If you are stocking up on bread, eggs, and milk, don't forget the butter and syrup.
Blizzard French Toast for Everyone!
Blizzard French Toast for Everyone!
8
Man,, there are times when I lament living in Arkansas, missing all my native land has to offer, but today, I'm glad I'm far away. One thing I sure don't miss is all that snow. Good luck, everybody.
3
Could this be a blessing? Two days in DC when we all have to slow down and maybe even smell the snow drifts, if not the roses. And when we are compelled to admire the beauty of nature a bit (all that beautiful Currier and Ives snow). But also to think about how nature can "turn on us" (global warming) if we are not careful. And (I hope not) to realize how fragile our civilization is if and when the electricity goes off because the wind blew some trees onto the power lines..and EVERYTHING stops as a consequence.
It's time to curl up with a good book...with a flashlight if necessary. Or for those so inclined, to look on TV at a good sports game taking place in some warmer and sunnier part of the US...at least until our electricity goes off.
For those in the nation who think our national politics are totally dysfunctional, be glad that at least for the next couple days, your capital will more or less cease to function.
It's time to curl up with a good book...with a flashlight if necessary. Or for those so inclined, to look on TV at a good sports game taking place in some warmer and sunnier part of the US...at least until our electricity goes off.
For those in the nation who think our national politics are totally dysfunctional, be glad that at least for the next couple days, your capital will more or less cease to function.
7
To the people snarking at others for buying extra groceries, consider yourselves lucky that you've never found yourself in a situation where you were snowed in without food or toilet paper.
It happened to me during the last 20-inch snowfall. The National Weather Service predicted only eight inches for that storm, so I bought the same amount of groceries as I normally do. Not only was their prediction terribly wrong, but we received another unexpected eight inches 48 hours later from a separate storm. The only accessible grocery store to me had bare shelves for over a week due to delayed deliveries and panic buying.
Despite the circumstances, I consider myself lucky because my electricity stayed on the entire time. The neighborhood adjacent to mine lost their power in the first storm, and didn't have it restored until a week later.
So yes, I was among the hoards of people this week buying extra food and toilet paper during my normal grocery trip. I'd rather be laughed at for being prepared than get caught unprepared again if the storm turns out worse than predicted. The food and toilet paper will get used anyway even if the storm turns out to be a bust.
It happened to me during the last 20-inch snowfall. The National Weather Service predicted only eight inches for that storm, so I bought the same amount of groceries as I normally do. Not only was their prediction terribly wrong, but we received another unexpected eight inches 48 hours later from a separate storm. The only accessible grocery store to me had bare shelves for over a week due to delayed deliveries and panic buying.
Despite the circumstances, I consider myself lucky because my electricity stayed on the entire time. The neighborhood adjacent to mine lost their power in the first storm, and didn't have it restored until a week later.
So yes, I was among the hoards of people this week buying extra food and toilet paper during my normal grocery trip. I'd rather be laughed at for being prepared than get caught unprepared again if the storm turns out worse than predicted. The food and toilet paper will get used anyway even if the storm turns out to be a bust.
6
I hope they let the people at this newspaper out early. It says snow may be heavy at Times.
7
Icy roads? I thought all you Yankees were born with crampons strapped to your feet the way you talked about Atlantans who were trapped on roads coated with 3 inches of ice for.....oh 40 hours.
2
I am waiting for Donald Trump to tell us that when he is president he will build a wall to keep out the snowstorms.
14
We love the old tree in the front yard. It's been there since we were kids. But a branch fell off during the last storm and landed on a parked car. Nobody was injured, but who knows what this storm could do. So, the landscaper will arrive with his crew early this morning to take it down. It's going to cost $700, We're sad about loosing the tree. But we will breath a great sigh of relief knowing that nobody will be injured.
3
I loved going to college in VA where we'd have a blizzard and then a few days later it would be 70. And we had heated sidewalks on campus and the workers cleaned the snow off of our cars. We have even had one blizzard in Savannah and a few in Atlanta over 20 yrs there. However in PA we had frozen ground for winter, yikes.
3
Eleanor Holmes Norton is such a great representative for DC. Her tweets are not just spontaneous shout outs to have fun; she led the fight last year in Congress to lift the sledding ban so her constituents could sled on Capital Hill (http://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2015/03/04/washington-fights.... This is an important symbol of the rights of DC residents in their own city, and Eleanor as always has their back.
6
10 years in the area in the 80's and 90's and EVERY single snow paralyzed the region. Nobody ever learned, nobody ever budgeted. Plus Congress, which controls DC funding wouldn't budget for snow removal DESPITE members having to get to the Capitol from all over the area. Local governments had to ask people with 4x4s to help ferry staff to local hospitals in Fairfax, Alexandria and Arlington because they couldn't get 6" cleared.
Now, 20+ years later, nothing's changed!
Now, 20+ years later, nothing's changed!
12
WHO TO BLAME? A number of years ago, during an especially snowy winter, I heard a weather forecaster on one of the local TV stations say that he had to start wearing sunglasses when he went to the store because people would come up to him and start yelling at him about the weather. Talk about blaming the messenger!
2
Blizzard will come and go. People just have to be sensible. Stay in a warm place, don't venture out of the house unless you have to, have enough food and water, don't drink too much alcohol and don't shovel if you are not fit. Brace for the blizzard bravely and enjoy the sight of snow covered trees and roads.
5
Maybe it's obvious to those in the Northeast, but us folks in Phoenix have no idea why those shoveling snow in DC wear yellow thingy dingys on their forearms. I would recommend that these guys buckle their thingy dingies. Unbuckled thingy dingies seem hazardous..
1
I'm a senior but every time the first good snowstorm hits NYC I turn into a kid , get my snow shoes on get out and chuck snowballs at the cars and busses. Ha.
3
Washington DC is shutting down? In the words of Sarah Palin "can I get a Hallelujah!"
2
Trump & HRC better be stocking up on caviar, foie gras & fines wines for a weekend snowed in … for Bernie, it's just more Vermont weather.
Keep on truckin'.
Keep on truckin'.
2
In the early 70's when I worked for Coca-Cola in Atlanta, we had about 3" of snow on top of freezing rain. Coke and many other companies sent their employees home in the mid afternoon. Then young people in Atlanta who had good jobs drove Pontiac Firebirds and Chevy Camaros with those really wide tires. Had a new Honda Accord and started home. Well cars were in ditches and these young women were walking on the street in heels and short jackets.
I started picking them up and heading north dropping them off at apartment complexes until after 9 PM. There were some gas stations open fortunately. My home was near a hill near a well traveled road. When I got home, I saw a bunch of cars parked along the street and in my drive way.
Well I made it to the front door and was greeted by a house full of people who got stuck on the hill and the party was in full swing. Had and still have a large excellent wine cellar and the fireplace was going and everyone was happy.
People slept rough all over the place - my Flokati rugs were very popular.
I see the head lines about the deep south having a snow/blizzard warning. I guess if you live in Manhattan, DC is the deep south.
When living in Manhattan we had a 18" snow fall - the snow plows attached to city garbage trucks but the trucks were in the Bronx and the plows in Brooklyn or vice versa. The city was shut down. WOW was the beautiful clean white snow wonderful for one day.
I started picking them up and heading north dropping them off at apartment complexes until after 9 PM. There were some gas stations open fortunately. My home was near a hill near a well traveled road. When I got home, I saw a bunch of cars parked along the street and in my drive way.
Well I made it to the front door and was greeted by a house full of people who got stuck on the hill and the party was in full swing. Had and still have a large excellent wine cellar and the fireplace was going and everyone was happy.
People slept rough all over the place - my Flokati rugs were very popular.
I see the head lines about the deep south having a snow/blizzard warning. I guess if you live in Manhattan, DC is the deep south.
When living in Manhattan we had a 18" snow fall - the snow plows attached to city garbage trucks but the trucks were in the Bronx and the plows in Brooklyn or vice versa. The city was shut down. WOW was the beautiful clean white snow wonderful for one day.
4
"The sun that brief December day
Rose cheerless over hills of gray,
And, darkly circled, gave at noon
A sadder light than waning moon . . ."
J.G. Whittier
Rose cheerless over hills of gray,
And, darkly circled, gave at noon
A sadder light than waning moon . . ."
J.G. Whittier
1
What a blown out of proportion story this is! I lived in Mpls. for several years. The schools never closed ( maybe once ), and the city went about its business as usual. As they say... learn to live with it... it's winter you know!!!!
One word:
BUFFALO
Having lived there for 6 years 'Snowmageddon II' in the DC area is a walk in the park.
As with New Years, I shall stay at home and leave the next few days to the amateurs.
BUFFALO
Having lived there for 6 years 'Snowmageddon II' in the DC area is a walk in the park.
As with New Years, I shall stay at home and leave the next few days to the amateurs.
1
cleaning up the roads, it is our government at work or it is our usual non-responsive government in action?
time to privatize.
time to privatize.
A possible blizzard is a cause for panic? I can't help but wonder how Americans would have fared during the siege of Leningrad.
Nuance is currently banned in public discussions, everything is an extreme, superlatives are ordinary, polarization is the middle ground, and people believe everything can be controlled, except when they believe the apocalypse is unfolding. Meanwhile, though forecasting has become incredibly more accurate in recent decades, people get mad and demand investigations when the weather is different from what is hyped.
People know that if they bet on a two-to-one favorite horse, there is a good chance it will not win and they will lose their bet. However, if meteorologists -- not just headlines and talking heads -- say an event has a 70% probability of occurring, the same people will be outraged if the 30% comes to pass. Life is a matter of probabilities, not certainties, not certainties of either heaven or hell.
A Commenter writes, "[Our daughter] was very uncomfortable [in the Rome airport], and we were very worried for several days. Communication was patchy, as everyone's phones needed charging."
Thirty years ago she would not have worried, because she would not have known the Rome airport was snowed in, and she would not have expected to speak with her daughter, as cell phones were uncommon. What all this instant "news" and instant communication mostly accomplishes is to increase expectations and, thus, anxiety, when the expectations are not met.
Nuance is currently banned in public discussions, everything is an extreme, superlatives are ordinary, polarization is the middle ground, and people believe everything can be controlled, except when they believe the apocalypse is unfolding. Meanwhile, though forecasting has become incredibly more accurate in recent decades, people get mad and demand investigations when the weather is different from what is hyped.
People know that if they bet on a two-to-one favorite horse, there is a good chance it will not win and they will lose their bet. However, if meteorologists -- not just headlines and talking heads -- say an event has a 70% probability of occurring, the same people will be outraged if the 30% comes to pass. Life is a matter of probabilities, not certainties, not certainties of either heaven or hell.
A Commenter writes, "[Our daughter] was very uncomfortable [in the Rome airport], and we were very worried for several days. Communication was patchy, as everyone's phones needed charging."
Thirty years ago she would not have worried, because she would not have known the Rome airport was snowed in, and she would not have expected to speak with her daughter, as cell phones were uncommon. What all this instant "news" and instant communication mostly accomplishes is to increase expectations and, thus, anxiety, when the expectations are not met.
5
It's January... it may snow, even a lot...
Now THAT sounds like the reason for a lot of news articles, bulletins, and warnings! Maybe even a few "Special Reports" or a made-for-TV "mini-series "drama": "The Winter it Snowed"!
Now THAT sounds like the reason for a lot of news articles, bulletins, and warnings! Maybe even a few "Special Reports" or a made-for-TV "mini-series "drama": "The Winter it Snowed"!
2
This is great. Now the news covers what will happen in the future...
1
Hi, I'm Canadian. Our federal capital, Ottawa, is snowbound for at least 4 months every year. So is almost every other city and town in the country. So is half of Europe, all of Russia and much of the Northern Hemisphere.
You are a bunch of wussies.
You are a bunch of wussies.
3
Snowbound in Vancouver....for how long. In Toronto, we have years where there are significant blizzards, but they are less in number than in the past. So far we we have had only light snowfalls that seem to vanish the next day. We always expect a major storm, but they are less frequent than in the past.
1
Why are people buying bottles of water in anticipation of a snowstorm?? First of all, a snowstorm does not knock out the tap water. Second, snow is actually made of water so there will be a surplus of perfectly clean water coming down all around you. Third, what the heck are you buying bottled tap water for anyway? It's marked up like 1000% and you are getting something that wastes energy, plastic, and is actually less safe than what comes out of the faucet (unless you live in Flint).
1
This storm should bring DC some good powder for Snowboarding & Skiing. A couple feet of snow is nothing and that's coming from someone in Florida, stay warm!
2
Snow-flakes
By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Out of the bosom of the Air,
Out of the cloud-folds of her garments shaken,
Over the woodlands brown and bare,
Over the harvest-fields forsaken,
Silent, and soft, and slow
Descends the snow.
Even as our cloudy fancies take
Suddenly shape in some divine expression,
Even as the troubled heart doth make
In the white countenance confession,
The troubled sky reveals
The grief it feels.
This is the poem of the air,
Slowly in silent syllables recorded;
This is the secret of despair,
Long in its cloudy bosom hoarded,
Now whispered and revealed
To wood and field.
By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Out of the bosom of the Air,
Out of the cloud-folds of her garments shaken,
Over the woodlands brown and bare,
Over the harvest-fields forsaken,
Silent, and soft, and slow
Descends the snow.
Even as our cloudy fancies take
Suddenly shape in some divine expression,
Even as the troubled heart doth make
In the white countenance confession,
The troubled sky reveals
The grief it feels.
This is the poem of the air,
Slowly in silent syllables recorded;
This is the secret of despair,
Long in its cloudy bosom hoarded,
Now whispered and revealed
To wood and field.
4
We should always keep some UHT milk, a few cases of bottled water, and non-perishable food on hand in case of emergency, for you and your pets. If you don't like things in cans, freeze some bread and soup. Your goal is to roll with whatever nature can throw without panicking. Then all you need to do is hunker down with a good book, and snuggle with a loved one until it's safe to go out again.
