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!
THAT is about the funniest thing I've heard all week...and it's the truth.
Hey, that's my screen saver. I can dream can't I?
NYC now has special type of trucks that can remove snow from these smaller width side streets.
Grand Haven
I say Brunswick but we're actually in Topsham annex housing. We're fairly new here (moved here in Dec) so we haven't gotten to really check out all the shops of Maine Street.
NYC is a fantastic sight during a blizzard. Make sure you take plenty of pictures, as you'll have some rare opportunities. Get pics of times square devoid of cars. You can stand right in the middle of 5th avenue and not get run over. Try that any other time :)
I wanted to beat the crowds and pick my beer up early last night.
But the distributer was totally packed..and the parking lot was nuts.
I was lucky to find any Coors left and actually get out of the parking lot alive.
Invariably, the skiers coming back to Denver on Sunday evening would be tied up in a colossal traffic jam on I-70 eastbound because some moron in an SUV would be going 60 mph in the snow, hit a sharp downhill curve, and find out the limitations of 4WD the hard way.
Just SE of Springfield area.
Desperate times breed desperate measures. I guess if you can't get beer, you settle for Coors.
Reminder:
In-depth storm tracking.
http://www.easternuswx.com/bb/index.php?showtopic=15964
Anybody who has been on any of your weather threads should know better than to think you'd be joking about any type of storm; just ignore the twits.
Should be a long night.
NYC broadway shows are running tonight.
But Mayor Bilandic (sp?) DID lose,because he didn't even get LSD cleaned in one of Chicago's WORST blizzard seasons.
I remember during the Blizzard of '93, the Boston area got into a dry slot and a forecasted 30 inches of snow ended up being only about 15.
there is a dry slot that will spare some areas, but once the coastal low kicks in, its going to get wild.
cargo jet skids off the end of the runway at JFK airport.
"Oven stuffers were gone."
Gosh darn, they were gone at the A & P in Bayonne last night too! Hubby said: we're going to the butcher in the AM, and we did. I don't know if the supermarkets all ran out of meat or what happened, but we waited on line for 45 minutes! We're doing ribs for the football tomorrow.
This is a great thread, it has just been a relaxing day. And still coming down heavy here. Haven't seen a snowfall like this for a few years.
I really like snow, to me it's like a little gift from God. It makes everything so peaceful and pretty, at least for a while.
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