BS: Blizzard coming to DC area?

Subject: RE: BS: Blizzard coming to DC area?
From: Sawzaw
Date: 05 Feb 10 - 06:50 PM

At first I thought people were over reacting because of the whopper we got in December but now I am back to the blizzard mode.

I see they are calling for 20 to 30" in the WV panhandle. I was planning on going up there today for the weekend. Now I am glad I didn't.

I am sorry to say it but you are in for it Bobert. Maybe somebody can air drop a snowblower in there. Suburban living has it's advantages. I only have to shovel about 10 feet to get to the street.

Here they are calling for winds up to 40 MPH.

I remember in '58 we got about 12" but it was so cold it didn't melt and the wind blew up 20 foot drifts.

My maw and my brother got stuck halfway between DC and Annapolis where Wild world is now. We were in a Studebaker Golden Hawk which was pretty low to the ground.

We were stuck in a farmhouse there for 3 days until a big ass bulldozer with one of those huge V blades blasted through so we could get out.

Then we proceeded toward Annapolis and got as far as Davidsonville where Homestead Gardens is now. There was a big dip in the road that was filling up with drifts every 5 minutes after it was cleared.

A road grader would go through and about 6 cars would follow before it drifted shut. The grader would turn around and come back with 6 cars behind. The back up was so bad and getting worse we turned 'er around and went back to DC to my oldest bro's house for another 3 before we could get through.

Subject: RE: BS: Blizzard coming to DC area?
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 05 Feb 10 - 07:14 PM

Bobert, you need a flame thrower. And while you're at it, you can take out the annoying neighbor with the guns.

Subject: RE: BS: Blizzard coming to DC area?
From: Bobert
Date: 05 Feb 10 - 07:27 PM

That reminds me, Magz... I owe Mudburg a thread on the gun-nut... Maybe I'll get it posted before the pudder craps out again...

Yeah, Sawz... Looks like we're gonna get us a blast... Right now it's, ahhhhhhhh, sleeting??? Go figure???

Hey, I got firewood, a good woman, deisel fuel, shine and beer... What else is there... Hopefully we won't lose power but if we do I also have spare water in 5 gallons buckets for an occasional flush...

B~

Subject: RE: BS: Blizzard coming to DC area?
From: Amos
Date: 05 Feb 10 - 07:28 PM

Just tote in some of that snow and lay it down in the john before you need to flush...

Subject: RE: BS: Blizzard coming to DC area?
From: Bill D
Date: 05 Feb 10 - 08:12 PM

crap! Lights just flickered... I do not like this

Subject: RE: BS: Blizzard coming to DC area?
From: Bobert
Date: 05 Feb 10 - 08:26 PM

Don't know how the pudder is gettin' thru to the satellite but...

...blowin' snow sideways right now and it's heavy...

B~

Subject: RE: BS: Blizzard coming to DC area?
From: Donuel
Date: 05 Feb 10 - 09:16 PM

there is no wind! The snow is so heavy in weight and sticky that power wires are piled with 6 inches of snow. My invisible nylon deer fence has collapsed from the snow sticking to the tiny filiments that form 2 inch wide squares.

Collapse hazards may be in the offing for flat roofed buildings in the area.

I wired the furnace so that if we lose electricty I can still keep the furnace going with power inverters attached to one of our cars.

At midnight I will make a pass with a snow blower since it can only handle up to 18 uinches at a time. With a brace on my knee I found I can walk well enough to go slow.

Subject: RE: BS: Blizzard coming to DC area?
From: Bill D
Date: 05 Feb 10 - 09:42 PM

Drive it over this way, Donuel! *grin*...It ain't far!

I just shoveled the 4" or so that have fallen in the last couple hours..(that is, I moved some of it sideways from the area I 'hope' to maintain... I shook my Yew bushes for the 5th time, 'cause they were bending double....

It is snowing pretty hard, but as Donuel says, not blowing much yet....we shall see.

Subject: RE: BS: Blizzard coming to DC area?
From: katlaughing
Date: 05 Feb 10 - 09:58 PM

In Wyoming there is always wind after any snow, but a blizzard generally would be both snowing and blowing. Sometimes, though, they get ground blizzards. NO wind during the snow, THEN hellacious
winds which pick up the snow and swirl it into white-out conditions, all blowing sideways.

Subject: RE: BS: Blizzard coming to DC area?
From: Bill D
Date: 05 Feb 10 - 09:58 PM

another lights 'flicker'... I'd give 50/50 on us getting thru the night without a power failure

Subject: RE: BS: Blizzard coming to DC area?
From: Ron Davies
Date: 05 Feb 10 - 10:14 PM

Amos, your homage to Utah is delightful. He would have definitely appreciated it.