1
The snark in the forum is hysterical, but, on a serious note, PLEASE make sure pets are warm and away from blizzard conditions, and, if possible, throw a warm blanket or two up against the outside of your house, apartment, etc. for stray animals.
Also, many animals, but especially cats, and strays in particular, like to keep warm on car engines. Please check for them before starting your car.
Thank you.
P.S. Come down to sunny Miami if you can. Rain on Friday but 70-degree temps and sun over the weekend. Everyone welcome. And bring your pets! The more the merrier, as they say!
Also, many animals, but especially cats, and strays in particular, like to keep warm on car engines. Please check for them before starting your car.
Thank you.
P.S. Come down to sunny Miami if you can. Rain on Friday but 70-degree temps and sun over the weekend. Everyone welcome. And bring your pets! The more the merrier, as they say!
23
C'mon people...it's January. What do you expect?
17
Who needs terrorists when one inch of snow paralyzes an entire metropolitan area? God help us when more than two feet barrel through tomorrow night!
24
I've lived in Virginia for 37 years.
I lived in Buffalo NY for 6 yrs.
This is NOT a blizzard.
I lived in Buffalo NY for 6 yrs.
This is NOT a blizzard.
21
May as well do it like Colorado does it: kick back and watch a little Scooby "Doobie" Doo.
13
Two feet of snow in New York? Wooooo....I'm so scared! Please. Gimme a break.
14
Could? Yes - this is winter... Unless they are new to the northern half of the country - persons should know how to prepare.
6
Snow? In the middle of winter? In the Northeast??? Shocking!!! Who'd a thunk!! Must be a slow news day.
18
Mother Nature's way of helping our 24 hour news cycle fill another day.
18
>
These are media driven events.
Relax.
I grew up in Buffalo, you'll survive.
These are media driven events.
Relax.
I grew up in Buffalo, you'll survive.
19
Gotta run out and buy 25 gallons of milk, back later.
14
This headline is insulting to the roughly 6 million people in the Philadelphia/Camden/Wilmington SMSA. Hello New York and Washington, we are here, even if you refuse to acknowledge it. However if we get to skip the storm, thanks so much!
6
snow storm on the way
media hysterical
bought sweet potatoes
media hysterical
bought sweet potatoes
36
I've had my share of painful falls on black ice. My mom, a very vibrant lady, is just learning how to use her new walker for support. I can truly sympathize and empathize for those who're worried, 'cause what's no big deal to some is a real hazard to others.
I bid everyone peace, health and continued safety.
1-22-16@12:19 am est
I bid everyone peace, health and continued safety.
1-22-16@12:19 am est
27
In order to get clicks, weather.com has become like the National Enquirer of storms.
42
Back in the day, in the early 1970s when I worked in DC, my carpool spent six hours driving home one evening when a couple of inches of snow fell. The normal commute was under 30 minutes.
Part of the problem is drivers from all over the US, many of whom have rarely if ever driven in snow, who have no clue how to negotiate a snow covered hill or rise, or that one cannot drive in snow when one has bald tires on one's car.
The fact that DC and environs have never had a suitable set of responses to snow does not help.
Wishing all of you the best, if indeed you get a two foot snowfall. We had a couple of big storms last winter as I recall, with a record 110 inches of snow, when "normal" in these parts is about 40 inches. We were running out of places to park the stuff we had to shovel. A yard sign that some wag down the street put up said: "Free snow."
Part of the problem is drivers from all over the US, many of whom have rarely if ever driven in snow, who have no clue how to negotiate a snow covered hill or rise, or that one cannot drive in snow when one has bald tires on one's car.
The fact that DC and environs have never had a suitable set of responses to snow does not help.
Wishing all of you the best, if indeed you get a two foot snowfall. We had a couple of big storms last winter as I recall, with a record 110 inches of snow, when "normal" in these parts is about 40 inches. We were running out of places to park the stuff we had to shovel. A yard sign that some wag down the street put up said: "Free snow."
37
Everybody loves you guys in Boston. That's why we send you so much of our snow. You should see the bales and bags piled up in Kansas shipping depots.
2
My mom, when she lived in the area, used to call it "Washington Weather Panic". I guess things haven't changed much.
27
The caption under the last photo in this article states 'Washington, D.C., was hit by a snowstorm late Wednesday'. It may have been a very short storm, but seriously? 1 inch?
1
When I was a kid living in the Bronx in the 1950s and 60s, it seemed like there were snowstorms every week. I still remember the plows pushing all the snow onto the corners and the plowed snow would reach the traffic lights (which were lower in those days). I also remember that the dirty snow on the edges of the sidewalks would last until Spring because there were so many snowstorms during the season.
I don't remember anyone panicking about the snow back then. I was in a supermarket today and I saw people filling their shopping carts like we were going to be stuck in our homes for the rest of the winter and not just a few days.
I do think we've become a bunch of wimps, even if much of it is encouraged by the media. It's supposed to be 45 degrees on Tuesday and rainy, which means that most of the snow is going to be washed away by then anyway.
We've really all become a bunch of sniveling, fearful idiots.
I don't remember anyone panicking about the snow back then. I was in a supermarket today and I saw people filling their shopping carts like we were going to be stuck in our homes for the rest of the winter and not just a few days.
I do think we've become a bunch of wimps, even if much of it is encouraged by the media. It's supposed to be 45 degrees on Tuesday and rainy, which means that most of the snow is going to be washed away by then anyway.
We've really all become a bunch of sniveling, fearful idiots.
137
People in the bloated cities have been trained to think and behave like clients of a massive central state which makes all their decisions for them instead of independent Americans as our country was founded for.
Just wait until the next couple of Obama/Bernie statists have towered over us like little Caesars.
Just wait until the next couple of Obama/Bernie statists have towered over us like little Caesars.
I really enjoyed your exposé of snow storms in the 50's and it was spot on. No one panicked and everyone went about their business, with no lame named winter storm. We had Hurricane Donna in '60 as opposed to 'Super' storm Sandy and it was a real hurricane. I've been through more then a dozen real hurricanes on the Gulf (including a direct hit from Katrina) and there's a big difference between 8' storm surge from Sandy and 28' from Katrina. As a kid, I made beaucoup money shoveling cars out and walkways. You're right, we got big snowstorms all winter. While going to college in Boston, the packed ice on the streets and sidewalks remained until Easter a couple of years.
Back to your analysis, streets that weren't plowed had vehicles dug in and the plows trapped in cars too. I've lived in the deep south since returning from Viet Nam, I miss NY and those wonderful years of my youth. I can't remember ever using the central heat here and I haven't worn a jacket yet this winter. Thanks, for the well written memories of our true golden years. Kudos!
Back to your analysis, streets that weren't plowed had vehicles dug in and the plows trapped in cars too. I've lived in the deep south since returning from Viet Nam, I miss NY and those wonderful years of my youth. I can't remember ever using the central heat here and I haven't worn a jacket yet this winter. Thanks, for the well written memories of our true golden years. Kudos!
1
In Washington, D.C.?!
I'm shocked! Shocked!
I'm shocked! Shocked!
2
Ahhhhh!!!!! The snow is coming, the snow is coming!!!!!! I don't have to time to talk--have to get milk. And water. And gas up the car. And get the wood ready. And oh my God, we need hot chocolate. WE NEED HOT CHOCOLATE!!!!! And Campbell's tomato soup--we cannot have a snow storm without Campbell's tomato soup.
AAAAAAHHHHHHHHH
:-)
AAAAAAHHHHHHHHH
:-)
78
It took me 3 hours and 20 minutes to get home from my Bethesda office to the North VA burbs last night, a distance of 13 miles.
It wasn't the snow, it was the paltry amount of snow being compressed by rush hour traffic into ice over very cold pavement that had not been treated.
It wasn't the snow, it was the paltry amount of snow being compressed by rush hour traffic into ice over very cold pavement that had not been treated.
37
You're right and ice is much worse for driving then snow.
1
The bark is worse than the bite. We have had the "warmest winter in recorded history", yet people are panicking over a few inches of snow. Sensationalism still sells newspaper and earns ratings.
19
Two feet is not "a couple of inches." I was here in VA in February 2010: we did not get out for a week.
1
DC has excellent tasting water. Why are people buying bottled water?
17
Mayor diBlasio suggests using mass transit, so I guess they're not going to shut the subways down. Just wanted to recall that particularly bone-headed move (last year).
8
It was a beautiful sunny 75 degree day here, not missing that cold white stuff one bit!
2
I lived through the Feb.1978 blizzard and the 1993 superstorm. Bring it on!
12
Geez, I wonder how I made it to 71 while living in Northern States most of my life?
20
Good luck to D.C. and the north east redidents. If a mere inch of snow can bring Washington to a standstill, what does it say about the readiness to meet 21st century's grand challenges. Incredible!
11
Nothing at all.
The only thing worse than lots of snow is lots of smug jerks whining about the snow.
8
"Lawmakers, fearful of the coming blizzard, scurried to catch early flights out of town." Say no more . . .
48
"the only time the country is safe is when congress is not in session."
enjoy.
enjoy.
1
This happens every year. The sensatitionalism is driven by the media, not by the people living here in the east. We have boots and shovels like the rest of you. We also have groceries within walking distance.
21
Yes the media at it again. sensationalizing another winter storm. Same as last year, same as every year. It's just winter folks.
19
Here in the DC area this could approach the biggest snowfall ever recorded so it's not really sensationalized.
1
The reader comments, tonight, are refreshing. It's good to see both that De Blasio is not being blamed for the storm and that Karen Hinton is not giving another of her trademark stupid responses to criticism.
3
For everyone who doesn't live in the Washington area, here's an opinion from an ex-NYer.
- We get storms like this in DC maybe once every 5-6 years. That's most of the problem right there - this amount of snow and wind just doesn't happen often enough for the area to be ready at all times.
- As a result, we do not have the snow removal resources to get everything cleared. It takes up to 4-5 days for the county-run trucks to hit every road in a county when it gets above 1.5-2 feet.
- The power may go out, especially with the calls for wet snow and wind. Some people have generators. Some don't. Either way, few will have the ability to have heat. That can be scary.
Yes, people in Montana can say that this is normal and is called "winter", but we're talking about a major metropolitan area here where the people push it and don't stay off the roads and the major events are just too few and far between for people to invest in the resources they need to get through it correctly.
We're unfortunately right on that snow line where out of sight = out of mind. I'm not saying it's right, just saying that is how it is.
- We get storms like this in DC maybe once every 5-6 years. That's most of the problem right there - this amount of snow and wind just doesn't happen often enough for the area to be ready at all times.
- As a result, we do not have the snow removal resources to get everything cleared. It takes up to 4-5 days for the county-run trucks to hit every road in a county when it gets above 1.5-2 feet.
- The power may go out, especially with the calls for wet snow and wind. Some people have generators. Some don't. Either way, few will have the ability to have heat. That can be scary.
Yes, people in Montana can say that this is normal and is called "winter", but we're talking about a major metropolitan area here where the people push it and don't stay off the roads and the major events are just too few and far between for people to invest in the resources they need to get through it correctly.
We're unfortunately right on that snow line where out of sight = out of mind. I'm not saying it's right, just saying that is how it is.
103
Gotta tell you: you terrapins have been slammed big-time way more than us Montanans in the last few years. We would LOVE to have more of that white stuff as it's our water supply and forest-fire preventive in the coming summer. In 1978, I moved to B'more, and we unloaded the self-rented, self-driven moving truck on Vermont Ave, West B'more in 18 inches of serious snow! So, I KNOW y'all get some snow now and then. Good luck and hope it's not too tougt this time around. Please call on your elderly neighbors to make sure they have what they need.
2
This is the new normal. Politicians are deathly afraid of appearing unprepared for a disaster, like Bush during Katrina, so every prediction of inclement weather is treated like the apocalypse is nigh.
12
If Bush had really prepared for Katrina, there would not have been the same disaster. FEMA teams would already have been on standby, plus, Governors would have been 'advised' to call out N.Guard units ahead of time. But, hey,
Climate Change caused by Greenhouse gases is a conspiracy by scientists across 90 or so countries scheming to get 'funding'.
Climate Change caused by Greenhouse gases is a conspiracy by scientists across 90 or so countries scheming to get 'funding'.
1
As anyone who has spent any time in Washington DC knows the city has a fairly large homeless population which is very spread out all over the city. So far, I have not seen any mention at all in news reports about how the city is planning to help them. People are stocking up on food and water who have homes, but I can't help but wonder how DC's homeless are going to deal with this storm. Perhaps the NY Times could ask city officials what plans they have to get homeless people out of the storm.
24
@John Penley,
Some compassion. It's nice to hear it. I can see your angels's wings. : - )
1-22-16@2:11 am est
Some compassion. It's nice to hear it. I can see your angels's wings. : - )
1-22-16@2:11 am est
2
The Washington Post did run an article about the opening of emergency shelters,as well as one about how to make donations of money, food, and supplies to area shelters.
You raise a very important point.
You raise a very important point.
1
To all the smugeroos with the "haw haw, we get more snow, not a big deal, haw haw":
No, it's not about the snow, it's about the high wind with HEAVY snow that concerns me regarding trees falling and causing power outages that could take DAYS to correct as it did in the summer of 2012. My parents are 94 years old, so, yeah, I'm concerned. Western Montana and even cold regions with more humidity do not get snow like this.
What you're also not getting is that, say, DC has people from all over the world and non-snow parts of the U.S., many of whom don't know how to drive in snow or have snow tires or know how to use their 4-wheel drive, and that once you get some pileups in something else you don't have in, say, western Montana - a real metro area, where we have work-day gridlock despite flex time - nothing can move, which means kids don't get picked up, people don't get home, road crews can't get through to plow, salt, sand, ambulances can't get through.
In addition, DC and many other areas don't have much of a budget for snow removal - we had big snows in 2009/2010 but not much in the last couple of years - and DC is not able to tax the most valuable property in the city, which is occupied by the federal government.
