FLOA Weather Page

Forest Lakes Owners Association

2009-20010 Weather Board!

Weather Report – March 11th, 2010 2:30 p.m.

Hi Everyone

It seems like winter will just not let up in Forest Lakes. Snow has continued on and off for the last two days and nights. So for the last two storms we have ended up with about 10 inches on the ground. The snow has been difficult to measure because we have had near blizzard and whiteout conditions. Today, however, is bright, sunny and relatively warm. The current temperature is 42 degrees with little or no wind. Still lots of snow in the trees, but it is rapidly melting off. The latest storms have added considerably to the snow piles and berms due to heavy drifting. As it turns out winter is not over yet. Another storm is due Saturday night with an additional 4 inches on Sunday. The interior roads are a real mess. The additional snow has narrowed them down again, enough to make it difficult for two cars to pass without one pulling over. In the morning the roads are solid ice in some areas. The temperature was 14 degrees at our house last night. Later in the day as the snow melts there are areas of thick mud and very large chuckholes. The water has no place to go except down the roads. Those of you coming up for the weekend – 4 wheel drive is necessary in many areas and be prepared to go slow.

If you wish to contact us, you may e-mail us at kcsvs@frontiernet.net or by phone at 928-535-3361. …..Please note: e-mails sometimes reach us many hours after you send them. If you need current information to make travel plans, please don’t hesitate to call on the phone and leave a message. We will return your call

Weather Report – March 9th, 2010 10:00 pm

Hi Everyone

We had a little break last night with only very light snow. It started up again this morning with light snow and windy conditions. As the day went on the snow increased to moderate with gusty and windy conditions. By this afternoon we had near blizzard conditions with frequent whiteouts. It started to taper off late this afternoon. It was hard to measure because of heavy drifting, but it appears we have 5 inches of new snow on the ground. It has continued into tonite on and off, but the wind has settled down and we probably only added about another inch. Light snow is continuing but this storm should be through later tonite. Another storm is due late tomorrow, but the weather service indicates it will be dry with little accumulation. Current temperature is 20 degrees. Although the snow was relatively light it added substantially to the berms because of the drifting.

Weather Report – March 8th, 2010 9:45 a.m.

Hi Everyone

It snowed on and off all day yesterday along with gusty winds that caused quite a bit of drifting. I tried to measure the new snow this morning but it was difficult due to the drifting. As best we can tell we had a storm total of 10 inches. We had frequent whiteouts yesterday but it seemed to taper off last night. The trees are heavily loaded. It is overcast with a temperature of 34 degrees. The weather service indicates another storm tomorrow with 5 inches possible. Summer Loop has not been plowed. There were several slide-offs on 260 yesterday afternoon.

Weather Report – March 7th, 2010 11:30 a.m.

Hi Everyone

Not much to report right now. Yesterday afternoon it started to rain lightly. This on and off rain continued until early this morning when it changed over to light snow. By daylight we only had one or two inches on the ground and much of it was already starting to melt. Last night temperatures remained about 35 degrees and dropped to 32 degrees this morning. Current temperature is 38 degrees. The major portion of the storm is due to hit us later today and thru tonite. The weather service indicates we could get 10 inches or more. The trees were moderately loaded this morning, but the temperature and a light breeze have knocked most of that down. We have had on and off very light snow this morning which is continuing at this time. No road conditions to report.

Weather Report – February 28th, 2010 10:00 a.m.

Hi Everyone

It did not start to snow until very early this morning. It was a very fine and light snow that came straight down. When I measured I could only find between 3 and 4 inches on the ground. In fact some of it is starting to melt already. The snow is continuing on and off, but the storm appears to be about over. The sun is peeking through now and then. Still no wind with a temperature of 38 degrees. The trees are moderately loaded. The weather service had indicated we might expect 9 to 12 inches of snow, but it does not appear that that will happen. We are just as happy with the lighter amount. We still have plenty on the ground to remind us of winter, even though it is the last day of February. We have not heard of any problems on highway 260. The interior roads have not been plowed, but I am sure are passable.

Weather Report – February 23rd, 2010 9:30 a.m.

