'Snowmageddon' blankets Mid-Atlantic in heavy snow

[knightni]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_winter_weather

 

WASHINGTON – Mid-Atlantic residents were buried Saturday from a likely record-setting blizzard the president jokingly called "Snowmageddon," and those brave enough tried to clear a path through the wet, heavy mounds of thigh-high snow.

 

The snow was falling too quickly in the nation's capital for crews to keep up, and officials begged residents to stay home and out of the way so that roads might be cleared in time for everyone to return to work Monday. The usually traffic-snarled roads were mostly barren, and Washington's familiar sites and monuments were covered with nearly 2 feet of snow.

 

Tihana and Jarrett Blanc had given up on digging, instead taking their dog, Hector, for a walk through northwest Washington during what forecasters said could be the biggest storm for the nation's capital in modern history.

 

"Our car is stuck. We're not even trying," said Tihana, 36.

 

The storm toppled trees and knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of customers in Washington, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The situation was the same in West Virginia, where some 400 National Guard troops were helping with snow removal.

 

Though the focal point remained the nation's capital, people from Pittsburgh, across Pennsylvania to Philadelphia, New Jersey and West Virginia were dealing with snow being measured in feet instead of inches. It was still snowing Saturday in Philadelphia, virtually shutting down the nation's sixth-largest city.

 

Walt Gursky, 28, braved the roads to go to the Philadelphia International Auto Show at the Pennsylvania Convention Center downtown. The event was a ghost town.

 

"Last year when I came, there was a line getting in," Gursky said in the normally mobbed facility. "Much more relaxing in here — you can actually see what you want."

 

Hundreds of car wrecks were reported across the region, though only two deaths were reported — a father and son who died while helping another motorist in Virginia. By Saturday, most people couldn't drive anywhere because their cars and roads were buried.

 

In Ellicott City, Md., Christine Benkoski said she was trying to dig out from at least 2 feet. As she tried to clear her driveway, she said she uncovered how the storm had transitioned from snow, to ice, then back to snow.

 

"I feel like an archaeologist," Benkoski said.

 

"I've been out here for an hour, and my only goal is to get to the street."

 

And President Barack Obama, a snow veteran from his days in Chicago, didn't have a smooth day. He walked out of the White House midmorning to find the South Lawn, his backyard, looking nearly like an untouched wilderness. Instead of the familiar scenes of manicured lawns and clipped hedges, snow had piled on every shrub and the backyard was almost colorless.

 

First, there was a small fender bender on the White House south lawn. Then a tree branch, overcome with snow, cracked and fell on a motorcade vehicle with press inside when the president was coming back from a speech at the Democratic National Committee's winter meeting in town.

 

Instead of a presidential limo, Obama rode in a black SUV covered with presidential seals.

 

Obama thanked Democrats for being "willing to brave a blizzard. Snowmageddon here in D.C."

 

Noting the president's hometown, DNC chairman Tim Kaine said "It's like an April day in Chicago."

 

After all that, the White House announced Obama would have no more outings for the day.

 

Meanwhile, cabin fever had set in for many of the patrons packed inside Bob and Edith's Diner in Arlington, Va.

 

"I couldn't take being in the house anymore," said Shaela Linn, 29, who walked with a roommate to the 24-hour restaurant about five blocks away. "We had fun, we played beer pong, made a fire, cooked dinner, but you can only take so much being inside."

 

Airlines canceled flights, churches called off weekend services, and Amtrak and commuter trains ground to a halt. Some people wondered if they would be stuck at home for several days.

 

At Dulles International Airport, part of a hangar roof collapsed and damaged some of the private jets housed inside, though no one was hurt. A northeast D.C. church also collapsed when a tree fell on it, though no one was inside and no one was hurt.

 

The snow comes less than two months after a Dec. 19 storm dumped more than 16 inches on Washington. Snowfalls of this magnitude — let alone two in one season — are rare in the area. According to the National Weather Service, Washington has gotten more than a foot of snow only 13 times since 1870.

 

The heaviest on record was 28 inches in January 1922. The biggest snowfall for the Washington-Baltimore area is believed to have been in 1772, before official records were kept, when as much as 3 feet fell, which George Washington and Thomas Jefferson penned in their diaries.

 

Despite the onslaught, some ventured outside for a chance to play. Snowballs were flying in normally bustling DuPont Circle, a major Washington thoroughfare. Hundreds of people gathered for a snowball fight with word spreading through Facebook, Twitter and TV commentators.

 

Carolyn Matuska, on the other hand, was loving the solitude during her morning run along Washington's National Mall.

 

"Oh, it's spectacular out," she said. "It's so beautiful. The temperature's perfect, it's quiet, there's nobody out, it's a beautiful day."

[lostfan]

This is the hill in front of my house - normally you can see the next row of houses across the street but not now. That snow bank is about 5 feet high after being shoveled, you usually can see my car up there but it's nowhere to be seen.

 

My car buried under about 28 inches of snow.

Edited February 6, 2010 by lostfan

[Balta1701]

Having grown up SE of Chicago in lake-effect country, I can't help but look and really not feel all that impressed. Like trying to impress a person from Buffalo.

[knightni]

Yep. That's winter here in South Bend area, Keith.

 

Every year we get that at least twice.

[lostfan]

You people act like I didn't grow up in Chicago.

[Balta1701]

You people act like I didn't grow up in Chicago.

You didn't start the thread.

[knightni]

You people act like I didn't grow up in Chicago.

