Thursday, January 20, 2011

Yeah, We Got Snow

I didn't get out to take pictures today after our snow. Schedule is a little tight on Thursdays sometimes, and today especially as I had an appointment. I did snap this with the cell phone after I returned from my appointment and finished my shoveling chore. Shovel ready indeed!

So pretty! The snow is light and fluffy. It was in the low 20's and high teens most of the time it snowed so it wasn't that wet heavy snow. I like that!

I snapped these two pictures yesterday about an hour, hour and half into the storm. It was already getting dicey. Most schools did early release, and the colleges canceled classes and churches canceled their Wednesday night stuff.

The visibility during this storm was frequently low, due to the intensity of the snow fall. Much of the time, the snow fell at a rate of an inch an hour. That went on until about 10 p.m. The snow fell until about 1 or 2 a.m. That's how we ended up with 7-9 inches of white stuff.

The worst time during the storm was the 5 p.m. rush hour. I did not go far from home, just to the library to do some work I needed to do, and to a place to eat. I was home at 5:30 and did not go out again. People were stuck on the interstates for 2-3 hours trying to get home from work. I listened to KMBZ's storm coverage. They had people calling in telling how the road conditions were. Many called in two or three times as their drives got longer and longer, sitting in traffic that did not move.

This morning, the roads were pretty good in the late rush hour and just after. The sun made a big difference, so it still may have been a little crummy for those who have to go to work early, before our 7 a.m. sunrise. The interstates are clear, the main roads pretty much clear and the neighborhoods--well, still a bit of a mess.

There will probably be some post storm critics of the snow removal effort. However, the snow fell so intensely and and just the wrong time of day to create some real nightmares on the roads. The plows just couldn't keep up, then cars got stuck and there was no help for it then. Real progress was made by the plow jockeys in the overnight and early morning once everyone got home and the stuck cars were towed away.

The weather boys say we may get a bit more snow over the weekend. Uh huh.

5 comments:

chuck said...

Luv the pics! :)

Bob G. said...

T.O.:
Yes, nice pictures.

I had to LOL at the "shovel-ready" line.
Cute.

I prefer the light snow too, even if it IS colder when it snows that way (less moisture, denser air, lower temps), but it's easier to get that WHITE-OUT conditions you mentioned, but a lot easier to clear off of stuff.
Still, it crunches nicely underfoot.
We're getting about an inch more over the weekend.
(in NE Indiana)

Have yourself a good weekend.
Stay safe and warm out there.

The Observer said...

chuck--thanks! :) Camera in a phone. Best. Invention. Ever.

Bob G:
Couldn't resist--but have to say I saw it somewhere else--can't remember where or I'd give proper credit.

I am already sick of winter but know that by March it will be much better here. Also a check of the forecast back in Vermont made me feel better--they are supposed to drop to -20 to as low as -40 in spots real temperature.

Damn, that is cold! I am glad that my mother who is in one of the areas that might get really cold has a back up generator, and also has just put in a LP gas insert in her fireplace!

We are Miami in comparison!

The Observer, who is indeed counting the days (only 10 days left of January...)

Ann T. said...

Dear The Observer,
Yes, the pics are great! I particularly like the second one--a lot of quiet graphic sense in that one and somehow unusual!

Still haven't started using the phone for a camera. Also, I'm too wimpy/cold to walk around a lot in the winter, just to take pictures of dead leaves. I'm going to have to toughen up!

Can't wait to get some more flower shots, or perhaps more accurately, some flowers . . .

Ann T.

The Observer said...

Ann T:
I am looking forward to flowers too...

I took a number of photos from behind the wheel, trying to see the scene a split second beforehand with a little anticipation...took about three shots and I did like this one the best.

It's hard to walk around in the winter--that is part of the reason why there was a dearth of sunny pics--cold!

Welcome back :)

The Observer