Major Snowstorm for Mid-Atlantic back to Kentucky/Tennessee

[Ban my account ffs!]

Surprised this hasn't come up yet.

http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/snow-storm-travel-disruptions-aim-for-nyc-dc-boston-philadelphia-friday-saturday/54870622

It looks like the heaviest snow will fall in the mountains of eastern W Virginia and western Virginia, but DC could see anywhere from 1-2 feet of snow, Philly could see over a foot, and several inches are possible points north.  Coupled with strong, gusty winds, blizzard conditions could be present.  

If blizzard conditions develop it would more likely be to the heavy snow rather than the wind.  It will arrive tomorrow through Saturday lasting through Sunday further north.

This is a pretty classic El Nino east coast storm that really targets the mid-Atlantic rather than New England.  It will even bring ice and sleet into northern parts of the south and possible blizzard conditions to Memphis of all places along with brutal conditions across Kentucky.

The most peculiar part is the possible blizzard conditions over NW Mississippi.  Not often you hear blizzard and Mississippi in the same sentence.

[Mr. Smith]

I missed the  jackpot of weather by one week.

[Gass3268]

From Capital Weather Gang (Washington Post's Weather):



I live just to the north of the northern point of DC. Debating if I want to go to work tomorrow. Snow isn't going to start until sometime between Noon-5pm tomorrow and we are supposed to only get an inch before 5pm. However an inch of snow brought traffic to a standstill yesterday across the entire region. Last thing I want to do is get stuck in traffic trying to get home from the metro (subway) station as a blizzard is starting.

[angus]

I will leave work a bit early tomorrow as well.
  

[Ban my account ffs!]

They keep ramping up the snow totals so now it could be 2 feet for DC proper with 18-24" in the eastern burbs and 24-30" in the western burbs.

If DC gets 2 feet, it will be the 2nd largest snowstorm in recorded history.  To beat the record from 1922, they'd have to get 28" of snow.

[angus]

If DC gets 2 feet, it will be the 2nd largest snowstorm in recorded history. 

This storm is certainly generating lots of hype.  The on-line Lancaster newspaper quotes Paul Kocin of the National Weather Service:  "...estimates at more than 2 feet for Washington, a foot to 18 inches for Philadelphia and 8 inches to a foot in New York..."

Apparently the 24-hour record for Lancaster is 30 inches, set on January 8, 1996.  Currently the Weather channel predicts 15 to 18 inches of snow over a 36-hour period here beginning this evening.  Eric Horst of the MU meteorology department reports that a thick cirrostratus shield is moving over us.  I can see it outside my office windows.  I suppose that's what it is.  I think I might have been absent the day "cirrostratus shield" was discussed.  He suggests that the snow may begin to fall in about 8 hours.  He thinks Blue Ridge will be "ground zero" with 30 inches or more.  He will update his prediction map at 11:15. I'll be in quantum mechanics lecture at that time, but I'll check the meteorology page when I get back to my office around noon.

We're buying into the hype.  Yesterday we bought lots of meat, chicken, fish, wine, vodka, beer, and cognac, just in case stores are closing.  Will probably buy some batteries on the way home for the flashlights.  The fireplace is gas, one of those with cheesy-looking fake wood, and you flip a lightswitch and--voilà!--a roaring fire magically begins.  I assume that it will still work in the event of an electrical power failure.  Meat, booze, light, and heat.  Long as you have those things, you're okay.

Hopefully the gym will stay open.  The jacuzzi is always 102 degrees Fahrenheit.  We're actually looking forward to the snow.  It'll be fun to have a snowball fight and build a snowalien.  It has been such an unusually mild winter that we haven't broken out the toboggan, snowboard, snowpants, snowboots, or even the shovels yet.  Bring it on.

[/]

I'm too lazy to check out my window (which is like two feet away) but it sounds pretty bad.

[angus]

Dr. Horst's update:



It appears that he has moved the pink line about 20 miles east in this area.  Not particularly significant, but if he's right, it means that we'll have only snow, and not sleet mixed in, which means that the 40-mph gusts will make for some mean drifts, especially on my front door and garage doors, which face the direction of the onslaught.  A little sleet would have packed it down better.

Just learned that the club has cancelled the dolphin, swordfish, sandshark, and stingray level swim lessons, as well as thrive training, martial arts practice, and boxing lessons.  None of that affects me, but it means that instructors are closing classes.  If enough of their staff call in sick, they may close the club.  Or they may close the club for the safety of their staff, which would make sense.  Local public libraries have announced Saturday closings as well.

Grumps and all the Yinzers are probably calling us wimps.  A couple of feet of snow and the city closes down?  Seriously?  Actually, my son's school closes down for a couple of inches of snow as well.  We are pretty wimpy around here.

[Ban my account ffs!]

I'm not bragging because I think the school district was being incredibly foolish.. but I remember waiting for the bus mornings when it was below -30F air temperature.  Or where there'd be 8" of snow on the road and the bus would come around the corner sliding around... on time.

