Octsnowber!!

Hoping everyone is/was/will be doing okay with this crazy snow we're getting this week. I have my fingers crossed that the forecast for DC and the close-in suburbs is accurate, and we just get rain with a few flakes here tonight and tomorrow.

For places that are expecting some real accumulation, I'm hearing they expect power outages because the weight of leaves + snow on the trees will cause problems.

The Marine Corps Marathon is on Sunday morning. As of a couple of minutes ago, they were predicting cold temps and drying roads for the runners. I guess if we did really get snow before the race, the Marines would clear the streets way faster than DDOT ever could...

Yes, they would.

I guess I might be snow shoeing or even x country skiing instead of riding on Sunday.
Got a message from Windblown Nordic center stating that even though they will be getting 8+ inches at their location, the ground is too warm for them to start grooming.

We're supposed to get 6-10 inches here. Early start to the snowy season!

Hmmm, snow holds off for another few wks.

I've been cycling in morning with below freezing temp. Then warms up 10 degrees higher in afternoon.

Another reason why I'm buying lots of food from the farmers' market and squirrelling it away.

Two inches on the ground, as of 6:30 PM. We're supposed to get 8-12 inches in my area.
It feels like December, at least.

We had rain most of the day, but there were big snow flakes for a while this afternoon. No accumulation.

However the suburbs farther out did get a few inches. I haven't heard yet about the higher elevations to the north and west.

I heard there was > 1 inch in Central Park, and that was several hours ago. My brother in Connecticut has already lost power and heat.

One of my friends blames the snow on all the stores that have started selling Christmas stuff before Halloween... :D

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Originally Posted by ny biker

One of my friends blames the snow on all the stores that have started selling Christmas stuff before Halloween... :D

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I'll bet your friend is right. Our prediction is for 6-10 inches, and I've seen a ton of Christmas stuff in stores. Proof positive.

Just got a notice that city parks are closed due to limbs falling -- snow and leaves is not a good combination. Really hope I can get into Central Park or Riverside tomorrow -- should be pretty. I might stay on the roadway though (and wear my bike helmet).

6-12" predicted here. Ugh, I'm sick of winter already and we haven't even eaten turkey yet!

I can't even imagine it! Yesterday was the first day of the year cool enough to wear a windbreaker, and it still made it to 85 degrees. But that's Tucson.

For everyone in the path of the snowflakes- stay warm and safe!

From my hometown newspaper (Pittsfied MA)

State police declare roads impassable ... One for the record books

This time of year I tend to get a little homesick for Western MA; this year, notsomuch. ;)

So last night we heard a noise; the cable for our cable service was lying in the driveway. No VoIP, TV, or Internet. A tree is hanging down, not down, but just laden with snow. DH thinks he can just shake the snow off and it will be OK. Been on hold with Comcast for 30+ minutes. Brought the HD antenna we have up in our loft down to the kitchen, so we can get some info. But, we really don't have that much snow--- maybe 4-5 inches.

We have probably 5-6 inches of very heavy, wet snow. I know some people in other parts of town have lost power but my neighborhood has been fine. The roads aren't bad here in town at all. Had to drive home last night from a friend's house in the heavy snow...the biggest problem was visibility. I am glad I got my AWD car last spring when I had to replace the car that was totaled in the accident.

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Originally Posted by jobob

From my hometown newspaper (Pittsfied MA)

State police declare roads impassable ... One for the record books

This time of year I tend to get a little homesick for Western MA; this year, notsomuch. ;)

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Wow...western MA really got dumped on!! Perfect example of why it's best to stay off the roads during a snowstorm if you can, and why you need to have some basic supplies in your car to stay warm and reasonably comfortable should you get stuck and not be able to get yourself unstuck (whether due to unexpectedly gettiing caught in bad weather or to a mechanical breakdown), until help arrives or you can proceed.

Tree is fixed; DH has been wielding the chain saw for about 2 hrs. Thank God for our local utility company. All of my friends in Acton are without power... 3 miles away. Wish I had something to read!

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Originally Posted by Crankin

Wish I had something to read!

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iBook or Kindle book ... buying books wirelessly makes reading WAY too easy! :D

Stay warm and safe, all!