Hi Everyone

The storm hit hard and fast yesterday. After light snow in the morning it started to snow heavily by noon. There was not much wind, but the heavy snow continued until about 4 p.m. when it abruptly ended. Unfortunately a back hoe showed up to clear my driveway before I had a chance to make a measurement. Our estimate however, is that we had 9 to 12 inches during that period. We have had no further snowfall during the night. The temperature dropped to about 9 degrees. It probably got down below zero in parts of the subdivision. Today is bright and sunny with a temperature of 22 degrees. The trees are heavily loaded and the berms have grown considerably because of the snowplow. We still have only a light breeze with occasional gusts. Highway 260 is still probably icy and we have had one rollover this morning. Fortunately we did not lose power at any time.

Weather Report – Monday February 22^nd, 2010 10:00am

Hi Everyone

Last night we got about 5 more inches of snow and it looks like we will get several inches more before this storm ends later tonite. The weather service indicates any where from 10 to 16 inches could accumulate today. It has been snowing moderately to heavy all morning. The trees are heavily loaded with very little wind except an occasional gust. Summer Loop was plowed yesterday afternoon, but with the added snow last night and this morning, it does not appear passable at this point. We haven’t heard anything about highway 260 and no calls have come in for any slideoffs or rollovers. The temperature is 28 degrees. So far no power outage, but knock on wood with this much snow and more to come it would be a surprise if we are to keep our power through the day.

Weather Report – Sunday February 21st, 2010 12:noon

Hi Everyone

We couldn’t really measure yesterday’s snow because it was mostly rain collecting on the dry areas. We estimate probably an inch to an inch and a half. Last night’s snow however, we were able to measure at 4 inches. The snow continued all night and into this morning. In fact it has not yet let up. The weather service indicates we will see a break this afternoon with a new storm moving into tonite thru Monday. The prediction for tonite is an additional 7 inches with 9 inches tomorrow. I guess as long as we are measuring in inches and not feet we are in good shape. The remainder of the week is predicted to remain unsettled. The trees are moderately loaded and the west side of the trunks are coated with snow indicating that there was strong wind last night. Generally a light breeze today with occasional gusts. It is overcast although the sun has peeked through a couple of times this morning. The temperature is 32 degrees. The interior roads have not been plowed and although we do not know the conditions out on highway 260, there has been one rollover reported 6 miles east of the subdivision.

Weather Report – Saturday February 20th, 2010 4:45 p.m.

Hi Everyone

It started to snow lightly about 8:30 this morning. It continued on and off until around noon at which time the snow became moderate and has been steady ever since. It is difficult to tell how much new snow we have. We can see that the roofs are coated white, but there is nothing on our cement driveway except water. It appears that it is less than an inch at this time. The wind is light and the trees are just starting to load up. The current temperature is 32 degrees. This storm is supposed to be out of here sometime tonight and will be replaced by a new larger storm tomorrow afternoon into Monday. The remainder of the week will remain unsettled. Forest Lakes has not yet recovered from the big storm even though we have had several days of bright sunshine and temperatures in the 40s and 50s. The interior roads are still messy, but passable. Very muddy in spots.

Weather Report – Wednesday February 10th, 2010 3:00 p.m.

Hi Everyone

We have had a little snow since the big storm, but nothing serious. A couple days ago we got about 4 or 5 inches of new snow. But it wasn’t deep enough to worry about removing it from the driveway. We think they did make a path with the snowplow on the roads, but it is hard to tell. It has been snowing on and off today. It is very wet and we see nothing extra on the ground. The weather service indicated showers today and tonight with no significant accumulation. This little disturbance will be out of here by tomorrow morning and we should be then looking at several days of sunshine. The interior roads are bad and getting worse. Still very narrow although cars can now pass on Summer Loop. Where the snow and ice have been completely cleared to the ground, the potholes are extremely bad. The parts of the road that are still icy are actually smoother than the cleared areas. Everything is passable, but extremely rough and narrow. We have no wind. The temperature is 35 degrees with the sun peeking in and out. 260 is clear. We used it several times last week.

Weather Report – Sunday February 7th, 2010 11:30 a.m.

SUPER BOWL SUNDAY!

