Well, it's turning into the Storm of the Century out here in Maryland. The DC Stations are calling it the "SuperStorm" in hommage to Superbowl Sunday. Here's the latest and the greatest:
Currently, both Washington, DC and Baltimore, MD are under Blizzard Warnings - along with most of the Chesapeake Bay, Eastern Shore, Delaware and New Jersey. We've had reports of Thunder Snow and absolutely ideal driving conditions....for the Iditerod...
Randy, my dog, almost made me a participant in that great event. He's gotten much stronger, and much more maniacal about snow (if the turkey and braunschweiger that I keep sneaking him are his crack...snow is his Meth....he's like a child with AD/HD who's been given a Mountain Dew, some Coffee, and a bag of Skittles)....Now when he takes off with me on the other end of the leash it's a toss up whether or not he gets jerked back by the collar, or I do a faceplant and immitate Indiana Jones being dragged behind a truck...
The interior of the state of Maryland is where the heart of the storm is - in terms of snowfall. Precisely where I live.
What started as a storm expected to produce between 12" and 20" of snowfall - no insignificant amount in and of itself - has been upgraded: My town is forecast to get between 30" and 40" of snow by morning. We will be experiencing snowfall rates of around 1-3" per hour. Right now, We've already got a good 10-12" on the ground already.
The area is essentially crippled by this snowstorm - with all major airports having suspended operations through Sunday at least. the Washington Metro system (subway) is only operating underground at the moment, with all bus service and above ground lines having stopped service. Amtrak has likewise cancelled all service - according to the latest reports.
My family & I managed to get stocked up for what's looking like the biggest snowstorm I've ever been in. 2003 was pretty darned big, and this past December had a good 22" snowfall as well...but 3 feet is another story entirely.
To give you a good example - take a look at the picture I've attached that I took from my DR01D phone (sorry for the quality). The first is a picture of my snowshovel and a patch of cleared snow. What you might be able to see is that there is about 3 inches on the ground in my driveway. I took the picture at midnight.
What you don't see is that it was completely cleared at 11pm - That 3 inches fell in just one hour.
The snow is continuing to fall and winds are currently holding steady at around 25 MPH with damned near 0 visibility.
It's starting to look like I won't be digging out before Monday...I hope... Cabin Fever tends to set in quickly in our household.
My wife & I have been watching WUSA 9 coverage of the storm, and they've continued to have the cancellation tickers on showing what's closed. Many of the notices are actually for hospitals asking for people with 4WD vehicles to get in touch with them to help with emergency services...
What you don't see is a single notice that just says: "Everything Is Closed. Please Go Home." It would certainly simplify things.
I'd love to hear your local snow totals if you're out this way. In New Market, MD: We're at 12" so far for sure.
More Tomorrow (hopefully with pictures of my dog Randy up to his ears in snow....and my daughter up to her neck...and my son flailing helplessly because he will insist the snow will be taller than him....(he's 15...but has a sense of grandeur that makes me think he should have been named Walter Mitty...).
