Posted on 01/22/2005 4:04:20 AM PST by SamAdams76
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.
So post conditions in your area here.
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!
Nice picture. I lived in the Back Bay for that one. My car was buried to the roof and there was no chance of driving anywhere for 2 weeks.
Philadelphia forecast is up to 18 inches
Just think of it as 18 inches of global warming!
The predictions are for 6 to 12 here in west Michigan. The snow started about 10:00pm last nite, right now it looks like about 5 inches on the flat.
a snowy BUMP!
We'll send you some! I spent some time in San Diego with the USN, Great town you've got there.
Portland, Maine here. We'll be thinking about the RedSox and rooting for the Patriots -- we don't put much stock in weather forcasts, but we're all set with fuel for the snowblower, and food and whatnot.
“This is the big one! Quick... for Gods sakes... you better run out now for milk and bread! Quick! Ohhhhhh!!!”
Only two storms I remember ever lived up to that kind of panic. The blizzard/ice storm of '76 and the one in '78.
We had a pretty good one back in the winter of '68-'69... but being my first year in college... I was quite oblivious to what was going on. Heh.
HiYa Sam, Chicago north suburbs reporting in.
18 Deg F with 10 to 12 " on the deck at 0630h.
Wind is straight out of the north at 3mph and is expected to shift to the NNE-NE and provide another 10 inches of locally heavy LAKE EFFECT SNOW. Winds up to 25mph are expected later today.
Winter storm warning is in effect until 0300h SUNDAY 01/23/05
Light and fluffy snow is ALL over the joint, I can't wait to crank up the snoblower!!
Goto Weatherbug.com to download and install a realtime weather bureau on your PC!
G
Portland, Maine here. We'll be thinking about the RedSox and rooting for the PatriotsYou do know that NESN is replaying the Yankme series and W.S., yes?
They actually had the '75 and '86 WS's earlier in the month, but I think next week they're replaying this year.
The most severe winter storm to ever strike southwest Ohio was the "Blizzard of '78." It stands out as the exclamation point in a series of unusually cold and snowy winters during the late 1970s. Compared by some to an inland hurricane, this surprise storm of unprecedented magnitude is notable not so much for the amount of snow it dropped, but for its unrelenting intensity. What began as a moderate rain on the night of January 25, 1978 quickly gave way to increasing winds and rapidly falling temperatures. As the rain turned to snow just after midnight, sustained winds of 60-70 miles per hour and gusts over 100 mph blew the heavy snow horizontally, reducing visibility to zero for the next six to eight hours. The barometric pressure reached an all-time record low -- 28.81" -- as the blizzard dropped a foot of snow on Butler County before moving on. Drifts made many roads impassable and some communities were completely cut off -- reachable only by air. Road crews were forced to utilize unconventional methods of snow removal such as front-end loaders and bulldozers. Due to significant accumulations already on the ground from prior snowstorms, there was no room to push snow aside in many cases, so it had to be trucked away.
My daughter lives in Portland, Me. : ) Beautiful port city with charming downtown!
For later review.
Negative 3 degrees here near the Delaware Water Gap, PA, with a pretty pink sunrise. My grandmother used to say "Red at night, sailor's delight. Red in the morning, sailors take warning." Nothing going on here yet.
Buick tournament is going on now so you can watch all weekend and see Torrey Pines.
I know snow, Come from this place called Buffalo, NY :-)
-17 north of Bangor Maine! Brrr.
Sam,
View from Virginia's Northern Neck on the Rappahannock River.
20 degrees at 0700 this a.m. Expecting 1-2 inches today changing to sleet/freezing rain this afternoon. 2-4 inches expected tonight and clearing late Sunday. Ice is a bigger worry here than snow. Rural, above ground utilities; narrow country roads with no shoulders and nowhere to go but into a tree. At last report, VDOT budgeted about $4.79 for snow removal in our area this year.
Weather guessers are saying the storm may not get to you. They say it is only going as far up as Cape Cod.
As for the poster in #18, both games are in outdoor stadiums.
Stay warm......
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