Hi Everyone

The storm that came through a few days ago did not leave a single flake of snow at Forest Lakes. Last night’s storm, however, left us with 2 to 4 inches as best we can measure. It started yesterday afternoon about 5 p.m., but by 10 p.m. had left little or nothing on the ground. It was difficult to measure this morning because the wind although not really strong seemed to come from a number of different directions so we had considerable drifting. The trees are lightly loaded. We have partial sunshine and a temperature of 33 degrees. Our driveway is already starting to melt. Looking at the radar it appears that we will have on and off showers during the day with no new accumulation. It is still windy which is rapidly unloading the trees. It is still not easy to get around in Forest Lakes. Lots of water on the roads, lots of potholes, high berms and the roads are still narrow, but passable. The weather service indicates another storm for Wednesday and Thursday. At this point it appears that it will also be rather light, but we will have to wait a couple of days before we know for sure. Farther out they are predicting still another storm next Saturday and Sunday. Again no snow predictions. We thank all of you that have been e-mailing us with regards to these reports. It is nice to know that someone is reading them.

Weather Report – Thursday February 4th, 2010 10:30 p.m.

Hi Everyone

Just a short report to let you know that we have had no snow since the big storm. The nights have been mild in the 30 degree range and the days have been up in the 40s. The community has not fully recovered yet and it will take several more weeks for anything resembling normal. The roads are still a mess and difficult even with 4 wheel drive. In the morning they are solid ice and by afternoon they are very muddy. Many of them with a thick layer of slush. The snowplow has been working long hours, but even so, only the main roads provide enough room for 2 cars to pass. The secondary roads are still mostly one lane with 6 to 8 foot berms. We advise anyone coming up to check out their cabin have a 4 wheel drive vehicle. All the roads are passable, but difficult. The melting snow has no place to go that is why the roads are so muddy. The post office has transferred operations to the water dept because Campers is unusable at this time. Larson Waste has provided a large dumpster across from the fire station and we are starting to see propane trucks in the area. Make sure you have a place to park off the road. No parking is allowed on any of the roadways. We are expecting more snow Saturday night and Sunday. The weather service predictions range anywhere from 3 to 12 inches. It has been bright and sunny the last few days, the current temperature is 33 degrees with little or no wind.

Weather Report – Thursday January 28th, 2010 4:30 p.m.

Special report on our big storm

Hi Everyone

First, just a short report on our current weather. It is overcast and has been all day with on and off snow. It seemed to load the trees a bit but probably didn’t leave more than 3 or 4 inches on the ground. Current temperature is 31 degrees with very light winds.

Our main reason for this report is to inform you of a website which not only shows several pictures of Forest Lakes during the storm, but also has an excellent narrative written by Fire Chief Rodriquez. The narrative goes through our preparation prior to the storm and the task undertaken by fire department personnel and others during the storm and the awesome conditions they faced. I think you will find this information very helpful and understanding what Forest Lakes went through this past week. If you will go to the FLOA website: floa.org and in the left hand column go to the link to the fire department. At the bottom of the home page you will see a link to Chief Rodriquez’s article. You will also see the link to the pictures. By clicking on each individual picture you can view them at full screen.

Weather Report – Thursday January 28th, 2010 10:00 a.m.

Sorry folks we are late again, but we had a good excuse. The internet was down for a good portion of the day yesterday and then we were too busy keeping the snow and ice away from our west facing windows. The snow from our major storm was sliding off the roof and built up almost to the eaves. We had large blocks of ice and snow tumbling down and threatening two large windows. Finally got things under control this morning with a crew of snow diggers and some plywood over the windows, so we are back in business. The interior roads are still messy. Most are just wide enough for an automobile. During the day they get very slushy and muddy. Those of you who want to come up and check your place out should only come in a 4 wheel drive. We still would discourage people from coming just to play in the snow. Campers store has been damaged to the extent that it is not currently usable so all the mail is being sorted and distributed at the water dept. The current storm has had little effect. Looks like maybe 3 or 4 inches of powder and it is supposed to be clearing out today. It is currently overcast and snowing lightly with a temperature of 30 degrees with a light breeze. As a reminder, if you do come up, you cannot park on any of the roads so be sure and have your driveway plowed or someplace to park your vehicle.

Weather Report – Sunday January 24th, 2010 l:00 p.m.

Not much to report weather wise today. It is bright and sunny with a temperature of 39 degrees and a gentle breeze. They were able to plow our driveway this morning with much difficulty, because much of the snow has drifted to over 5 feet. I walked down to our road, Summer Loop, and found that the road is no wider than my driveway. If we venture out and meet another vehicle or road equipment, somebody has to back down as there is no room to pass. With five and six foot walls of ice on both sides it is almost like a tunnel. Unless we are called to the Fire Station for some reason (Keith is in charge of the dispatching operation and radio communications) we are going to stay put for another day or two. The operations people need all the room they can get. At this time we can not put any pictures on this report but we are working to correct this problem. We both have medical appointments in Payson on Tue. So we hope that it will be safe enough to travel by then. Thanks again for your phone calls and e-mails, it gives us a warm feeling to have a connection to the outside world. The next storm is due on Wed. but so far they indicate only 7 to 8 inches. Does not sound so bad after this last one.

