Apocalyp-sNow...or Storm Track II, The Wrath of Cold

[Sailboat]

The storm that's hitting the East Coast of the US is starting to hit us here (Washington, DC) now. First tiny flakes started drifting down about 20 minutes ago.

The official predictions over the last two days:

7-10 inches
10-16 inches
16-24 inches
18-24 inches
20-28 inches
24-30 inches (someone told me, not confirmed)

Just for the record, two digits is a LOT of snow for this area. I read recently that we've only had double digits twice in the same season four times, historically. On Dec 19th we had 18 inches, so this'll be only the 5th time ever.

"The horror! The horror!"

Last night people completely denuded the vegetable bins in the Harris Teeter supermarket, leaving only a handful of dark purple potatoes and one lonely star fruit. People are freaking out with some reason -- traffic in this region is sometime brought to its knees by rainfall, let alone snow. I wanted to yell in the middle of the store, "Since when do you people eat VEGETABLES?!?"

"I've done far worse than kill you, Admiral. I've hurt you. And I wish to go on hurting you. I shall leave you as you left me, as you left her; marooned for all eternity in the center of a snowbound region filled with bad drivers... buried alive! Buried alive...!"

Should be fun. The Feds are releasing us in about 15 minutes, but I live west of here, where it's already been snowing for an hour, I hear. My bus won't run me the last leg home until 3:30, so I'll be on foot for the last bit...normally a 30-minute walk in dry weather.

Stay safe and warm, everyone!



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[Gagundathar]

Good luck Sailboat.
I lived in Alexandria, Va during the snowstorm of 1983.
That was 16 inches or so, and the winds made it a blizzard.
For a Georgia-boy, it was quite an experience.

[LavenderBlue]

I admit to being grateful the forecasts are apparently going to spare the NYC region the brunt of the storm. I have tickets to a matinee of Sleeping Beauty at the NYC Ballet tomorrow. We're scheduled to get 3-6 inches but I'm hoping Lincoln Center officials can handle it reasonably gracefully.

[Sailboat]

"Near-blizzard conditions, rapidly deteriorating" is one description from yesterday's weather predictions...back when they were expecting less snow.

[Headrush042]

I've been checking all winter for snow shovels, and they're always sold out

Looks like I'll be borrowing from neighbors again and offering to dig out their cars in exchange. (southern MD here) I'm not sure why DC is expecting so much; we're expecting between 8 and 12 here in Ellicott City.

[Drain Bead]

Originally Posted by Sailboat

"Near-blizzard conditions, rapidly deteriorating" is one description from yesterday's weather predictions...back when they were expecting less snow.

So now it's "blizzard conditions, rapidly deteriorating"?

I'm in Columbus, Ohio. It's been snowing 1-inch flakes sideways for the past three hours, with no sign of letting up.

[Philster]

18" due for arrival in Delaware. ::shrug:: We just got 18" before Christmas.

Wait... this just in....

The storm "watch", which was then upgraded to a "warning", has now been upgraded to a "promise"... and precipitation totals are now predicted to be a gazzilion inches.

[Duckster]

Tomorrow's number one topic on the Dope ...


So how many inches did you get last night ...?

[ZipperJJ]

You gotta check out what this meteorologist has to say about the situation. He is hilariously excited

[Sailboat]

Okay, that was funny.

Got home easily enough. Didn't have to walk, since the wife used me as an excuse to leave work early herself. We went to the grocery store yet again (three times total since yesterday...I don't know exactly why).

It's really beautiful so far. I'm west of DC near Dulles airport.

The TV weather guy predicted totals in blocks ("12 inches between 6 pm and midnight") that added up to 30 inches. We'll see.

[Lute Skywatcher]

Originally Posted by Gagundathar

Good luck Sailboat.
I lived in Alexandria, Va during the snowstorm of 1983.
That was 16 inches or so, and the winds made it a blizzard.
For a Georgia-boy, it was quite an experience.

I was in Brewster, NY. We got about a foot and a half one day and, a day or two later, about another foot and a half.

[FairyChatMom]

I'm in St. Mary's county, and I work right across the Potomac in Dahlgren. We were sent home at noon. About 5, we drove into Leonardtown, 6 miles from here, to pick up some pizza for supper. Roads were wet when we left and white as we came home. Our cars are parked, not to move till maybe Sunday.

According to channel 7, this county is under blizzard warning, 20-30" and gusty winds. If we're lucky, it'll stop late Saturday. Our county does an outstanding job clearing the roads, and in the last storms, we had plows in our neighborhood fairly early, so we're hopeful. Of course, there's still 100+' of driveway between us and the road.

