By the time this appears in print, hopefully the high temperature will have managed to clamber out of the freezer, and might even start melting off some of the ice that's been accumulating around the Valley.
There will be other signs of warmer temperatures, like the spraying water from burst pipes and the slush pooled in the gutter.
Forecasters are predicting another stormy night for us tonight, that might bring significant moisture to the Sierra.
It's none-to-soon. For all the inconvenience of Monday's storm, the snow was powder dry and therefore not a big moisture generator.
The good news is the big floods generated by a rain or snow event in Carson Valley are unlikely due to the snow's dryness.
This week has been trying for motorists, who've had to face pretty gnarly conditions before winter even starts.
With the official start of the season 11 days away, it's too early to tell if predictions of an El Nino winter will turn into a reasonably wet one.
But if it does, this year has certainly given us enough practice in surviving the cold to make it through the next three months.