Finally, snow in such areas as DC is much more slippery (wetter) and heavier than in, say, western Montana because of greater humidity and temperature.
No, it's not about the snow, it's about the high wind with HEAVY snow that concerns me regarding trees falling and causing power outages that could take DAYS to correct as it did in the summer of 2012. My parents are 94 years old, so, yeah, I'm concerned. Western Montana and even cold regions with more humidity do not get snow like this.
What you're also not getting is that, say, DC has people from all over the world and non-snow parts of the U.S., many of whom don't know how to drive in snow or have snow tires or know how to use their 4-wheel drive, and that once you get some pileups in something else you don't have in, say, western Montana - a real metro area, where we have work-day gridlock despite flex time - nothing can move, which means kids don't get picked up, people don't get home, road crews can't get through to plow, salt, sand, ambulances can't get through.
In addition, DC and many other areas don't have much of a budget for snow removal - we had big snows in 2009/2010 but not much in the last couple of years - and DC is not able to tax the most valuable property in the city, which is occupied by the federal government.
Finally, snow in such areas as DC is much more slippery (wetter) and heavier than in, say, western Montana because of greater humidity and temperature.
38
Maybe there should be more focus on making sure those who are homebound or have no one to clear their walks have someone to help out or look in on them. For the rest of the folks lining up for supplies in panic, get a grip, it's just snow. And it's a weekend, even better -- shovel your walk, stay home and relax.
16
And on the animals (pets) that will inevitably be left chained outside.
9
@Sabine,
Outside?? Pets left outside?? : (
1-22-16@2:04 am est
Outside?? Pets left outside?? : (
1-22-16@2:04 am est
2
Having been born and raised in Buffalo, NY, I was used to snow. I was not used to the conditions that occurred when the Blizzard of 1978 hit Long Island, during my first year of graduate studies at Stony Brook. These things are amazing.
11
If you are reasonably healthy it is nice to have lived a long life. When I was 40 or 50 snowy side walks and hummicks of snow to climb over never frightened me. When you are over 80 an need a rollater ( a walker with wheels) if you need to walk any distance you need just one fall to change or end your life. Even in my apartment I have grab bars to prevent falls so a big snowstorm means I do not go out, or drive my car even if I can get it out.
I did my week’s food shopping, today, Thursday and spent 50% more than usual. Last year there was a stretch when I could not move my car for 6 weeks and we took a lot of cabs to make medical appointments. For a couple in their 80's a major snow storm is a big deal. But last year the weather stayed icy and the forecast for the next several days for NYC is for temperatures well above freezing and sunny, so perhaps by Wednesday it will be all gone. Tomorrow my plans are to bake blueberry muffins and a large pot of mushroom, barley and bean soup.
If you are old, I will give you one piece of advice. If the roads and sidewalks or slick or unplowed do not go out alone and keep your cell on and handy. Falling while crossing the street or between two parked cars and can’t get up is the bast reason never to go out alone.
I did my week’s food shopping, today, Thursday and spent 50% more than usual. Last year there was a stretch when I could not move my car for 6 weeks and we took a lot of cabs to make medical appointments. For a couple in their 80's a major snow storm is a big deal. But last year the weather stayed icy and the forecast for the next several days for NYC is for temperatures well above freezing and sunny, so perhaps by Wednesday it will be all gone. Tomorrow my plans are to bake blueberry muffins and a large pot of mushroom, barley and bean soup.
If you are old, I will give you one piece of advice. If the roads and sidewalks or slick or unplowed do not go out alone and keep your cell on and handy. Falling while crossing the street or between two parked cars and can’t get up is the bast reason never to go out alone.
76
The weather is a major reason I left NY for Hawaii when I retired. Not just the pleasure of the climate, the relative safety of firmer footing after one too many episodes of head trauma. Keeping my fingers crossed for my peers and thumbs up to the plans to make that mushroom barley soup.
22
@Sheldon Bunin,
Mr. Bunin,
You remind me of a character my mom refers to occasionally: "practical pig."
I've always considered that a high compliment. What you've got planned for tomorrow sounds scrumptious. If only you'd attached recipes! And, consider your good advice taken.
Thank you.
1-22-16@12:31 am est
Mr. Bunin,
You remind me of a character my mom refers to occasionally: "practical pig."
I've always considered that a high compliment. What you've got planned for tomorrow sounds scrumptious. If only you'd attached recipes! And, consider your good advice taken.
Thank you.
1-22-16@12:31 am est
2
that soup is mouth watering!
1
What I find crazy is that schools here in the Finger Lakes of NY will close due to snowfall or low temperatures. The reasoning: some kids have to walk to school without coats or boots.
Well....give those kids permission to get on the busses that pass by them on their routes and let the kids keep up with their studies. On really bad days my kids walk from the porch to the car in the driveway. Then they walk from the car to the school building. All of 30 feet total distance.
The fact that some kids don't have winter coats is no reason to close down a public service for the 99% who DO have geographically correct clothing. I mean where do these families think they live?
Well....give those kids permission to get on the busses that pass by them on their routes and let the kids keep up with their studies. On really bad days my kids walk from the porch to the car in the driveway. Then they walk from the car to the school building. All of 30 feet total distance.
The fact that some kids don't have winter coats is no reason to close down a public service for the 99% who DO have geographically correct clothing. I mean where do these families think they live?
4
Good idea, but how about getting coats and boots for these kids?
1
The second sentence of the story:"Lawmakers, fearful of the coming blizzard, scurried to catch early flights out of town." Says it all about our Congress.
17
@Dick Diamond,
Yeah, hard to miss wasn't it? Our no-count Congress.
1-22-16@12:08 am est
Yeah, hard to miss wasn't it? Our no-count Congress.
1-22-16@12:08 am est
2
It amazes me how technological advances make us more and more vulnerable. We have much more sophisticated roads, automobiles with advanced traction control and the ability to do almost any kind of work remotely, without leaving the comfort of our homes. Yet, a snow storm generates so much of anxiety and curiosity in us. Whether it's 10 inches or 16 inches, does it really matter? Why stock food? Why can't we use this opportunity to eat less and lose some weight? Why are we always so eager to live on the edge? Except for the essential workers who have to be on the road and really deprived ones that don't have a warm shelter, a snow storm is a non issue.
And I am sure they are not reading these news. Why do we make such a big deal if the Metro is shuttered during the weekend? Anyway they run empty on weekends. I wonder how the stock market is going to react tomorrow. DOW slumps 400 points as snow storm cripples the capital!!! Speculation has become the way of life and speculators rule! Weather forecasters, financial analysts - they all survive by confusing common men through nonsensical information overload.
And I am sure they are not reading these news. Why do we make such a big deal if the Metro is shuttered during the weekend? Anyway they run empty on weekends. I wonder how the stock market is going to react tomorrow. DOW slumps 400 points as snow storm cripples the capital!!! Speculation has become the way of life and speculators rule! Weather forecasters, financial analysts - they all survive by confusing common men through nonsensical information overload.
5
You obviously haven't been in the DC metro on the weekends. The trains are typically packed.
1
" I wonder how the stock market is going to react tomorrow. DOW slumps 400 points as snow storm cripples the capital!!! "
not quite. you means the market jumps 400 points as mischief emanating from the government in the capital is stopped in its tracks.
not quite. you means the market jumps 400 points as mischief emanating from the government in the capital is stopped in its tracks.
1
Before everyone begins giggling (again) about how people in Washington, D.C. just can't handle snow, the fact is that most people here did not grow up in D.C. Many of us grew up in the Midwest and the North and know how to handle snow. It's not the snow that worries us, it's the seeming inability of local jurisdictions to deal with it in a competent manner.
On Wednesday evening, an inch or so of snow fell during the rush hour. No one had thought to pretreat the roads, although they were cold enough for all of the snow to stick. The crush of cars on the highways and streets quickly compacted the snow into ice, and it was like driving on a skating rink. The people mocking Washingtonians wouldn't have done any better under those conditions.
On Wednesday evening, an inch or so of snow fell during the rush hour. No one had thought to pretreat the roads, although they were cold enough for all of the snow to stick. The crush of cars on the highways and streets quickly compacted the snow into ice, and it was like driving on a skating rink. The people mocking Washingtonians wouldn't have done any better under those conditions.
13
"it's the seeming inability of local jurisdictions to deal with it in a competent manner.'
competent government is an oxymoron.
competent government is an oxymoron.
1
I live on Capitol Hill six blocks from the Capitol in DC. All of our electric utilities are underground. I've gt enough food and liquids (and Scotch) to last a week. So I think I'll be OK. Glad to see everyone in Congress is doing their best to get out of town before the storm hits. The air always is fresher here when they're gone.
21
In Vermont where we are going to miss this entire storm, I think about the several storms that have dumped from 24-36 inches over the last decade. Plenty of snowplows, salt & sand, and people using good driving skills and excellent snowtires (studded), and you can get around. We are having a snow drought right now, so send this storm up our way!
5
I live in San Diego. We turned off our heat today and put on summer clothes. Im going walking on the beach in the morning. Still I feel this thrill of excitement reading about the coming storm. But I guess it won't be coming here. After you've dug out, come visit!
4
If yesterday's response to the inch of snow inside the beltway in Virginia is an indication of local gov't. emergency preparedness we are in serious trouble. The entire area was completely iced over and gridlocked for many hours, with multiple accidents from cars sliding into each other. There were few plows out, virtually no police actually directing traffic, nothing. There were still abandoned vehicles out there this afternoon. In my 25 years in this area I have never seen such poor preparedness. Unbelievable.
16
Apparently residing in The Ukraine, you should understand, as I, just North of NYC, that 'plows' are not what is needed when ICE is the problem. Yes, I know the same trucks are used to spread salt, and other de-icers, but let's keep the vocabulary appropriate to the problem. Non-plowing de-icing capable trucks, might just be a capital investment as an addition to areas which do not ordinarily need plowing, but are subject to sleet, and or freezing rain? I AM SPECULATING HERE.
1
It wasn't all that cold, so the whinging about salt not working was bogus. B'sides that, in any public works department not staffed by hacks, plows spread a variable sand/salt mix, depending on the conditions. Sand works even on smooth ice. This is no mystery.
1
Many of the comments here are shining examples of just self-absorbed we have become.
Who is anyone to judge why others rush to stock up on supplies? Look around you; these are cities of millions, with that many reasons and more for getting to the grocery store. Caring for aging parents or neighbors who are unable to shop for themselves. Mindful that the effects of the storm could last longer than anticipated. Needing groceries anyway. The list goes on.
Then there are travel concerns. Flights are canceled; is there another way to make it to the bedside of a dying loved one? The wedding planned for months? The interview for the job of a lifetime, or the interview for the 50-year-old that finally got a "hook" after being unemployed for two years? And so on.
Simple teasing is one thing, but snidely comparing reactions to that of pioneers in the days of yore, or braying with sneer-filled laughter, is just so beyond ridiculous. For many people, the storm presents dilemmas, large and small alike, and it's no one's business why they are reacting the way they are. Any of us might if we were in others' shoes.
Sorry, but I cannot stand the "I don't have a problem, so what's the problem?" narrow-mindedness so pervasive in this forum.
Grow up, wish people well, and find something productive to do - like maybe getting to the grocery store for the elderly man who just lost his ability to drive and needs food for his dog.
Honestly....
Who is anyone to judge why others rush to stock up on supplies? Look around you; these are cities of millions, with that many reasons and more for getting to the grocery store. Caring for aging parents or neighbors who are unable to shop for themselves. Mindful that the effects of the storm could last longer than anticipated. Needing groceries anyway. The list goes on.
Then there are travel concerns. Flights are canceled; is there another way to make it to the bedside of a dying loved one? The wedding planned for months? The interview for the job of a lifetime, or the interview for the 50-year-old that finally got a "hook" after being unemployed for two years? And so on.
Simple teasing is one thing, but snidely comparing reactions to that of pioneers in the days of yore, or braying with sneer-filled laughter, is just so beyond ridiculous. For many people, the storm presents dilemmas, large and small alike, and it's no one's business why they are reacting the way they are. Any of us might if we were in others' shoes.
Sorry, but I cannot stand the "I don't have a problem, so what's the problem?" narrow-mindedness so pervasive in this forum.
Grow up, wish people well, and find something productive to do - like maybe getting to the grocery store for the elderly man who just lost his ability to drive and needs food for his dog.
Honestly....
214
Beautifully stated. Thank you.
1
I don't think my neck of the woods is supposed to get much from this storm, but I will say, remembering last winter, that my reaction to an impending large storm and the clean-up afterwards is very related to what I have on my plate at the time -- much less emotional reaction if I don't have to get somewhere than if I do, for example. In 2013 I got stuck, on account of a blizzard, after we buried my dad, and I couldn't get home to my son, and he had to manage with the storm without my direct help. Last year, I drove to my mother's nursing home the day after a blizzard, after the travel ban had been lifted, and was with her when she passed away a few hours later. Many years past, I worried about losing heat (including from missed oil deliveries) and running out of supplies when we had a baby or small kids in the house. So I'm not buying the dismissiveness in some of the comments. Yes, some people overreact, but these snow storms really do make some situations difficult. It's quite a different kettle of fish for me when I've got nothing on my plate such as I've described above and I can deal with the storm at my own pace. Then it's much less of a big deal to me. I suspect this is similar for other people, too.
59
Diana, your insightful comment above is why you are one of my favorite commenters in the NYT comments section. SPOT ON.
1
In Western Montana, we're laughing at this story. We routinely get several feet per winter. We don't close schools, roads, offices. It's winter. It snows.!
19
I don't imagine you have much in the way of coastal floods during blizzards, though we do have that problem here. During Superstorm Sandy, some NYC subway stations were flooded up to their ceilings.
2
I don't think Montana has ever experienced an extreme Nor'easter.
