NORTHEAST BLIZZARD - Live Thread

Well all the stops have officially been pulled out by the weather prognosticators. They are on a "war footing." The Northeast is getting a true BLIZZARD this weekend. Not a "nor'easter". Not just your basic snowstorm dumping 6-10 inches in Boston and New York with a mix and changeover to rain along the coast. No! We are talking 20-30 inches of windblown powdery snow in many locations with no chance of a mix with or change to rain whatsoever.

The temperatures are currently running zero or below zero across most of the Northeast this morning so the cold air is in place and fully entrenched. With the high winds expected with this storm, This will be a true BLIZZARD.

So as I sit in the epicenter of it all (my area is expecting over two feet of snow), I thought I'd start this thead so that Freepers can give us reports of how conditions are in there area. And you don't have to be in the Northeast to participate as this storm is currently affecting Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and West Virginia as it heads to the East Coast where it is expected to undergo what the weather nuts call "bombogenesis" and literally explode into a superstorm as energy is transferred over the comparatively milder Atlantic Ocean.

So there you have it. Even in areas where plenty of snow falls this time of year, you have people running to the supermarket early this morning to "stock up", as if somehow a few feet of snow is going to stop all commerce and transportation for the forseeable future (the reality is that we should be all shoveled and plowed out by Monday morning no matter how bad things get).

The local TV stations around here have gone absolutely bonkers, as they are wont to do. It's even more extreme this year because TV "broadcast" stations are struggling to maintain their relevancy in a high world of internet, satellite radio and many other distractions that consumers have these days.

Weekday "anchors" are being rolled out of bed early this Saturday morning as they throw on their hairpieces and head to the studios for all-day "wall-to-wall" coverage of this blizzard. Seasoned reporters are being sent to Home Depots where people are already nervously buying shovels (even though they likely have 7 or 8 shovels in their garage already) and supermarkets where silly old ladies are buying gallons of milk (that they normally never drink) and loaves of bread (that they will never eat and end up throwing to the birds). Other reporters will be sent into the streets to do interviews with snow-plow drivers and "public safety" officials. More junior reporters are being sent to the sides of highways for liveshots where absolutely nothing is going on presently. But they will stand there nevertheless, filming the traffic going by and commenting on "how dangerous" this highway will be in just a few more hours. Then when the storm hits, these same reporters will retreat to rest areas where they will continue their liveshots as their cameramen instruct them to "sway in the wind" and "hold on to their hats" to help convince the viewers at home that the storm is severe indeed.

Yes, it's going to be a fun weekend in New England and the Northeast in general. But the beauty of this is that is is on a weekend. If we are going to get a true blizzard, the timing just couldn't be much better. We are able to get our normal errands done on Saturday morning and then in the afternoon, we can retreat to our homes and stoke up the fireplace as the snow moves in. Then tomorrow (Sunday), we can sleep late and take our time shoveling out. Then we have a perfect excuse to sit around the warm house all afternoon watching football as THREE out of the four teams still playing are all in the snow-bound Northeast. The ratings ought to be phenomenal, provided the power doesn't go out.

Outside my home (approx 30 miles northwest of Boston near the NH border), it is -11 degrees! It is daybreak and the skies are mostly clear with some high clouds. It is COLD out there, almost too cold for snow. But it's coming, at least that's what they tell me!

-Is it true that cities have laws/ordinances that require you to keep the sidewalk in front of your house shoveled? If it belongs to the city, why aren't they officially responsible for it? What if you're out of town or something? If there are laws to such effect, I guess I understand the reasoning -- a lot of people used the sidewalks where I lived and you would have to walk on the street if the snow wasn't cleared. But do they actually enforce it?!

Yes, it is true that most cities have ordinances that require you to shovel the sidewalks in front of your property. I was actually sued one time because a newspaper boy slipped on my icy sidewalk. The reason for this is that if you don't keep the sidewalks clear, pedestrians will be forced to walk out in the street where they could be hit by a moving car (snowbanks make the streets much narrower).

It is just not practical for the city to clear all of the sidewalks though some towns now clear sidewalks on major streets with riding snowblowers.

When I lived in the city, I would shovel the sidewalks in front of a neighbor's house because they were elderly. Now I live in the country where there are no sidewalks but I do have a 80 foot by 20 foot driveway to shovel! My back hurts just thinking about it. One of these days, I'll get a snowblower but it just seems such a waste to pay so much for a device that I might only use 5 or 6 times a year.

The most severe winter storm to ever strike southwest Ohio was the "Blizzard of '78."

That storm formed as a low in the Gulf, JP, then moved due north, intensifying as it went. It provided the lowest barometric pressure I've ever observed in western VA. It dropped the temperature here 50 degrees in about 6 hours. We had little snow (immeasureable because it was blown horizontally by the high winds) but wherever it finally rested, it was as fine as talcum power from impacting objects before finally coming to rest. I named that storm "The White Hurricane."

