Winter Storm Fern AAR

We lucked out with this storm. My area got about 6" to 7" of snow but that got topped with an inch or two of sleet. I ran my snowblower once late Sunday afternoon, then spent a few hours with the blower and shovels on Monday, after which I was beat.

Cleaning my driveway apron was the worst part, due to the depth and density of the packed ice and snow. It strained my snowblower's engine and I had to be careful to keep it from stalling.

The snowblower is 24" wide and about 16 to 18" tall.

The engine has been giving me issues requiring me to run it with the choke in the start position to keep it from stalling but I think something came unclogged and after running it awhile I was able to turn it to the running position. It would benefit from having the carb stripped and cleaned out.

Other than the quirks of running my snowblower we didn't have any storm-related problems. Power didn't even flicker, cell service remained up, and our Internet was fine.

Now the forecasters are saying we might have another storm this coming Sunday. Other than some grocery restocking we should be prepared if we get hit again.

Winter Storm Fern Preps

Where I live in PA is looking to get the more snow dumped on us than we have in several years, so I took some time to prepare.

Yesterday, I ran my snowblower for about 5 minutes to ensure it works and blow out the cobwebs. I also ran to Lowe's for some silicone spray and used that to hose it down inside and out. This helps minimize snow sticking to it. I did that to a couple shovels as well. If you don't have silicone spray you can also use cooking spray.

While out I filled the tank in my truck and a 5 gallon jerrycan with gas. I have two full cans so I should have plenty for the snowblower with some left over for the generator, if needed.

Speaking of which, today I changed out the starter battery on my generator and ran it for awhile to ensure the new battery is fully charged.

All devices will be charged by Saturday night, along with power banks. From the forecasts I've seen it doesn't look like we're going to get really strong winds but the amount of snow may take down trees which may then fall on power lines.

We have plenty of food in the house and even if we lose power we have a natural gas fireplace that works when the power's out.

If you're in the path of this storm, get ready and be safe.