviest rain will be this evening and tonight. Winds will also stay brisk overnight, 15-25+ mph, out of the south. We will stay warm overnight with low temps in the upper 40s and a high of 60 for Friday before the cold front moves through and brings in cooler air for the weekend. Rain showers for the first half of Friday with brisk winds. Saturday and Sunday will be chilly with highs in the lower 40s and mostly cloudy skies. We may see a flurry on Saturday, but most of us will likely be dry all weekend. Another system is looking more promising for rain for Monday. This would be our final chance to give a run at the #1 wettest year recorded for Columbus. We are currently in the #2 spot with 1.06" needed to reach the #1 wettest year. With the push of warmer air I am bumping up the temps a little bit for Monday and that is the only adjustment to the extended forecast. Wintry mix possible Tuesday, New Year's Day, as colder air races back, but high pressure by the middle of the week with more sun. Have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Stroller running, gnome painting, wintry mix coming?

The mild temps last week have been great to get outside of the house some and spend some time with the kids in the stroller.  I took them for a run last week and Evan fell asleep almost instantly.  Glad he likes riding in the stroller. Summer always loved/loves it too.  She gets to see the neighborhood.  When I finished she turned back to me and said, "Good run dad!" Melt my heart!

Last week we painted gnomes for a Susan G Komen fundraiser.  I finished mine in the hour of the morning show and the rest of the crew took the rest of the day.  We are showing them off on the morning show today.

I spent Friday and Saturday getting things ready for Christmas.  Browns won!  Then Sunday I did the final craft show of the season for Balm By Buck. The biggest thing for the new venture is getting word out about the hobby.  I have had a great response so far and hope that 2019 does just as well.  My goal is to use it as a way to raise money for the kids college tuition. Maybe they can take it over one day.

A few dry days ahead with chilly temps. Today we have some patchy early fog then a mix of sun & clouds for the afternoon. Skies will clear out more through the day and night. Highs today in the lower 40s and overnight low temps will fall into the mid 20s by Tuesday morning, so frost likely. Lots of sun Tuesday with highs barely reaching 40. A little warmer Wednesday, mid-upper 40s, with increasing clouds. Scattered rain showers for Thursday with highs in the lower 50s. More rain likely Friday and colder air will be working in so we will see the rain transition to a wintry mix by late Friday and early Saturday. Colder next weekend with highs in the upper 30s. Mostly cloudy Saturday with the early wintry mix then a brief ridge of high pressure will bring more sun Sunday. Forecast models are not in agreement with Christmas Eve weather. At times they show dry conditions then new forecast models show wintry mix or snow then back to dry conditions. Chances of a White Christmas, 1" of snow at daybreak, are low, but we may see a little wintry precipitation beforehand. Stay tuned and have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Meeting Santa, dentist office laughs, and the neighborhood nut...

It was time for our annual trip to see Santa last week.  Even and I matched with our flannel while Dawn and Summer had matching outfits as well.   We were not allowed to take photos of Santa with our phones and I have not received the email of the photos yet... sooo... Here is one of the whole family in front of the Christmas tree. No one freaked out with Santa, but Summer was a little shy and Santa did most of the talking between the two of them.

Summer and Dawn also had an appointment at the dentist last week.  So Evan and I hung out in the lobby looking up funny dentist jokes.  We found some good ones!

I have been continuing the Runner's World Run Streak and today will be day 19. Almost halfway to the end! I am the crazy guy in the neighborhood that doesn't let the rain, snow, or cold stop me from getting in a quick run... Although... I feel very crummy, but I am hoping that a quick run around the neighborhood may help break up some of the crud I am dealing with. It normally helps...

More dry weather to start the week with chilly temps... for now. Today we will see a lot of sun with a few clouds and highs in the mid 30s with light winds. Tonight we will fall back into the lower 20s with mostly clear skies. High pressure rolls on for Tuesday with a lot of sun and a few PM clouds and highs in the upper 30s and a light breeze out of the southwest. Increasing clouds Wednesday with highs in the lower 40s and a light rain/mix shower or two possible late. More rain/snow possible on Thursday, but it looks light and scattered with highs in the low-mid 40s. Rain is looking likely for Friday. Highs will be in the upper 40s with on and off rain. A little rain will linger into the start of the weekend and temps staying mild. Have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael