Meteorologist Brian Ivey of Neoweather forecasts that some of the dryer weather we’ve been seeing in the Ohio Valley and South is likely to come to an end this week as a low pressure system moves across the United States. Portions of Texas, the Midwest and Southeast have been dry over the past couple of months. But that will change on the East Coast as a drought buster builds up in the South from a batch of rain that heads over Louisiana, Arkansas and Georgia to hit a coastal low pressure system that will help rain head up the coast to form a classic Nor’easter this week.
10/15/19 Plower Forecast Video
Rain and wind will hit the Northeast, especially Boston and into Portland, Maine. Hold on to your hats because it will be gusty and cold for a few days after the rain moves through. The cold air coming across the Ohio Valley hits the warm ocean air moving north to form excessive moisture and activity across the Great Lakes into New England.
After this front moves through it will be a relatively calm and quiet weekend in most of the U.S., especially in the Midwest and Central areas. The Northwest areas of Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana are the exception and they will continue to see cold, rain, and some snow through the weekend.
10/15/19 Forecast – Cold weather follows the rain across the Eastern half of the country.
Early next week we’ll see wide spread rain across the eastern half of the United States. Everywhere east of the Mississippi River will be rainy starting Monday. It’s important to keep an eye on that system as it moves up into New England because portions of Ontario may see some snow.
After the rain moves through next week, we’ll see much colder temperatures settle into the areas that were hit by rain.
Looking for specific weather forecasts for YOUR snow removal service area? Rely on a private weather forecasting service like Neoweather to make sure you know the key factors needed to make wise business decisions about when and where you deploy your team and snow management equipment.
Looking for a faster way to measure parking lots, driveways and sidewalks? Check out Go iLawn for a super simple property measuring and bidding tool. Go iLawn combines high resolution photographs, measuring tools and updated property information in one easy-to-use application. Save time and money by getting accurate measurements for bids from the convenience of your office! How does it work? Just enter an address, business name or street intersection to locate a property and Go iLawn will return a property photo to you. Then, with a few clicks of the mouse you can measure any outdoor surface on the property. Save all of your measurements to an Excel spreadsheet and property photos as jpeg files to your computer.
Go iLawn Property Measuring Service for Snow Contractors
Go iLawn uses high resolution aerial photography (taken from a plane). Their photos are clearer than a standard satellite photos because they are taken much closer to the earth with a high resolution camera. Plus, most images are taken after the leaves have fallen off of the trees so tree canopies don’t obstruct the view of the surface you need to measure. They have 100% coverage of the U.S. and Canada, so no property is left out! The age of the photos varies by county. Typically aerial photos are taken per county request.
You can measure any outdoor surface for any property type on Go iLawn with their simple measuring tools. They have several easy-to-use tools to help you measure property features like sidewalks, obstacles, ramps, parking spaces etc. There are also annotation tools to help you call out property features or make important notes. You can zoom in close to plan your routes and equipment before you ever see the property in person!
How is Go iLawn Different from Google Maps?
It may seem like Google Maps is similar to Go iLawn for measuring properties, but there are many differences.
Go iLawn images are taken from an airplane and Google’s photos are taken from a satellite image. This makes for a dramatic difference in the quality and view of the property. For example, images taken in winter show more of a property because leaf coverage is reduced. Also, high resolution cameras take much better images that you can zoom way in on that satellites.
Powerful measuring tools come with Go iLawn. Go iLawn’s Drawing Tools, Groups, and Data Preservation are powerful tools to help turn the Pictures you look at into Data you use to build a Systems-Driven company. We don’t know of ANY other system that gives you this power to build a data-based model of your jobs.
Customer support. Google isn’t meant to be used for measuring, so good luck getting help from them for that purpose. Go iLawn is supported by experienced professionals and training is included too.
Many more differences… include closer zooming for more accuracy with Go iLawn, multiple views are available of a job site, and in a nutshell – it’s specifically made for the purpose of measuring properties to give estimates!
Go iLawn gives you something you don’t get anywhere else because of the unique way it combines mapping, drawing, displaying, and saving capabilities.
Check out the long term winter weather forecast for 2019-2020 from Neoweather. A lot goes into long range weather forecasting like analyzing pressure patterns and different weather models. According to meteorologist Brian Ivey, an amplified western ridge of high pressure is likely to be a factor this season. Some previous years that resemble this pattern ended up to be MEMORABLE.
