Gus
  Gus, Clem and Sadie | On social media, some folks seem to have a love or hate relationship with snow. Here at the Applegate household, the canines love the snow. However, the goats are not so fond of the white stuff. I like the fact that snow provides me with photo opportunities. I don’t care for the challenges it brings while driving. However, I am willing to forego the disadvantages of snow for some great photos. A couple of snowy days earlier this month had me anxious to get out and about in the weather. The snowfall around Dec. 5-6 was awesome for pictures. Clem, Gus and Sadie delighted in roughhousing in the white powder. Goats Milo and Otis did venture out after most of the snowflakes stopped falling. I was able to snap a photo of Otis near a Christmas goat flag which may have been quite ominous for him. There was not much green for them to eat except for evergreens. |
Otis
They seemed quite fond of white pine boughs. However, I noticed their beards appeared to be greasy. I discovered that it was pine pitch. I had no idea how to get pitch out of a goat’s beard and had no intention of trying.
Milo
The snow on Dec. 11 was the most picturesque so far this season. Everything was outlined in white.
  | The scenery had changed completely in just a few hours. I have gotten turned around in some of these snowy scenes as the landscape becomes somewhat foreign to me. I’m not the only one who appreciated this type of scenery. “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” by Robert Frost was pretty much spot on for describing late evening winter views. Frost’s words, “The only other sound is the sweep of easy wind and downy flake,” rang true that evening of Dec. 11. I wasn’t the only one taking photos. |
The trail camera also snapped a couple nighttime shots of swirling snow.
Nonetheless in terms of snowfall totals, the snow event on Dec. 5-6 had more of the white stuff. According to the National Weather Service’s weather station at the Venango Regional Airport, there was a total of eight inches of snow over those two days.
That early December snowfall surpassed the normal total of 6.2 inches for Dec. 1-18.
That early December snowfall surpassed the normal total of 6.2 inches for Dec. 1-18.
Meanwhile, December totally snowed in November’s numbers. The weather station reported that for November of this year there was only a trace of snow. That total was below the normal tally of 2.6 inches.
November was also lacking in the rain category. The total for November 2024 was 3 inches which was slightly below the average rainfall of 3.41 inches.
The U.S. Drought Monitor report released Dec. 12 still listed most of Venango County in the abnormally dry range. However, the year-to-date precipitation accumulation for Franklin was set at 46.97 inches on Dec. 7. This was still above the average of 44.82 inches for the same period, according to National Weather Service data.
November was also lacking in the rain category. The total for November 2024 was 3 inches which was slightly below the average rainfall of 3.41 inches.
The U.S. Drought Monitor report released Dec. 12 still listed most of Venango County in the abnormally dry range. However, the year-to-date precipitation accumulation for Franklin was set at 46.97 inches on Dec. 7. This was still above the average of 44.82 inches for the same period, according to National Weather Service data.
With the eight inches of snow melting and recent rainfalls, the Allegheny River started to fill its banks. The river at Franklin was forecasted to crest Dec. 17 at 9.17 feet. The river had ranged between 3.25 feet and 5.9 feet in late November and early December. The level started moving upward Dec. 9.
Meanwhile, the river was open with no ice formations. The neighbor’s pond had ice and then it didn't.
Meanwhile, the river was open with no ice formations. The neighbor’s pond had ice and then it didn't.
 | Cold snaps provided some nice abstract ice formations. Frost formations were a little harder to come by as I only ventured out in the evening when temps usually were warmer. As temperatures bobbed up and down, forecasters attempted to determine if the region would have a white Christmas. I gazed upon several predictions. Some ranged from snow to freezing rain. Weather.gov as of Dec. 18 was calling for a high near 38 on Christmas day with a chance of rain. The National Weather Service's Pittsburgh office posted on its Facebook page that the city's chances for a "White Christmas" this year were looking low, "but you can always still ask Santa for a miracle." The post continued that Pittsburgh's last "White Christmas" was in 2022. However, the office said this year will definitely be cooler than last year. |
"Last year, the high temperature on Christmas Day was 60°," the office posted. There may be folks that don’t want snow for Christmas, but I’m pretty sure that no one really wants freezing rain on that day either.
This winter season we have already used the snow blower twice. That was the total number of times it was used all last winter. I wondered if that meant that we were done with the heavy snow this winter. If we aren’t done with the snowblower just yet, this winter will no doubt set the record on the number of times the device has been used over the past few years. That’s just the nature of things ‘round here.
This winter season we have already used the snow blower twice. That was the total number of times it was used all last winter. I wondered if that meant that we were done with the heavy snow this winter. If we aren’t done with the snowblower just yet, this winter will no doubt set the record on the number of times the device has been used over the past few years. That’s just the nature of things ‘round here.
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