Weather Report – Saturday January 23rd, 2010 3:30 p.m.

Things are looking slightly better. We had a few snow showers today but nothing to add to our total. We have no idea what fell last night, probably about a foot. After 50 hours our power finally returned for which we are grateful. The generator was running fine when I turned it off and the pellet stove is back to proper operations. Just now the snowplow reported a tree into the power lines a few blocks from here, so if APS doesn’t act soon we could be back on generator tonite. We really can’t see much from the house. Our west facing windows are completely covered from snow off the roof. Our front windows are almost completely covered from snow off the front porch. We can see out the back but not very far because of drifting snow. We have even seen a little bit of sunshine this afternoon, but the trees are heavily loaded, our driveway is 4 feet or more deep in snow and Summer Loop has not been plowed yet. From what little we can see, there is no damage or downed trees in our area. However we are starting to hear that there is structure damage within the subdivision. The fire dept is notifying owners as damage is being discovered by the patrols. Current temperature is 29 and we are hoping for better weather tomorrow. However, they are already indicating another storm on the way late Tuesday into Wednesday. Hopefully we will be dug out by then.

We would like to thank those of you who have either called or e-mailed us expressing your concerns for our well-being. So far we are doing fine. Also we would like to reiterate that we advise NOT TO COME TO FOREST LAKES THIS WEEKEND. They have brought in a couple of caterpillar tractors to help out but it will probably be several days before the roads are clear enough to accommodate even a 4 wheel drive. We here at Forest Lakes appreciate your patience and your goodwill. We will continue to keep you informed as best we can.

Weather Report – Friday January 22nd, 2010 2:21 p.m

Hi Everyone

Sorry we are a bit late with the report, but we had some problems to take care of. First the generator started acting up and since we have been on generator since about noon yesterday, I decided it was the first thing I would look into this morning. After much checking, I discovered that our pellet stove was causing the problem. So I disconnected the stove and the generator worked fine. I spent the rest of the day working on the pellet stove. I managed to repair it so we are up and running on all cylinders.

Now for the weather. It snowed all day yesterday, all last night and it is continuing today. We had a brief episode of about 2 to 3 hours of rain last night, but we have had mostly snow. I didn’t get a chance to measure it this morning, but I am estimating that we currently have about 3 feet of new snow on the driveway that was plowed late yesterday afternoon. The snow slid off the roof and we cannot see out of our windows so we have to go outside to see what is going on. Listening on the radio to our fire fighting crew who are out patrolling looking for damaged homes or excessive snow loads on homes, they are fighting 3 and 4 feet of snow on the interior roads using snowshoes to check on the homes. You have to see it to believe it. When they tried to go on the back side of Summer Loop they were chest deep. THEY DESERVE A BIG ROUND OF APPLAUSE! None of the interior roads in our area have been plowed since the beginning of the storm. It is all the graders can do to keep the area clear around the fire station and out to highway 260. The storm appears to be breaking up today. We are not having the constant downpours of snow that we have had for the past two days and nights. When the main part of the storm came through last night, the winds were not as strong as predicted. From our house I cannot see any damage to trees at our neighbors. Our only problem right now is that we cannot see any part of our 6 foot chain link fence which we use to contain our dog. That should give you some idea of how much snow we had. IT WOULD BE BEST NOT TO PLAN TO COME UP HERE THIS WEEKEND. We have no idea how long it is going to take them to clear the interior roads. 4 wheel drive and snowmobiles are of no value. The trees were swept clean by the winds last night, but now again they are heavily loaded. Temperature is 28 degrees and we have had moderate wind with some heavy gusting which is drifting the snow.

Weather Report – Thursday January 21st, 2010 11:40 a.m.