2019-2020 Snow Contractor Winter Forecast
Last Year’s Winter Forecast Review
In 2018-2019 Neoweather did a pretty good job on their long range forecast. They predicted the cold up in the Northern Plains and that definitely held to be true. They forecasted warmer than normal temperatures in the Southwest, and that was true but even warmer than predicted and it went further north than Neoweather expected. Even though there were some very cold days in these areas, there weren’t a lot of them.
Factors to Help Forecast This Winter’s Long Range Forecast
Sea Surface Temperatures at the Equator: Looking at water temperatures near the equator in the Pacific helps predict El Niño and La Niña. This year we’re seeing some warmer sea surface temperatures that might push us into a very weak El Niño situation, but overall we should stay very neutral. That just means we’ll have some warm days and some cold days, but neutral overall.
Negative Eastern Pacific Oscillation (EPO): There is a ridging in the Pacific Northwest that typically provides warmer temps across the Northwest, then cooler temps across the Northeast.
Different Weather Models
The Snow Pack Model shows much less snow today when compared to last year on the same date in Canada and into the North Pole. So that will be monitored and hopefully improving over the next month. The American CSF Model shows a much warmer winter, but they have a warm bias and have been incorrect for the last several year. The European Model has been a little more accurate. It shows cooler weather in the West and warmer weather in the East.
However, the Canadian Model has been much better in recent years with long range forecasting. It shows the upper level heights. Their model shows 2019-2020 with ridging (high pressure) in the West and colder air in the East. The Japanese Model has done relatively well in recent years as well. Because of these outcomes, Neoweather leans towards using the Canadian and Japanese Models in their forecasts.
Neoweather’s 2019-2020 Long Range Winter Forecast
Using all of the factors and models above as well as many other tools, Neoweather is forecasting dryer, warmer conditions in the Southwest areas of California, Nevada, Utah and Southern Oregon this winter.
All of the Southwest is predicted to be 1-2 degrees warmer than average overall as well as Florida and the southern parts of Georgia and Arkansas. Much of the Central United States, Plains and Southeast are forecasted to be average temperatures. Then a large radius around the Great Lakes is expected to be lower than average temperatures. The lowest temps are expected to be in Eastern Minnesota, Wisconsin, Chicago, Michigan, Northern Indiana and Northwest Ohio. Much of the East Coast will stay around average temps.
Precipitation: The West Coast will be more dry than usual. That extends from Seattle down through California and Nevada. The rest of the country will stay at average precipitation with the exception of a band of wetter weather from Oklahoma through the Tennessee Valley and Ohio Valley up into New York and Boston.
NeoWeather’s 2019-2020 Snowfall Long Range Forecast
Snow Fall: The cold radius of weather around the Great Lakes region into Washington DC and down touching the Tennessee Valley will experience more than average snowfall. The other spot of higher than usual snowfall is around the Rockies. The rest of the country will be drier than usual and experience less snow than average.
Overall, Neoweather says the current warm stretch will last most of the fall into December. January will kick off the strongest likelihood of the highest snowfall and colder temperatures than average. Looking for more details and a private forecast for YOUR service area? Contact Neoweather today!
Ready for the first blizzard of the season? That’s right! Montana is going to get hit with snow again already and this time it’s seriously impressive and more wide spread. It looks like North Dakota will get the most crippling part of this snow storm but Montana, the Upper Rockies, South Dakota and Minnesota should be on high alert. We’re talking unseasonably cold temperatures and 4 to 12 inches of snow across most of those areas and up to 2 to 3 feet in North Dakota! We are calling this a full-on blizzard because in North Dakota the heavy snow will be accompanied by 50 to 60 mph winds in some areas with 30 to 40 mph winds widespread! That will create some serious issues and snow drifts! This is also a snow moving storm so it will be around a day or two.
10/9/19 Snow Plower Forecast
After the storm moves into Minnesota, it will weaken significantly and fade to light snow showers and rain through the Upper Midwest and Northeast. The unseasonably cold temperatures will remain in the plains and Northwest, but will calm down in the middle of next week. The South will have sustained warm temperatures.
NeoWeather Forecast for 10/9/19
Looking for more details and customized local forecasts to help you plan your staff, equipment and ice melt materials for the next storm? Check out private weather forecasting services from Neoweather! There is no better way to be sure you are ready and don’t waste time and money when running your snow removal business!
That’s right! The SaltDogg Medium Duty MDS Combination Dump Spreader is the first combo body in its class to offer a fully electric drive option. This means installation is a snap because you won’t need to a plumb a central hydraulics system into your truck. Plus, a hydraulic drive option is still available if you prefer that instead. This all-in-one spreader and dump body combo unit keeps your fleet’s Class 4-7 trucks working all year round. It has 10 gauge 304 stainless steel construction is ready for any job, regardless of the weather.
