Groundhog’s Day has come and gone, and the rodents are back in their cozy little dens. Phil said “early spring,” and Wally forecasted 6 more weeks of winter. I’m not going to argue the usefulness or validity of an annual rite of late winter. You could probably guess how useful I think waking animals from a nice sleep is in forecasting the weather. Instead, let’s consider two different ways to think about the seasons in general.

We have another round of wintry weather in store for us on Friday. At this time, the atmosphere is setting us up for what meteorologists call a wintry mix across the region, which means a little bit of everything. So, what determines whether we get snow, sleet, or freezing rain? The answer is over our heads, literally.

Last week, Marie in Apex asked “Is there any truth to the possibility of snow following 7-10 days after a winter thunderstorm?” There’s a long standing old wives’ tale that says that if you hear thunder in winter, you’ll have snow within 7 – 10 days. So, why don’t we have snow?

Winter is still weeks away, but now is the time to prepare your small business for the upcoming cold weather and cold and flu season. 

The Small Business Administration and Agility Recovery have teamed together to offer tips and advice on keeping your business up and running during the harsh winter months.

"Winter Weather Preparedness" webinar will be held Nov. 13 from 2 p.m.- 3p.m. Go online to register. But hurry. Space is limited.

Cold temperatures below 25 degrees can sap the cranking power of your car battery by as much as 35 percent, says the AAA Carolinas motor club, so this week is a good time to make sure you have a fully charged battery.

AAA offers cold-weather tips for drivers:

• Take the time to have your battery’s charge and cold cranking amps checked.

• Check your batteries connections for corrosion. When starting your car in the morning, turn on electricity first and wait 30 seconds for the battery to warm up before starting.

• Keep your gas tank at least half full to avoid freezing gas lines. ...[MORE]

Here are a couple of gadgets designed to cheat old man winter.

It's Monday, the sky is steel gray, it looks like the freakin' Siberian hinterlands out there and temperatures are going to plummet into the teens tonight. What to do? Try to put yourself in a more positive frame of mind with something sunny.

The remains of Tuesday's snow storm lingered for another day in the Triangle, causing road problems and another holiday for students. Submit your ... more

Looking for a good winter hike in North Carolina. Out sister site — nchikes.com — has five recommendations for the month of December, a time when you need to get out the most (all those kinfolk visiting for the holidays) and have the least amount of time to do it. Some are local, some are in the moutains — we even give you a reason to go to the coast in December. Check it out.