The bitter cold that blew its way into our mountain holler Sunday night brought with it the least skiff of snow. It looked like a giant had come through and had a party with his salt shaker 🙂
skiff noun
A thin layer, small amount (esp in phr skiff/skift of snow = a light fall of snow).
1834 (in 1956 Eliason Tarheel Talk 294) last night we had a little skift of snow. 1904 Kephart Notebooks 2:600 A thin skift of clouds. 1939 Hall Coll. Cataloochee NC We just got out on top, and there was a little skift of snow a fallin’. (Will Palmer) ibid. Cataloochee NC They was a little skiff of snow, and that was how come to see their sign (Steve Woody) 1953 Hall Coll. Plott Creek NC My grandmother has told me that when they first were back there, and they’d be snow or anything, a skift of snow around the pens, they’d be bears and wolf tracks all about there trying to get the stock from the barn. (John Plott) 1966 DARE = the first thin ice that forms over the surface of a pond (Burnsville NC); There’s just a skiff of ice (Spruce Pine NC).
[OED skiff “a slight sketch, trace, touch, etc.” chiefly Scot; cf CUD/HT skift “a light shower”]
—Dictionary of Smoky Mountain English
Old timers would call my snow a young snow meaning it wasn’t full growed. I’m hoping it will come again when it’s bigger.
With the bitter cold weather forecasted to last into next week the skiff will certainly be laying on the ground three days waiting for more.
I’m sorry for all the folks without power in this bitter cold and the ones with damage from ice and snow. I’m praying for all of them.
Tipper
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Tipper, I believe your snow dreams are about to be fulfilled!
Here where I live in sw Mo I have a lot of snow and cold temps. It has been down below zero several times and more low temps and snow forecast for this weekend but no ice thank goodness and no loss of power.
Miss Tipper and family, also all the Acorns, I was Just thinking of Miss Louzine, she’s so delicate right now and all of us need be in prayer for her. As I know we are. Like when my sister, momma and daddy all became ill, 2 with cancer and momma Alzheimer’s, my only prayer, I felt, could happen at that time, was for our Father to keep them from suffering anymore than they already had, also To give them peace. They were all very quiet about how much they were suffering, momma had no idea, she had quit responding to anything right before her passing, but we all could see what they were going through. I’m hoping you’ll forgive me for praying that way for your beautiful momma. My heart breaks seeing anyone suffer. I love your family and feel like I’m at the least a close friend to y’all. Please give Miss Louzine my love and a sweet kiss on her cheek. We’ll meet again someday, this is mine and our promise and I’m looking forward to that time with her, so many of my friends and my family members and “What a day that will be when my Jesus I will see,” and my family and friends too. Love, Hugs, Prayers, Friendship and Understanding to everyone, today, tomorrow and always, South Mississippi Jennifer
Here in west-central Virginia, we had about 3 inches of snow-sleet mix, mostly sleet. It isn’t melting off very fast, either, with overnight lows still dipping well below 20 degrees every night. It’s become rock-solid in some places. Still, I’ll take it over freezing rain any day. We were blessed that the power didn’t go off.
Morning everyone. Tipper I hope you get some snow this weekend. But not all the trouble that goes with it. We got around 4 inches maybe 5. I couldn’t measure it because it has a hard layer on top. When you walk on it it’s hard then sometimes your foot goes thru and causes you to lose balance. From the car to the kitchen door is a small fenced in area for a dog I suppose. The past owner had a mean dog. I tried to shovel it away from the gate but the snow comes up in huge heavy pieces. The worst was last night. It was already dark and my son was still at work. There was a large bang sound then a longer noise. The water heater and heating and air conditioner pipes are in the kitchen closet. The started making noise. One cat hid, the younger brave or silly one just stared at the door. Thinking the pipes burst and we were going to die. I just prayed. This is the upper delta. Our house is on piers I think their called. The noise was Arkansas’s version of a snow plow. A farm or street maintenance vehicle was plowing our towns pharmacy by me. Since the house is 5 stairs off the ground it shook. When we lived in the Calif. mountains snow plowing was fun. The whole area was lit up and the plow was enormous, fun to watch and wave. I almost had a heart attack last night. The snow isn’t melting but our pipes unfroze. I do hope you get your snow. Unlike us your house is ready for all this. We have a lot of work to do before next winter. Hugs to Granny and prayers for all those suffering. Anna from Arkansas.
