Not that I care whether you guys live or die or pay your overdue library fines. I don’t like any of you people, except for jayrey & Mika & Chronos and Oak and WhyNotand what’s-his-name with the beard and the girl with the hat and the other short-listers. But Dopers other than me are capable of the full breadth of human feeling, so reassure them that you’re okay, or if necessary call for help so we can airdrop emergency chili & cheesecake and suchlike.
Anybody?
Not New england but close enough. It is snowing hard here and the snow is dry and powdery so visibility is poor. I am at the allergist and then I am going home.
Your post does not make clear whether you need emergency rations delivered and/or Peter Capaldi given an atomic wedgie. I’ll send somebody over to him just in case.
ETA: Taking my silly hat off, I do not understand what dry & powdery snow means. Please explain.
Dry and powdery snow blows everywhere and doesn’t settle well. You can’t really pack it down. Shoveling is a bitch because it all just fills in again as soon as the wind blows. Driving in it is like being in a snowglobe that some hyperactive kid keeps shaking.
The accumulation so far for me just south of Boston is: a shit-ton of snow, with snow still falling, and predictions that it will add up to about an additional shit-ton. There’s a state of emergency and a travel ban on the roads. Buses, trains, commuter rail and commuter boats were canceled last night for all of today. I’m technically supposed to be at work but am working from home. Others in my organization (a hospital) aren’t so lucky because you can’t be a doctor or a nurse or a cleaner or an xray tech from home. The travel ban and state of emergency don’t apply to us. If you have a hospital ID, you’re allowed on the roads.
In all seriousness, we have about 21 inches of snow and it’s slated to continue snowing for the next 16 hours.
Not sure how much snow we’ve gotten, but it’s a fair amount. 16-18"? Since New Yorkers are disappointed, I’d like to arrange to redirect the rest we’re supposed to get southward.
Southern Maine here. Just finished plowing, again, for the umpteenth time. Dry snow is not suitable for snowballs. Think sand, just a little less weighty. Plows easily but with our current winds, much of it blows right back. Because it’s not a “wet, sticky” snow, trees have not brought down power lines to any great extent. Right now we’ve got about 18 inches on the ground, probably get another foot before it stops.
If you could arrange for an airdrop of toasted fluffer-nutters, I’d appreciate it!
New Haven CT here. I just finished snow-blowing the drive. It was light and powdery and blew back in my face, but actually mush easier to clear than last weekend’s snow which was wet and icy. There was nowhere near the 40+ inches we got two years ago. I’d say just over a foot maybe but that’s hard to tell as there was lots of drifting. Yale canceled classes; that’s only the second time in thirty years I believe. It was not the crippling snow that was forecast, but I believe Eastern CT, and Massachusetts near Boston got it much worse.
I just don’t understand how snowfall can vary from one storm to another. We don’t get a lot of snow in Memphis. The 21 inches lorene referred to is a lifetime’s worth for me. We shut down the schools for half an inch.
[evil!Skald]
I fear all the flying cars, motorcycles, and dragons are busy hunting Welshmen. I’ll load up one of the pie cannons, though. Don’t bother opening a window; I’ll just blast
through. Oh, and it’s so cold where you are that there’s no point in toasting them beforehand, so I’ll just rig the container to set the fluffernutters on fire on impact.
[/evil!Skald]
Can you understand how a hurricane can generate more rain than an afternoon rainstorm? Winter storms are no different than summer (or warm climate) storms in that manner. The temperature at different elevations, ground temp, and other atmospheric conditions all effect the makeup of the snowfall.
What the others have stated. Sounds like you-all are getting some bottomless, knee-deep champagne…
• avalanche - a large mass of snow falling uncontrollably down a mountainside.
• black ice - snow so dense, one can see clear through to the ground, or pavement.
• blizzard - a fierce snowstorm with high winds and large snow accumulation.
• boilerplate - snow packed so densely it resembles ice.
• bottomless - fresh powder so deep skiers need a snorkel to breathe.
• bulletproof - snow so hard it can withstand a gunshot
• champagne - super-light, fresh snow that makes skiers want to pop their corks.
• chowder - broken, chunky powder whose lumpy consistency is reminiscent of a bowl of New England clam soup.
