Weather forecasts said snow was coming to the Ozarks. The kind six to ten inches of white stuff enforce.
Up north in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, ten inches isn’t much. The big snow ploughs race over the roads and life continues.
In the Ozarks ten inches is a big deal as so much at one time is rare. There are no ploughs to clear the roads. There are trucks with blades to shove the snow to the sides of the roads where it builds into a berm and slowly melts.
Snow Falls
After dark, when I locked my chickens up for the night, flakes were starting to fall. The temperature remained a degree or two above freezing, so it didn’t stick on the ground. It did freeze to branches and electric wires.
More kept falling over night. The temperature didn’t drop much, so it was a wet, heavy snow.
In the morning four inches was piled up on everything. The temperature was slightly above freezing leaving gutters and roofs dripping.
Wet Snow
Heavy, wet snow is hard to clear. It sticks to the shovel. It crunches down into ice.
The chickens and goats had snow days looming. Neither likes to be out in the white stuff.
Wet snow on tree branches brought down trees downing electric lines for over 1600 residences. My barn lights went out leaving the chickens and goats in a dimly lit barn. They were not impressed.
End of Snow Days
The next morning brought the electricity back on. The barn was again light as the chickens were still locked in.
The clouds broke up and sunlight turned the back wall of the barn warm. The goats stood around soaking up the rays.
Roofs began to melt off. Some pasture grasses were visible again. And the reason we moved to the Ozarks was reaffirmed: Snow only stays a few days.
Read more about Ozark nature in “Exploring the Ozark Hills“.