Funny story.. when I was in 5th grade... the brutal winter of '96, the Ford truck testers were staying at our resort and one of their guys got one of the '98 trucks they were testing stuck in the deep snow.  And then the guy who tried to pull him out got stuck as well.  This happened around the time we were supposed to be down at teh end of the driveway/road to catch the bus... so my dad made us walk half way (about 0.3 miles) in temperatures below -20F and then a Ford guy picked us up and let us wait in the truck with him.  But because of their awful testing rules they couldn't have the heat on. 

Best part of that story?  My dad got his Chevy truck and pulled both of the Fords out of the snow.

What else do I remember about the winter of '96?  Trudging through the snow in our halloween costumes on Halloween... people trying to thaw their frozen pipes with hair dryers... experiencing -50F air temperatures... and a sledding party with heavy snow at Easter.

The governor came to my town that year for fishing opener and the ice went off the lake the day before he got there.  People joked about using dynamite to clear the lake of ice for him.

[Simfan34]

Bollocks! I wanted to make the snowstorm thread!



We'll escape the brunt of the snow, but wind and flood conditions are supposed to worse than Irene. I'd hate to live in a flood zone right now. Being flooded out is never fun; in the winter it must be pure misery.

[Miles]

It just started coming down here by the Reagan Airport.

[Frodo]

They keep ramping up the snow totals so now it could be 2 feet for DC proper with 18-24" in the eastern burbs and 24-30" in the western burbs.

If DC gets 2 feet, it will be the 2nd largest snowstorm in recorded history.  To beat the record from 1922, they'd have to get 28" of snow.

It's two to two-and-half feet now, at least for my neck of the woods (Arlington County), with areas to the south and west getting as much as three feet, though it isn't reflected in this map (yet):

[angus]

The borough of Millersville (where I work), the township of Manheim (where I live), and the city of Lancaster (where I drive through twice daily) have all made public announcements that fines for parking on grass will not be enforced, and there's a list of public garages that will be free this weekend (normally they're about $15 per day).  I guess they're really wanting cars off the streets so that the plough can get through.  If the drifts are as big as predicted, they may not even be able to tell if there's a car under there, which might make for some smashed-up cars if they don't get moved.

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

Goodness, traveling around this weekend is going to be an absolute nightmare, even if SEPTA is back up and running on Sunday.

[angus]

Goodness, traveling around this weekend is going to be an absolute nightmare, even if SEPTA is back up and running on Sunday.

I hadn't even thought about the trains and buses.  After I saw your post I checked:  the Red Rose Transit Authority (Lancaster public bus) has cancelled all service for tomorrow.  I suppose that the one-hour Keystone Service from Lancaster to Philadelphia will also be closed, along with all the other local trains if they're surface trains.  Maybe the SEPTA subways will run their subterranean lines.  According to their website all their buses are cancelled Saturday, along with the surface trains.  Underground trains except Broadstreet and Market-Frankford are suspended, and those two "may be suspended during the day" as well.

Funny thing was at the corner convenience store, about 500 meters from my house, there was a long line of cars fueling.  It was a really long line.  Like, each of their six pumps had about nine or ten cars snaking around in a line.  Madhouse.  What the hell?  Who needs fuel when you're going to be snowed in.  These weren't big trucks with dozer blades either, but regular sedans and suburban assault vehicles, the kind that really need to stay off the roads for the next 48 hours or so.  I could understand a mad dash for milk and eggs and such, but why go crazy for auto fuel?

[Simfan34]

That's some pretty steep banding going on there.

[Simfan34]

GFS (American) model:



NAM model:



DC may have their record broken yet...

[angus]

the snow started about an hour ago.  I'd estimate that the accumulation amounts to about a centimeter. 

I went out and fetched the colorful strands of light.  I keep thinking that we ought to take down the christmas tree and decorations, but haven't gotten around to it yet.  I went out tonight, not to be a hero and get our lights out early, but mostly because once the snow hits, either it'll be a bitch to deal with, or because we'll have too much fun making snowball fights and playing with the toboggan and snowboard, that it'll become a very low priority, and we'll end up putting it off till March or April.

[Simfan34]

You haven't taken down the Christmas tree? Huh. We took it down on Jan 7th.

[Bleeding heart conservative, HTMLdon]

Heaviest snow in Nashville since 1983 - 6-8" in Davidson Co., even more to the north.

[angus]

You haven't taken down the Christmas tree? Huh. We took it down on Jan 7th.

probably should do that soon.  It's getting pretty brown and the carpet is littered with conifer litter.

[Simfan34]

I made a poll.

A live tree? Well, formerly live, I guess. I'm surprised the ornaments haven't started falling off.

[Obama Llama Glama]

I'm praying for those whose lives are in danger.

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

There's like 2-3 inches out there, and it stopped. Is this for real?

[Ban my account ffs!]

There's like 2-3 inches out there, and it stopped. Is this for real?

That's what she said.

(sorry... I mean... I had to)