SaltDogg Medium Duty Combo Dump Spreader Video Review
The SaltDogg Medium Duty MDS Combination Dump Spreader provides a 3-4 cubic yard capacity with its one piece roll-formed radius sides. Enjoy in-cab control with the convenient electric tailgate release. That will feel good in the arctic blasts! The double-acting Mailhot cylinder provides powerful and reliable dump action, while the high speed pintle chain conveyor feed rapidly spreads salt, sand, or a 50/50 salt/sand mix on surfaces.
Need a pre-wetting option to quickly clear large parking lots and city streets? The MDS has an optional pre-wet system that maximizes the efficiency and potency of your deicing materials. As if all of this isn’t enough, this baby is also designed with long term maintenance and truck wear in mind. It has a cross-member free design that makes it easy to clean, and a low center of gravity that greatly reduces the strain it puts on your truck. It works great with the Ford F-Series, Freightliner M2 Series, International CV Series, Chevrolet Silverado Chassis Cabs, and RAM Chassis Cabs.
Enjoy the MDS’s all-season design as it saves you the hassle of removing and storing your spreaders when winter ends. All you need to do is take off the removable spinner assembly and put the included floor cover over the conveyor to get your trucks ready for Spring. Contact SaltDogg for more information!
Imagine “smart” snow markers on a property that will communicate with an app on your phone to help your company never miss snow plowing a property again! It’s not the future – it’s now! A Canadian tech company is rolling out a product called the “SnowM Marker.” It takes service updates out of human hands and manages them automatically instead for efficient and dependable real-time updates on when snow removal services are completed.
snow.m smart driveway markers
SnowM Marker utilizes smart technology enabling the driveway markers used by snow removal contractors to identify customers’ homes to send signals in case of miss outs. The Markers are in sync with a mobile application that the fleet can track on any smartphone.
Madan Kanala, SnowM Founder and CEO
How does it work? SnowM Markers are programmed to recognize when your snow plows are driving by a property in an area that received heavy snow. The Marker will send an alert to the driver’s mobile app notifying them that a property in the area still needs to be serviced. Unlike GPS, Marker detects service points with utmost accuracy and is linked to drivers so they never miss a location.
SnowM Markers help combat some of the major challenges faced by snow removal contractors including:
Missing properties and roads that need snow and ice removal. This results in poor customer feedback and wasted time on returning to a property later.
Providing high level, real-time communication & outstanding customer service to fleet administrators.
Last but not least, unplowed roads cause major accidents and delays in emergency services. SnowM Markers can prevent this.
Winter Equipment has replacement push box shoes that can seriously lower your operating expenses! How? Instead of replacing the whole shoe, you can just replace the worn sections out. Plus these cast AR steel shoes are filled with Winter Carbide Matrix and engineered to last longer than standard shoes. That means lower overall costs to you throughout the life of the pusher box.
Winter Equipment calls this replacement shoe system “MōDUS” and they have a modular design. It’s engineered this way to promote quick, in-field equipment changes, by operators who tend to run nose down or heel down and wear out shoes fast. Having the ability to make in-field adjustments also increases efficiency, and reduces downtime so more time can be spent on the road.
The MōDUS pusherbox replacement shoe system is currently available
The MōDUS Shoe System is designed to outlast OEM shoes by 2-4 times.
The MōDUS pusherbox shoe system is made to be tough! Only top tier materials are used – Cast AR steel shoes include 15ci of hardfacing per shoe, and are filled with Winter Carbide Matrix and engineered to last much longer than standard shoes. A steel adapter plate provides additional side wall support, with the strength to survive rough terrain and irritating obstructions.
Yet the MōDUS shoes are still flexible – they can be interchanged with a poly/urethane option for ornamental pavers and concrete to prevent damage to the surfaces.
The bottom line is to protect YOUR bottom line – The MōDUS modular system allows rotation and replacement of individual shoes, saving you time and money. Learn more by reaching out to Winter Equipment.
Big news in the snow and ice control equipment world – Douglas Dynamics is adding 42,000 square feet of manufacturing space to their operations. Douglas announced that they are converting the 8.9 acre former Russ Darrow Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram car dealership building at 7676 N. 76th Street in Milwaukee into additional manufacturing space.