A woman I know used to say that when she saw movies like Holiday Inn, with snow gently falling, she was convinced it was soap flakes.

She said it couldn't be snow:   snow actually is horizontal, dirty, comes from the west, and it stings.   That's the way it was in Iowa where she was from.

Subject: RE: BS: Blizzard coming to DC area?
From: Rapparee
Date: 05 Feb 10 - 10:30 PM

Heck, if the wind ever stopped in Wyoming everything and everybody would fall over.

Sorry, no snow here yet. Just leftovers. And we need snow, especially in the mountains, 'cause the snowpack is only 60% of normal for this time o' year.

Subject: RE: BS: Blizzard coming to DC area?
From: maeve
Date: 05 Feb 10 - 10:31 PM

Keep warm and safe, y'all.

maeve

Subject: RE: BS: Blizzard coming to DC area?
From: SINSULL
Date: 05 Feb 10 - 10:32 PM

Nice and quiet in Maine...

Subject: RE: BS: Blizzard coming to DC area?
From: Bill D
Date: 05 Feb 10 - 10:48 PM

Do they bury the power lines in Maine?

Subject: RE: BS: Blizzard coming to DC area?
From: Rapparee
Date: 05 Feb 10 - 10:51 PM

Only when they go dead, Bill.

Subject: RE: BS: Blizzard coming to DC area?
From: katlaughing
Date: 05 Feb 10 - 11:04 PM

LOL, reckon so, Rap!

BillD...good luck on keeping power!

Subject: RE: BS: Blizzard coming to DC area?
From: Severn
Date: 05 Feb 10 - 11:20 PM

Power to the People! Not Powder......

Trying to figure out what to do a movie marathon on.....
Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd? Hitchcock? Old Westerns?

I have a booklite if the power goes. I may finish off the Wiki Coffin mysteries.....


Whatever, I'm now finally retired from the Post Office, where I was due in at 4am no matter what the weather.......

...AND LOVIN' IT!!!!

Subject: RE: BS: Blizzard coming to DC area?
From: Sawzaw
Date: 06 Feb 10 - 09:08 AM

Now it is O-ficially being called the Blizzard of 2010 on TV and in the weather forecasts.

It is difficult to tell how many inches we have had because it is drifting so bad.

One guy got out of here in a CJ type Jeep a little while ago. He had snow tires on all fours but he could only go about 20 feet at a time. Then he had to back up and get up some momentum to go another 20 feet.

The snow was deeper than his ground clearance so his whole jeep was dragging a path through the snow.

I am staying right here. we will be OK as long as the power stays on. Fortunately we are near a substation fed by a power transmission line and not a lot of trees to come down a mess up things. All the power lines in the whole community are underground.

Looks like we will get at least 30". I would not bet against getting 36".

It may possibly exceed the 36" snowfall that Washington and Jefferson both wrote about in the 1770's.

Subject: RE: BS: Blizzard coming to DC area?
From: gnu
Date: 06 Feb 10 - 09:09 AM

So, how much ya got? gettin?

Subject: RE: BS: Blizzard coming to DC area?
From: Bobert
Date: 06 Feb 10 - 09:11 AM

Sheet fire!!!

Lotta snow here... Gonne be at least 3 days diggin' out...

Internet in-and-out so I'll just leave it at this...

B~

Subject: RE: BS: Blizzard coming to DC area?
From: gnu
Date: 06 Feb 10 - 09:14 AM

I just read 24", lightning overnight.

Subject: RE: BS: Blizzard coming to DC area?
From: gnu
Date: 06 Feb 10 - 09:14 AM

Oops... 18" to 24".

Subject: RE: BS: Blizzard coming to DC area?
From: Bobert
Date: 06 Feb 10 - 09:20 AM

I'll report my totals later... I'm preparing myself mentally for the shovelin' it's gonna take to get back to the tractor... Ain't no way of walkin' thru this stuff, that much is fir sure...

Snow sucks, BTW!!!

Subject: RE: BS: Blizzard coming to DC area?
From: gnu
Date: 06 Feb 10 - 09:48 AM

No... it blows.

Subject: RE: BS: Blizzard coming to DC area?
From: Severn
Date: 06 Feb 10 - 10:01 AM

Snow also BLOWS, Bobert, if you catch my drift.

