The Great Valentines Day Blizzard of '07

[Amy in Vermont]

Its 7:30 AM here in Vermont. Its been snowing since just after midnite, with about 6 inches on the ground already. The wind has started to pick up.

Of course, the weather folk are very excited. They are calling this a storm of historic proportions. Of course, that remains to be seen!

Over 700 schools in the area are closed. Oc course, the college never shuts down completely, having 2500 students to feed and house. But they will have to do without me for today. I have declared a SNOW DAY.

We are concerned as to how the little Lhasa will fare in the expected 30 inches of blowing, drifting snow in the yard!

Stay tuned to this channel for snow report throughout the day.

A

[Rickster]

Amy, Down here in the Hudson Valley (NY) we are getting hammered as well.
Snow...sleet...more snow..and high winds. I also have declared a snow day from work. :) The company won't fall down without me. All schools are closed too.

[Dee]

Keep warm you two!

[Rickster]

Thanks Brother Dee :)

[AceOn6]

Ugly here outside of Boston. Instead of real snow, we have sleet, LOTS of sleet and the weather guessers are speculating that we will have freezing rain later today.

Rudie vibes please for keeping the frain away. We always lose power when it frains, and I don't want to be sitting in a cold, dark house tonight.

[Mimi]

Please be careful over there and stay at home if possible!

Mimi

[Dee]

Ugly here outside of Boston. Instead of real snow, we have sleet, LOTS of sleet and the weather guessers are speculating that we will have freezing rain later today.

Rudie vibes please for keeping the frain away. We always lose power when it frains, and I don't want to be sitting in a cold, dark house tonight.

Oh Dee, I feel for you. I do hope you won't lose power and that you and your loved ones keep safe. We had a horrid time during 1998 with a major ice storm that went on for days:

It was the evening of January 7, 1998 in the southern Rideau region when the power went out. That night the forest started to come down. For the next two days the forest took on a surreal crystal appearance with branches covered by up to 2 inches (50 mm) of ice. Every 20 seconds or so a crash would resound as another branch, too heavily laden with ice, cracked and fell to the ground, ice shards scattering on impact.

The ice storm, the worst this century, plunged several million people into the dark in an area ranging from the Rideau region in the west, to the Maritimes in the east. The hardest hit area was from the Rideau through to the south shore of Montreal. The area south of Montreal, now known as the "dark triangle", is still without power (January 20), as is much of the rural Rideau region.

The problem was a result of a trough of cold air sitting in the St. Lawrence lowlands. As moist, warm air from the south swept over the top of this cold air mass, rain fell, turning to freezing rain as it neared the ground, coating trees, power lines, and anything else it hit with ice. Normally, we would get one such storm and it would pass within a few hours. In this case, a series of ice storms swept the region, each adding a new layer of ice to already overloaded trees and power lines....

http://www.rideau-info.com/local/ice-storm98.html

[Amy in Vermont]

...its REALLY, REALLY snowing and REALLY REALLY cold.

I went out to do round 1 of snow removal... using my little electric snowblower to do the walk, a path for the dogs and a path to the cars. The snow plow guy did a quick 'end of the driveway' clearing before he headed off to work. He will be back later tonite.

The snow is much deeper, with more drifting than I expected! Its also bitterly cold.. even with my gloves on, and my hands in motion, they got painfully cold in the short time I was out there. And my glasses kept steaming up!

And they say the worst of it is yet to come. Oh well.. its nice to be a kid again!

[Denise]

Hey you guys! I'm with ya here in Maine! About 4-5 inches of snow on the ground. Actually kind of serene and quiet right now. But later today all hell's supposed to break loose... high wind gusts, power outages, thundersnow, white-out conditions...fun fun...
We are under a "Blizzard Warning" until 7a.m. Thurs. No school today and just maybe tomorrow depending on when this all winds down. I guess with the warmth we had at the beginning of the season, we are due for this finally.
Getting ready to get the recruits... son, daughter, daughter's boyfriend...(hubby's at work) ...to get off their butts and get outside to shovel what we've got so far so we don't have to do it all after 20" predicted inches fall!! (Which doesn't of course compare to upstate NY's 100+ inches recently!!)
And Dee....I was in that Ice Storm of '98 as well....9 days without power! And it sucked!!! Since then, and after some damage to our home during that storm, we have purchased a generator that I hope we don't have to use later on but it's comforting to know that we have it now. During the Ice Storm, our food was in coolers on the deck (which later collapsed from a tree falling on it!); and we were fed by the Red Cross. This place looked like a war zone.. like I think it was Arkansas that just went through a smiliar experience several weeks ago. No thanks! Is there any place that is not safe from blizzards, tornadoes, hurricanes... ?
So after the shoveling we will "batten down the hatches" for the real storm later today!!! Good luck and safe driving to all of you that are being affected by this. Stay Warm!!!!
Denise

[Oak Kitten]

We had freezing rain that started last night. It is winding down at the moment, but we are supposed to get snow on top of the ice in a few hours.

