The Winter of more DC Snow...

[dlgood]

Snowpocalypse Snowmaggeddon Snoverkill continues...

Just when I thought I'd finished digging out, it's snowing again. Projected 8-16" in my area, with high winds threatening power outages.

The Federal Government offices in DC were shut down again today, and will be closed tomorrow as well.

Which is probably a good thing - my company sent out an email this morning warning people not to stand close to the outside of our office building for fear of getting hit by falling chunks of ice and snow off the roof. (Those 9' long icicles look awesome, until they are falling at you from 90' up like a spear of frosty doom...)

I didn't go in. My neighborhood is all single lane right now, and afternoon driving is a chore best left to emergency workers, the desperate, or the exceedingly foolish. None of which I am. I did a quick grocery run this morning at 0630, but I had no desire to experience my standard 20 mile commute (which features roads that are normally scenic and fun to drive, but become very unsafe in bad weather) nor the likely hour plus drive if I took safer roads. I just don't see the point in the risk - especially when my customers aren't there. I'll just keep sleeping in late, and frittering my way through Photoshop tutorials.

I'm burning up vacation hours, but I suppose this is why I've carried such a stockpile. Dave's risk-averse lifestyle in action.

And yeah, we're now naming the storms. Individually, we've had two of the top ten snow storms in city history this winter, and total accumulation is closing in on the 1899 record. Individually, both trailed the 1979 storm (just barely, and which I don't remember well), the 1899 blizzard, and the deadly Knickerbocker Storm of 1922.(Unofficial reports talk of the legendary Washington & Jefferson storm of 1772 which trapped both men in their homes - but it's not like we have any real measurements to confirm...

It's just really bizarre to discover that, this winter, I've apparently moved to Buffalo. Here's hoping we won't get any ice storms (1993, 1996) because the ice and power outages would take this to a whole new level of suck. Until then, happy shoveling...

Comments

[mslauren2930.livejournal.com]

your icon pwns. I remember all of the ice storms of '96, so when the blizzard of '96 hit, I totally didn't believe it would happen. then, later that night, the Metro got stuck on the tracks only a few hours after I'd ventured out and down to Union Station. ah... such memories of living in Takoma Park...

[dlgood.livejournal.com]

In '96, I thought it was Blizzard first, then ice storms? I could be wrong.

What I really remember about the 93-94 ice storms, was that the ice was so hard and thick that I had to wear my baseball shoes to go out and do any work outside. And I had to get them re-spiked.

BTW, did you read about the Norwegian ambassador skiing across town to hang out with the Swedish ambassador. That is so DC.

[mslauren2930.livejournal.com]

I'm surprised I don't remember the 93-94 ice storms, because they would've fubar'd my commute from Takoma Park to Rockville. I do, however, remember '96 vividly for some reason. I think b/c of the whole blizzard hitting in the midst of the ice. I'm fairly sure the blizzard came after the ice, b/c of how I scoffed at the impending snow. b/c of that storm, even if a forecasted storm does turn out to be bunk, I always hit the store a few days early for supplies just to be on the safe side. sadly I got pinched this time because of my driving back from Jersey the day before the weekend storm hit and b/c I didn't want to be one of hundreds packing Safeway for food on Thursday night/Friday morning. thankfully I had no problem walking up to town center to get more food. thank the gods that our Giant was open, because the Safeway was closed. :(

I'm rambling... sorry. can you see what a lack of human contact does to me? hee. and I did not see that story about the ambassadors. that's *awesome* on so many levels. sometimes I love DC, even during this shitty weather. :D

[sneaker328.livejournal.com]

I don't remember the '96 ice storms, but I vividly remember '93-'94 and waking up to find the whole city covered in a sheet of ice. Everything was so bright and shiny and the next day my friend and I actually went ice skating on the HS football field nearby.

[alleynyc.livejournal.com]

Snoverkill. Totally awesome.

[scwlc.livejournal.com]

And meanwhile, all over the supposed Great White North, we're having to call people in to pack snow onto the slopes because our weather has been so snowless, it's melted away. Irony in action, I suppose.

I guess I wish you a happy impromptu vacation. Or at least, no irreparably dumb people on the roads when you're out.

[a2zmom.livejournal.com]

We're finally getting the bad weather here. It started snowing late last night, still hasn't stopped.