We got freezing rain and a bunch of ice in the Granite Falls area. But thank goodness we only lost power for two hours on Tuesday. Praying for warmth and safety for all who are dealing with power outages and ice.
Hope everyone is surviving the cold weather safe and sound.
I have a completely unrelated question for anyone who may be able to give some guidance. My grandmother used to make apple butter, which I love. I have tried to make some myself and everything works great except for the final texture. Grandma’s was thick enough to cut with a knife-much like jelly. Mine is thick, but nowhere that thick. Does anyone know how she might have accomplished that texture? Maybe a gelatin added? Sure-jell? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Feel free to email any insights to me at terrylprice@mac.com
Terry , I’m no expert. I have made apple butter maybe 40ish yrs ago. I’ve never heard of gelatin added. It would be jelly like. I baked it. I googled it and it seems people use a slow cooker. I don’t trust stove top, it is direct heat and it could burn if you don’t mix it constantly. Unfortunately our grandparents wonderful recipes get lost in time. Anna from Arkansas.
Thanks for the feedback Anna. I use a slow cooker to make apple butter too. It takes 12-14 hours and the results are quite tasty, so no complaints there. I am just feeling nostalgic about family members long since departed and remembered her apple butter. I’ll keep looking and exploring though.
Thanks again!
How do you determine the “wind chill” or “feels like” temperature if all you have is a thermometer? That and a hygrometer is all I have.
You can approximate “feels like” temperature using your thermometer and hygrometer by switching between two ideas: in cold weather, use wind chill, which combines air temperature with wind speed (estimated by how much leaves, flags, or branches move); in hot, humid weather, use the heat index, which combines temperature with relative humidity and is what most apps report as “feels like” on summer days. When it’s 50 °F or below and at least a light breeze (over about 3 mph), use the wind‑chill equation with your thermometer reading (T, °F) and your best guess at wind speed (V, mph); when it’s roughly 80 °F or above and muggy, use the heat‑index equation with temperature (T, °F) and relative humidity (R, percent). In the “in‑between” temperatures (cool, calm days or dry warmth), the thermometer reading itself is usually a decent approximation of what it feels like, because neither strong evaporative cooling (wind plus cold) nor impaired cooling (heat plus humidity) is dominating.
Wind chill (T in °F, V in mph):
Twc = 35.74 + 0.6215T – 35.75(V^0.16) + 0.4275T(V^0.16)
Heat index (T in °F, R in %):
HI = -42.379 + 2.04901523T + 10.14333127R – 0.22475541TR – 0.00683783T^2 – 0.05481717R^2 + 0.00122874T^2R + 0.00085282TR^2 – 0.00000199T^2R^2
HTH!
Hello, Mr. Ammons. If you Google “NWS understanding wind chill”, the National Weather Service has wind chill charts and useful information.
Take care.
Here in central Texas we got about an inch or so of sleet. The worst of it was the cold that settled at about 14°F Sunday morning. It didn’t get above 34° yesterday but is already above that today. The sleet has become solid ice in those places (like our driveway and sidewalk) that have not been traveled. Main streets and roads are pretty much clear except for the occasional patches of black ice. Fortunately, we have not lost power (though that remains a possibility).
I’m on my 85th trip riding this old rock around the Sun. I don’t want to get out and risk a fall but a dear friend needs help because her brother is ill and in the hospital. I also have a doctor’s appointment tomorrow; so I’ve got the car started and warming up. I’ll find out in an hour or two if I can get up the slight incline that is our driveway.
Stay safe out there, folks.
Robert,
My boys live in Austin and are also talking about the cold. Yes, they were raised in the Mountains of Virginia and have experienced cold and snow but they have forgotten. Be careful going out today.
folks in Texas are not use to cold weather just like we here are not used to the heat,
Take care and be careful!!! Kathy Patterson
We got the same over in Waynesville. Woke up yesterday with a very thin layer of snow covering everything. It lasted quite a few hours before it melted off….but we still have a little bit laying in the shadowy areas of the yard just waiting for this weekend, hopefully! Praying for granny and all the family, God bless
I still don’t know if we got any snow here, it all happened at night. There’s something frozen to the trees and the ground out there. It hasn’t started to melt yet. It’s enough that the neighbor kids and a swarm of friends have been sliding down the road in front of my house for the past two days. They kept setting off my Ring camera but that don’t bother me at all. I can see them on my monitor and out the window doing something that I will never ever be able to do again.