Some kids came up to my townshack, approachable since I shoveled a trail last night and cleared outside the out swinging front screen door to make sure it could open, and asked for $20 to shovel me out. I pointed out which one was my car, and they looked incredulously, like "What? You want us to do the car too?" I sent the three of them on their way. I told them to work my side of the street, as the winds blew drifts up to the front doors that have no overhang and that some who didn't do preventive naintenence and could not get their front doors open would probably gladly pay. I'll go out myself, burns or no burns and do the townhouse steps after breakfast. Then I'll hibernate here in Hiber-space.

When I was a kid, we were lucky if we could get $20 for a whole suburban house walkway, driveway and car. I just have steps.There's no biz like Snow Biz!

Subject: RE: BS: Blizzard coming to DC area?
From: Bill D
Date: 06 Feb 10 - 10:20 AM

We still have power....because the huge top part of the Elm tree in front just missed the lines when it fell this morning.

Subject: RE: BS: Blizzard coming to DC area?
From: Bill D
Date: 06 Feb 10 - 10:20 AM

Must be 2ft. out there, and still snowing,

Subject: RE: BS: Blizzard coming to DC area?
From: katlaughing
Date: 06 Feb 10 - 10:38 AM

Sorry to hear about the tree, Bill. Glad it didn't take out the power, though.

Subject: RE: BS: Blizzard coming to DC area?
From: Bill D
Date: 06 Feb 10 - 10:52 AM

I can see 3 other limbs down within a half block...one seems to have knocked down one line, but maybe just telephone. It will be 2 days before I'll be able to go far enough to look around the neighborhood...

Subject: RE: BS: Blizzard coming to DC area?
From: Sawzaw
Date: 06 Feb 10 - 10:55 AM

George Washington Jan 29 1772: "being fully 3 feet deep everywhere at level."

"The same snow continued all last night and all this day with equal violence"

"the deepest snow which I suppose the oldest living ever remembers to have seen in this country."

Thomas Jefferson Jan 26 1772:

"The deepest snow we have ever seen. in Al-bemarle it was about 3.f. deep"

Subject: RE: BS: Blizzard coming to DC area?
From: Nancy King
Date: 06 Feb 10 - 11:04 AM

Just measured 22" on my back deck (just a couple of miles from Bill), and still coming down pretty hard. They're still predicting another 4-8" before it winds down this evening. A couple of my macho neighbors have dug out their cars already. Seems kinda pointless to me -- our one-block dead-end street is so low on the plowing priority list that it's going to be several days at least before they or anybody else can get out. I think I'll dig out slowly over the next few days..

I think I'll go do my taxes...

Just PLEEZE let the power stay on!!

Subject: RE: BS: Blizzard coming to DC area?
From: Bill D
Date: 06 Feb 10 - 11:07 AM

We're gaining on you, George & Tom!

I wonder if they'll be posting Mudcat archives in 250 years...

Subject: RE: BS: Blizzard coming to DC area?
From: Bill D
Date: 06 Feb 10 - 11:09 AM

Looks to me like it's snowing harder in the last hour...

Subject: RE: BS: Blizzard coming to DC area?
From: Bill D
Date: 06 Feb 10 - 11:11 AM

180,000 people without power in general DC area... I guess we're just lucky...so far.

Subject: RE: BS: Blizzard coming to DC area?
From: GUEST,fretless
Date: 06 Feb 10 - 11:18 AM

Yup, it seems to have picked up again (Arlington VA). Back in '96 I shoveled things out when the storm was about half done, and by the time it was over it didn't seem to have made any difference. This time, I'm clearing a run for the dog every few hours (a spaniel; it's way over her head out there), but that's it. Short of keeping the bird feeder full, I'm using today to stay inside and catch up on my reading.

Subject: RE: BS: Blizzard coming to DC area?
From: Bill D
Date: 06 Feb 10 - 11:32 AM

DC mayor just said it's right at 22 inches, and we're expecting enough more to approach the 28" record of 1922..It is snowing right steady as I type. The birds are as happy as birds get in this, as I filled everything yesterday.

Subject: RE: BS: Blizzard coming to DC area?
From: Sawzaw
Date: 06 Feb 10 - 12:23 PM

There are two storms merging over Maryland for a grand finale.