Western Defender snowplow by Douglas Dynamics
The expansion was recommended for approval last week and the Plan Commission endorsed it. The building has been empty since this last summer after Russ Darrow moved this dealership location to the Metro Auto Mall on I-41 and West Good Hope Road. Jim Smith, Douglas Dynamics engineering manager, told commission members that about 42,000 square feet of the building will be used for manufacturing and the remaining 10,000 square feet will be offices and product displays.
Douglas Dynamics has its headquarters in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and has been North America’s premier manufacturer and upfitter of work truck attachments and equipment since 1948. It manufactures some of the most trusted brands in the snow and ice management industry including Fisher, Henderson, SnowExand Western. Douglas Dynamics has been innovating products that not only enable snow contractors to perform their jobs more efficiently and effectively, but also enables snow and ice businesses to increase profitability.
Douglas Dynamics employs more than 1,600 people throughout the United States. Their headquarters in Milwaukee currently holds their main offices, a factory and distribution center employing nearly 300 people. The expansion would add another 20-50 jobs. Douglas Dynamics has enjoyed incredible growth in recent years through sales and acquisitions. In 2018 they were at $524 million – approximately four times where they were in 2012. About two-thirds of the increase is due to acquisitions.
Caterpillar rolled out three new machines especially for the snow and ice management industry this fall. They are the new M Series Wheel Loaders, Skid Steer Loaders, and smaller Compact Wheel Loaders. Caterpillar machines are known to provide reliable snow and ice clearing power. By using Cat machines, you’ll be ready day or night to complete your jobs, fulfill your contracts and make more money without ever worrying about downtime.
Cat Wheel Loaders
Cat wheel loaders make your material handling and loading jobs safer, faster, more precise and profitable. Cat front end loaders set the standard for reliability, productivity, fuel efficiency, versatility and operator comfort. The newest models of Cat Wheel Loaders are up to 10% more lift and reach with high lift option. They have a 5-speed transmission and lock-up clutch torque converter, power trains deliver smooth shifting, fast acceleration, and speed on grade for greater performance and fuel efficiency. They also have up to 15% lower maintenance costs. Extended service intervals save you time, money, and energy. Access to maintenance points is fast and easy.
Cat Skid Steer Loaders
Cat Skid Steer Loaders are designed and built for maximum performance and safety. They have a radial lift design that delivers impressive reach and excellent performance with outstanding drawbar power. The redesigned cab is more comfortable with 15% additional space and it has a wider opening door for easier machine entry. It also has a new line of buckets with 30% additional capacity.
Cat Compact Wheel Loaders
Cat Compact Wheel Loaders deliver high performance with outstanding versatility. On-the-go operator tuned powerful hydraulics and drive train adjust the machine’s response to the task at hand. Low sound levels, large spacious cab and intuitive controls keep you working comfortably all day long.
Looking for more information on these machines or others in the Cat line of snow and ice management products? Just contact Caterpillar today!
You probably don’t need us to tell you that you can lower your operating costs and be more environmentally friendly by using less salt. That’s a no brainer. But finding the right equipment for your specific needs can be tough. That’s where Buyers Products can help with their SaltDogg liquid deicing system. They are all built to order no matter what size tank you need or type of drive you’d like – they can help.
Why Use Liquid Anti-Icing / De-icing?
Liquid application and pre-treating surfaces is the future (and present!) of managing ice. Brine can be sprayed to help prevent ice formation before the storm even hits. Using tons of salt is not only expensive and hard on the environment, but shortages have made it difficult some years to keep up. Using liquid brine solves these issues, and it works better to boot! If those aren’t enough reasons, also consider that clean up after snow and ice fall is much easier on pre-treated surfaces.
Buyers Products Liquid De-icing Systems
Whether you are looking for a 100 gallon de-icing tank or up to 5,000 gallons, Buyers Products can build a SaltDogg de-icing system just for you. They also have some standard variations, but don’t feel like you are limited because all of their anti-icing systems are built to order. They can use an electric drive, gas drive, or hydraulic drive so you aren’t limited in any way.
Plus you can get Buyers anti-icing systems with an automatic application rate control or manual.
Automatic application rate control lets the vehicle operator select how many gallons of brine should be applied per lane mile and then the system does the rest. When paired with either a GPS or vehicle-based ground speed sensor the system will automatically adjust the application rate based on vehicle speed. This gives the operator precision control over brine coverage, meaning cleaner roads and less wasted liquid.
Manual application control means the system is controlled directly by the vehicle operator. It must be turned on and off and have its flow rate set manually.