As long as we don't lose power, we'll be fine. Since we're on a well, losing power is losing everything, altho we do have a fireplace and some good Amish firewood.

Keep a happy thought...

[Little Nemo]

And the irony? I've been planning to drive to Buffalo tomorrow and it looks like I won't have to change my plans.

[Headrush042]

Oy, my weather app just updated from 8-12 inches to 20-30

I'll be in my PJs till Sunday afternoon, at the earliest.

[MsRobyn]

It's coming down in Central Pennsylvania. I think they're expecting 18" by tomorrow night. For all I know, there's 18" on the ground now. Fortunately, we're in good shape. We've got soda, cookie fixin's, popcorn, and bagels. Oh, and milk, bread, eggs and toilet paper.

[gardentraveler]

Also in Columbus OH. We've got about 4 inches of extremely wet snow. I've shoveled off my stoop and the walk down to the sidewalk and also shaken snow off some shrubs - I'm hoping they survive the storm. I've heard we could get more than 10" total. No fun.

[minlokwat]

It's coming down at a good clip here in central Maryland.

The news stations just finished their non-stop coverage of all things snow. You have Bob in the weather room with Doppler radar, then weatherman B on the roof with a yard stick, coverage from man on the street, then woman on the street interviewing innocent passersby, then another doofus doing a bit with the snow plow drivers, then a shot of traffic cam and reporters from other parts of the area checking in to say: "Yup, it's snowing here too, Doreen." Rinse. Repeat.

Nothing else of even remotely newsworthy gets reported on.

Those from the Maryland / Northern Va. / DC area know what I'm talking about.

This is not from Onion.

[Uncle Brother Walker]

Sheesh... It's just snow, people.

Regardless of the volume, I stand by my fall-back position: You're in MD (or wherever); it's February; it happens every freakin' year!!!!

You should be used to it by now.

Cowards.

[Sailboat]

We've had years in Virginia without any snow. And it's not that it is snow, it's how much we're getting at once.

[Lightnin']

We woke up to about two feet of snow here just north of Baltimore. It's still coming down; the forecast says it probably won't stop for another twelve hours.

I'm not panicking- this is, like, the coolest thing ever. We've got a ton of junk food, movies to watch, games to play... and as long as the electricity stays on, we're going to have a blast. It'll be interesting to see if we can get out of the driveway on Monday, though.

And we're supposed to get another, weaker, storm around Tuesday. Fun!

[Apocalypso]

Originally Posted by Uncle Brother Walker

Sheesh... It's just snow, people.

Regardless of the volume, I stand by my fall-back position: You're in MD (or wherever); it's February; it happens every freakin' year!!!!

You should be used to it by now.

Cowards.

A foot of snow or more of snow does most certainly not happen every year. We do not routinely have to dig our cars out with snow shovels. I am used to driving in snow, and will probably attempt to make it to work (a little under 2 hours from now), but the streets are just solid white, and I am not optimistic. Buses in Allegheny County have been completely shut down, which is unheard of, and they are advising all but emergency services personnel to stay home.

[Philster]

This snow storm has been downplayed in some minds because of the weather people hype everything else.

Seriously.... 24 to 30 inches of snow is dangerous. It gets you a little nervous when you have a sick child and you are truly trapped.

We can, and do, make fun of all these little storms that delay our lives by a few hours, and suffer from weather-people hyperbole.... but this is a dangerous storm. If I lost power right now, it wouldn't be a joke.

[Harmonious Discord]

Snow storm 1875 Wisconsin.
Train from Portage to Madison

Snow storm in 1881 Sheboygan, Wisconsin.
8th Street

Snow storm in 1881 Whitewater, Wisconsin.
First Street to it's intersection with Main Street.

Snow storm in 1899 Hurley, Wisconsin.
Tunnel through snowbank.

I had to link this one because of the equipment and the name of the business in the background.
Samoniel Hardware store and Victrola Parlor.

[Johnny L.A.]

Meanwhile in the Pacific Northwest, daytime temperatures are in the mid-50s. It's only snowed once this season, and the four inches I got at my house melted the next day. There is less rain than usual for this time of year, and the forecast shows sunny days.

¡Viva El Niño!

[twickster]

In the December storm, Philly officially got 23" -- though nowhere but the airport actually seemed to get that much, I got maybe 8 or 9 inches. So I was totally "yeah yeah" to the predictions of a foot or more from this storm.

Wrong-o, Mary Lou. Woke up unable to see out the windows because they were covered with snow that had blown against them and stuck. Looks to me like we've had at least 10" so far, and it's still coming down hard.