• corn - loose kernels of snow, usually found during late spring; poor man’s powder.
• cornice - an overhanging mass of snow good for jumping off and breaking one’s neck.
• corduroy - barrel-groomed snow that creates a feeling reminiscent of skiing across Paul Bunyan’s pant leg.
• crud - thick, broken snow especially dreaded by timid, thin-thighed skiers.
• crust - a hard, icy layer of snow just brittle enough to give way, cutting skier’s shins as they trip and fall.
• death cookies - nasty ice chips frozen to the snow surface, often left behind grooming machines.
• duff - loose, light snow, heavier than fluff but lighter than mashed potatoes.
• dump - a hefty, fresh snowfall, usually of a foot or more.
• dusting - an immeasurable snowfall, resembling powdered sugar sprinkled on a cookie.
• drift - a high bank of snow sculptered by the wind, usually with the aid of a tree, boulder, or ledge.
• flake - the basis of everything on this list.
• fluff - a.k.a. powder; fresh snow with consistency between champagne and chowder.
• flurry - an all-too-brief, paltry snowfall; a teaser.
• graupel - snow that falls in small, roughly-spherical pellets.
• hardpack - resilient, aged snow, may be called packed powder at Eastern ski areas.
• kneedeep - fresh fallen, more than 6 inches but less than 2 feet deep; a sound often heard from excited powder toads.
• mashed potatoes - wet, heavy snow so thick a shovel will stand up in it.
• mogul - snowy bumps; what weak knees are made of.
• mush - melting snow wetter and usually found in melting ruts.
• packed powder – ski area term for anything but fresh snow.
• powder - light, fresh-fallen snow with the fluffy consistency of lemon meringue; the stuff ski dreams are made of.
• sastrugi - hard, wavy, wind-blown snow, resembling a whitened version of the Sahara Desert, described by Robert Falcon Scott during his expedition to the South Pole.
• Sierra cement – heavy wet dumpage resulting when Pacific storms reach California’s Sierra Nevada, then frozen solid overnight.
• sleet - airborne slush.
• slop - melting spring snow intermingled with water puddles.
• slush - watery snow, more suitable for a 7-Eleven Slurpy than a ski hill.
• untracked - virgin snowfall not yet attacked by powderhounds.
• white stuff - colloquialism used by inarticulate TV weathermen.
Burlington, MA, here. We had about 2 feet of snow. No power outages (knock wood). It’s still snowing and supposed to continue through tonight.
The fireplace is on, the cats are in front of it, and I’m debating whether to make chili tonight or have rice and pulled BBQ chicken. It’s very scary in my house.
My office is closed, obviously. We’re supposed to work from home, but I think most people are “working” intermittently.
Also, a Yeti has been roaming the streets of Boston during the storm.
I wonder if he’s looking for an open Market Basket, so he can buy milk, bread, and eggs?
SE MA here, and where was all your concern when we were out there shoveling!?
It was right at 18" when we shoveled, but it looks like another 3" to 4" since then. Thank goodness that’s the end of snow this year!!!
Yeah, I know.
Incredibly impressive snow glossary. Even the eskimos must envy your linguistic prowess!
Um…that list might look familiar to some of us:
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=14062834&postcount=4
MA is very serious about enforcing the travel ban
We’ve had maybe 20 inches or so? There’s a lull right now but last I heard it’s supposed to continue until tonight.
There’s still a travel ban out. We ventured up to the 7-11 this morning. All the customers were plow drivers. Shoveled three times so far. I’m hoping the last shoveling won’t disappear the way the other two did. Tried taking the dogs for a walk. We lasted one block because they were just too crazy (can’t blame 'em!)
Beef stew in crockpot. Watching TV, diddling online, snuggling the dogs, and trying not to think about being at work at 6AM tomorrow :shudder:
Indeed! That is where I got that. I should have given credit where it was due.
Meh, credit shmedit…he didn’t give credit either. 
Brunswick, ME. Two feet of snow in my driveway. A snowblower that wouldn’t start the last time I needed it in my garage.
My only hope of getting to work on time tomorrow morning is to start shoveling in about 20 minutes.
