Wednesday, January 4, 2206, 3:15 pm: Lots of work today. After bringing in numerous armloads of firewood I still had to chip ice off the porch. With a high temperature today of only 12.1 degrees nothing was melting.

My wife Ruth is at work until about 11:30 pm this evening. We communicate while she is driving using two-meter amateur radio. Being a ham radio operator has its advantages, particularly here in the Saint John Valley where cell phone coverage can be a bit spotty.

During major weather events most ham radio operators here in the Valley check in on our local repeater and report snowfall amounts, which is then forwarded to the NWS in Caribou. Some “hams” up here also have automated weather stations that send out data which is read by the NWS and other agencies. For more information on the St. John Valley Amateur Radio Association visit their website here.

Our weather values at 3:20 pm from our Vantage-Pro weather station:

Temperature: 3 degrees Fahrenheit

Barometer: 30.05 in. and falling rapidly

Humidity: 78%

Winds: Calm

Skies: Light overcast with occasional patches of blue

Low temperature since midnight: -14 degrees F. at 7:37 am

High temperature today: 12.1 degrees F. at 1:41 pm

High winds today: 3 mph at 10:40 am

The photo below was taken at our home on New Year’s Day 2006.