"Winter Storm Warning:

Issued at: 10:02 AM EST 2/6/10, expires at: 6:15 PM EST 2/6/10

Winter storm warning remains in effect until 10 pm est this evening,
A winter storm warning remains in effect until 10 pm est this evening.
Precipitation type, steady light snow.
Accumulations, an additional 3 to 5 inches today with total accumulations of 25 to 35 inches, with some locations possibly receiving locally higher amounts across western Maryland and the eastern West Virginia panhandle.
Timing, snow will continue through late this afternoon. Snow will taper off by 7 pm. "

Subject: RE: BS: Blizzard coming to DC area?
From: Maryrrf
Date: 06 Feb 10 - 12:31 PM

It's snowing heavily in Richmond but nothing like you guys are getting in DC. Just looked out on my deck - it's around 5 inches now. A lot of the precipitation that fell last night was rain and sleet.

Subject: RE: BS: Blizzard coming to DC area?
From: gnu
Date: 06 Feb 10 - 12:35 PM

Rain and sleet... that's the nasty part. And, I see the temp is around 32F so the snow must be heavy shovelling.

Subject: RE: BS: Blizzard coming to DC area?
From: VirginiaTam
Date: 06 Feb 10 - 01:06 PM

If it's snowing in Richmond, maybe also in Hopewell, which should make my Mom happy. She loves to sit and watch it fall. My brother is there to dig out and go get stuff from shop if necessary.

Subject: RE: BS: Blizzard coming to DC area?
From: Bill D
Date: 06 Feb 10 - 01:18 PM

26 years in this house, and this beyond anything I have seen.

here was last Dec.20 (looking from my driveway toward the house)

here is the beginning of this storm (looking from up in the house toward the driveway)

and here it is this morning (bushes flattened!)

The problem we are going to have is that it will be colder, so this won't melt soon, and there's no easy place to PUT snow that we will be shoveling. Fortunately, the house beside the driveway is vacant, so I can shovel a lot from the drive right into that yard...if I can toss it that high...*wry grin*

Subject: RE: BS: Blizzard coming to DC area?
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 06 Feb 10 - 01:33 PM

DON'T KILL YOURSELVES SHOVELLING!!! Especially with such wet heavy snow -- wait til it stops (if you can) and then take it REAL slow and easy. This is not the time to discover you have a heart problem...

And, when you finally get the roads cleared, be very cautious. SUVs are not invincible -- and most people in your area just don't have enough snow driving experience.

Hope your power stays on!

Sending warm wishes from New Hampshire,
Linn

Subject: RE: BS: Blizzard coming to DC area?
From: Bill D
Date: 06 Feb 10 - 01:41 PM

Fortunately, we have nowhere we need to be. We have food for days, and no work to go to. My son will shovel when his boss decides to open the store where he works. (It's two long blocks to the bus stop, and the buses won't be running till late tomorrow at the earliest.)

Subject: RE: BS: Blizzard coming to DC area?
From: Rapparee
Date: 06 Feb 10 - 01:47 PM

Dead on advice, Linn. Learn to play banjo or bagpipes or both, because when the snowplows come through you're gonna have to shovel out the driveway again anyway. AND this is a great time to do those things since the neighbors aren't going to come over a complain.

Subject: RE: BS: Blizzard coming to DC area?
From: Alice
Date: 06 Feb 10 - 01:53 PM

Yup, that's a heck of a lot of snow all right, Bill.

Nice photos.

I have a lot of broken branches still buried under the first storm in October that I'll have to assess when spring melts everything. The cotoneasters were flattened, and the cherry tree still has one bent branch buried under a drift.

Subject: RE: BS: Blizzard coming to DC area?
From: VirginiaTam
Date: 06 Feb 10 - 01:56 PM

weird! I heard that you should go out and shovel every so often from beginning to end of snow fall. That way, what you are shovelling doesn't get a chance to get deep and so is not so heavy.

Subject: RE: BS: Blizzard coming to DC area?
From: SINSULL
Date: 06 Feb 10 - 01:57 PM

Bill,
Thanks for the pictures. Stay warm and safe. That looks like my worst nightmare.
SINS, in almost snowless Maine.

Subject: RE: BS: Blizzard coming to DC area?
From: Nancy King
Date: 06 Feb 10 - 03:05 PM

Just measured again -- almost 25" and still coming down! Definitely a record for me, and I've been in this house for 38 years now...

Subject: RE: BS: Blizzard coming to DC area?
From: Bill D
Date: 06 Feb 10 - 03:08 PM

My son & I just dug to those cans, and shook the bushes, and moved 5 of the cans & just dumped 'em beside the path... so now we are 'almost' TO the drive way. The flattened bushes were quite an obstacle....and there was one fewer, because I dug it up last Summer and made that wild piece I posted on the other thread. If THAT Yew bush had still been there, it would have been 'interesting.