The skinflints at OPM did not shut down the government today - so those of us who are too sane to risk death on roads will be charged a full day's leave. They did authorize a 2 hour delay - but the conditions are too bad where I am to risk it. Besides, the local TV station reported that the traffic lights at 2 of the major intersections I have to go through to get to the office (both cross MD Rte 4 - Pennsylvania Avenue) are not working. That made my decision easy. Burn some leave and live to gripe about it.

Here's a picture of the aftermath of the storm from my dining room window:

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c70/rbalano/Icestorm2.jpg

Oak

[ponytail]

Dave couldn't get the car out this morning, so we get to spend Valentine's Day together. It kind of reminds me of Fred singing to Ginger, "Isn't It A Lovely Day To Be Caught In The Rain?" ;)

[Amy in Vermont]

http://community.middlebury.edu/~aehoffma/Images/21407.JPG

http://community.middlebury.edu/~aehoffma/Images/stop sign.JPG

This stop sign is about 20 feet from my living room window. Can you see the street?

[RedjackRyan]

Wow Amy, thats pretty good snow! Judging by that stop sign it looks like 2-3 feet deep !

All you Rudies be careful digging yourselves out !

[Eva]

Yes, be careful! And while you are home because you can't reach your work, go out and enjoy the snow. Make snowmen, throw snowballs at eachother, play with the dog. It's here, it's cold, it's dangerous, it's wet, it's nasty. So you might as well make it as positive as possible (gheesh, these happypills really work!)

Eva

[Amy in Vermont]

go out and enjoy the snow. Make snowmen, throw snowballs at eachother, play with the dog. It's here, it's cold, it's dangerous, it's wet, it's nasty. So you might as well make it as positive as possible
Eva

The ambient temperature has not reached 4 degrees F (-16 C) today, with a current wind chill of -17 f (-27 c). The visibility is about 4 feet at this point.

This is not snow that you play in.. its downright evil out there!

[AceOn6]

Thank you all for the anti-frain vibes. We've escaped the worst of it and I don't think we'll have power problems (knock on wood)

My normal commute is about 15 minutes to go the 10 miles. Today it was 45 minutes each way as I stayed on the back roads to avoid folks who attempt to go too fast. I HAD to go in to the office today. I had a 9:00 and a very important project session that was scheduled to go from 12-4:30. Anyway, the 9 was cancelled, and the afternoon meeting started late and only ran to 2:30. The building closed at 3:00. What a waste of gas!

Ace/Dee who is wondering what to make for Valentines Day dinner as hubby is really not hungry and isn't interested in "real food"

[Gandalf]

I'm not getting my beloved snow. There are so many accidents that the police are only responding to ones where there are injuries. And, last night, there was a brush fire a couple of blocks away from my house. It burned 60 acres and closed the local airport. So much ice; I had to stay home from work, what a shame... not! Ah' love it!

Someone I know in PA blamed me for her snow. I thought about it and I say to you all that if I could control the weather there would be piles of fluffy snow every Christmas eve, and I'd be able to direct the path of tornados with my T.V.'s remote control!

Giving me power might not be a good thing. I might be more evil than Redjack!

Take care, everyone!

[Amy in Vermont]

The college has closed down for all but essential personel. We are closed until at least 10 AM tomorrow. There is so much snow, blowing and drifting to boot, the plows can't keep up with it and all the parking lots on campus are off limits. They are having to truck the snow away to clear them!

That means I can get up at my normal time and use the 2 extra hours to dig out!

[Roady]

I got to work from home today-thank goodness for computers and VPN. I've been listening to the traffic reports and the rain/slush in Boston today is freezing and there are accidents all over the place. It's all snow out where I live.

Amy I love the picture of your Lhasa. I'd much rather snow than slush and ice. I just heard where they banned all trailer trucks from the Vermont roads. So careful driving if you have to go to work. Just heard your storm might be one of the 10 biggest in Vt's history. If I head into Boston tomorrow, I'm taking the train.

Drive safely everyone.

[Amy in Vermont]

At 630 I put on snowshoes to go pack a path for the dogs, because the path I had snow blown earlier was long gone. By 730, that was gone as well, drifted over and filled in!

My neighbor with the snow plow is stuck in his own driveway! I gotta feeling it will be long past 10 before I get to work tomorrow!

[Darlene]

That's some Valentines Day for you guys (unless you got to stay inside with someone special).

You all be careful! And I don't care if work doesnt like it. You just keep safe and warm.

Lots of warmth, Darlene

[Oak Kitten]

Amy,

Your Lhasa is a cutie pie! Don't let him/her get lost in the snow.

