Calm before the storm--not!

I don't know where you are located, but we are hearing winter storm warnings on the east and west coast. Right now the Sun is shining, but we have been warned to expect a bad day tomorrow. Many times the weather reports are wrong here, we are protected by mountians and the storms often ride right over us. If you are on the East Coast things look bad they have even stopped the flights already so the planes don't get stuck there. Hope you stay well and warm.

I can't say that anything out of the ordinary has happened with me. I haven't noticed any unusual wildlife behavior, either. It is generally very quiet hours before a storm hits, though. None of the birds were singing this morning. But my cat and dogs were behaving normally and I've been just fine, sleep-wise. You already know what we're supposed to get from this system here in northern Virginia: 20 to 30 inches. I'm thinking that it's going to be closer to 30 because we already had about 14 or 15 inches by 8:00 p.m. and it's snowing even heavier now. I believe my son stayed home from work tonight. He said he was going to try to get in but I told him that they were saying extreme emergencies only. I had him look up Winchester's website to see if there was anything about the roads and it said that we're only allowed on the roads right now if we have chains on our tires. So, he had better have stayed home! He doesn't have chains. He said that a WalMart store in West Virginia was closed by the State Police during the last massive storm we had. I hope this WalMart is closed during this one. For once, it looks like the weather gurus are on-target. Figures, huh? I hope you fare very well through this storm. I hope everyone does! Well, actually, I heard not long ago that two people were killed earlier today because they were struck by traffic while assisting another driver who was stuck on Rte. 81 here in Virginia. Another car or truck had slid and hit them both. This storm is extremely hazardous. I hope that even the idiots who think they are indestructible will use caution until the roads are cleared.

What I've been noticing around here are what I think are signs of an early spring.. (don't ask me what they were tho! maybe I'll remember them later..) Hopefully this isn't just wishful thinking! I wish I'd notice and think about things like this more often.. but often I am quite oblivious. It's kind of sounds like you may be somewhere around where my husband is driving through today, he's a truck driver, and the storm was moving in this morning and now he's driving home through it. I think he and the storm are moving the same way..

hi dragon54u well the seagulls have come in and are roosting on top of the Cietnamese market we see out our window and the rain storm will be here soon. I am in the US, in little Saigon, a vietnamese area of about 12 square blocks here in Garden Grove California. seems these people all came from same area on the same boat and settled here in Southern California, odd but they are really great neighbors. anyway the seagulls always gather just before the heavy rains start.also here in southern Ca just before an earthquake all the birds stop singing,the crows hunker down then the dogs allstart a town cry, then it starts, a roar and a jiggle, sometimes seems to go on forever but actually only about fourty seconds at most. The dogs really seem to sense the coming movement of the earth. then when it happens they all shut up.Its so eery with the birds as it seems like just all of a sudden all singing just stops.

That's an interesting question. I live in San Diego where we get a lot of aftershocks from earthquakes in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Mexico. Mija (my furbaby kitty) usually paces in a circle. She'll even pace when I don't feel anything. So, I assume that there must be imperceptible shock waves somewhere that she feels. This past Tuesday at around 6:30 am or so I was on the couch watching T.V. and on the Internet when the couch shook. I'm used to it because we get a LOT of them here in San Diego, but, because we haven't had one in such a long time I thought Mija was shaking the couch (which is a ridiculous thought because Mija is a 10 lb cat! LOL!). When I finally realized that it was an earthquake I didn't do anything. Like I said, most of them are simply aftershocks from miles away. It lasted for about 3 seconds. Also, I'm on the top (6th) floor of my apartmen building and we feel even the tiniest shakes. Those who live on the lower floors don't feel much. Anyway, I changed the channel to CNN and just at that moment the anchorwoman said that her mom had called the station and mentioned that there was an earthquake in San Diego. The weatherman said he didn't hear anything about it and had some staff behind the camera do some research and she mentioned that there was, in fact, a 4.8 earthquake. She never mentioned where, though. Have a great day! Purrs, Catwoman=^..^= & Mija

I am in VA and the winter storm warnings have been changed to blizzard warnings; the estimate changed from 16"-20" to 24"-30". I have not noticed any changes in the birds because I haven't seen any for a few days. I guess that pretty much says it. They all got out of Dodge. I have observed a habit that appears to be indigenous to the human species though. The advent of snowstorms always precipitates a HUGE migration to grocery stores. Parking lots and check-outs become overwhelmed with wide-eyed humans, obsessed with hoarding cat litter and toilet paper, pushing impossibly overloaded carts. Another peculiar habit before a snow is that there always seems to be a mass exodus of vehicles on the roads frequently slowing travel down to a crawl. *scratching head over the exact purpose of this one*

I have not been out much to pay attention, but my cats slept a lot right before the last storm, and it was a small one. It was warm and foggy this morning and the cats were active. This afternoon I am incredibly sleepy and so are they. We are supposed to get some snow tonight, but they keep changing just what it is we are expecting. If I were to go to Wal Mart the grackles or starlings, what ever they are would be on top of every light pole and "talking"

I've noticed where I am, all the animals, especially the birds tend to be out and about making a lot more noise and running around. Also, before a storm I've noticed the birds are on the ground a lot more eating a lot more food. And, we're in the path of the storm as well but as of right now we're just getting a lot of sleet and rain. It's just a bit icy out and the roads are mostly slush but it's still not the best ideal driving conditions.

I have never really noticed what they do before a storm, only during a storm...

I live in a tropical country and my islands are located in the Pacific where storms are never icy as your winter storms. Our typhoons have different characteristics. Some are swift and windy. Some are slow and watery. The speed and the volume of water define the intensity of the storm. When we receive a strong typhoon signal from the weather bureau a few days before the actual rampaging of the storm, we can actually feel the restlessness of the animals. Our maya crisscross canopies for appropriate shelter. The goats stay put as near their houses. The dogs would most likely stay beside their owners. I just don't notice what the cats do. They seem to make themselves invisible during these times.