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hoping for a big run the next few days after that deep freeze fri/sat. 53 and sunny now, but sap barely a trickle so far as the ground is frozen still too. doesnt look to be freezing at night till next thursday night, so hope we all can limp along till then since it looks like freezing every night again after thursday in the 10day fcast. rolling the dice!
CanaanMaple
I believe you will be fine, your tapholes are very fresh, I doubt I survive this week. I’ve had to many 70 degree days already, Dr Rechlin and I are going to research weather underground history, both of us are curious about the heat we have dealt with in the lowlands, my friend that makes walnut just got his best run yesterday, his tap holes are much fresher than mine so he has a chance of survival also!
Mark 220 Maple
So as for this winters crazy weather, a retired NWS meteorologist who has studied and focused on the weather in the WV high country sent this explanation with a recent forecast.. he calls the pattern maker "king kong" since its resisted any major change with cold trying to push in and establish. Not only distressing to maple industry, but for the snow sports industry that relies on natural snow. 3.6" snow in February is litterally unheard of here!
details of WTF is going on...
"King Kong is a nickname I gave to this winter's huge, anomalous dome (or ridge) of unusually warm air that extends from the central Gulf of Mexico northeast into the Caribbean Sea and into the Atlantic Ocean south of Bermuda. Think of it as a very high mountain ridge with a southwest-to-northeast axis, similar to the orientation of the Allegheny and Appalachian Mountains ridges.
This upper-air ridge has been unusually strong and persistent this winter. It's orientation results in a southwest flow of mild air around it out of the sub-tropics including the Gulf of Mexico, Mexico, and the Pacific Ocean off Baja California (westernmost Mexico).
The ridge's summit reaches the jet stream and beyond, 4 miles up (20,000 feet plus). The jet stream, while high up, also controls where the weather comes from and goes at the surface where we live. The ridge is typically a huge dome/torpedo-shaped-feature, with a summit axis averaging about 500 to 1,000 miles or more in length!
This ridge is typically stronger than average in La Nina winters (cool equatorial Pacific sea surface temperatures), which is the condition we have this winter. This is the third consecutive winter with La Nina conditions we have experienced, equaling an all-time, multi-decadal record. Winter snowfall in the WV High Country has been below average all of the last three La-Nina seasons, consistent with the historical record in Canaan for such events.
This "ridge" is just too big and strong (hence my nickname King Kong) for cold air masses moving southeast out of Canada or the mid-west to move or over-top it. Instead, having to go around this massive obstacle, they are deflected to the north, sparing much of the east coast from outbreaks of cold Canadian/Polar air.
Only two exceptions to this scenario have occurred this winter (Christmas and early February) with both cold events providing waves of cold air that over-washed the ridge. However, both events only lasted a couple days before Kong reestablished his ground"
CanaanMaple
I’ve not had much fun this season, I heard yesterday that some producers in Garrett County have given up and threw in the towel? With their elevation that is surprising! My source is my cousin that helps me tap, works for First United in Oakland, has a lot of connections around Garrett County. Oh well, if I’m crazy enough to try again next year maybe it will be better? This season is almost like the Spring of 2000 only made 80 gallons and half of that was buddy!
Mark 220 Maple
Quote:
Originally Posted by 220 maple
hmm I dont think it would the STeyer Brothers in Garrett. (right over the MD line on 560) They do about 50 barrels a year. Theres a smaller producer in Redhouse that started weeks before me, maybe him... I see 3 freezing nights in the 10 day ahead, but also 2 days around 60. (at least its with rain and not sun) I fear buddy sap before tap holes drying up..... no sign of green growth anywhere, heard a RObin the other day, but no peepers yet!
CanaanMaple
I’m sure the Steyer’s are not one of Garrett producers that have given up! They use a lot of the little stainless 1/8 inch spiles and will move then several times during the season, or they used to, I have a least 400 of them, they have wanted to buy them for ever! The Enlow’s on the Friendsville road is one I heard gave up. Robins maybe a sign for you, but many seasons I’ve had hundreds if not thousands all together, in the woods during sugaring season, just about like a scene from Hitchcock’s The Birds, the bad signs for me is Daffodils, peep frogs and earthworms !
Mark 220 Maple
i'm still getting sap, even today, it was 70 degrees, and running pretty steady into the releaser. I don't have that many on vacuum maybe 200 but our geography is likely working to my advantage. we are usually 10 degrees colder than in town which means we get freeze when no one else does. I'm looking forward to a few good runs over the weekend and maybe next week, after that it will be close the regular end of my season. I couldn't survive on buckets through, i have about 130 out and it's been pathetic. I think next season ill just push out the vacuum system, try to get another 200 or so online and not hang any buckets, especially if we are having the same odd weather. As far as frogs, i have them, but i always do this time of year the water boils with them, even if it's snowing.
Yeah yesterday I got a surprising amount of sap compared to the day before!? even though it hadn't deep froze since saturday. Sunday it just started to run, and monday was 2gals tap per day, tuesday was 1 gallon per tap, wednesday was maybe .75 gal per tap, then yesterday was back up to 1 gal per tap. I think it musta been that sunshine finally! It was close to 60 though. Now its 31 degrees again and looks to be in 20s tonight. Just hoping it doesnt get buddy on me, but this coming week looks fairly decent in the forecast. Where exactly are you Dark Machine?Quote:
Originally Posted by darkmachine
Mark, a buddy said he was driving yesterday and saw someone on 220 between petersburg and franklin tending to maple tanks. Assuming that was you! Still getting sap?
CanaanMaple,
Yes Todd that might have been me there on US 220, Dr. Mike and the Landowner Mr. Kimble and myself have spent a lot of time there installing a mechanical assist pump on the 243 taps that are on 3/16 tubing into 3/4 mainline . We put one on Tuesday where he had a research setup, no sap flowing because last freeze was last Sunday night, and it was not much of a freeze at that maybe 28 for a couple hours, by adding the assist all six test lines started running and ran until Yesterday afternoon! Caught a good freeze last night, still frozen! I’m hanging with Mike today, going to tap a tree today that I never heard of anyone ever tapping, then dropping in on SpruceKnob Maple , last stop today delivering a tank to CanaanMaple, looking forward to meeting you.
Mark 220 Maple
Oh cool! I need one more tank for RO water :) I usually start dumping it when the one I have fills up and I hate to do that! Gonna swap a few tanks out at my collection spots with clean ones I have here, since its much easier than trying to clean em back at home base. Those totes get nasty quick when its sunny and 50s, good grief! Just cant afford stainless at this point. Really need to figure out a good rinse system right after pumping the tanks to keep em cleaner. Just a water rinse somehow would work wonders.Quote:
Originally Posted by 220 maple