5
You're equipped to deal with bad weather in Montana. In urban centers like NYC, we are ill equipped. Our taxis are not SUV's, and slip and slide, people move on foot, many of us live on very high floors, where we need food and water. Our situation can become very difficult very quickly. If the power goes out, people have no way to stay warm, they cannot wander on foot through darkened streets, no traffic lights, it can become perilous. So don't laugh at the city mice, our situations are just different.
12
In New Jersey now. Went to the store and the busiest section was the adjoining liquor mart. People were buying wine and such like its New Years Eve. The woman ahead of me had about 12 bottles in her basket. Really....is the snow that traumatizing that people need to be drunk to get through it?
15
No, people don't need to get drunk to "get through it." Snow storms are exciting and exhilarating, no matter how many times you've experienced them. Think of it more as a reason to stay home and celebrate. Like New Year's Eve.
8
Drinking is fun.
4
Nah, you missed the point. A big snow is time for a celebration. Stop all,he fearmongering. After the wind dies down put on those boots and go outside and play. Like Ms Norton said about the Capitol Hill grounds being open for sledding, where is your inner 12 year old. Or if you are an adult, have friends over for a snow party with your 10 bottles of wine.
2
We are in the Catskill Mountains of NY. We normally drive through a foot of snow. It also is what the city folk need for their water supply, even though they don't know this is where they get their water supply. Anyway, if the forecast is right, no snow will fall here. the mountains are pretty much barren of snow pack. Remember that in six months when deBlasio and Cuomo put you on drought alert.
6
A lot of modern cars with low bumpers can't drive through 1 foot of snow, unless you mean driving on top of it.
1
True. My last subcompact would get stuck in 7 inches of snow.
1
To all those grumbling about a little snowstorm, well, this is not a little snowstorm. Two feet or more falling in Washington DC is in fact quite a big deal and, yes, newsworthy. And while it would be less newsworthy if two feet fell up here in Vermont, or some other snowy states, where we are used to and prepared for such events, it would still be a big deal as two feet of snow changes everything, in good ways and bad ways. This is not an inch or two but a big storm that will change the lives of many people for a day or two or more. If sports are news, big brutal weather certainly can be as well.
41
Time Washington prepared itself for these storms as they have happened often enogh not to be considered a rarity
1
Indeed, this is a major and potentially very dangerous storm. I'm perplexed that there are so many derogatory comments from people living in other areas. I suppose it makes them feel superior.
9
Perhaps the Republicans in Congress who have been denying climate change will also recognize that this has been happening more and more frequently in this federal city and allocate some funds for the city to buy adequate equipment to deal with these changed conditions.
1
Clearly global warming is a hoax, here is the proof! Nevermind that is was 70 degrees on Christmas and the forecast is showing 50 degree days next week, that's all a hoax too! Weather manipulation, I tell you! Lizard people, zombies and The man in the sky! Praise the lord!
9
Washington DC sees snow rarely, but every time they do it's a catastrophe.
After a snowfall that would have been seen as moderate at worst in any city farther north Marion Barry famously remarked that his snow removal plan was "spring," the city had so little snow handling equipment.
Only a few weeks ago the DC area had a light snow that resulted in "dozens" of school bus accidents and buses off the road:
http://thevane.gawker.com/the-amazing-thing-is-that-usually-in-ffx-count...
This storm will shut down DC
After a snowfall that would have been seen as moderate at worst in any city farther north Marion Barry famously remarked that his snow removal plan was "spring," the city had so little snow handling equipment.
Only a few weeks ago the DC area had a light snow that resulted in "dozens" of school bus accidents and buses off the road:
http://thevane.gawker.com/the-amazing-thing-is-that-usually-in-ffx-count...
This storm will shut down DC
2
Entirely correct. And that may be for the best. Of course, the nation's taxpayers will not mind footing the bill.
I've lived in Manhattan since 1977, and I've never seen a bodega or deli run out of milk, eggs, bread or anything else.
12
I see the East coast is preparing for a typical Minnesota day. Have fun.
15
I welcome this winter storm. Frigid weather kills off nasty bugs, bedbugs included. The appearance of everything from West Nile virus, to Lyme disease may be traced back to the warming of the weather. Cold winters are a blessing in disguise.
34
I caught West Nile this past summer - I agree
If any place deserves harsh weather it is Washington, DC. The metropolitan area that spends more federal tax dollars per capita on itself than any other. The only problem is that they will declare a government holiday and even more tax dollars will be wasted.
7
DC can't collect taxes on its most valuable property, that occupied by the federal government. Second, much of the spending has to do with tourism and that it is the nation's capital. And no, I'm not costing you anything - I don't work for the federal government in any capacity, formally or as a contractor.
I am, however, of the near bankruptcy of New York city in 1975.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/05/nyregion/recalling-new-york-at-the-bri...
I am, however, of the near bankruptcy of New York city in 1975.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/05/nyregion/recalling-new-york-at-the-bri...
3
Meant to say in my earlier reply: "I am,however, REMINDED of the near bankruptcy of New York City in 1975 ..."
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/05/nyregion/recalling-new-york-at-the-bri...
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/05/nyregion/recalling-new-york-at-the-bri...
Reminds me: Is there any ongoing research on controlling the weather as there was in the 60's and '70's? Are we still researching the issue?
Control the weather and control the world!
Control the weather and control the world!
1
Sounds like the plot of a bad thriller: evil genious learns how to control the weather and holds the planet hostage to blackmail.
1
Inkblot wrote, "Sounds like the plot of a bad thriller: evil genius learns how to control the weather and holds the planet hostage to blackmail."
What the Koches and their ilk are up to finally makes sense.
OK, right wing--tell us how much we common folk have to pay you, so you'll 1) admit Global Warming is real, 2) acknowledge that you're worsening it on purpose, and 3) finally clean up your polluting industries.
What the Koches and their ilk are up to finally makes sense.
OK, right wing--tell us how much we common folk have to pay you, so you'll 1) admit Global Warming is real, 2) acknowledge that you're worsening it on purpose, and 3) finally clean up your polluting industries.
2
What a bunch of wimps. A little snow and they are throwing in the towel. And why is Washington ill prepared to deal with just one inch of snow let alone a storm?
7
They're scared of that inch of snow because they don't know how to drive in it.
I'd like to see how well Berkeley would deal with an inch of snow!
6
...or lead the country.
As an ex-resident of Syracuse, I must chuckle a bit at the panic currently percolating in Cincinnati, let alone the tumult friends in D.C. are referring to.
It's winter. Winter brings snow. Buy some canned food. A few candles. Some longer matches. A couple boxes of wine (not boxED wine, mind). It's honestly not that hard if (like many things in life) you plan ahead!
It's winter. Winter brings snow. Buy some canned food. A few candles. Some longer matches. A couple boxes of wine (not boxED wine, mind). It's honestly not that hard if (like many things in life) you plan ahead!
10
Well, well, why don't pregnant women whose due dates are sometime this week, or asthmatic kids who lost their inhalers and need a new one ASAP, or the elderly woman who just broke her hip just PLAN better?
Really - just buy some candles and wine and quit cryin' already. Medical treatments and delivery nurses are for whiny deadbeats.
Real Americans predict the future to a tee and prepare accordingly.
Really - just buy some candles and wine and quit cryin' already. Medical treatments and delivery nurses are for whiny deadbeats.
Real Americans predict the future to a tee and prepare accordingly.
2
Since I fled the NYC metro area for northern Vermont 30 years ago I've been fascinated with the response to an impending snowstorm. I was visiting a couple of years ago and happened to be in a supermarket during a winter storm watch and you'd have thought the prediction was for plutonium. It's not the end of bread, milk and bottled water. Relax. Enjoy. It'll be as quiet as it ever gets down there. Rare and wonderful.
27
Unless your flights were cancelled and you can't get home until Sunday, maybe Monday. Nothing relaxing or wonderful about it.
Remember what a big, crowded city it is and then take into consideration that the vast majority of New Yorkers have more sense.
At least people in Washington and New York won't have to suffer through a post-storm blast of Arctic air, like when a winter storm strkes Wisconsin and drags polar air from Canada down behind it. And if you are lucky enough not to have to drive during a snowstorm, be glad.
14
Here we go again, another storm of the century of possibly monumental proportions, Katie and Christine?! Had you grown up in the legendary Brooklyn, south of Prospect Park, with all the lovely cuginettes and landsmanettes I did, it would be no big deal! To them Facebook is all they now need to enjoy the hype in their lives, as most of them now bask in the sun of a Florida, Arizona, and southern California climate! And after all it is the wintertime!!!
4
Tomorrow, expect a downgrade to flurries.
21
Every storm is Armageddon. So much hype. It's absurd. As absurd as the hype behind political debates.
People in the city run out and purchase bottled water even though city water flows based on gravity. Unreal.
People in the city run out and purchase bottled water even though city water flows based on gravity. Unreal.
25
If heat goes out with power outage (heavy snow, high wind and fallen tree), pipes can freeze - presto chango, no water.
4
Additionally, if power goes out - presto chango, no water for many of us in Manhattan buildings.
4
I love snow. Just wish we were getting some down here.
11
I wish we could send it to you!
Hey, I'll fly you up and you can shovel, I'll watch. ;-)
What puzzles me is scenes of people running to the store to stock up. Why do people wait until a storm is coming to stock up?
Here in the California Sierra we have to be prepared, and that means having at least a months worth of non perishable food. In our home its six months.
Amazing how having a big screen tv and a walk in closet full of shoes and clothes is more important to so many people than a generator or food.
Here in the California Sierra we have to be prepared, and that means having at least a months worth of non perishable food. In our home its six months.
Amazing how having a big screen tv and a walk in closet full of shoes and clothes is more important to so many people than a generator or food.
15
What amazes me is your comment. I've lived my entire life in either NY or DC. I've never needed one month's worth of food, let alone six. Also I have never needed a generator. I did run to the store today. They had plenty of food. I bought some. Love my bjg screen tv. Worry about your own closet.
7
A month's worth? What, are you the winter caretaker at the Overlook Hotel? Beware if your partner starts typing the same thing over and over again....
I can see it now.
Mother Nature offers her most intimate magic. A blanket of soft white covers the dark city. Merry little flakes dance and chase each other around hazy yellow lights. The crunch-crunch of lone footsteps. Clouds of frozen breath hanging in the air. Little cat and dog tracks crisscross an endless empty canvas. The ancient mother envelops her city in a mystical silence. She turns downward to smile at the crowds of young adoring faces that will surely be turned up in wonder – like countless generations before them – and is met by thousands and thousands of little heads all buried in even tinier screens of glowing blue light.
"Mom!" The little heads yell without lifting their gaze. "Is it over? Can we go see Star Wars already?"
Mother Nature offers her most intimate magic. A blanket of soft white covers the dark city. Merry little flakes dance and chase each other around hazy yellow lights. The crunch-crunch of lone footsteps. Clouds of frozen breath hanging in the air. Little cat and dog tracks crisscross an endless empty canvas. The ancient mother envelops her city in a mystical silence. She turns downward to smile at the crowds of young adoring faces that will surely be turned up in wonder – like countless generations before them – and is met by thousands and thousands of little heads all buried in even tinier screens of glowing blue light.
"Mom!" The little heads yell without lifting their gaze. "Is it over? Can we go see Star Wars already?"
25
To Jack M:
What an incredibly, fabulous writer you are!! Hope to heavens you're published!!
Through her brother, Austin, direct descendant of Great-Great-Great Emily Dickinson,
Victoria
What an incredibly, fabulous writer you are!! Hope to heavens you're published!!
Through her brother, Austin, direct descendant of Great-Great-Great Emily Dickinson,
Victoria
1
I've seen snow before, even a few blizzards. My rules: forget the milk hoarding -- go for a case of a good red wine. It supplies visual contrast, insight, and the intelligence to ride the beast out. A good loaf of sourdough can be handy. And some clam chowder. Go out only if you must & if you were foolish enough to buy a rear-wheel drive Ferrari -- take the family toboggan. Look out the window, and never, never, ever listen to the weatherman after the first two minutes. He's wrong, wrong, wrong, until it's all over. Then he might know what he's talking about.
83
Did you also see the TV footage of a rear wheel drive sports car being driven in the DC area snow? What was that driver thinking? Put that baby in a garage when the forecast calls for snow.
When did we all become such whiners about the weather? The weather information is helpful of course and even necessary, but the personification -- a severe snowstorm -- is over the top. In my experience, these adjectives make the real world experience a lot more dangerous because they create anxiety if not panic, which leads to people doing stupid things. Responsible news sources should know that and behave accordingly; they kind of have a duty to the public to not make it worse. Now, I just skip the reports and go to the reputable weather stations online.
21
Fear makes headlines. Headlines sell. Follow the money.
1
PS, thank you very much for your very accurate comments which I, too, living in the NE, have repeatedly experienced abundantly just here on all of our local news stations. It's consistently so bad that I have a standing joke -- at least all I know is that it's a joke -- with my friends here saying, "I think the local weather forecasters and stations are in league with all the grocery and supply stores."
Now, half the time I don't pay attention to any weather forecast unless it's a panic weather alert on NPR breaking into broadcasting, or a text alert on my phone. I stay in touch here and on my connected devices consistently so I always know what's going on up here weather-wise -- WITHOUT any drama and chaos. There's plenty of that on all the news outlets . . . !!
Now, half the time I don't pay attention to any weather forecast unless it's a panic weather alert on NPR breaking into broadcasting, or a text alert on my phone. I stay in touch here and on my connected devices consistently so I always know what's going on up here weather-wise -- WITHOUT any drama and chaos. There's plenty of that on all the news outlets . . . !!
I used to live in Alaska and now I live in the Washington DC area. What I don't understand is - why do people all go to the stores and buy up a months supply of milk, eggs, and bread when there is a snowstorm? Does everyone get a craving for French toast?
215
Yes, that and pancakes. Tastes better when there is a foot of snow outside the window.