The snow continued all night and we ended up between 13 and 15 inches this morning. The main body of the storm will hit us tonite with about 30 inches plus another 30 inches on Friday tapering off Friday night into Saturday with a possible 15 to 20 inches. We have had a little wind but not enough to unload the trees. Snow has been very steady with no break. Power has been intermittent on and off. It was off about 2 ½ hours this morning and just came back on. The temperature is 32 degrees. The interior roads are all but impassable even with 4 wheel drive. Both the fire department and law enforcement are requesting that we discourage anyone from traveling to Forest Lakes this weekend. Even though this event should be over sometime late Saturday, it will probably take at least a few more days to get the roads passable. Highway 260 is still open at this time, but it is expected to close sometime tonite and probably will remain closed into Saturday. Our cell phones are still operational and the tower at Brookbank is still operational, so communication is not a problem. That could change with the heavy snow expected tonite. The weather service is predicting a little less wind than they first announced, but we could still see occasional gusts in the 50 to 60 mile an hour range.

Weather Report – Wednesday January 20, 2010 12:45

No new snow yesterday after our report, however, last night added 16 to 18 inches of new snow. Some of the roads have been plowed, some not including Summer Loop. The trees are so heavily loaded the lower branches are into the snow pack. We have a mixture of clouds and sun today. The temperature is 35 degrees and little or no wind. Our third storm is due in later tonight with heavy snow and high wind. The weather service indicates we will get a minimum of 4 feet of snow with wind gusting up to 50 miles per hour. We are sure that highway 260 will be closed. The fire department and law enforcement have been meeting for the last two days setting up an emergency plan to handle the coming storm. All residents currently in Forest Lakes have been asked to leave if they have a place in the valley. All households with people who will be staying to ride out the storm have been logged in the fire department. We will send patrols as often as possible to make welfare checks on those households. Emergency communications procedures have been established in case of radio or telephone failure. The weather service indicates that Forest Lakes is the bullseye of this storm and that it probably will be one of the worst in the last 30 or 40 years. NO ONE SHOULD ATTEMPT TO COME TO FOREST LAKES AT THIS TIME. Please be aware that we are very close to declaring an emergency situation and the fewer people we have to worry about the easier it will be to handle this situation. Unfortunately we expect property damage from the high winds and heavy snow and we expect to be without power for many hours and it could be for several days. Again everyone is discouraged to come to Forest Lakes during this severe storm. If for any reason you do come, please check in with the fire department. We are trying to keep tabs on everyone in the subdivision. Hopefully we will be able to put out periodic reports as long as our generator holds out, so we will try to keep you up to date as best we can. Again be aware that the interior roads are a mess and only some of them have been or will be plowed. This message is not sent to alarm you but to inform you of the severity of the situation.

Weather Report – Tuesday January 19, 2010 9:11a.m.

PLEASE NOTE – Just before we were ready to post this update the power went out and we are currently operating on the generator.

It snowed most of the day yesterday, but it was quite light and by afternoon we only had an inch and a half on the ground. When we woke up this morning things had changed. The trees are heavily loaded and I measured 11 to 12 inches of new snow. There is very little wind and the temperature is 30 degrees, so we will not see any melting before the next storm gets here this afternoon. We are expecting at least another foot by tomorrow. The weather service indicates that the Thursday/Friday storm will be the big one. They are expecting heavy snow, high winds with lots of tree damage and power outages. We have not seen the snowplow this morning, but he was working last night. We can’t tell if the interior roads are passable at this time. We have already had a major accident on highway 260 at milepost 293. It was a collision between 2 big rigs with injuries to one of the drivers. Our lights did blink once this morning, bu so far no power outage.

Weather Report – Thursday January 14, 2010 10:45a.m.

We have had our first precipitation since December last night. Not a lot of new snow on the ground between 2 ½ and 3 inches. It occurred between midnite and early this morning. Yesterday our snowpack was about 8 to 10 inches with 90% coverage. The trees are lightly loaded and it is still overcast with a temperature of 30 degrees. The weather service shows no further snow from this storm. Next week is expected to be stormy with significant accumulation of snow. It appears that the new snow and underlying snowpack will remain for this weekend for those of you who are thinking of coming up. The berms are still substantial in height and are solid ice, so getting into driveways will require some work or hiring someone to help get you in. The weekend is predicted to be mostly sunny.

Weather Report – Wednesday December 30th, 2009 7:45p.m.

