Good Morning: (That's Just a Nice Saying)

Nobody really needs a weather forecast today, unless you don't have any windows. After the snow and other stuff stop, we'll see a high in the mid-30's. Not enough to do any serious melting. With winds of about 10 miles per hour, gusting to 20 miles per hour, there will be no doubt in anyone's mind that February rules.

Today's deals:

An HP Pavillion 17.3" laptop with up to7.5 hours of battery life for $799.97.

A Wii Hardware Bundle for $199.99.

A Sony ICF automatic timeset clock radio with dual alarms for $15.94.

A Bowflex Series 7 treadmill for $1,249.99.

A Mars chocolate bar variety pack for $22.75

Good Morning: Here Comes a Confused Weather Week

Happy Presidents Day!

Windy, cloudy, then colder with sleet or snow is  Monday's forecast. Look for a high in the 50's today. As the day progresses, the temps will drop and snow will come in the afternoon. Enough snow so that the ground will become white all over. Tomorrow it will be cool again -- a high of about 40 degrees, with some snow possible on Tuesday morning.

Today's deals:

Erin Baker's Oatmeal Raisin Breakfast Cookie for $12.92

Asus Eee 1215N 12.1 inch netbook with 6 hours of battery life for $484.03

Toshiba Satellite L255D 15.6 inch laptop for $373.00. 

LEGO Duplo Building set with 71 pieces for $22.45

Rothco Classic Heavyweight Messenger Bag in black for $22.59

Good Morning: Something Wicked This Way Comes

After a relatively balmy overnight of about 30 degrees, Sunday will be the warmest day we've had in a while, topping off somewhere in the lower 40's. It will be cloudy though. The long range forecast for next week hasn't changed: We're still looking at the possibility of a significant winter storm --snow or ice-- around Tuesday or Wednesday.

Today's deal: 56% off a DeLonghi oil filled heater. If there's a room in your house or apartment that's been feeling chilly this winter, get this heater for $39.97 while you can. (It's normally $91.) With silent operation and three heat settings, this heater will make the rest of this winter --and future winters-- a lot more comfortable. Click here for this very useful deal.

Good Morning: Thursday Has Been Canceled

The lights are back on in Cleveland Park, where I reside. But from what I can tell over 150,000 people in the DC area lost power. Metrobus stopped at 9:30pm. Schools throughout the area are closed today.  We may have only gotten a fraction of what Snowmageddon brought last winter, but this was a pretty potent storm, with lots of snow-thunder. It was hard to miss the snow being illuminated by lightning. Spooky it was.

The high today will be in the upper 30's. And it will be sunny. And please don't get angry with me, for I'm only the news-bringer: We may see a little snow Friday morning.

If your laptop computer's battery is showing signs of aging (lots of us noticed that when the power when out on Wednesday), then you'll like today's deal: 22% off a Toshiba Satellite laptop computer with a 16 inch screen. Click here for this great deal.

Widespread Power Outage in NW DC

9:30pm update: Power has been restored in Cleveland Park.

9pm update: Parts of Georgetown, Brightwood, Hillcrest and Brookland are also without electricity.

Update: Metrobus service will stop tonight, Wednesday, by 9:30pm. For more information visit http://www.wmata.com/about_metro/news/PressReleaseDetail.cfm?ReleaseID=4816.

8:30pm update: Power is out in large parts of Cleveland Park, Glover Park, Shepherd Park, and Tenleytown. There are unconfirmed reports that a transformer blew.

If you have no electricity you're not alone. A large swath of Cleveland Park and beyond is without power.

Preceding the power outage was some brilliant snow-thunder.

It may be a cold night for a lot of people.

Firewood: Know Before You Buy

In case you haven't noticed, it's winter. And in winter, area fireplaces roar. While I don't think that anyone's ever calculated how much firewood is consumed in the Washington, DC area, it's probably a lot.

The problem is that many people only buy wood once a season -- or even once every few years.  If you're the kind of person who can't tell acres from hectares, liters from quarts, or who still has trouble when it comes to divining how many pints are in a gallon, be sure to read this handy guide (PDF) from the National Conference on Weights and Measures on how to not get shortchanged when you buy firewood

Good Morning: Where to Find a Snow Shoveler

What's worse?  Uncertainty when it comes to the total snow accumulation or certainty that there's going to be a lot of snow? The forecast is for 1 to 4 inches of snow in the District starting in the afternoon, and that's probably better than a forecast that says we're getting four inches of snow for certain. (The Capital Weather Gang is a great place to get a sense of how likely this forecast is.) The high today will hover around freezing.

If you're in the snow shoveling business, then the more snow the better. If you happen to be looking for a snow shover, the best place to find one is on your neighborhood listserv. During last year's Snowmageddon, dozens of snow shovelers responded to pleas for help on our companion listserv, the Cleveland Park Listserv. (Also in the Cleveland Park neighborhood: The Cleveland Park Citizens Association has compiled a directory of snow shovelers.)  If you're not a member of a neighborhood listserv (and they're useful for other things besides finding snow shovelers, especially if you like to keep up on neighborhood crime, development and news), sign up. Most District neighborhoods have email lists. You can find yours by going to YahooGroups and searching for your neighborhood by name in the "search for other groups" box.

Good Morning: It's Laika Day

Wednesday will be another dry day, with temperatures in the mid-50's. On Thursday it should be a bit warmer, with a forecast high of 59. But on Thursday it will feel like --are you ready for this?-- Wednesday's 56 degrees with the wind chill factor. That's right. We're entering Wind Chill Factor Season. So dig out your mittens and long underwear. You'll be needing them sooner than later.

On this day in 1957, the Soviet spacecraft Sputnik 2 carried the first animal into space, a Siberian Husky named Laika.