Around noontime today it warmed up just enough to cause ice showers, as all the ice began to break away from the branches. It made quite the racket. A neighbor came by and told us everyone else around us lost power. We have had ours all day - this is very unusual. The paper said 70,000 people in Maryland are in the dark.

Oak

[Amy in Vermont]

This is officially the second greatest single storm snowfall on record here!

The sky is now clearing, but the wind is blowing ( -17 windchill).

The college is closed for the day for non-essential personel ( that would be me) as there is no place to park!

I will spend the day moving snow and warming up (repeat)

A

[Amy in Vermont]

Well... it took me half an hour to snow blow a path from the house to the garage.. all 20 feet of it.

The neighbor that was going to plow the open part of the driveway dropped his transmission last night trying to drive the 100 feet of unplowed street from the corner to his house.

Another neighbor with a much bigger snowblower than mine ( I have a little electric one.. good for up to 6 inches of snow), has graciously started to clear us out. Hopefully he won't suffer frostbite doing it!

Pictures to follow.

[Dee]

I won't complain then, Amy. Unlike Southern Ontario, we only ended up with about a foot of snow, currently blowing like the peaks of the Himalayas. Very nice and clean tho, and crunchy underfoot as I trekked back from the mall across the field against the -31°C (-23.8°F) wind chill. No doubt I looked Arabic with my scarf across my face, but better than risking frostbite!

Glad you're not lifting all that white stuff with a shovel! :eek:

[AceOn6]

We have a snow removal contract with our landscaper. What we got was still relatively soft when I checked at suppertime, but as the temps dropped, it rapidly turned to concrete. Our danged service didn't get to us until after 1:00 a.m., and it took them FOREVER. Amy, I'm surprised they didn't have transmission problems like your neighbor did.

Our neighbors to the near north had a terrible morning. Black ice on the interstate... many many crashes... one death.

Ace/Dee, who is happy to have gotten to work safely this morning as there was still quite a bit of ice on the interstate even this far south.

[aabram]

Oh you lot, DO take care, PLEASE :eek: And think of us in the UK who just seem to be getting rain and more rain again :rolleyes: Keep warm and the dog indoors :) The scenes are like something off a christmas card.

[Amy in Vermont]

Large snowblower neighbor got the open part of the driveway cleared nicely. Michele and I just finished the rest.. being able to back the cars out into the cleared area makes a huge difference with mini-blower.

Michele goes ahead of me and breaks up the big windblown packed drifties with a shovel, and I come along with miniblower and blow it off to the lawn. I will, as soon as I warm up, shower and re-dress, supply pictures of our winter wonderland.

[Amy in Vermont]

http://community.middlebury.edu/~aehoffma/Images/Blizzard/frontdoor.jpg My front door.http://community.middlebury.edu/~aehoffma/Images/Blizzard/frontdoor2.jpg The path to the front door.
http://community.middlebury.edu/~aehoffma/Images/Blizzard/5ftfence.jpg The dog yard fence.http://community.middlebury.edu/~aehoffma/Images/Blizzard/gate.jpg The gate is 5 feet tall!

[Eva]

But very pretty.

Eva

[Denise]

Today we had a 2-hour delay for school. And thank goodness because we used all of that to clean off 2 school buses; 4 cars; and clear out our driveway!
And that was with one plow guy; husband using the snowblower and 4 of us with shovels! Whew!
The rest of the day was sunny and gorgeous!
But now I'm ready to call it a day and hit that bed hard!
Amy ... your pics look very familiar! Love your doggie pic....adorable!

[Roady]

I drove into work today instead of taking the train. Roads were better out here than in Boston as it was too cold for any melting/freezing. Cripes doesn't Boston believe in shoveling sidewalks? I almost killed myself getting from the parking lot, across Comm Ave and into my office building. :mad:

I heard they got 4 feet of snow in Smuggler's Notch. White gold just in time for school vacation week.

That was terrible about the death on Route 93. It was a little boy. :(

[aabram]

Well, keep warm, and when you want to complain, think of all those who haven't got snow to play in as good as that. I'll be thinking of you as we get very little snow in Edinburgh these days (Must be something to do with Global Warming) :D

[Denise]

Roady... I read about that little boy's death...so sad. We were lucky in Maine - more snow than any ice. There was also a report in the news of a school bus sliding on the ice down in Massachusetts, and hitting an SUV I think, with several kids being hurt. I've gone sideways in my school bus on icy roads and it is a very scary thing! Doesn't matter what you have for a vehicle, that ice is so dangerous! I'd rather drive in snow anytime! Stay safe, drive slow, and keep warm!!!

P.S. I'm orginally from Mass. myself...been here for many years, however. Did you know that some people in Maine call the summer people from Mass.... "massholes"?!
I think those same people would be lost without those "massholes" coming here in the summer and spending their money!!!!