13
French toast sounds like a great idea, but popcorn, grilled cheese, and hot chocolate (not all at the same) sound even better. Maybe a Manhattan.
6
Why? BEcause they are (in their minds) monumentally unprepared to NOT have at their immediate disposal comestibles they THINK they're going to need in the next 12-24 hours.
Bottled water similarly. And Toilet Paper.
and as one astute observer commented, "Why are all the hardware stores sold out of shovels? They're not disposable. You get to keep them year to year!"
Bottled water similarly. And Toilet Paper.
and as one astute observer commented, "Why are all the hardware stores sold out of shovels? They're not disposable. You get to keep them year to year!"
6
Ah, one of the things I don't miss about DC. It's amazing how an inch of snow shuts everything down. Maybe if they salted before the roads became unmanageable and kept plowing, the city wouldn't go into crisis.
26
Everyone just needs to learn how to drive, but that's not going to happen.
12
Rather than calling the National Guard, DC Mayoral flop Muriel Bowser should have called in some salt trucks last night.
The hyperventilating hyperbole and absolutely paralyzing fear over a "potential" storm makes the US as a whole hopelessly unprepared to deal with the realities of life.
As for an historic storm it would seem that America has the memory of a goldfish, not able to remember the snow of 2010, or Hurricane Joaquin.
The hyperventilating hyperbole and absolutely paralyzing fear over a "potential" storm makes the US as a whole hopelessly unprepared to deal with the realities of life.
As for an historic storm it would seem that America has the memory of a goldfish, not able to remember the snow of 2010, or Hurricane Joaquin.
25
Am I missing something or is it not January? I would hardly call one inch a storm... anywhere. 8-12 inches is fairly normal in the winter where I am from... in the United States.
50
Thank you! If that is what is forecast for us here in New York City, why are we being urged to stay inside? It should be business as usual! Ridiculous. (dislcousure: I grew up in Minnesota).
9
I'm from New England but live in DC. At first I thought the reactions to snow were crazy but then realized they just don't have the same snow-management systems in place down here—no enormous fleets of salt trucks and plows at the ready. The roads were terrible last night because that 1" of snow stayed on the roads and was compacted into ice.
37
It wasn't a storm - but it was a mess. Hardly any snow, just beyond a dusting - so having spent most of my life in snowy northern areas I never thought twice about going to see friends under 2 miles away. But the streets froze beneath the light snow, and they hadn't been pre-treated. I had to slide back down a street near home because I couldn't make it up a small hill due to the ice. Very scary. I suspect the municipalities were distracted by the coming blizzard and didn't pay attention to what was coming first.
7
Mother Nature's way of making us be still.
61
I plan to throw garlic powder on the snow; I'm trying to cut down on salt.
67
Watch Trump announce with certainty that this storm is proof that global warming is a hoax.
38
Having lived in the North most of my life I see this as an opportunity to curl up next to the fire place with a good drink.
48
Both my children worked at Stop & Shop while in high school.
Before a storm, they'd come home laughing, with tales of panicked customers buying endless boxes of cereal, gallons of milk and pallets of meat.
Then the power would go out for days or even weeks (Irene, Sandy, Snow-tober). At times like those, everything in the fridge goes bad, and cereal is not very tasty without milk!
Before a storm, they'd come home laughing, with tales of panicked customers buying endless boxes of cereal, gallons of milk and pallets of meat.
Then the power would go out for days or even weeks (Irene, Sandy, Snow-tober). At times like those, everything in the fridge goes bad, and cereal is not very tasty without milk!
11
That's when you put your perishable food outside in the snow (or on the porch or windowsill) and use Mother Nature as your refrigerator. Where did all the creative and inventive Americans go?
And why are they stocking up on all that food? How much meat do you need?
And why are they stocking up on all that food? How much meat do you need?
Maria Ashot comments, "[Our daughter] was very uncomfortable [in the Rome airport], and we were very worried for several days. Communication was patchy, as everyone's phones needed charging."
Thirty years ago Maria would not have worried, because she would not have known the Rome airport was snowed in, and she would not have expected to speak with her daughter, because there were no cell phones common. What all this instant "news" and instant communication accomplishes (OK, not all, but largely) is to increase expectations and, thus, anxiety, when the expectations are not met.
Thirty years ago Maria would not have worried, because she would not have known the Rome airport was snowed in, and she would not have expected to speak with her daughter, because there were no cell phones common. What all this instant "news" and instant communication accomplishes (OK, not all, but largely) is to increase expectations and, thus, anxiety, when the expectations are not met.
95
That's for sure! I remember dropping postcards, destined for my parents, into dubious mailboxes on Italian and Greek roadsides; and waiting for an hour at a time, once a month, on an OTE line in Athens in order to purchase a chit to put into a public telephone -- half the time forgetting that my parents would probably be in bed sleeping.
The good old days.
The good old days.
4
I agree that weather warning overkill is tiresome, but it's good to be prepared. A few years ago in Chicago people didn't pay attention and ended up being stranded on Lake Shore Drive overnight. Many people abandoned their cars and walked away through the storm, which could present its own dangers to those inadequately prepared for the cold. Remember, our pioneer ancestors were tough but if they wandered away from the cabin in a blizzard they could freeze to death and not be found until spring.
32
Bread and milk! Be sure to clear the shelves of bread and milk!
11
And flour!
I grew up in New Hampshire and now live in the DC area. When we had snow in NH it was usually several degrees below freezing and the roads, even with hard-packed snow, weren't very slippery. We didn't get much ice. In DC the temperature frequently will hover near freezing, and we'll get some rain mixed in with flurries, and then the temperature will drop below freezing and the roads and sidewalks will be TREACHEROUS.
32
Plus, people who are used to snow and ice know how to drive in it, and people who are not are lunatics or are people trying not to get hit by lunatics. Lunatics, lots of them, poorly treated icy roads, are a really good reason to hibernate during snow storms anywhere south of the Mason-Dixon line (and more than a few places north of it, too.)
11
It's true that people who live in areas that don't get much snow don't know how to drive in it.
However, I was caught in a blizzard in Durham NC a few years ago, and it took me 2 hours to drive a mile and a half. Part of this was due to cars crawling and getting stuck, but with all my driving experience, I was terrified. My big, heavy car with snow tires was sliding around, just missed a lamppost by inches.
However, I was caught in a blizzard in Durham NC a few years ago, and it took me 2 hours to drive a mile and a half. Part of this was due to cars crawling and getting stuck, but with all my driving experience, I was terrified. My big, heavy car with snow tires was sliding around, just missed a lamppost by inches.
Can we please put a stop to the idiocy of naming winter storms? Get a life, weather channel.
78
th weather channel has to sell ad time too, annie
6
Or, if we absolutely must name them, can't we find names that don't sound like 1960s folk singers? "Jonas" makes me cringe.
1
" The Washington Metro subway system and its bus service will shut down for the weekend starting Friday night." Why close the metro, especially the underground sections, i.e,. the vast majority including all of DC?
10
joan, the DC Metro has a number of stations that are reached by above-ground track. Since these stretches of track are open to the elements, the danger factor increases as the snow depth grows. The "vast majority" of track may be underground, but one still has to traverse sections of above-ground track to get into DC.
6
They store the trains in the underground portion of the system, makes restarting everything smoother.
2
Following in DeBlaio's footsteps -- that was successful.
The effects of global warming are more intense and severe weather events. The impending storm, being called a "blizzard," that is predicted to cover the major urban areas of the Northeast with over two feet of snow is the latest example. While the storm is due to hit on a weekend when few need to travel, my biggest concern is major power outages throughout the region that leave people trapped in unheated homes for days. My budget couldn't handle a gas generator so I hope, as do others, that the electric utility companies are prepared for the "new normal" era of super-storms we've entered.
20
Snow in January, so it must be global warming right? Utter madness. If it wasn't snowing, I'm sure you'd also chalk that up to global warming. It's silly and tiresome. Try not to panic for humanity, and enjoy the snow.
2
@rfj:
Paul wrote, "...more intense and severe weather events."
He's right: It is not about the snow, but the amount of it. Warming temperatures produce more moisture in the air that materializes in increased amounts of rain, sleet, or snow. Hurricanes, too, have been more frequent and more severe, with the exception of this El Nino period, which suppressed the winds off the coast of western Africa that typically form into hurricanes.
Speaking of "silly" and "tiresome," is basic science really that remote?
Seriously?
Paul wrote, "...more intense and severe weather events."
He's right: It is not about the snow, but the amount of it. Warming temperatures produce more moisture in the air that materializes in increased amounts of rain, sleet, or snow. Hurricanes, too, have been more frequent and more severe, with the exception of this El Nino period, which suppressed the winds off the coast of western Africa that typically form into hurricanes.
Speaking of "silly" and "tiresome," is basic science really that remote?
Seriously?
2
Oh my God! Now this is a "Super-storm"! How old are you?
Snow day is a sick day + preparation time.
Enjoy, snuggle (down or non-allergenic equivalents) and enjoy the enveloping QUIET of snow (as long as you have fed your wildlife ahead of time).
Enjoy, snuggle (down or non-allergenic equivalents) and enjoy the enveloping QUIET of snow (as long as you have fed your wildlife ahead of time).
30
Beautiful post. Especially putting out some bread for the birds.
7
Make it sunflower seed and suet.
16
Rats eat the bread. And bird eggs.
Those murky psychedelic half-dreams that form as you gaze sleepily into the steam of your hot cocoa on a snowy New York day:
Mayor De Blasio running through a snowy Central Park while being chased by an angry herd of carriage reindeer.
Donald Trump clutches two leash tightly as he walks his pet hair and a small poodle with a remarkable resemblance to Sarah Palin up 5th Avenue.
Bernie Sanders whizzes by on a burning jet hover-board with a large sack of captured Wall Street traders slung over his shoulder.
An ice carving of a short haired woman in a pantsuit wearing a sandwich sign that reads - "I'm a real grandma" on one side and "ice carvings have feelings to" skates figure 8's through the intersection.
What's that!
Two giant Men’s High-Heeled Boots, each several stories high, stomp down the avenue.
All scatter to safety.
Mayor De Blasio running through a snowy Central Park while being chased by an angry herd of carriage reindeer.
Donald Trump clutches two leash tightly as he walks his pet hair and a small poodle with a remarkable resemblance to Sarah Palin up 5th Avenue.
Bernie Sanders whizzes by on a burning jet hover-board with a large sack of captured Wall Street traders slung over his shoulder.
An ice carving of a short haired woman in a pantsuit wearing a sandwich sign that reads - "I'm a real grandma" on one side and "ice carvings have feelings to" skates figure 8's through the intersection.
What's that!
Two giant Men’s High-Heeled Boots, each several stories high, stomp down the avenue.
All scatter to safety.
69
Jack M,
Whoever you are, you are brilliant!
Whoever you are, you are brilliant!
4
It is not green house gases that are causing climate change, it is the complaining about the cold and the snow.
Who was the Danish king, whose people declared him to be a god and to prove that he wasn't, he had his people take him to the seashore and he commanded the tide not to come in and used that to prove that he wasn't a god.
If you have 8 billion of us begging for warm weather, (or cold weather) it appears as though you might get what you ask for.
Who was the Danish king, whose people declared him to be a god and to prove that he wasn't, he had his people take him to the seashore and he commanded the tide not to come in and used that to prove that he wasn't a god.
If you have 8 billion of us begging for warm weather, (or cold weather) it appears as though you might get what you ask for.
3
All that road salt and brine plastering of the roadways will lead to corrosion of the pipes in municipal water supplies. Corrosion of old pipes is what leads to lead in the drinking water.
Here in Southern New England the roads have been covered with this brine and salt for the past ten days and it has barely snowed so far. Buying, dumping and spraying of mass quantities in advance of storms that many times never materialize does not equal good governance.
http://inhabitat.com/could-road-salt-turn-your-city-into-the-next-flint-...
Here in Southern New England the roads have been covered with this brine and salt for the past ten days and it has barely snowed so far. Buying, dumping and spraying of mass quantities in advance of storms that many times never materialize does not equal good governance.
http://inhabitat.com/could-road-salt-turn-your-city-into-the-next-flint-...
12
"Buying, dumping and spraying of mass quantities in advance of storms that many times never materialize does not equal good governance."
Neither does failing to spray the roads and letting an inch of snow lead to four, five, six hour (or longer) commutes. Why not better safe than sorry?
Neither does failing to spray the roads and letting an inch of snow lead to four, five, six hour (or longer) commutes. Why not better safe than sorry?
4
Here's a thought... How about making it mandatory that drivers know how to drive?
For everyone who is stocking up and taking necessary precautions, good for you. Better safe than sorry.
That said, there are homeless people who are freezing to death outside in this storm--there are not enough shelters to accomodate them; this, in Washington, DC and NYC, is a travesty.
Letting people freeze and starve to death is not OK. What will any of you in the blizzard-affected areas do to help those less fortunate?
That said, there are homeless people who are freezing to death outside in this storm--there are not enough shelters to accomodate them; this, in Washington, DC and NYC, is a travesty.
Letting people freeze and starve to death is not OK. What will any of you in the blizzard-affected areas do to help those less fortunate?
34
Let them live free and unencumbered by little things like temporary housing rules.
1
Send money to a shelter. Donate blankets and food and supplies. I've seen a number of people comment on the appalling risk the homeless face in weather like this; some of us are sharing ways to help, and the Washington Post has had at least 2 stories on the issue in the past few days.
News Flash !!! It's winter and it's likely to snow - maybe a lot.
33
At a time in the past, it would have been OK to believe that nothing could be as relentless as a river's search for a sea. But that was before the advent of news coverage of impending weather events. Since last week in the DC area, the coming snow storm was a constant theme across all media platforms
Today, officials in the counties of Fairfax (Va) and Montgomery (Md) and the city of Washington, DC, held news conferences to repeat the news, which has been the news for the past week.
