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!
9? Must be nice. It's 4 here. windchill of -13. Thank goodness we don't have anywhere we have to go this weekend. Broadband Net connection and digital cable awaits us...
What years,at Latin,are you talking about? Maybe I knew these little girls.
Accuweather forecast this storm seven days ago, when other forecasters were saying it would stay south. Nine inches in Pottstown, PA is still a significant snow - it is fiendishly difficult to forecast the exact details with a storm like this - but Bastardi got the big picture correct.
it is fiendishly difficult to forecast the exact details with a storm like thisThen why do they act like they just strolled down from Mount Sinai with some stone tablets?
I'd much rather have my weatherman unequivocally state that he doesn't have a clue how much snow I'm gonna get, just that I'm gonna get some!
If you don't see me on FR for awhile this weekend, you'll know what happened...
Any updates would be appreciated.
Global Warming.
The football games tomorrow are going to be VERY interesting in this weather... hope we still have power so we can watch 'em!
"I've noticed that Freepers from the Midwest rarely start urgent weather threads."
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LOL!
Did you finish 8th grade,before you moved away?
FREEPmail incoming. :-)
LOL...down or fur coats are a MUST,to survive any winter in Chicago.
We lose power very easily, too.
In this town, all the electrical wires are in the back yards. (gas lamps are on the streets) Since we back up onto a patch of woods, often the branches come down on those lines and off goes the power. But the phone lines seem to always survive. My computer is 'dial-up' (still) and because of that, when we put a generator in for Y2K, it was because I wanted computer access. If I had Comcast we would have been in limbo!!
Its been a nice day to be in!! The fire is going, I have milk/bread/toilet paper and am lounging in cyberspace. What more do I need?
Second if you include my neck of the woods and that is my fear as well. We not only lose electricity but when power goes so does our water. When electricity is restored it takes an eternity for our plumber to kick start the pump that provides water for 45 homes.
Winds are beginning to pick up and snow drifts are mounting. Stay safe.
My first real "wintry experience" was the Blizzard of '77 - this Southern California boy flew up to Chicago to visit a Marine Corps buddy who lived in the farmcounty down around 'Kakee.
70 below wind chills were a shock to my little system, and my friends ran out of propane and got short on some supplies, so I had to manufacture a new evening cocktail: Bourbon and Grape Koolaid.
How are things looking in your neighborhood?
Heavy snow right now. Not a lot of wind right now but more than there was before. Temperature 10 degrees. About 5-6 inches on the ground now. Looks like at least another 12 hours of heavy snow based on current radar.
My computer is 'dial-up' (still)My deepest condolences.
Ping.
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