**settles in with cocoa and the Dope**

[Sailboat]

I haven't gotten an "inch count" here yet but it's spectacular. Cars in the parking lot are just gentle humps in the smooth surface.

The condo's resident handymen burned out the motor of the snow-blower last night. It's self-propelled and too heavy to lift, so they can't even move it off the sidewalk now. It's just been abandoned to be covered up.

A new and terrifying threat has emerged. Trapped in the house, my wife has announced that it's a good idea to spend the weekend vigorously cleaning and organizing everything from top to bottom. Across the region, everyone will be settling in with cocoa, computers, videos, and all sorts of fun stuff, and I'll probably be on my knees scrubbing grout with a toothbrush or something.



.

[Stooge]

My wife had the same idea. Yesterday, as the snow began falling: "Well, since we're going to be trapped in the house all weekend you can finally get around to re-caulking the tub, cleaning the office, etc...." Curse you snow for making me do honey-dos!

[ShibbOleth]

I'd be interested to see some "real pics" if any of you can get around to posting them. Sounds sort of like fun and sort of like a pain in the butt. Make the best of it. Maybe a nice bottle of wine, some candles and a Barry White CD can get you out of the honey-does?

[rocking chair]

i'm watching 29 news in philly, the mayor is hanging out in rittenhouse square, wearing a very colourful outfit full of "give me" 29 hat, city year jacket...

one neighbour across the street used his wee son as a measuring stick to take pics his son is 29" and he was up around his shoulders in snow. we have a lot of drifting on this wee street.

i thought i would get to the "to do" list, but i love watching the frothing local news. maybe i'll knit as i read and watch. 29 is commercial free! just lots of footage of people walking around in the snow and kids playing in it. one kid did a cannonball in a snow drift in rittenhouse sq.

i showed the cats some snow, they were not impressed.

[rocking chair]

why are they even bothering to say the malls will open? who will get there? really, i'm not sure i'll go out to the corner store. why would people dig out of house, dig out the car and go to the malls or shudder "the gallery"?

[matt_mcl]

I wonder if it's the sort of situation where snow removal equipment could be quickly transported south from snowier cities or even from up here.

Good luck! (More than a decade ago Toronto needed the Army to help them dig out after a blizzard, and we still haven't let them live it down.)

[twickster]

Damn, if only I'd read Shibb's request 30 seconds earlier -- I grabbed the camera and headed for the front porch, but I wasn't in time to catch the guy skiing down my street. (Yeah, really, skiing. I've seen plenty of kids sledding down my street over the 20 years I've lived here, but never anyone skiing.)

Anyway, here is what it looks like in Philly around 11 AM.

[fruitbat]

We are at around 22 inches in the NoVa suburbs of DC. I have shovelled twice and expect about four or five more shifts. I don't expect I will have work again until maybe Wednesday. Last storm it was five days until the plows made it to our street.

Fortunately I dropped $325 at the grocery store on Thursday and there is good food and seven bottles of wine to tide us over.

[Contrapuntal]

Originally Posted by Sailboat

A new and terrifying threat has emerged. Trapped in the house, my wife has announced that it's a good idea to spend the weekend vigorously cleaning and organizing everything from top to bottom. Across the region, everyone will be settling in with cocoa, computers, videos, and all sorts of fun stuff, and I'll probably be on my knees scrubbing grout with a toothbrush or something.

Can't you and the dogs outvote her?

[Khadaji]

By my estimate we have at least two feet out there and it isn't stopping yet. Bleah, I have a long long driveway and no snowblower - and people coming tomorrow night for the Super Bowl. Tomorrow is gonna suck.

[The wind of my soul]

My boyfriend lives in an apartment complex in MD, and he cleared snow off of the wrong car because he couldn't tell which one was his! He's coming out here tomorrow (in his four-wheel drive, stick shift car equipped with blizzard tires) to help me unearth my car.

[Antigen]

We have 2ft of snow in the DC suburbs right now, and the drifts are impressive. I can't even see our trash can out back, and I had to shove my way out the front door because the drift was holding it shut. I realize that I shouldn't find this situation problematic, since I'm from Montreal and everything, but in Montreal they're prepared for this stuff. They plow the roads and haul the snow away. and families have more than one shovel so everyone can go get their asses to work clearing the sidewalk. People say "fuck this, I'm not driving" and take the bus and Metro to work. I'm still adjusting to this new way of seeing snow, as a terror paralyzing a city.