But why? Part of the reason might be that people are beginning to feel more and more helpless, and therefore, need more frequent assurances and guidance.
Today, officials in the counties of Fairfax (Va) and Montgomery (Md) and the city of Washington, DC, held news conferences to repeat the news, which has been the news for the past week.
But why? Part of the reason might be that people are beginning to feel more and more helpless, and therefore, need more frequent assurances and guidance.
5
I love a good blizzard. Bring it!!!
38
What's with the bread and milk thing anyway? I mean, I get being prepared. And I always assume I might not be dug out for a few days. But why is it people buy bread and milk in quantities that they probably won't consume in a month?!
20
Don't forget eggs - they're mandatory too. My son-in-law calls snowstorms "French Toast Alerts!"
12
Add milk and we can make French toast?
5
Canadians are laughing at the lot of you, as are Algerians, Europeans and those who live west of the Mississippi, the great plains, and the Rockies, Tetons., Sawtooth, ranges and so forth.
It is winter, people and in most of the US that means .... SNOW-to a lesser or greater degree depending on your location.
You may need to be reminded that the indigenous Americans and even the migrant Europeans of the 15th , 16th, 17th, 18th and 19th centuries survived the far harsher conditions than what you can even imagine with your technology and shelter and heat and other gadgetry. (As you raid your local supermarket shelves to hoard food stuffs as if you won't see the outside world for a year!)
The Donner Party would be flummoxed to hear of your great trepidation over a few flakes of snow, as would the Corps of Discovery before them.
I am merely groan-chuckling over your needless angst and your panic modes, wondering how you would have faired a great plains or Rocky mountain winter when school was mandatory no matter what the weather.
It is winter, people and in most of the US that means .... SNOW-to a lesser or greater degree depending on your location.
You may need to be reminded that the indigenous Americans and even the migrant Europeans of the 15th , 16th, 17th, 18th and 19th centuries survived the far harsher conditions than what you can even imagine with your technology and shelter and heat and other gadgetry. (As you raid your local supermarket shelves to hoard food stuffs as if you won't see the outside world for a year!)
The Donner Party would be flummoxed to hear of your great trepidation over a few flakes of snow, as would the Corps of Discovery before them.
I am merely groan-chuckling over your needless angst and your panic modes, wondering how you would have faired a great plains or Rocky mountain winter when school was mandatory no matter what the weather.
21
If the Donner party had left earlier we'd never had heard of them, and the I-80 pass over the Sierra's into Reno would be called the Ronald Reagan Pass.
16
I'd like to see all those people you suggest would be laughing (and the people from the past) try to navigate the DC Beltway covered in a sheet of ice. We'll see who is laughing then.
23
They'd have studs on their horses' shoes and do just fine.
Can't wait! I'll be out riding my 17 hand Arabian horse in the rural coastal plains of NC checking out the beauty and enjoying the solitude. Enjoy!
11
That's gigantic for an Arabian.
2
Yep. Merlin is quite the stout, sturdy, dependable fella.
5
Wow! You have a horse! And you live next to the ocean in rural solitude! And you can't resist bragging about it! Neat!
2
Bring it on. I'm ready for this.
I have my bottle of scotch, bars of chocolates, and if things go dire, I will roast some cockroaches and eat them too.
I have my bottle of scotch, bars of chocolates, and if things go dire, I will roast some cockroaches and eat them too.
20
I was with you through the scotch and chocolate.
29
Thanks to the print media, and the television eye-candy and blathering-heads.
This reminds me of my days in Moscow awaiting the arrival of the Wehrmacht.
This reminds me of my days in Moscow awaiting the arrival of the Wehrmacht.
8
You guys on the east coast get all the luck. Up here in Anchorage we've had only about one-half the usual snowfall, and the cross-country skiers often have had to rely on man-made snow.
2
Until last night's one inch "snow storm," the DC region had all of 1/2 an inch of snow so far this winter. We've probably had twice as many 50 degree+ days than 30 degree days. We're likely to catch up on the usual snowfall totals this weekend, but that's hardly the sign of a cold, snowy winter.
3
Breaking News: It is going to snow in NYC and DC.
Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!!
Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!!
24
I have no idea what the 2nd sentence means, but I am loving this post. A unique exclamation.
From my childhood I can recall something similar. Weather forecast Britain in January. Some rain, some snow, some sleet and the mountains in Scotland will stick out of the ground.
From my childhood I can recall something similar. Weather forecast Britain in January. Some rain, some snow, some sleet and the mountains in Scotland will stick out of the ground.
5
It's from The Wizard of Oz and we say it in mock horror and irony.
5
After three week plus power outages in 2013, we have a NG generator. We're all good here.
4
I went through the week-long power outages in Pine Bush, NY, when I had electric heat and the water pump operated on electricity. I remember melting snow on my gas stove so I could flush the toilet. Now I am in Lake Katrine, just north of Kingston, and we have had two power outages of ten to fifteen minutes in two years, and everything works. We will see what happens over the weekend, but I have stocked up (food and wine, coffee and half and half, cat food etc.).
3
When, exactly, did the National Weather Service have an epiphany that mandated that every time precipitation is forecast, that it be preceded by warnings of "Build an Ark" or get out the skis?
Weather, until just a few years ago, was, um, weather. We had it or we didn't. While I appreciate the warnings/watches (and to tell the truth, I don't know which is more severe of the two "W"s. The point is, why can't we just have "rain tomorrow, followed by some snow, sleet, or hail. We don't know how much."
Now, the storms must be named, loved, embraced, recorded, remembered, and relished -- as if they were members of our families.
Folks -- let's keep our eye on the ball. Earth has weather. Just sayin'
Weather, until just a few years ago, was, um, weather. We had it or we didn't. While I appreciate the warnings/watches (and to tell the truth, I don't know which is more severe of the two "W"s. The point is, why can't we just have "rain tomorrow, followed by some snow, sleet, or hail. We don't know how much."
Now, the storms must be named, loved, embraced, recorded, remembered, and relished -- as if they were members of our families.
Folks -- let's keep our eye on the ball. Earth has weather. Just sayin'
28
All the fuss is a way of getting people's attention. Unfortunately it takes a lot of hoopla to get people to look up from their cellphones to see what the weather is. A blizzard in a major city will definitely cause problems that people can prepare for.
9
Don't you know, the environment is now our enemy. But don't worry, the Republicans will call out the military and this act of terrorism by Mother Nature will be quickly defeated.
4
Ah.. and the Democrats will call out mass protests, university students will protest to ban the word "weather" as discriminatory - in favor of global warming event, Hollywood will moan how the snow is not diverse (white, you know), and we will bore Mother Nature to death.
1
Global environmental pollution warning: This indeed is an unusual storm with snow, ice, and all that in the middle of winter. Too many vehicles being driven around from home to supermarket and back. Special request to all little old ladies in Iowa, please help us in saving the world and effective immediately please stop using your car.
4
How droll.
3
One hadn't thought this goofery would take long.
It's snowing in January! I hope Washingtonians can make it through this. All the best....
14
Barely survived a light dusting last night! With The Weather Channel's Jim Cantore in town, everyone head to your basements!!!
Storm of the Century is what you call it AFTER the fact, not before!! Media hype!! Puleeese!
Storm of the Century is what you call it AFTER the fact, not before!! Media hype!! Puleeese!
6
Every year there's a Storm of the Century. Or two.
6
The real consequence of global warming is that the capital of the world's mightiest nation can be shut down by a freak 1-inch blizzard. 100 years from now, awed schoolchildren will gawk at "Obama Crossing the Sidewalk" just like today's kids honor "Washington Crossing the Delaware."
6
The small storm that occurred last night hit the Baltimore area after rush hour for the most part, and there weren't any traffic issues on par with Washington DC. As far as I know, DC was in a class by itself, as always.
5
1. Check that there is oil in the back-up generator, because we often lose power in a snowstorm;
2. Persuade spouse to assist me in dragging the remainder of the summer patio furniture into the storage shed;
3. Make sure that fireplace transom is open so that no one accidentally sets house on fire;
4. Do small-moderate amount of shopping, in the event that there is more than 6 inches of snow/ice and no one wants to go out;
5. Download that new bio of Mary Wolstonecraft/ Mary Shelley.
6. Give thanks for the occasional (non-lethal, of course) blizzard; time out!
2. Persuade spouse to assist me in dragging the remainder of the summer patio furniture into the storage shed;
3. Make sure that fireplace transom is open so that no one accidentally sets house on fire;
4. Do small-moderate amount of shopping, in the event that there is more than 6 inches of snow/ice and no one wants to go out;
5. Download that new bio of Mary Wolstonecraft/ Mary Shelley.
6. Give thanks for the occasional (non-lethal, of course) blizzard; time out!
23
About 15 years ago I was in DC for a trade show with co-workers when a storm hit. I think it dropped a foot of snow. The city was completely paralyzed. The show went on but no one much came. It was hard to get a cab -- the only ones that could make their way through the largely unplowed streets were four-wheel-drive SUVs (which not all drivers knew how to operate). As New Englanders, we were puzzled by the lack of any attempts to clear the streets. I joked that the city probably had to send their plow to the airport, where it was most needed. Later on, I heard that the city did in fact have only a couple of plows.
Because people could not get around, most businesses -- and of course the government -- were closed. Restaurants could not get food. At our hotel, they kept one of the restaurants open but only admitted hotel guests. The bar did a booming business, though, because there was nowhere else to go. Quite a week.
Because people could not get around, most businesses -- and of course the government -- were closed. Restaurants could not get food. At our hotel, they kept one of the restaurants open but only admitted hotel guests. The bar did a booming business, though, because there was nowhere else to go. Quite a week.
15
It seems like a lot of hype, but a very important message may be getting lost here. You need to be prepared to NOT DRIVE ANYWHERE between Saturday morning and Sunday evening, possibly into Monday morning. Winter-storm related automotive accidents take a lot of lives. And if you live in an area prone to storm-related power outages, you should be prepared to be without power for about a week. It's only prudent, not panic.
But seriously, don't drive this weekend, unless the snow skips us entirely.
But seriously, don't drive this weekend, unless the snow skips us entirely.
21
You've got to be kidding. Put snow tires (not "all-weather" nonsense) on your car. Pretend some adult actually taught you how to drive. Then drive, with a modicum of caution and skill.
If all did this, no problem.
If all did this, no problem.
Presidential candidates react to the coming snow storm:
Bernie Sanders, "I would like to remind you that I come from Vermont....where I walked 5 miles, up hill, through 6 feet of snow, to go to school, with nothing to keep me warm except Simon and Garfunkel tunes."
Hillary Clinton, "In my time as secretary of state, I worked with President Obama to ensure that those areas hardest hit by snow were well cared for. I have a lot of experience with snow. I may differ from my colleague Bernie Sanders in many ways, but I respect someone's right to have some help when they shovel snow."
Donald Trump, "Inches of snow were never the measure of success for me, except really a way to show how New Yorkers are tougher than those who live in Texas like Ted Cruz, who by the way doesn't know anything about snow."
Ted Cruz, "The current election presents a stark choice, President Obama has made you suffer through this Washington Snow storm, I will say no more snow, and ensure that the we return to the land of our founding fathers, free of snow and of government interference in our ability to enjoy snow."
Bernie Sanders, "I would like to remind you that I come from Vermont....where I walked 5 miles, up hill, through 6 feet of snow, to go to school, with nothing to keep me warm except Simon and Garfunkel tunes."
Hillary Clinton, "In my time as secretary of state, I worked with President Obama to ensure that those areas hardest hit by snow were well cared for. I have a lot of experience with snow. I may differ from my colleague Bernie Sanders in many ways, but I respect someone's right to have some help when they shovel snow."
Donald Trump, "Inches of snow were never the measure of success for me, except really a way to show how New Yorkers are tougher than those who live in Texas like Ted Cruz, who by the way doesn't know anything about snow."
Ted Cruz, "The current election presents a stark choice, President Obama has made you suffer through this Washington Snow storm, I will say no more snow, and ensure that the we return to the land of our founding fathers, free of snow and of government interference in our ability to enjoy snow."
405
Classic! Thanks! The trip home from school for Bernie was also uphill.
2
That was funny!!!
1
Love it. Thanks!
It figures. I'm supposed to be in Western PA on Saturday morning and board an eastbound Amtrak train to Philly. This is further evidence to prove the adage "If you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans."
3
It's Obama's fault.
I am going skiing
I am going skiing
32
When I was in high school way back in the '70s my family lived in rural northern community for a few years. I had a 20-mile bus trip to school and in one winter storm, the bus driver literally made about 5 attempts at a snowy hill with a curve at the top before giving up (much to the delight and cheers of his teenage charges.)
It's winter, people, get a grip or move south.
It's winter, people, get a grip or move south.
16
I am so tired of the weather channel stoking these absurd fears about snow. It's January, for crying out loud. And, since when did snowfall need a name -- that was set aside for hurricanes. Ugh.
118
And really, even hurricanes don't need them. Nobody named the Galveston Hurricane that killed 6,000. Did it matter that it hadn't a name? No. It just was.
Yes, why are snowstorms now named??
LET IT SNOW What say do we have in the matter anyhow? We didn't get a White Xmas this year. For that matter, neither did Irving Berlin, who wrote the song in Hollywood, looking out over the desert environment at the palm trees. Being near Philly, we're going to batten down the hatches, get in supplies, buy salt and watch the snow drift by. Snow is gorgeous. Especially when you can look at it through a window and enjoy relaxing in warmth and don't have any reason to have to drive through it.
11
Wow, I just had a deja vu moment. About five years ago we had an eventful snowstorm in New York City. Our mayor- Mike Bloomberg was nowhere to be found. He was actually visiting his retreat on the Island of Bermuda. It wasn't the snow that made conditions terrible. It was government mismanagement of the situation. I applaud the leadership of Virginia and Washington D.C. for taking preemptive measures to ensure the safety of their citizens.