After my earlier post I checked some history of Florida freezes. The worst came as a double event in 1894-95, when all the orange groves were killed and temperatures got down to 18 degrees in South Florida. Historians call it The Great Freeze. So do Internet sources.
I hope your skiff returns as a full grown snow fall! I like the idea of a young snow! We got a full grown one last weekend and it is still around.
Praying for you all amd Granny!
I am praying that everyone will have heat and electricity and will stay well during all this cold weather. Here in the Bassett Va area the snow started on Saturday evening around 8:00 PM (1-24-26) we got about an inch and a half with some sleet to. Last night Monday 1-26-26) the temperature got down to 4 degrees. That is cold. Today Tuesday 1-27-26 the temperature is 23 degrees at 11:20 AM. I am praying for Granny. God bless everyone.
Got down to 48° inside our house before the power was restored. We were miserable, and husband is sick so he did not want to lay close for warmth. Prayers appreciated for us to find a house better suited to all our needs when we’re able to start looking. Our daughter & I both have disabilities & we need reasonable space & storage; blessed with many things but can’t find it or get to it easily when needed. Thanks & praying for all.
Aaran, I will pray for you and your dear family.
Ryan Hall predicted weeks of being out of power. We had something similar in about a 20 mile deep strip in Feb of ’94. That one completely slipped up on us. They came through at work and said yall better take off home while you can still get there. Getting home was a challenge. Had to change routes a time or two. With an all electric house, we had to stay several days with my folks who had a wood heater and a small propane one. This time they saw it coming. Power went off about one Sunday morning. We spent Sunday night at a friend who has gas heat. Power was back on Monday afternoon. Our power company and those outside who came in are doing a great job. And in extremely cold weather.
We got 6 inches in my part of Oklahoma. Grandboys had a blast. Cat not so much, oh well.
As always praying for Granny.
Thank you for praying! So far we have power, but the surroundings of my area is without power. Still hearing frost quakes, & trees are still exploding, but nowhere near as bad as last night. My guinea pigs & I stayed in a small closet last night; Small closet with loads of blankets made a big difference. Prayers for my mom, & cousin please. My mom is on her last oxygen tank with very little oxygen left. The place that provides them for her is closed today due this extreme weather. She’s only relying on electric oxygen tank now. My cousin who’s struggling through a lot of health issues, & just got released from the hospital is still without power, & has been for 54 hours, as of right now. Tipper, let me tell you… Friday morning on my way home from the store before all this happened. I was nervous, because I couldn’t have access to non-electrical heat (I’m sure you could tell if you remember my comments about it). & then a voice in my head spoken that I needed to go through this so I’ll be stronger. I knew right then that was the Lord talking to me. I really didn’t want to, but I had to really put my faith in Him that he’ll sees me through this. I’m still not fully out of the woods yet, but I believe prayers are working & I’m in God’s hands.
Cecilia, I will pray for your mom, cousin, and you!! God bless you!
The sun is shining in our part of NC, but school is still closed due to ice slow to melt on the back roads and last night we were warned of black ice, so what did melt froze over, especially on the bridges. Continued prayers for Granny and all of the family.
I truly feel bad for y’all having to suffer the whirls of winter. I wish I could make it better for you! Here in Wisconsin the cold had been fierce. Things are getting better, but very slowly. It appears we will not even hit freezing for nearly 10 days or more. But at least I don’t wake up to temps way in the minus regions as we had for several days. The windchills were nearly minus 35. Our area has not had snow except for a couple of inches the other day. I’ve been able to keep the birds fed, but I do so dressed with sherpa-lined and shearling lined clothes and boots. When I was a child and lived farther north, the winter was something you prepared for nearly all year. We had a wood shed so the chopped wood stayed nice and dry. Snow falls weren’t really measured as they are now. I do remember my mother worrying about the chimney being blocked by the blizzard that hit us. There was at least 4′ of snow that blocked our door. The drifts were about 8′ and more, tall. It took a week to get a plow out our way. Of course we had a larder of canned food, but when that was getting short we had to supplement with bread with lard and sugar on it. Those times taught me to be resilient and resourceful. God’s blessings to Granny for an easy passing.
