(no subject)

[rivka]

The National Weather Service in Sterling Virginia has issued a
Winter Storm Warning for... which is in effect from noon Tuesday
to 7 PM EST Wednesday. The Winter Storm Watch is no longer in
effect.

* Precipitation type... snow.

* Accumulations... 10 to 20 inches.

* Timing... mid-afternoon Tuesday through Wednesday.

* Temperatures... temperatures near freezing at the onset Tuesday
afternoon. Temperatures will drop into the upper 20s Tuesday
night and Wednesday.

This is no joke, guys.

The roads are bad enough that even though Michael dug the car out with the help of a passing entrepreneur-with-shovel, I'm not comfortable with the idea of taking the kids out tomorrow morning to forage for groceries. So when he got home from work today (he walked, with difficulty), I walked (with difficulty) to our little neighborhood grocery store to see what they might have still on the shelves, knowing that they wouldn't have gotten a delivery yet.

No milk, no eggs, not much fruit or fresh vegetables, no artisanal bread or whole wheat sandwich bread. I got the last loaf of decent-quality sandwich white; after that, all that was left was those long loaves of cheap squishy white. They did have some meat. I got chicken breasts, a small piece of beef, bacon, chicken apple sausages. I was able to restock our supply of pasta and buy supplies for baking cookies. (Fortunately, we already had eggs. And butter.)

The main roads have been plowed, at least in our immediate neighborhood. The secondary roads haven't. I have no idea when I'm going to be able to get back to work or when Alex is going to be able to get back to school. I have no idea when we'll be able to go to church or the library or, well, anywhere but the house and garden, with occasional forays to the drugstore or neighborhood grocery.

While I was waiting to check out at the grocery store, I heard the owner ask an older man who came up to the customer service window:

"You lived in Baltimore all your life?"

"Yeah."

"Is this the worst you've ever seen?"

"Yeah."

Ten to twenty more inches, guys. Ten to twenty more inches.

Comments

[kalmn.livejournal.com]

whoa. speaking from my authority as a minnesotan, that's a fuckload of snow. we're in the middle of getting 10 inches here, but 10 is a little different from 10-20.

[eeyorerin]

Speaking from my authority as an upstate newyorkian who endured the blizzard of '93, I must concur with my esteemed colleague from minnesota. That's a fuckton of snow to get over a winter, let alone all at once. Maybe we can get Buffalo to send you some more plows.

[matthewwdaly.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry to say that plows don't help much at this point. There's no space on the sides of the street because of the previous storm. When that happens to us, the plows take a triage mentality and fill in half a lane of each street they plow, but then you've got narrow streets until spring. And if you were parked on the street when that happens, you'd sure wish you hadn't been.

Start designing some "I survived the Blizzard of '10" T-shirts. You've earned them.

[rivka.livejournal.com]

And if you were parked on the street when that happens, you'd sure wish you hadn't been.

We live in a downtown row house. There really is no other place to park. And yeah, this is where I wish for a suburban ranch house with a garage.

[mjlayman.livejournal.com]

Oh crud. I got up to 12" from weather service a while back and I just checked the Weather Service again and we now have 10-20" warning (http://forecast.weather.gov/showsigwx.php?warnzone=DCZ001&warncounty=DCC001&firewxzone=DCZ001&local_place1=Washington+DC&product1=Winter+Storm+Warning) as well.

Some of my neighbors dug their cars out yesterday, and the snow plow, front loader, dump truck, and shovelers were here today. It would probably take me too long to get the snow off the van and then get out to run a couple errands before the snow starts again. I expect the company back Thursday to clear again, so I might get out on Friday.

[ailbhe]

Wow. Good luck. It's not so much fun at that stage I guess.

Still, I suppose there'll be igloos, anyway. (Are they out of bread flour yet?)

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

Have fun with it.

B

[tassie-gal.livejournal.com]

For me, as an Australian, and originally a queenslander at that, that is a metric butt load of cold wet stuff.
Even down here in Tassie where the mountain has snow for a good 7-8 months of the year in some way shape or form, and we get the ocassional dusting in the garden, I cant FATHOM that much snow.
Hope the power keeps on!

[kcobweb.livejournal.com]

That would be a lot even *here* in rural New England. I can't imagine.

[laurarey.livejournal.com]

This winter is just too weird. Here I am, in Toronto, Ontario, CANADA!...and I've not seem more than a dusting of snow the whole season. We should have three feet piled up along the street and be digging out our car daily.

You have my sympathy.

[redbird]

Yes. I was up in Boston this weekend, and I kept thinking "they're getting our winter" (where "we" is Boston, New York, or points between). This would be a lot for us, but we have the hardware.

[sioneva.livejournal.com]

Seattle never sees much snow but our weather's been 7-10 degrees warmer than average for much of the last month. We've got *bulbs* sprouting. BULBS. At the beginning of FEBRUARY.

[beaq.livejournal.com]

Rhodies in bud! Everything!

Sun. It's creepy.

[sioneva.livejournal.com]

I cringe away from the sun - it makes my poor little Seattle mole eyes hurt.

[guruwench.livejournal.com]

Holy carp!! A few years ago, we had a winter in Ottawa where we kept getting snow, and instead of an inch or three at a time, it seemed to be at least 6-8 inches at a time, and more than once it was a foot or more at a time. That winter? Sucked, and we're used to snow! (We had about 12 feet of snow all told that winter.)

This snowstorm would ground us for a day or two also, so don't feel bad you guys are going to ground like you are. I know you don't have the same amount of equipment to deal with this much snow like we do.

Take care, and I hope the storm isn't as bad as they're predicting.

*warm hugs*!!

[fairoriana.livejournal.com]

Yikes! That really suck! I hope that this next storm is followed by a spate of 50 degree weather!

[spiritdancer]

Erm, let's hope that spate of 50 degree weather comes in very gradually - or there's going to be a heck of a lot of flooding when all that snow thaws!

[naomikritzer]

Yeah, this would be a good time for lots of people to buy flood insurance. It takes 30 days to kick in.

[kazoogrrl.livejournal.com]

I was a little worried about our flat back roof with the first go 'round. Now I'm really really worried if we get the upper end of what's predicted.

[rivka.livejournal.com]

We have a flat roof. I'm going to call our landlord tomorrow and ask if he wants to send his guys over to clear the roof before the next storm hits.

[pameladean]

Yikes. That's an unbelievable amount of snow anywhere outside Buffalo, New York and environs.

P.

[jonquil.livejournal.com]

Hang in there, kiddo.

[kateyule.livejournal.com]

We were supposed to be flying into BWI Wednesday, for a weekend of square dancing. We're sorta thinkin' that's not gonna happen.

[beaq.livejournal.com]

*fret*

[mariann]

It's awe-inspiring and terrifying to see this much snow. We got 34" and, of course, more is coming. We're south of Baltimore, but my son goes to school in the city. I can't imagine how difficult the snow removal has been there, but I love the snow fort you've built and the activities you've planned for your oldest.