4
Our town had a little over 100 inches of snow last winter in a 33-day period from Jan. 27 through Feb. 28. I've lived in the northeast for all of my 59 years, experienced the Blizzard of '78 while in college in Medford, Ma., and many, many other storms/blizzards, but that 33 day stretch last winter, when the temperature never broke freezing and there was little to no melting, was beyond belief.
We've had about 6 inches of snow this season, a couple of three inch mini-storms. We're only supposed to get a few inches from this storm as the bulk goes south of us for a change. Nonetheless, I have the shovel ready for something larger, although hopefully it won't occur.
Hang in there those south of us in New England.
We've had about 6 inches of snow this season, a couple of three inch mini-storms. We're only supposed to get a few inches from this storm as the bulk goes south of us for a change. Nonetheless, I have the shovel ready for something larger, although hopefully it won't occur.
Hang in there those south of us in New England.
12
Why can't Washingtonians drive in snow? Or is it really all those out-of-District commuters from Virginia and Maryland who can't handle a little snow?
Time was, snow was a regular feature of Washington winters. There was typically snow on the ground from around Thanksgiving onward to Ash Wednesday, and later. Snow, and snowfall, was an accepted fact of life for 3 months of the year, or more. The streetcars that traditionally stalled due to third-rail icing have long since departed metro Washington streets, so what's the excuse now?
Time was, snow was a regular feature of Washington winters. There was typically snow on the ground from around Thanksgiving onward to Ash Wednesday, and later. Snow, and snowfall, was an accepted fact of life for 3 months of the year, or more. The streetcars that traditionally stalled due to third-rail icing have long since departed metro Washington streets, so what's the excuse now?
4
I don't know who did your weather reporting, Michael B, but I lived in DC for 12 years -- between 1970-1981 -- and we had snow, indeed (esp. feb 1979) but I disagree -- there was not typically snow on the ground from thanksgiving to ash wednesday. Nope.
9
Wow, can't believe you just reminded me of the February 1979 event. It was a storm to remember. Over (what was then called) George Washington Birthday weekend, it rained, got warm and the three feet of snow that had piled up in January and February melted!
It's the only time our basement in Arlington flooded.
Thanks for the memories.
It's the only time our basement in Arlington flooded.
Thanks for the memories.
5
You see? No global warming. No climate change. Look, I can make a snowball! Here, I'll show you -- I'll bring it in for show and tell to the floor of the US Senate to prove that global chilling is alive and well. :)
6
Re: Wednesday night's snowstorm in D.C.: I've lived in the DC area for five winters now, and it still amazes me how inconsistent local governments are in treating roadways ahead of the threat of snow. Last week, freezing rain was expected for the area and roadways were salted well in advanced; we got nothing. Last night, it took me 1 hour and 40 minutes to get from work to my house- a drive that normally lasts 20 minutes maximum- and I didn't realize until I got home that I lucked out with that scenario! Part of the issue is that DC is such a transient area- you have people from all over the country and the world with different experiences with traveling in the snow.
The greater D.C. area needs to accept that snow is something that happens here. Five of the last six winters have featured some level of crippling snow. Smaller localities such as Fairfax City and Falls Church City treated their roads last night and things were great, but Fairfax County and other larger localities did not. Perhaps local governments should talk to some of our northern neighbors about purchasing sand and rock salt in addition to the brining they put on the roads, as well as other strategies for keeping the public safe in the event of what would otherwise have been an inconsequential snowfall.
The greater D.C. area needs to accept that snow is something that happens here. Five of the last six winters have featured some level of crippling snow. Smaller localities such as Fairfax City and Falls Church City treated their roads last night and things were great, but Fairfax County and other larger localities did not. Perhaps local governments should talk to some of our northern neighbors about purchasing sand and rock salt in addition to the brining they put on the roads, as well as other strategies for keeping the public safe in the event of what would otherwise have been an inconsequential snowfall.
7
Non-stop radio, television and web coverage of a storm that will bring a maximum of 12" of snow to the region. What will the coverage be like if the blizzard of 1978 ever happens again?
How does Wednesday's inch of snow cause that much chaos? I realize I live in a snowy city, but one inch shutting down traffic is unbelieveable.
Bill F,
Municipalities below the Mason-Dixon Line do not invest in snow removal equipment what so ever. The just wait it out and hope that the temperatures will rise and take care of their problem. Couple of winters ago my wife and I had to fly to Tulsa through the Dallas. Dallas had one inch of snow (ONE FREAKIN' INCH!) and the city was locked down. Took us eight hours (last flight out) to get out of big D. They don't care about runways, public transportation, emergency services, etc. One inch of snow and you're on your own. You might as well be a Neanderthal halfway up the Alps. You'd be better off.
Municipalities below the Mason-Dixon Line do not invest in snow removal equipment what so ever. The just wait it out and hope that the temperatures will rise and take care of their problem. Couple of winters ago my wife and I had to fly to Tulsa through the Dallas. Dallas had one inch of snow (ONE FREAKIN' INCH!) and the city was locked down. Took us eight hours (last flight out) to get out of big D. They don't care about runways, public transportation, emergency services, etc. One inch of snow and you're on your own. You might as well be a Neanderthal halfway up the Alps. You'd be better off.
4
LOL Why is the media hyping a storm that will happen o a weekend and really have no effect?
Talk about "IF IT ,BLEEDS, IT LEADS.
Do no media anymore have shame about whoring themselves out?
Talk about "IF IT ,BLEEDS, IT LEADS.
Do no media anymore have shame about whoring themselves out?
Will this be a storm in a tea-cup?
2
Will the subways be shut down again? I wonder if this storm will have much effect on the Carolina-Arizona NFC championship game played in Charlotte.
1
I have read that they do not plan on shutting down the subways for this storm. But why would you care in Phoenix, anyway?
4
What happens in the DC region during a major snowfall is that snowplows used in road clearing operations do the job but then block in parked cars on major streets and side streets with a serious pile of packed snow. Many don't even bother digging their cars out and the city just remains in a state of lock down. It's not a problem if one lives near public transportation but if not then you aren't going anywhere until the thaw. And if there is a major freeze, that can be for a very long time. I lived in Anchorage, Alaska for several years and there really is no such thing as the kind of panic this region experiences during a major snowfall. The same can probably be said for Stockholm, Helsinki, et al.
2
In NY the local Fox News channel (Ch 5) has been nearly hysterical on this topic since Monday. Since the storm track is still undetermined, the snowfall predictions for the metro area range from a few inches to nearly two feet or else freezing rain.
I grew up and spent the first 40 years of my life living in the upstate NY snowbelt on the eastern shore of Lake Ontario. Since I moved to the NY area in the 1990's, most of what is considered heavy snow here wouldn't have required me to brush off the car in Oswego County. True, we have had some real heavy duty snow storms over the past 20 years but like most sensible people (which I like to think that I am), I stay home when the weather is bad. We've got wine, popcorn and streaming video - what else do you need on a snowy weekend?
I grew up and spent the first 40 years of my life living in the upstate NY snowbelt on the eastern shore of Lake Ontario. Since I moved to the NY area in the 1990's, most of what is considered heavy snow here wouldn't have required me to brush off the car in Oswego County. True, we have had some real heavy duty snow storms over the past 20 years but like most sensible people (which I like to think that I am), I stay home when the weather is bad. We've got wine, popcorn and streaming video - what else do you need on a snowy weekend?
6
Better hope the power doesn't run out.
1
Ice was the issue yesterday not snow. Not much a driver can do on ice. however, if one of you hardy types from winter climes wants to show us poor yokels how to drive a car on an ice-slicked street, please do so.
17
Salt trucks. (And not sand, either.) As soon as ice starts forming, there should be trucks out there dropping rock salt to keep the roads from freezing. We take it for granted in the upper Midwest, but cities further south that get ice seem to have forgotten.
4
Real snow tires (not M&S) work fine on ice
2
Steer into the skid.
Hey maybe it will snow in all of Congress and they will be stuck at the Capitol building and may have to actually work for a change.
252
Not a chance. They all beat-feet to DCA by 3:30 on Thursday, at the latest.
7
Frankly, the less Congress does the better as far as I'm concerned.
1
Jesse I hate to break it to you, but Congress only "works" from Tuesday morning through Thursday afternoon. Most of the Members of Congress are already on flights back home tonight for their real jobs - sucking up to campaign finance donors.
7
I lived in PA, IN, northern IL, etc. before moving to central VA. Other posters have noted that having had experiences with snow in winters past (it always snows at least a few appreciable times in this area), one would guess that experience, then learning might result in common sense and logic in residents in response to weather forecasts of snow. But alas, the media infused fear reaction reigns in the majority.
12
A possible blizzard is a cause for panic? I can't help but wonder how Americans would have fared during the siege of Leningrad.
Of course nuance is currently banned in public discussions, everything is an extreme, superlatives are ordinary, polarization is the middle ground, and people assume everything can be controlled, except when they decide, with equal foolishness, the apocalypse is unfolding. At the same time, while weather forecasting has become incredibly more accurate in the past several decades, people get mad and even demand investigations when the weather is different from what is hyped.
People understand that if they bet on a horse and it's a two-to-one favorite, there is a substantial chance it will not win and they will lose their bet. However, if meteorologists -- not just headlines and talking TV heads -- say an event has a 70% probability of occurring, the same people will be outraged if the 30% comes to pass.
Life is a matter of probabilities, not certainties, not certainties of either heaven or hell.
Of course nuance is currently banned in public discussions, everything is an extreme, superlatives are ordinary, polarization is the middle ground, and people assume everything can be controlled, except when they decide, with equal foolishness, the apocalypse is unfolding. At the same time, while weather forecasting has become incredibly more accurate in the past several decades, people get mad and even demand investigations when the weather is different from what is hyped.
People understand that if they bet on a horse and it's a two-to-one favorite, there is a substantial chance it will not win and they will lose their bet. However, if meteorologists -- not just headlines and talking TV heads -- say an event has a 70% probability of occurring, the same people will be outraged if the 30% comes to pass.
Life is a matter of probabilities, not certainties, not certainties of either heaven or hell.
122
Let's hope the most populous areas are spared major disruptions and the remote areas are not beyond reach. While I can understand your superlative-fatigue, the lessons of Sandy are fresher in most readers' minds than those of the wartime siege of 70 years ago. Plenty of people have many dependents, frail elderly, deadlines at work: the media reminders have value (1) as reminders to prepare, because preparation converts into comfort and safety; (2) as hints to employers, dates, social engagements, demanding spouses or rebellious teens that there are very serious factors that may interfere with the fulfillment of their expectations. Carry on, media, thank you. We're all in this together. In 2010, my daughter got stranded at Rome's Fiumicino airport in a snowstorm. She was very uncomfortable, and we were very worried for several days. Communication was patchy, as everyone's phones needed charging. Even trains and shuttles were not immediately back in service. Although most people will not face actual danger, why put yourself or kids through a tough ordeal if you can simply choose to stay home, and postpone? Have a good reason to be out in inclement weather.
15
I'm fairly sure Americans, like Leningraders, would have been quite uncomfortable.
7
From a story of the great blizzard comes an excellent reflection on the human condition at this time. We live in the age of sensation about sensation, with great expectations indeed.
8
As I recall, snow storms have a way of showing whether elected officials can handle the extra strain on public services. We will see how the presidential candidates discuss the role of government.
6
... and be on the alert for Evil Dreaded Snow Zombies!
6
He's right you know: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1278340/
2
I cannot understand why an impending snowstorm--that may not even materialize--is always such big news. If we "cry wolf" too often, we may be lulled into a false sense of security about any natural disaster. It seems like the media hype is calculated to generate needless panic and dread. So long as the major Northeast cities are prepared for snow removal, motorists stay at home and ordinary citizens stay indoors until the worst is over, everyone will be just fine. Snow is beautiful to look at, quiets the City down and engenders good will. You might even enjoy cross-country skiing or just making a snowman. In the meantime, relax.
140
NY, I feel your pain. I had to put on a sweater this morning to go deer hunting, as it was colder than usual.
1
So what? It's winter. Deal with it.
12
Thanks for your heartfelt concern.
9
my people call this winter
117
Heads up East Coast, it's still winter, and there are winter storms. This one might or might not be a record-breaker depending on where exactly you are (forecast says, NYC, not a record, DC, could be).
I'm sure if we all make sober preparations and just take things slower, we'll get through it just fine. If we continue to drive like every minute counts, and rush out to shovel our lawns at top speed and the heck with the pacemaker, then things will not go as well. Please be careful and try to enjoy the snow while it lasts.
I'm sure if we all make sober preparations and just take things slower, we'll get through it just fine. If we continue to drive like every minute counts, and rush out to shovel our lawns at top speed and the heck with the pacemaker, then things will not go as well. Please be careful and try to enjoy the snow while it lasts.
10
...and elsewhere its raining
go figure
go figure
And could there be a public safety reminder to all of the amateur NASCAR drivers who think they're Andretti to SLOW DOWN. Especially those with big hunkering trucks/SUVs, who in their minds are immortal and above the posted speed limits.
94
They just don't know how to cope with a snowy road. I remember as a child (on the way from Massachusetts to a Christmas camping vacation in Florida with my family) seeing the wild fishtailing of Beltway drivers going too fast. Seems like common sense, to slow down, doesn't it? But I guess we should not look for too much of that in our nation's capital these days.
1
AWD/4-wheel drive does nothing for breaking (sheer stopping)...
6
get out the snow shovels
My wife plans o attend the Springsteen concert at Madison Square Garden Sunday night. I hope the roads are clear.
I use to work for the Feds in NYC and it was hilarious how quickly our Central Office in Baltimore would close because of snow. I remember one time when CO staff was sent home early on a Tuesday before the snow even began. The office was closed on Wednesday due to 3 inches of snow. On Thursday no one answered the telephone when we called. Don't know about Friday. And this was just a week after CO released a report on how it would continue operations in the event of an earthquake, tsunami, or nuclear attack.