I should have shovelled last night because now it's a LOT of work and I'm not sure our cheap shovel is going to cut it. The plastic's already creaking. I'll post some pics later today - for now the priority is trying to find my car. And if I give up on that project (which, frankly, is quite likely) I'll head to the kitchen to bake.

[MsRobyn]

It's still coming down hard. We've got around two feet so far. Earlier, some men with snowthrowers and serious shovels came around to help dig out.

I think I'll fix lunch and start making cookies.

[booklover]

Our snow shovel is on the deck right by the kitchen door...need to tackle shoveling the deck so that I can open the gate and then make my way out to the front walk.

Just eyeballing it--the snow on the deck and porch is definitely past my knees. We haven't seen any sign of plows yet this morning, though I thought I heard some yesterday evening.

For people who want to see pics, there are tons on the We Love DC flickr pool: http://www.flickr.com/groups/welovedc/pool/

I have a few pics and will upload them later...right now, I can't actually get out of the house to take more shots!

[Headrush042]

From my bedroom window: Parking Lot - my car is the 2nd lump to the right of the pickup truck

From my living room: My balcony -- you can see I've ventured out once already

Southern MD, near Columbia

[Lightnin']

It's starting to taper off a bit, here. A few minutes ago we took the dogs out into the backyard to play in the snow- and it's taller than they are. We've never seen snow this deep which wasn't on a mountain.

Getting out the back door was very difficult, and was only possible because the dog door is right next to it and they'd dug a channel through the snow. The side porch and the side doors are completely snowed in- they won't move at all. I'm hoping I can get the front door open (no snow, there, since it's covered- but I was a bit overzealous with the weatherstripping so it's kind of stuck).

Our cars are just shapeless blobs at this point, and I'm seriously not looking forward to shoveling tomorrow. It's going to be an all-day job. Man, I wish I'd bought that snowblower a month or so ago. I just figured, "Hey, what are the odds we'll have another huge snowstorm before next winter?"

[FairyChatMom]

Earlier today, we had teensy little flakes. Now, heavy wet ones are falling. We've got at least 18" and by my calculations, it's falling at an inch an hour. The only shoveling I've done is to clear the way for the dogs to squat without freezing their butts. Fortunately, we've not lost power, so it's just an annoyance right now.

I thought I heard a plow earlier, but I can't be certain. Goodness knows, I can't see anything. Last time I went out to clear for the mutts, I heard a crack and watched a large branch fall from the paulownia. No biggie - I hate that tree anyway!! There are a lot of branches down in the front yard, too. I see lots of yard work after the thaw. I hope someone comes by with a plow to dig us out - I have cash!!!!!

My mom lives in Harford county and she's been without power since 1:30 this morning. Which means she has no water, no heat save for some firewood, and no way to get out till someone plows her long drive and access road. Her neighbor in the back usually digs her out, but I'm guessing he's not going to even try till the snowfall stops.

Oh yeah - pics from this morning. We've got at least 5-6" more by now.

[Khadaji]

Seems to have stopped here. I was just out for about 30 minutes and am not even 1/10 of the way done. I will be out off and on all day today and all day tomorrow. I hate snow.

[Robot Arm]

"Observe the snow. It fornicates."

[Headrush042]

Looking out my window, the snow plows finally got to our parking lot. They are alternating between clearing the lot and digging the plow trucks out when they get stuck. I don't envy them! One of my neighbors is also out there digging his own pickup truck out (the truck in my pic) with a dustpan. That may very well be me tomorrow (with a dustpan, since there's been a shortage of shovels in the stores all winter).

[Antigen]

Originally Posted by Headrush042

Looking out my window, the snow plows finally got to our parking lot. They are alternating between clearing the lot and digging the plow trucks out when they get stuck. I don't envy them! One of my neighbors is also out there digging his own pickup truck out (the truck in my pic) with a dustpan. That may very well be me tomorrow (with a dustpan, since there's been a shortage of shovels in the stores all winter).

Our shovel is dying - it cracked (literally) under the pressure. We borrowed another shovel off the neighbor, and we're all working in shifts. I've been using a dustpan to help out, too. Also a broom to help clear the car.

[Headrush042]

Anyone here have any experience just using salt? I'm wondering whether I should've brought home a bag of the stuff when I found out the shovels were all sold out. I'm from Miami, so this is kind of foreign to me

[Philster]

Salt? In this? Like trying to empty a beach of sand with a fork.

[booklover]

Finally finished shoveling both the side walk and the front walk, and of course the snow has started again.

A few photos (from College Park MD): http://www.flickr.com/photos/8784587...7623241691971/

[Harmonious Discord]

I'm so happy our Wisconsin snow is not your snow. Ha!