[Oak Kitten]

Many of the schools in Virginia and Maryland remained closed through today. They only got a few inches of snow, but it was mixed with freezing rain and after the precipitation stopped, the deep freeze made it as hard as concrete, so you can't shovel it or plow it.

Oak

[aabram]

Many of the schools in Virginia and Maryland remained closed through today. They only got a few inches of snow, but it was mixed with freezing rain and after the precipitation stopped, the deep freeze made it as hard as concrete, so you can't shovel it or plow it.

Oak

Better get your ice skates out. Looks like there'll be some new skaters at next year's Olympics then????? :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :D

[Oak Kitten]

Aabraam,

The emergency rooms in Virginia and Maryland are doing a banner business with people getting injured in sledding accidents, by ice sheets falling off roofs and flying off moving vehicles (WHY don't people clean their cars off COMPLETELY before they get on the road?) It's the front page story on the Metro section in today's Washington Post.

If that is not bad enought, there are still thousands of people with no electriciy. We came through unscathed, but the power went out at the marina where we keep out sailboat, and it is iced in at present, because the bubblers to keep the water around the boats from freezing don't work.

Ice is great to slide on, but stopping is your real problem. Where I lived in Massachusetts as a kid, it was very hilly. My mom used to go out in this kind of weather to go to the store. We lived about halfway up a very steep hill. She used to go out, and just sit herself down and slide all the way to the bottom of the hill. Pretty comical, but it worked. For the life of me though, I cannot remember how she managed to get back UP the hill. She was a stubborn little Finnish lady and glare ice was not going to keep her from doing her thing.

Oak

[Roady]

Denise I give you a lot of credit for doing the job you do. I would be a wreck-what a huge responsibility!

P.S. I went to UMaine but I'm from MA. My speech professor sent me to the speech therapy clinic after the 1st class, saying I had a speech impediment. Well the speech therapist had me read an article from Time Mag. and said, "That's not a speech impediment, it's just your Massachusetts accent." I just love a strong Maine accent like those from up Aroostook county way or Down East. "Ayup"

[aabram]

Aabraam,

The emergency rooms in Virginia and Maryland are doing a banner business with people getting injured in sledding accidents, by ice sheets falling off roofs and flying off moving vehicles (WHY don't people clean their cars off COMPLETELY before they get on the road?) It's the front page story on the Metro section in today's Washington Post.

If that is not bad enought, there are still thousands of people with no electriciy. We came through unscathed, but the power went out at the marina where we keep out sailboat, and it is iced in at present, because the bubblers to keep the water around the boats from freezing don't work.

Ice is great to slide on, but stopping is your real problem. Where I lived in Massachusetts as a kid, it was very hilly. My mom used to go out in this kind of weather to go to the store. We lived about halfway up a very steep hill. She used to go out, and just sit herself down and slide all the way to the bottom of the hill. Pretty comical, but it worked. For the life of me though, I cannot remember how she managed to get back UP the hill. She was a stubborn little Finnish lady and glare ice was not going to keep her from doing her thing.

Oak

Oh I'm sorry. I haven't known snow of this magnitude since 1963 in Kent, when the River Medway froze over, we all had Mumps and my brother threw a snowball in my eye. There really HAS been nothing as bad since then. Seems as though I've lived rather a sheltered life :rolleyes:

[Bat]

We have had the worst ice storm (freezing rain) here in Cincinnati in 19 years last week...and it hasn't been above freezing since, so the trees are still coated with about 3/4 inch of ice...very heavy. We've lost some big branches off our old Maple in the back yard, thankfully none hit the house or deck, or the neighbors' ; but we will have our arborist come out and make the trees shipshape again, take off one big widow-maker, and cut up the fallen branches. I hope the dear old tree--at least 50 years old, and maybe closer to 70--will have enough leaves to feed itself this summer! We lost another branch off the maple on the driveway...it fell on the fence and buckled a section in the middle, bent over three pickets. I hope they can find a replacement section at the fence place, as it seems to be a discontinued item. Luckily, our insurance will cover a part of all this, so when the ice goes, the help will come.
Meanwhile, it's a beautiful sunny day, icicles are amazing, but the ice hangs on, making everything sparkle. Yesterday we had 3 inches of snow, too.
Luckily, the city has the streets under control, the utility company is within a day of getting everyone back online (we didn't lose power, amazingly enough)
so it's really just pretty outside. I just hope the trees can hold up under the weight of the ice for another week before the expected thaw comes.

[Oak Kitten]

Bat,

We have lots of broken trees down here, too. There are still heavy branches that broke off trees but have not completely fallen yet dangling over the country roads like swords of Damocles.

Oak

[aabram]

(When you all get back online) I'm about to post something which will get you all laughing again on the currrent Jokes thread. :)

Annabel