We got a little more snow today. It started about 10:30 am and is continuing on and off. Just before dark we only had 2 more inches on the ground. The snow was persistent but very light. It was enough however to cause several accidents on highway 260 including a big rig with a double trailer that jackknifed. That closed the highway for a couple of hours this afternoon. This snow is supposed to end tonite and at the moment it is very light so probably won’t add much to the total. Wind is light but a little gusty at times causing some drifting. The current temperature is 26 degrees. The interior roads were replowed today so getting around should not be a problem.

Weather Report – Tuesday December 29th, 2009 5:00p.m.

When we left this morning for Payson, if you looked really hard you could see a few snow flakes. We were in Payson until about 3 this afternoon It was bone chilling cold down there and we could not see the Rim, so we knew that our return trip would probably be snowy. We had no precipitation until we reached the bottom of the hill on 260. It was snowing very lightly all the way to Forest Lakes. Visibility was good and the road was clear of ice and snow. When we got home and checked we found only about ½ inch of accumulation today. It is not snowing right now but looks like it could start again. The weather service indicates an additional one to two inches possible tonite. So as storms go this one is pretty much of a fizzle. It is currently overcast with a temperature of 31 degrees and no wind. The interior roads are either icy or muddy depending on location. The berms are about 2 to 3 feet high, again depending on location. And as we indicated 260 is clear and will depend on the snow tonite to see if it remains that way. By Thursday it is supposed to be sunny and remain nice thru the weekend. We have 100 percent snow coverage with approximately 2 feet on the ground. The last few days have been cool, in the 30s and 40s and nights have occasionally gone to single digits.

Weather Report – Wednesday December 23rd, 2009 9:45a.m.

We would like to give you a final snow total for this storm, but we cannot. It is still snowing. It snowed most of the night. At 8 o’clock this morning I measured 12 inches on our driveway. Since the storm is winding down the final total will probably be in the 13 to 14 inch range. Last night during a heavy snow period we had several accidents on highway 260 including a jack- knifed big rig. Highway 260 was open and closed several times during the night partly due to the heavy snow and partly due to the number of accidents. We do not have any information on the current status on the highway. Some of the interior roads were plowed late yesterday but will need to be replowed when the snow finally ends. We have seen no movement on the roads this morning. The trees are heavily loaded and there is very light wind. The temperature is 26 degrees. So far our power has remained on, however it did blink on and off a few times this morning.

Weather Report – Tuesday December 22nd, 2009 3:45p.m.

We started off with light snow this morning about 10:30. Since then it has gotten progressively heavier. We have approximately 6 inches on the ground and it is snowing heavily at a steady rate. Not much wind so it is coming straight down, only an occasional gust. Looks like we will have a foot or more by morning. The temperature is 30 degrees and of course it is heavily overcast. The trees are becoming heavily loaded. There has been no plowing on the interior roads, so I wouldn’t venture out without 4 wheel drive. We have had several accidents on highway 260, cars into the ditch and a couple of rollovers. Not a good time to travel.

Weather Report – Sunday December 13th, 2009 7:00p.m.

This last little series of storms didn’t produce much precipitation. There was no snow Friday or Friday night. On Saturday we had some light showers on and off during the day with no accumulation. There was no snow last night and in fact we saw no precipitation until about 1 o’clock this afternoon. It was continuous until around 4 p.m., but again produced no accumulation. It was very wet and mixed with rain. The temperature for the last 3 days and nights has remained between 30 and 33 degrees. It was windy today with the storm moving to the east rather rapidly. We expect little or no precipitation thru tonite and into tomorrow. The weather service indicates that next week will be dry and warmer. We are getting some melting and the snow on the roof is sliding off. Interior roads have been replowed, but are still snowpacked in many areas.

Weather Report – Thursday December 10th, 2009 8:00a.m.

Just a quick update to let everyone know that our power was turned at 7:00 last night. It was off for a full 48 hours which doesn’t seem like a long time, but when you are going through it, it seemed like a week. We have no information on other parts of the subdivision, but we assume that most of the power is back on. APS seemed to have worked from highway 260, so we were about the last in line. The weather yesterday was cold but pleasant and today looks to be the same. Partly cloudy skies, no wind and the temperature is 13 degrees. Going out to the post office yesterday I noticed that the interior roads were still snowpacked and very slippery. Lots of fishtailing even with 4 wheel drive. Highway 260 was basically clear but there were still patches of ice. I also noticed several downed trees. We are looking for another storm this weekend, but all the weather service will say is – significant accumulation. We will just have to wait and see.