We live in central Alberta, Canada and are very prepared for the cold and snow, because we get it every winter. What you can’t prepare for is the freezing rain. Best to stay off the road, stay home and stay safe. My heart goes out to all the people in the south who have lost their lives, their homes due to the extreme cold weather. I pray the cold weather will break and warmer weather is right around the corner. I’ll be praying for all affected by the weather,
Folks in places like New England, Upstate NY, the UP of Michigan (some of the snowiest places on earth, let alone in the USA) are going to say, “That ain’t ‘snow,’ that barely counts as ‘frost’!” Your “skiff” of snow is the sort Northerners think of as “grassy surfaces and car-roof snow,” i.e., that’s where it’s going to accumulate to any degree at all (and not much of one!). It’s the snowfall type in like early December or late March when the ground may not be completely frozen and it’s just barely cold enough to snow rather than rain.
I saw a freeze warning on The Weather Channel that extends south to Tampa! That isn’t good. Tropical plants can’t take that, and green iguanas a little ways south will be falling out of the trees. I think the Eastern Seaboard is in for another storm in a few days. Tipper might see a significant snowfall yet.
We had sleet more than snow, at least that’s what I was told it was called. It looked like light snow but was icy and it only seemed to stick to the roads and sidewalks, then on the grass. My hubby said it stuck to the grass last because the ground was warmer until it wasn’t. I guess that sounds about right. It started melting yesterday when the sun came out, but quickly froze again last night when the temps dropped back down in the teens. Suns out this morning, so it’s melting again. Sadly, the weather people are says we will start this bad weather all over again come Friday. They are forecasting snow again. Maybe this weekend you’ll get your grown up snow and it’ll bring lots of its friends…lol. Praying for all the people that lost power and hope they have either got it back on, or it will come back today. Prayers for all enduring hardships during this time, for Granny, you, your family and all your subscribers on here and on YouTube. May we all have God’s blessings upon us. Stay safe and keep warm. ❤️
It’s hard to say exactly how much snow we got after every few inches that fell got beaten down with sleet or freezing rain, making it impossible to shovel. My brave neighbors with big four wheel drive vehicles can’t get to work at the distillery that is less than a mile from their home. Max Velocity said this area is the target for extreme cold coming later this week, with temperatures as much as 50 degrees colder than normal. I will worry about everyone and the animals until this crippling cold is over.
Good morning. It was 2 this morning in our part of Murphy and the wind chill was 0. That’s the coldest I’ve seen it here in the 13 years we’ve lived here. Yes the very light dusting will last. I made sure the bird feeders were filled and that the deer had their corn, bread, and marshmallows. The gas heater is on and I’m on my third cup of coffee. Have a blessed day and prayers for Granny and my old friend Eddy.
I like the giant with a salt shaker comparison. And there is not a great deal of difference between a skiff and a heavy frost. I went out yesterday and took some pictures of the silvery trees. They were coated in ice, the sun was bright and the sky was blue. The trees looked decorated with silver and had sparkles of rainbow colors. Beautiful but yet there are also troubles. That’s the way of this life. Looks like we have a spell of deep cold to endure yet. I’m prepared to say Georgia has already had a Georgia winter.
It’s 5 degrees this morning at 8 am with a feel-like temperature of -6. We got a little more snow last night and the roads and trees are covered again. I am hoping the sun I see will melt the roads a little. I have been home since last Wednesday, when I took my mama to get groceries. We are going to brave the cold and pick up a few groceries for my mama, my mother-in-law, and for us, as well. My children have been going to work, but every county in WV has had schools closed for the past two days. I love snow, but not these super cold temperatures. Stay safe and warm everyone. Btw…I would love to hear Matt play and sing. I am thinking about Granny and keeping her in prayer.
Good morning Tipper, Matt and Acorns. My front porch thermometer says it is 0 F. The snow finally covered the tips of grass on the lawn. The wind was blowing so hard the most of our snow blew into NC. That must be some of the Skiff that Brasstown got. LOL. We had 3 days of snow fall and the smallest accumulation ever. I’m beyond grateful for answered prayers about the ice not being bad. I have a school friend that moved to Mississippi and trees snapped all around her home from the ice storm. They are without power but they have gas heat and cooker and their home is undamaged. Winter id such a blessing for us and our Earth, I try my best to be thankful for the time of recovery and protection it provides. It also teaches us patience, compassion and humility. I enjoyed last nights Pizza video. TY Tipper for the link. I’ll be baking some small rectangles for my toaster oven. I keep everyone here and up Wilson Hollow in my prayers. I love Y’all.
