Currently 11 with an average wind from the W of 5 mph. Feels like 6 degrees. Dew Point 6, Barometer 30.36 & falling, Humidity 78%, Visibility 8 mi., Sunrise 7:41am, Sunset 6:11 pm.

Mostly cloudy with a 20% chance of snow showers. High 15-20. NW winds 5-10 with gusts to 20 mph.

Cloudy overnight with a 40% chance of snow showers. Low 5-10. N winds 5 -10 mph.

Winter Storm Uri is causing havoc in the lower part of our nation. Ice is the very worst of winter and it’s hitting the south hard. Sure to be power outages, cold people, crop damage…and the recent horrendous traffic pile-up near Fort Worth in Texas so tragic with 6 dead and countless injured is an example of what winter is doing to parts of this nation not so used to it as those of us in the north.  Driving – even walking – on ice is dangerous and inadvisable. We,  folks in my little backyard area, continue to be sheltered from the worst of Winter so far. No sense in counting on that being a given, even though it’s been fairly constant thus far. But I suspect there will be historic damage to trees in the south and that’s hard to bear. I remember a disastrous ice storm in the south many years ago and it about broke my heart to see old beautiful Magnolia Trees, so many lovely southern varieties of trees broken and ruined. Driving by enormous piles of the broken branches piled up along sides of the roads. Made me cry and I was only a visitor at the time to the south. Didn’t even live there, but I found it heartbreaking even so. I’m hoping so much that this one isn’t as damaging, but it isn’t sounding good at the moment. I’m praying everyone stays as safe as they can be.