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Originally Posted by OakLeaf

iBook or Kindle book ... buying books wirelessly makes reading WAY too easy! :D

Stay warm and safe, all!

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I knew you would say that. I feel like a traitor for having this I Phone! Next time I take a trip and want to read, I will consider it. I just really like going to the library, it's like it makes me feel part of the community, at least the one where I know everyone.
I hate the library in my town.

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Originally Posted by Crankin

I knew you would say that. I feel like a traitor for having this I Phone! Next time I take a trip and want to read, I will consider it. I just really like going to the library, it's like it makes me feel part of the community, at least the one where I know everyone.
I hate the library in my town.

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My mother just won a Nook through a raffle at the public library. But my parents don't have wifi in their house (yet). So my mother plans to go to the library to use their wifi to download stuff. And she says she can borrow books for it from the library, so she will probably do that a lot.

We got 16 inches here. Somehow all of our good karma must have kicked in last night because we never lost power when those just down the road did. Lots of huge branches down and we lost a small tree in our front yard. The worst part of this was that we had a fun group ride planned today with lots of dirt roads and stunning views. Have never had to cancel our ride due to snow!

Wonderful photos of snow in Central Park on Saturday courtesy of Lincoln Karim (he usually photographs hawks, but maybe didn't find them yesterday?). I heard the tree damage in Central Park was extensive, but Riverside Park had just a few branches down.

Good wishes to all without electrical power.

http://www.palemale.com/october292011s.html

Internet, etc back on; was very surprised Comcast got here around 5 PM.
Friends came over, showered, and ate dinner with us. They may be coming back tomorrow to sleep here, if their power isn't back on.
Most of the snow is melted, but DH said it looks like a war zone out on the roads (I stayed in all day). Several trees hanging precariously close to power lines up here on the hill and closer to town center.

I know two people with minor damage to their house caused by falling trees. One lives in Winchester, VA and the other in northern New Jersey.

At least the damage was minor...

Jeez, all the schools (except in my town) around here are closed, I think mostly due to the fact that power is out in so many places. A little nervous about driving up to my office; I have 2 sessions with clients who live near there. Kind of glad I don't have to go until later, as there's lots of black ice out there right now.

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Originally Posted by Crankin

Jeez, all the schools (except in my town) around here are closed, I think mostly due to the fact that power is out in so many places. A little nervous about driving up to my office; I have 2 sessions with clients who live near there. Kind of glad I don't have to go until later, as there's lots of black ice out there right now.

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Be careful...black ice sucks!! (says the person who spun out and crashed into a guardrail last year because of the stuff...)

Creepy last night. DH and I drove through Lexington (next town to us). Over 50% of the town was dark. And many still don't have power. We were out for 34 hours - nothing compared to the 72 we were out after Irene! Still not nice to wake up to a house that is 50 degrees and dark...

The streets are a war zone of downed trees and wires. Many towns are postponing trick or treating because it is too dangerous for the kids to be out walking on the sidewalks.

Hope everyone else here fared ok. Many probably still aren't online if they are still without power.

I think this storm was one of the worst, damage-wise, since I moved to MA 16 years ago...

SheFly

I ended up canceling my clients and rescheduling for tomorrow, so I went to visit a friend in Acton, about 5 miles from my house. Her neighborhood looks like a war zone, with huge trees down, and many streets on my way over there were barricaded. They have a generator, so she's doing OK, but they've been told it will be Wednesday evening before the power is back.
My street has lots of trees hanging precariously close over the road, and some very near wires. There was ice everywhere until about noon time.

A friend of mine in CT lost power. I hope she's got it back by now...

Uggggg we lost our power at 10:30pm on Sat and just got it back today(Friday) at 11am.......really it's takes 6 days to do 1 hour worth of work??:mad:

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Originally Posted by feral1

Uggggg we lost our power at 10:30pm on Sat and just got it back today(Friday) at 11am.......really it's takes 6 days to do 1 hour worth of work??:mad:

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Yes, if the utility damage is extensive. Crews are overworked and infrastructure can be damaged. Sometimes with massive outages, large sections of the grid have to be connected and tested before areas can start being turned back on. Ice storms and heavy wet storms are notorious for this kind of damage: be prepared.