It’s 24 degrees here in Texas & that’s the coldest it gotten here in a long time. The past 3 nights have been below 32 so I’ve stayed inside for the past 3 days. We did not get any snow with this passing cold snap but did get a couple of inches of rain.
Tipper, I would love to see Matt play his guitar & sing on the channel too. What can we do to convince him that we would all love to see & hear him?
Praying that Granny is staying warm during all of this weather & that she is peaceful.
It!s 11 degrees this morning and forecasted to be 32 degrees. We were lucky in that we received very little snow, maybe an inch and about 2 inches of sleet. Thank God we did not get any freezing rain. Even so my son manage to get stuck in our driveway. Everyone keep warm, hydrated, and safe. I pray for Granny’s peace and comfort.
We received a foot of snow from the recent storm. I’d gladly send you some Tipper, if only I could find a way to get it to you.
We live in Alexander County, NC. We started getting snow and sleet Saturday night into Sunday. Very slick and treacherous on the roads. We live on a dirt portion down a hill and it is hard to travel out as our road is not state maintained.
I have cooked many meals with food we already had. Of course, neither of us had to work. I enjoy cooking and have your cookbook. Not only do we both work full time jobs, we are co-owners of our local ice cream shop. Kind of puts a damper on ice cream sales in this weather.
Not related but my husband would like to know if Matt has a guitar, if so what kind and would he play and sing sometime for us on the channel.
Continued prayers for Granny and the family.
Robin, glad yall are okay! Matt has a Fender guitar. I will try to get him to play and sing 🙂
We here in Missouri would like to see him play and sing also…..then we will all know he is , in fact jolly!
I’ll gladly share our 12 inches of snow with you and your region Tipper! Based on the weather maps we were watching and what Ryan Hall was showing for your area on his Youtube weather channel, I thought you would have ended up with some snow. We can now get out, but yesterday was a no travel day for our county and for most of Indiana. I don’t think too many businesses were open either. Stay safe and warm!
Yes it wasn’t as bad as predicted, but it’s better to be over ready than not. They say if it lays 3 days you’ll get another snow, do maybe you will.
I wish I could send you some of ours. Best we can figure we got about 13 inches and others said as high as 16 inches. It’s so very cold. We are getting a little icy fog now, hoar frost. Not much to speak of, but it’s slick. We are going to have 40 mph winds later and the plowed areas will drift. Praying for everyone to be safe, warm, and fed. Praying Granny has a day without pain. God bless Paul for being such a wonderful son and that he brings Granny such comfort.
for those of you that didn’t get any snow sleet or freezing rain , this weekend might be your lucky day, I got plenty of sleet and freezing rain and I don’t want anymore, Lord say it Isn’t so, what YouTube weatherman is saying, it might be worse than a day or two ago, I have prayed for Granny, God bless her, God bless her family
Norman, I fully agree with you, I have had my fill of snow and ice, slippery roads, no power and other problems it can cause. If I never see or get another flake of snow it would make me happy. I can remember when I was in my forties enjoying snow, I was bulletproof, I had my wife with me, my children and was able to prepare and pretty much take care of any problems cause by the snow myself. Other than having to go to work in it, I could have fun in the snow with my children. Now at my age none of this is no longer true, all I have now is worries, because I no longer have my wife – my helper and companion, my daughter is dead killed in an ATV accident, my son is 40 years old, and I have to now ask for help with things I use to do by myself. I realize I sound bitter , I apologize for it.
There is still a good bit of snow or sleet on the backroads around my home despite a lot melting yesterday. This melting has caused more problems this morning with black ice and a temperature right at this moment of 15 degrees. The forecast for the foreseeable future is below normal temperatures especially nighttime temperatures. I wrote last week about this snow we had over the weekend not being fun for many of us . Now in my old age I realize there is more danger than fun in this type of weather. The little bit of fun I might have had at one time comes at a high cost to others. They found 3 people in my area yesterday dead from hyperthermia and several homes have caught fire and some of the ones living in the homes being burn trying to stay warm. For me hearing of those things is not fun. The weathermen are hinting at the possibility of more snow this weekend and Saturday being having below freezing temperatures all day. I guess us Southerners need to stock up on some more milk and bread!
Someone last week mentioned sledding using a car hood. I talked with my lifetime neighbor yesterday and we were laughing about the time when were young and would get together and sled down a steep hill on the road in front of our country homes using the hood from an old car. Going down was fun, pulling it back to the top was more like work.