I use to work for the Feds in NYC and it was hilarious how quickly our Central Office in Baltimore would close because of snow. I remember one time when CO staff was sent home early on a Tuesday before the snow even began. The office was closed on Wednesday due to 3 inches of snow. On Thursday no one answered the telephone when we called. Don't know about Friday. And this was just a week after CO released a report on how it would continue operations in the event of an earthquake, tsunami, or nuclear attack.
10
Cleo, NJ : if weather is bad Sunday for MSG concert, perhaps best for yr wife to go via train to Penn Station and book a hotel for 1 night stay overnight to avoid troubles.
12
If the snow ends on Sunday afternoon, as predicted, the roads to MSG on the NY side will be clear by the early evening, if past experience repeats. The NY Sanitation Department is really good. Taking the train is a good idea - but make sure that the trains are running, because in the last week, there have been a number of delays.
2
Cleo, don't engage in hyperbole... Social Security (assume that is the agency to which you are referring) is one of the biggest employers in Baltimore county. The county is not as well equipped as other ares further north to deal with snow and local authorities often ask that large employers keep employees off the roads. (And public transit is very poor in Baltimore county and only somewhat better in Baltimore city) Washington DC is even worse. In the past the OPM has not shut federal agencies down, or shut them down halfway through the day, and the roads and mass transit were in gridlock as everyone tried to get home at once. The DC government is now quite active in requesting agencies shut down to avoid repeat performances.
So, yes, sometimes shutting down was unnecessary in retrospect, but then again, don't you wonder about those folks who will not evacuate in the face of a hurricane when ordered to do so? Sure, many times in retrospect it, too, appears to have been unnecessary but folks who did not or could not act in the big ones--Katrina, Sandy--paid, sometimes with their lives.
Hope your wife makes it to the concert. Being a native NYer myself, I took for granted that except in the most dire of circumstances public transit--especially subways and trains-run. In other parts of the country where I have since lived, there has been little public transit so there is not much else for people to do but take to the roads. Sometimes caution is prudent not silly.
So, yes, sometimes shutting down was unnecessary in retrospect, but then again, don't you wonder about those folks who will not evacuate in the face of a hurricane when ordered to do so? Sure, many times in retrospect it, too, appears to have been unnecessary but folks who did not or could not act in the big ones--Katrina, Sandy--paid, sometimes with their lives.
Hope your wife makes it to the concert. Being a native NYer myself, I took for granted that except in the most dire of circumstances public transit--especially subways and trains-run. In other parts of the country where I have since lived, there has been little public transit so there is not much else for people to do but take to the roads. Sometimes caution is prudent not silly.
1
D.C. had two inches of snow last night, which crippled the city and brought commuters to a standstill--for hours.
How much confidence should we have in our elected officials after that?
How much confidence should we have in our elected officials after that?
9
I have lived in DC 3-years following several decades in the Northeast. I have no stake in defending government, local or federal, but this nothing-to-do with confidence or lack-thereof in elected officials. Decisions were made re: what level to invest in 'snow removal infrastructure' (snowplows, drivers, etc.) vs. risk (frequency and intensity) to handle snowfall that inconveniences drivers (many of whom could use public transportation).
2
Snow?! In the middle of springtime over here?!
7
These reports of a dangerous storm for the east coast makes me grin. Used to cover the Dakotas out of Minneapolis and there was a standard survival kit you included in your car is you got stuck in a blizzard. Was planning on going to Sioux Falls SD and cancelled the trip as a customer called and said not to come. Well they had blizzard conditions in SF SD and 5 people froze to death inside the SF SD city limits because they left their autos in blizzard condition. In a blizzard you can not see more than a few inches.
Heavy snow falls are routine in Minneapolis but as "The Perfect Storm" went across MN, it dropped over 6 feet of snow on Minneapolis. That did shut down the town and the only thing moving was snow mobiles and there are lots of those in MN.
Have my WBF cranked up - we are due to get some freezing rain - only lost power two years ago for 3 days - no big deal.
Heavy snow falls are routine in Minneapolis but as "The Perfect Storm" went across MN, it dropped over 6 feet of snow on Minneapolis. That did shut down the town and the only thing moving was snow mobiles and there are lots of those in MN.
Have my WBF cranked up - we are due to get some freezing rain - only lost power two years ago for 3 days - no big deal.
6
Sadly the Media Hype we now endure with every snow/thunder/hurricane storm suggests this won't be anymore worthy of all the media handwringing and verbal panic they gin up than Most of the barely noticeable weather we usually discover they Overhype for better TV Ratings at any and every opportunity. Do something useful with your storm prep, add air pressure to all the tires on your car because the temperatures drop this winter, just like every winter, and low tire pressure causes blow outs. Plus the tires inept warning systems mostly don't work all that well despite all the money we are forced to spend on them.
6
Every time there's a snowstorm on the east coast, you'd think the world is coming to an end, says the entire Midwest.
314
My favorite, I live in NY November, pretty chilly out for a November, unseasonably so.............empty talking head on tv talking to weatherman, "When will this cold snap end"...............um, you live on the East Coast, it gets cold, especially in December (save for this year) January AND February. When will it end you ask????? APRIL, if you're lucky. Get used to if guys and gals, you don't like the cold? Move to Aruba, but then you'd complain about the incessant wind.
9
Please don't generalize - we can deal with snow, says Vermont. Moreover, send it our way, please!
15
Agreed!
Am I right in thinking that all of this hyping--the overuse of superlatives in describing storms, naming them as though they were hurricanes, or pets--is a fairly recent phenomenon? It seems that as the news media cuts back on substantive reporting on all sorts of political and social matters, it increases its coverage of the weather.
Am I right in thinking that all of this hyping--the overuse of superlatives in describing storms, naming them as though they were hurricanes, or pets--is a fairly recent phenomenon? It seems that as the news media cuts back on substantive reporting on all sorts of political and social matters, it increases its coverage of the weather.
44
Why is it that the first minor to significant snow event every winter seems to result in such chaos? It's almost like some form of "collective amnesia" sets in over the spring and summer and erases the memories of previous winters' snowstorms. This is the mid-Atlantic/northeast region not Florida. It's probably going to snow every winter at least a couple times. I have to believe the people whose job it is to deal with these events are ready for them. They certainly had plenty of practice last winter. Where is the disconnect?
237
And why do people throw out their snow shovels from last year? The TV reporters always show stores are running out of shovels. Why? They are not disposable.
98
Can I 'Recommend' this comment twice?
5
People die when it snows, when it floods, when there's drought, when there's fire, etc. Happens everywhere. It's news. Get over it.
5
Ice, not snow, was the real culprit in the Washington area last night. None of the jurisdictions prepared roads ahead of time. Yesterday's forecast called for a "light dusting" of snow last night. Ice was treacherous on my West End sidewalks. Interstates and major thoroughfares were gridlocked for hours throughout the region.
44
There's always some "culprit" when DC falls on its face with winter storm preparedness. After awhile, you learn to just start filtering out the excuses. DC *never* does a good job with handling winter storms. The City doesn't provide sufficient personnel, budget, training, or equipment to take on the storms and so, inevitably, things shut down over relatively minor events (like Wednesday) -- and they REALLY shut down when a big storm comes through like is supposed to on Friday. It's become a parlor game to watch DC act like it's Atlanta or New Orleans being struck by a surprise snow storm -- "my God, can you believe it!" -- every single year, year after year.
24
Roads were very treacherous. Especially side roads. In my hilly neighborhood in SE cars were sliding sideways down hilly streets when they found that their brakes could not stop them. The iciness of the roads were completely unexpected. Made for a bad drive. No one is to "blame."
11
It's important to remember, when viewing D.C.'s inability to deal with snow, that it is geographically South of the Mason Dixon line. That means it's not supposed to snow there, since the South gets no snow; as everyone knows, snow is a purely Northeast phenomenon. Right?
It took 3 1/2 hours last night to drive from Arlington into D.C. because the roads weren't ready.
Not yet as bad as 23 years ago when Mayor Barry left town for a week in the tropics and D. C. Animal Control wouldn't come pick up a terrified squirrel that had fallen through a ventilation window and was cowering in my bathroom. They told me to get towels and "make him a bed." !! It took me about an hour to force him into the cat carrier with a broom.
Not yet as bad as 23 years ago when Mayor Barry left town for a week in the tropics and D. C. Animal Control wouldn't come pick up a terrified squirrel that had fallen through a ventilation window and was cowering in my bathroom. They told me to get towels and "make him a bed." !! It took me about an hour to force him into the cat carrier with a broom.
31
well the mistake was in driving not taking the Metro!
You realize that Cars are one of the worst things destroying the planet and leading to Climate Change? Auto Addiction accounts for 70% of US oil usage and directly contributes 35% of greenhouse emissions
You realize that Cars are one of the worst things destroying the planet and leading to Climate Change? Auto Addiction accounts for 70% of US oil usage and directly contributes 35% of greenhouse emissions
13
What possessed you, fast&furious, to drive into DC from Arlington? Hop on the metro, and in fact, in bad weather, hop into your sofa instead.
9
Did you mean the totally unreliable Washington Metro? The one with no overnight parking if you want to take it to the airport for a trip. The one that had a rail crack yesterday and slowed the system down further? The underfunded one, with not enough money to keep up on maintenance. I stay away from that one except for midday trips. Driving is easier, quicker, and more relaxing. Since I grew up in NJ, during snow events (2 or less inches) I wait till the local idiots are done causing accidents before I travel. We get bad ice, so then I stay home and laugh at all the expensive 4 wheel drive cars that are smashed because wheels spin on ice. Having 4 of them is no help.
9
You might want to add that the heavy snow and high winds may cause power outages, so people should be prepared for that too.
27
In New York City, people are already in the supermarkets buying a month's worth of bottled water and toilet paper. It is a little crazy. The last big snow we received an email from our local liquor store saying that they will deliver.
121
Don't forget the bread and milk !
4
Why the water????
5
Exactly? Do we live in a place with no access to safe drinking water. Or maybe people are worried their pipes will freeze?
Some tips from Vermont where we endure (enjoy!) lots of snow and long power outages though oddly we may not get a single snowflake from this bruising storm. Turn down the temps in your freezer and refrigerator now so that it will all be colder should your power go out and also make sure they are filled up, use gallon water bottles if there is space. Don't forget to grind up some coffee beans now if all you have is whole beans. Sorry most of you are without woodstoves, they are always great but esp. handy during a power outage. Fill up pots and bathtubs with water if your water is power-related. One great gizmo does not let water slowly go down the drain in the tub, a little cover. Another helpful gizmo - good headlamps. And a battery operated lantern with lots of extra batteries around. Don't harm yourself shoveling. Be really careful driving. Get some good novels ready. And don't forget a good sled. I am enjoying the best sledding of my life right now (and I am far from young) with a wee bump to fly over at the bottom of a hill. Snow can be exhilarating.
201
You are very kind to share these serious snow tips with the rest of us who don't get the same practice as you've had in Vermont.
Thank you and happy sledding.
Thank you and happy sledding.
1
One thing that impressed us in the last horrid winter (2012/13?) was how dirty life without central heating, electric lights, and hot water is. Soot, oily air, inadequate washing, the nastiness of trying to wash clothes and bed linens in the winter with boiled water and in-house drying racks. UGH.
We spent 10 days relying on fireplaces, wood stoves, oil lamps, and candles. *Everything* was dusted with soot; we were grayish; and we were never comfortable in any contemporary sense.
When I finally got out and up to my college's city - on socialist* built and plowed roads - I stayed in a motel. My first night I (a) took a long shower, (b) took a long bath, and (c) took another shower.
I wonder if so-called libertarians have any sense of reality at all.
*I am a Hillary supporter & know she will be just as appalled by these
We spent 10 days relying on fireplaces, wood stoves, oil lamps, and candles. *Everything* was dusted with soot; we were grayish; and we were never comfortable in any contemporary sense.
When I finally got out and up to my college's city - on socialist* built and plowed roads - I stayed in a motel. My first night I (a) took a long shower, (b) took a long bath, and (c) took another shower.
I wonder if so-called libertarians have any sense of reality at all.
*I am a Hillary supporter & know she will be just as appalled by these
It seems like DC, after years and years of dealing with this, is still poorly equipped for these situations. An inch of snow managed to "mangle" the President's motorcade?
My girlfriend's father had to sleep in his car last night after being involved in a multi-car incident in Rock Creek Park. Evidently there were so many collisions that the tow company couldn't make it to help until the morning, leaving roughly 5 drivers stranded in the dark.
My girlfriend's father had to sleep in his car last night after being involved in a multi-car incident in Rock Creek Park. Evidently there were so many collisions that the tow company couldn't make it to help until the morning, leaving roughly 5 drivers stranded in the dark.
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DC still is poorly equipped. It's an open secret. They skimp on the winter preparedness budget and then throw their hands up in surprise every time the City gets shut down by passing winter storms, no matter how relatively minor. It's institutionalized governmental dysfunction at the municipal level (they learned well from their federal peers).
1
The underlying ice gave the lie to the "it's only an inch of snow" reportage. The roads were some of the worst I've ever seen & I've spent many winters in Rochester, Buffalo & Utica. Last night's roads in northern VA were horrendous.
Maybe instead of whining about why the roads weren't sprayed with ice melt by VDOT & the local govts, people should actually suck it up & realize that Mother Nature isn't always a factor that boots up like your iPhone.
Maybe instead of whining about why the roads weren't sprayed with ice melt by VDOT & the local govts, people should actually suck it up & realize that Mother Nature isn't always a factor that boots up like your iPhone.
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D.C. values: the Republicans are attempting to purchase and hoard all the bottled water for themselves or, if they can possibly do so, have left town. The Democrats think that a big snow will be fun -- because they're all from big cities in the northeast, where we know how to make and throw an ice-ball.
CNN is predicting the end of the world: media values.