When it comes to snow, Chicago has nothing on the areas east of Lake Michigan. Just ask Ss2k5.

[lostfan]

Chicago gets like a foot of snow at one time pretty routinely and it takes a lot of snow for people to actually change their plans and/or stop what they're doing so I really have to laugh at the people that live here every year when they go out and form long lines at the grocery store when there is 3 inches of snow in the forecast and they cancel school before the snow actually falls. But 2 1/2 feet is a lot of snow for anybody, I don't care where you live, you can't just go about your life getting around as if there was NOT 2 1/2 feet of snow on the ground just because you see it more often.

[knightni]

Yeah. we got 2 1/2 feet in a 24-48 hour period right after Christmas.

 

The plows come out, people snow blow their driveways 2 or 3 times, people take giant brooms and knock the snow piles off of their cars. Life goes on.

[lostfan]

People don't have snowblowers here, there's no reason to spend all that money when there might be 10 inches of snow for the whole year.

[knightni]

Hey, it's the new era of Global Warming, they should have expected this. Jake Gyllenhall showed them.

[Balta1701]

Chicago gets like a foot of snow at one time pretty routinely and it takes a lot of snow for people to actually change their plans and/or stop what they're doing so I really have to laugh at the people that live here every year when they go out and form long lines at the grocery store when there is 3 inches of snow in the forecast and they cancel school before the snow actually falls. But 2 1/2 feet is a lot of snow for anybody, I don't care where you live, you can't just go about your life getting around as if there was NOT 2 1/2 feet of snow on the ground just because you see it more often.

I've been somewhat amazed at the sheer duration of the school cancellations here after it snowed last Friday-Saturday. Schools were still being canceled a full week later.

[lostfan]

I've been somewhat amazed at the sheer duration of the school cancellations here after it snowed last Friday-Saturday. Schools were still being canceled a full week later.

Yeah that takes a lot of getting used to. I still am pretty dumbfounded that they're so risk-averse here. It's not like they don't have the budget for minor snowfall or something, it does actually snow here every year, it's not like this is Miami.

Edited February 6, 2010 by lostfan

[southsider2k5]

When it comes to snow, Chicago has nothing on the areas east of Lake Michigan. Just ask Ss2k5.

 

QFT. Chicago gets some snow. We get Lake Effect.

[Flash Tizzle]

What was the total amount of snow that occurred, what, thirty or forty years ago in Chicago? I remember there was that one ridiculous day people refer to. Granted, it was before the reinforced snow plows and snowblowers of today, but it had to be somewhere around 2 to 2 1/2 feet.

[lostfan]

What was the total amount of snow that occurred, what, thirty or forty years ago in Chicago? I remember there was that one ridiculous day people refer to. Granted, it was before the reinforced snow plows and snowblowers of today, but it had to be somewhere around 2 to 2 1/2 feet.

1967? I think it was 23 inches. Obviously I wasn't around then.

 

Record for snowfall in Chicago in one day is 19.8".

[Rooftop Shots]

1967? I think it was 23 inches. Obviously I wasn't around then.

 

Record for snowfall in Chicago in one day is 19.8".

 

1967 was mostly one big total dump.

I think that it was either 1978 or 1979 when we got around 87 total inches for the year. It seemed like every day it snowed to some degree.

[Rooftop Shots]

The Pastor of the church that I go to came from Buffalo about 15 years ago, When he was younger, he told me of a weekend where the BIG FLAKES wre coming down HARD the whole weekend with harsh winds. There was this one drift that he told me about, that when it froze, he climbed to the top and touched the top of the telephone pole. That's just flat out sick!

[Rooftop Shots]

In 1967 there was a guy across the street from me had a heart attack. The ambulance could not get down to the middle of the block. The paramedics plunged their way through the snow from the main road to get to his house. I remember seeing them lift and balance the stretcher in the air as they worked feverishly to get him to the ambulance that was parked on the main highway. Thankfully, he made it through OK.

[BigEdWalsh]

That 1967 snow was something. I remember totally deserted streets (except for abandoned cars). Nobody could get around. And as I recall, about 4 inches were predicted. We got 23 inches making it, I believe the largest single snowfall in Chicago history.

[FlaSoxxJim]

1967 was mostly one big total dump.

I think that it was either 1978 or 1979 when we got around 87 total inches for the year. It seemed like every day it snowed to some degree.

 

Yep, 1979 was my generation's 1967. No school for the week, and the end of Mayor Bilandic's tenure as a result of the sloow, uncoordinated response to the blizzard.

[southsider2k5]

Honestly I am amazed at how few big snowfalls Chicago has actually gotten. It is amazing how different it is on the other side of the lake. We have had a snowfall this winter that is bigger than the 1967 fall, and it isn't unusual.

 

http://www.crh.noaa.gov/lot/winter/chi_sno_hist.php

[Balta1701]

Honestly I am amazed at how few big snowfalls Chicago has actually gotten.

In Feb, 1998, the last major El Nino year, I was saying the exact same thing.

[Texsox]

[lostfan]

Honestly I am amazed at how few big snowfalls Chicago has actually gotten. It is amazing how different it is on the other side of the lake. We have had a snowfall this winter that is bigger than the 1967 fall, and it isn't unusual.

 

http://www.crh.noaa.gov/lot/winter/chi_sno_hist.php

I've seen 30 inches of snow on the ground growing up, but never in a short period of time like this. Never been inside an actual blizzard before.