Cold weather

A tip of the hat goes to MT's wildlife for their survival skills. From bears hibernating to frogs producing natural antifreeze, these creatures are resilient.

The first real cold snap of the winter is here and hopefully it finds you warm and toasty. With extreme cold comes a greater likelihood of something going wrong in your home or with your vehicle. Although the weather is uncomfortable and sometimes downright miserable, there are a few things that you can do to make sure things stay running smoothly in your household.

The way Rocko behaves after being outside for a short period in the cold indicates that his Kelpie "down under" side is more prominent than his Canadian side. What was interesting to me while briefly taking Rocko for a walk this morning was how two neighborhood dogs we encountered along the way didn't seem one bit bothered or fazed by the extreme cold weather. They were clearly huskies of some kind who relaxingly laid in the snow like it was no big deal. While on the contrary, Rocko started to act like his paws were hurting and ready to fall off. This was a clear indication that it was way too cold for him to be out in the elements, so we high-tailed it to the house.

Subzero temperatures are returning. Make sure your pipes and pets are ready.

There's no doubt; Autumn conditions this year have been very mild in Montana. Global warming or not, we had it pretty easy weather-wise the past two months, and there's no question that most of us were all about it. Sure, we had some storms come through, but nothing that stuck around for long. Then this weekend's weather shed new light on the subject as I witnessed several cars, COVERED IN SNOW, heading from Georgetown Lake outside of Anaconda. This observation meant one thing for certain; the snow is headed our way and possibly here to stay! After all, it is November, and whether we like it or not, it is climatically time for a change of seasons in Big Sky Country.