To illustrate how strong the storm was, by the time it reached the Chicago area, it had wrapped its accompanying warm front, that formed strung out to the east of the low, counter-clockwise 270 degrees until it was pointing south, in the position normally occupied by a low pressure system's accompanying cold front. Quite a storm.

Here, the blizzard of March 12-15, 1993, was the worst in my memory: more than 24" of snow, near zero temperatures, gusty winds. In places, streets and highways were clogged with snow. Locally, some farm animals and outdoor pets died in that one.

10:15am

I'm now at the garden center complex, 14 miles south of where I live in York, PA, and it's snowing to beat the band, here. Because it's only 7°F (-12° wind chill), the snow's very fine and powdery. Not quite a "whiteout" yet, but getting there quickly.

I'm setting-up the cat with extra food and water, and heading back home within an hour, before the roads get so bad.

I noticed that people I passed on the way down here, were driving 45mph+, without regard for the conditions. I expect to see lots of accidents on my return trip. Idiots!

No point in putting anymore birdseed out under the Lath House, as it'll be buried in a matter of minutes. Tomorrow, when I get back in here to plow and shovel, I'll clear-off their usual feeding spot and put out another 40lbs of seed.

Getting ready to leave...

Ya'll are such weenies. I'm living in Belize now and ran a thread about the 2 Day Shut down of the country in protest of government corruption.

Here is the report from Belize TV on what Belizians thought necessary to stock up on during our "man-made" shutdown:

"......But that's only a small part of tomorrow's worries as schools and businesses will be shut down all in protest of the Musa administration's new tax measures. We'll have comment from the teacher's union leader in just a few minutes ago as our news team caught up with the NTUCB group at a special planning meeting that is going on right now. But, first.... today, the fear of shortages created a consumer panic across the city as shoppers thronged stores buying the kinds of supplies that typically would only be used in a hurricane. 7NEWS was on the streets for the disaster readiness shopping frenzy.

Keith Swift Reporting,
Today Belizeans were preparing for the worse.

Shopper #1,
"Preparing for this thing like it is a hurricane because without water and light, you can't eat and you can't bathe and you know women have to bathe."

Shopper #2,
"This reminds me of when they had Heads of Agreement when all the stores were broken up. I could remember because I got tear-gassed and I can remember about it. All the stores downtown, Orange Street, Albert Street, King Street, all the stores were broken up. It was a real riot and I can never forget about that."

It is not the Heads of Agreement or a natural disaster but today Belizeans were filling carts and reaching deep into their mid-week pockets to prepare for a mass shutdown of businesses. So what were people buying? We looked into the carts of frenzied shoppers at Publics Supermarket.

Shopper #1: I am stacking up on a little food because I need to feed my grandson. I don't worry about me but my grandson. I have some eggs and things, which I could use. Like for bread I bought my flour because I can knead and make my little fry cake. But I am telling you water is gone so I had to use a little milk pan to wash my underarm.
KS: What are you expecting to happen?
Shopper #1: I am expecting the worse to come and no better; the worse.
AN: Where is the money coming from to buy this?
Shopper #1: Well I had to go borrow a little money. This is money I borrowed to do some shopping because I am broke and I have to work tomorrow so this is like hurricane.

Shopper #3: The water is already cut off so I am just stacking up on supplies to last me the next few days because they say water going, light going, and phone going.
KS: What do you think will happen?
Shopper #3: I am really not sure man but I am just preparing.
KS: So what are you buying?
Shopper #3: Well just little groceries man, the basics.

Shopper #4: Well brown sugar and basic things.
KS: What are you expecting? Are you expecting for us to be blacked out from everything the next couple days?
Shopper #4: Yes.
KS: So how are you able to afford all this in the middle of the week?
Shopper #4: Well something has to happen. I have to get money from somewhere.
KS: So these are the necessities?
Shopper #4: That's right. You know you have like your noodles and macaroni and cheese…
KS: How long do you expect all of this to last you?
Shopper #5: Well I have some home left over from the Christmas holiday so this is just to add on to what I have.

KS: You are stocking up on candles.
Shopper #2: Yes, I am getting candles because I heard no light and you have to have light right.
KS: And then I see you have flour and…
Shopper #2: Flour and rice. These are the staple foods right and I could make fry cake and tortilla.

But tortillas is not the only concern of the people, today lines of cars cued up to fill up on gas as the frenzied mood of uncertainty possessed city dwellers as well as those living out of the city.

Driver,
"You need that for transport because I live up north and if I want to go out this weekend now is the only time I can buy gas."

The mass shutdown will be a mass inconvenience but for one driver it's worth it.

Driver,
"I'm glad people are taking a stand though. We need to take a stand as a whole country together. Me personally I think it is a good move so we just have to keep on praying and ask the Lord to guide us and guide our Ministers and thing. I believe this country really need prayers right now."

Here is the thread address, if anyone wants to read more about the country-wide protest: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1324309/posts?page=5

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.