Weather Report – Wednesday December 9th, 2009 10:20 a.m.

Still no sign of power for us on Summer Loop. We were getting reports of some power on in the subdivision last night, but still nothing for us. Hopefully APS will stay up here until we are all back on line. So far our trusty generator is holding up and we have fuel for another couple of days. The temperature last night did not go as low as predicted. Our lowest temp. was 18 degrees. The prediction had been down to 5 degrees. It is partly cloudy with no wind and our current temperature is 34 degrees. Today and tomorrow are predicted to be dry with another storm moving in on Friday. So far they are predicting significant accumulating snow by Saturday. Next week is predicted to be clear and mostly dry. Highway 260 is still open, but with the snow starting to melt, it will probably be treacherous due to refreezing at night. The interior roads are plowed, but snowpacked. There are also large berms anywhere from 2 to 4 feet depending on your area. For those of you planning trips up here for the weekend should make arrangements so you can get into your driveway.

Weather Update – Tuesday December 8th, 2009 4:00 p.m.

Just a quick update on our situation. The power is still out. We know of at least 3 power lines down and so far no sign of APS. It appears that our power will not come back on until very late tonight or early tomorrow morning at the very earliest. The high today was 25 degrees and the temperatures are expected to drop to around 5 degrees tonight. We have had no snow today and the winds have remained light and variable. Highway 260 has been open most of the day and most of the interior roads have been snowplowed. Our berms here on Summer Loop are four to five feet high. With the low temperatures tonight most of the snow will turn to ice. There are no trees down that we can see in our area, but we have heard reports of a few trees down in the subdivision. We don’t know of any cabin damage.

Weather Report – Tuesday December 8th, 2009 11:30 a.m.

First of all, Forest Lakes has been without power since about 6:30 last night. We still do not have power because APS did not get up here last night due to 260 being closed. We hear that 260 is now open so hopefully we will get the power on by tonight. We know of 3 power lines being down in the subdivision plus a few trees here and there. The storm got pretty wild last night. About 2 o’clock this morning we had wind gusts up to 55 miles per hour which was slamming ice and snow against the house and threatening to break windows. During this wind event we also had heavy snow. Although it is hard to tell exactly how much because of the drifting, I have measured 2 to 3 feet in our driveway area. This is about the worst storm we have seen in our 15 years here except for the big one in 1997. Right now the winds are light and variable. We still have heavy cloud cover and the temperature is 21 degrees. Due to the heavy wind there is not much snow in the trees or the rooftops. We are running on our generator right now and our pellet stove is operational so we are warm and dry. Some of the interior roads have been plowed. Summer Loop has been plowed, but we have no way to get to it until we get someone to clear our driveway.

Weather Report – Monday December 7th, 2009 4:00 p.m. Pearl Harbor Day!!

All we had yesterday was a few flakes and last night was mainly a wind event. Just a little snow on the ground when we woke up. This morning the wind was still quite strong and it began to snow around 7 a.m. Fairly light at first and the wind was drifting it so it was difficult to tell how much snow there was. By midday the wind had calmed down some and the snow had increased at a steady rate. Haven’t been outside, but it appears that we have about 6 inches on the ground at this time. It is still windy at times so there is some drifting. We have had white-out and near white-out conditions from time to time and the trees are becoming heavily loaded. The temperature has remained at 30 degrees all day. SR87 is closed north of Payson. As far as we know 260 has remained open, but is very difficult in spots due to blowing snow and ice. The weather service indicates that the worst is yet to come. The wind will pick up again tonight along with heavy snow creating blizzard conditions. This could add about 2 feet or more to our snowpack by morning. If we don’t lose power, we will let you know what is going on in the morning.

Weather Report – Saturday December 5th, 2009 10:15 a.m.

Forest Lakes is getting ready for another winter and hopefully we will have our board up and running. This posting is basically a test to make sure things are working and we are able to upload the information. All we have had so far is it has been very cold, down to 5 degrees two nights ago and about 20 degrees last night. Daytime highs have been in the high 30s. The weather service indicates that we are in for a big storm between now and Wednesday with up to 2 feet of snow possible. Also high winds and blizzard conditions. We could see light snow tonight, but the main event will probably start Sunday night.

Weather Report – Sunday November 29th, 2009 7:00 p.m.

Keith will be posting soon!