Blizzard For the North East
 

I saw on the news tonight that a major Blizzard will hit the North East Monday or Tues. Our thoughts and prayers are with you folks. If anyone from that area could tell the list how bad it is, please let us know. (Ok, here in Boulder it was 70 F and Sunny. Talk about messed up weather!)

So far it's not bad but the worst is yet to come so we'll see. I can't deal with all the hype about storms nowadays so I haven't been following much; it's the Northeast and snow isn't a freak event so sometimes I wonder why everyone here panics as if we were Hawaii suddenly getting snow.

It's pretty windy in Northampton tonight, the snow seems to be very light but consistent. The real trouble for bikes with this weather is the low visibility, intense ice coverage on the roads and wind speeds (at least so far). I'll be snug indoors the next day or so as its my day off but I feel for the commuters up here who don't have that luxury. Normally I'm not a storm panicker, but with a pretty much confirmed and inevitable 18-30in up here, I'm a bit concerned.

The streets are empty and it's still coming down at 1:12 in the morning. We have a travel ban with all the bridges and tunnels into New York City are closed. All buses and trains are suspended so all you can do is spend the day posting on Bike Forums. ;-)

In Nassau County, Long Island, we've reportedly had about 14" as of 7am Tuesday morning, but it looks like about half of that. Suffolk County (to our east) has had closer to 20". I've been in major Colorado snow storms and this is nothing like it. No chance of biking to work today, but it's not the "historical" storm they were all yelling about.

I am in the 5 to 18 zone and we now have 1/2 inch. The NYC news gave us the 5 to 18 but noaa said 1 to 5.

Currently in the 2-3' zone, Newburyport MA, stranded here overnight. MA radio says there's a complete riving ban in Boston. Cant tell how much snow is actually down due to drifting -- there are still some bare spots here and there; in other places, like stairs, the lee side is buried up to the landing, about 5'. Currently still coming down heavily and blowing around.

Frankie has given his warning.
http://youtu.be/P6qOH_xXtfM

This storm was a big let down. First they said 5-8", then 3-5", then 1-3". We ended up getting about 2" here in PA. I hear Philly got even less.

New York was shut down for two inches of snow?

Evidently the storm tracked a bit further east than predicted, right into my wheelhouse. We're looking at over 2 feet now with heavy snow still falling.

How can you make that statement as a "Colorado Kid"? The current weather is not abnormal...for Colorado. Going from 60°F to -15°F in 24 hours in November is but having 65° to 70° F weather in January is common. The wind patterns shift in late January with more wind coming from the southwest instead of the northwest. It's setting us up for the Albuquerque lows that bring our big snows in March, April and May (maybe June:eek:)

http://cdn.meme.am/instances/500x/58516781.jpg

We were forecast to get 26 inches. There's maybe 4 on the ground.

- Andy

looking at the News Last night VT & ME were not highlighted as emergency I suppose Its Just another winter storm to them ..

there were a few stories of the CYA nature of the politics of the warnings .. using Mayor Lindsey as the what not to do example.

better to me underwhelmed ..

That's what I've seen. SE CT has been slammed since last night. I took a trip up to northampton on Sunday night but from what my family (in SE ct) has said they still are getting slammed. The storm is effectively traveling up the I-395 corridor. PA, NJ and most of NY were spared the original pathof the storm.

The Central Park totals were nearer 8" but the shutdown started late last night in advance of the wors of the storm and were based on a predicted 12-18". As so often happen the storm wobbled east a bit so the worst of was felt on the eastern end of Long Island, and points East, like Cape Cod.

I have mixed feelings about the level of emergency shutdowns, but a major benefit is less secondary damage to our rail systems, and a faster more effective clean up. It also pays to consider that a much smaller percentage of private vehicles these days have snow tires, and the so-called all weather tires people use simply don't cut it in snow over an inch or so.

BITD NY approached things differently leaving roads open, but assessing a hefty fine for anyone stalled on a snowy roadway without snow tires.

It's not completely ridiculous here...I managed to ride about 6 miles around Malden, MA, to see what my commute route looks like. Bike paths weren't cleared yet, and the main roads were iffy at best. A good portion of my street doesn't look like it's been plowed in a few hours.

Entrance to Wellington Greenway bike path (this is as far as I made it before turning around)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v8...r/CAM01198.jpg

Wellington T station parking lot
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v8...r/CAM01199.jpg

Emergency vehicles responding to a call at the building next to the Malden DPW
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v8...r/CAM01200.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v8...r/CAM01202.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v8...r/CAM01203.jpg

Death Before Rollers! (Bell Rock Cemetery)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v8...r/CAM01204.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v8...r/CAM01205.jpg

I got a guy walking his dog to take a picture when I got back to my house
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v8...r/CAM01206.jpg

Slogged it through twelve inches this morning, mostly plowed but not all...packed ruts covered over with flat powder sure is tough to get through! Going home at 3 was way worse, had to walk the unplowed sections and dabbed a lot on the plowed road. The unplowed driveway was waist deep! Came up to the handlebars. I've seen deep snow before, but it still is amazing to me to see so much on the ground.

Ok, I admit it, it was me. I took my studded tires off over the weekend, I am pretty sure that was the cause of the poor weather.

I doubt that your tire change in Kansas would affect weather in the northeast. OTOH someone in NYC or northern Jersey must have scrambled and mounted his studs late last night, because the storm wobbled east just enough to spare us the worst of it.

Thanks for asking. FYA, I posted this to our local discussion thread, "Metro Boston, Good ride today?"

We have not gotten a proper blizzard here since 96 and that was not a real blizzard, just heavy snowfall. Last feb's ice storm though........ that was extremely unprecedented.

- Andy