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!
Cool - right near me!
Just went out and shoveled the walk. I know the wind is going to drift a lot back over it, but with more snow predicted this afternoon, I wanted to get ahead of things.
The party's been cancelled, and moved to tomorrow. We're not going anywhere today.
I think there's wisdom in that.
73 degrees and sunny here in Scottsdale.... Lovely.... Have fun with your blizzard, everybody....
Rochester, NY reporting:
What a downer. I was really hoping for another foot or two of snow so that I could justify not going into work tommorrow. We probably got about a foot and a half of snow, including the lake effect stuff, which is honestly not all that much. Three feet of snow might have been fun, but 18 inches is just... blah.
Looks like the roads are open and clear and looks like I'll be schlepping my way into work tommorrow. The regular drive will probably take twice as long. Can't wait...
Thanks for the pics. They were fun to see.
I'll take my 3 feet of Eastern MA snow over Ventura County's June fog anyday!
bttt
For those outside of MA you'll get a kick out of this. The city of Boston cannot dump snow into the harbor due to environmental concerns. So they have to truck it out of town. Go figure.
The city of Boston cannot dump snow into the harbor due to environmental concerns.Well that's rather moronic... given that if they left it to eventually melt, it would end up there anyway!
NY - The city that never sleeps.
Boston - The city that never thinks.
No fog in this part of SoCal. But 115 degrees can seem as oppressive.
It's that way all over. Salt, anti-freeze, oil, etc... thank you dept. of enviromental protsction.
I lived off of Pierpont for years and every June and July day we were socked in with fog! You must be in eastern Ventura County!
When the center of the universe, D.C., gets a couple feet of snow, the media goes into high gear with 24/7 blizzard updates and it's a crisis of biblical proportions. I love the media.
I think there's about two feet of snow in my driveway *lol*
Actually, I was in Redondo Beach. A couple of "summers" ago I got so tired of the June (July and August) gloom that we moved to Palm Springs. The heat can be a bit oppresive in the summer here but it is only for a couple of months. The rest of the year it is just fantastic. Today is one of those fantastic days.
Your backyard I presme ;-)
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