Holy Moly -- blizzard en route!

[magical thyme]

Last time I looked, we had clear weather for the rest of the week. Just checked for temps tonight.

Yikes! 5-8" Monday night, 8-12 Tuesday, 1-3, Tuesday night into Wednesday! All with high winds!

Should I call out sick on Tuesday? I wasn't planning on using sick days until my super-busy weeks in February....

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

1. If you're in the New York area

they're saying on TV that it will be among the worst storms ever in the history of the region, going back to 1872. They read off the 10 worst storms going back that far. This one will be worse than all others on their list.

[Raine1967]

3. Woah. I talked to my sister who lives in the Hudson Valley and she said

it was going to be as bad as bad as the Blizzard of 94 (that was a wicked storm, I remember that).

What you are saying is far worse. Stay safe!

[cwydro]

6. Can't remember if it was 76 or 77, but I was in upstate NY when a blizzard hit.

The whole state closed down. And it takes a lot to shut down NY state.

[Raine1967]

7. I was living on Long ISland at the time.

We lost power for over a week. Thankfully we had a wood burning stove and dad (being a construction guy) gas generator.

WE were the only house in the area with minimal lighting.

[cwydro]

8. My cheek got frostbitten that time.

The car broke down and we had to walk through that snow.

Ended up with friends at Cornell lol. I think we partied the rest of the time. (I was 18).

I'm a Southerner, so that was quite an experience for me.

[Raine1967]

9. Cornell is an AWESOME place to get stranded (and party)

Having left NY in 2006 to Atlanta and now in Virginia: I don't miss the storms at all. We're not expected to get much here in NoVa - however even local meteorologists are saying they are having a hard time forecasting this one.

Really sorry you got frostbitten. That truly is painful.

[cwydro]

10. Yes, it was.

I only wish I remember more of it lol!

To this day, I have to be careful of that cheek when it's cold.

I live in NC, so we get the same weather you do in VA pretty much.

hey neighbor!

[Sweet Freedom]

32. It was 77

I was in Buffalo. I was a little kid and stranded for over a week. My mom didn't know where I was for two days.

I think that blizzard was responsible for the first snow days we ever had!

[valerief]

2. Here in Mass. where I am, the storm will start 6 pm Monday and end 8 am Wednesday.

Over two feet. Not looking forward to this one.

[magical thyme]

13. we're starting a few hours after you

one report says 10pm Monday. NOAA says 1am tuesday.

Last weather we got, twc and wunderground called it and NOAA missed. Now all 3 are calling it pretty much the same.

If it starts at 7pm in Boston, then 10pm sounds about right up my way.

S'long as I 1. don't have to drive in it and 2. don't lose power for more than a day or so, I'm cool.

I don't want to go without a shower for 3 days again.

[DebJ]

15. You can take hot showers without power if you do what we did.

We converted our water heater to a tankless unit. It's gas, and the pilot, instead of being lit by electricity, is
lit by power generated from the running water itself.

Power or no, we get hot water! If it was really cold out, I'd simply steam up the bathroom, fill the tub with pure
hot water, grab some cushions to sit on, and curl up with a good book. And a strong battery-powered lantern.
But I'd be warm!

[magical thyme]

16. what runs your well pump?

I have gas hot water, but if power is out I have no well pump. The water I drain from the pipes to keep them from freezing is the water I have.

[DebJ]

27. Oops. I've never lived with a well. Didn't think of that! n/t

[valerief]

29. I feel the same way! During an ice storm I went w/o a shower for 3 days. Yecch! nt

[Raine1967]

4. Stay safe all my North Friends!

[cwydro]

5. Call out! I would!

Play in the snow!

[avebury]

11. I grew up in Maine and have lived in Oklahoma

for quite some time. I kind of miss having a major snow event where you can stock up, hunker down and just ride the storm out.

Once the storm ends and they get things plowed out I would expect the Greater Portland, ME area to be up and running with not a lot of down time.

We shut down for ice storms or snow events that are actually pretty tame considering what the NE will be incurring. They just don't know how to deal with snow/ice here. An old fashioned snow event (only once a winter of course) would not be bad.

[LiberalElite]

12. Friday the forecast was was just a little snow between tonight and Monday -

I thought, yeah yeah...whatever. Now that little snow event is being described as: Pre-Blizzard Snow:

http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/preblizzard-snow-to-reach-pitt/41190103

I only learned about the blizzard from Omaha Steve's post this a.m. Where'd THIS come from????!!!?!

[NightWatcher]

14. Florida: The weather's nice when you're not dodging bullets

Stay safe my friends

[csziggy]

26. Not necessarily - we had flooding the other day, maybe from the same system

Friday - high winds, torrential rains, the road into town was under water. There is still a flood warning for some of the rivers in the area.

I'm outside Tallahassee.

[NightWatcher]

28. Here the St Johns River flows the wrong way, so we skip most of the floods

I'll take a tropical depression or storm every decade as long as we keep above freezing most of the time.

[PasadenaTrudy]

17. I admire you guys

I've lived in SoCal my entire 51 years. Only been in some snow a few times. I don't know what I would do faced with an actual snowstorm! Earthquakes I can handle.

[sarge43]

35. It's all what you're use to

Been through one earthquake, scared me silly. Biggest problem with a snow or ice storm is the power outage. So fill up the bathtub, couple of buckets of potable water, check the generator (don't want the pipes freezing), always have food stocked in, cars gassed up, charge all the electronics (battery powered chargers mandatory), and a gas stove is a good idea.

Life on the glacier's edge, it keeps you focused.

I feel sorry for all the critters. This is much harder on them.

[lovemydog]

18. Stay safe and cozy magical thyme.

Make sure you have plenty of groceries and a flashlight too!

[magical thyme]

19. even my dogs have flashlights, lol

they wear camplights around their necks when I get home from work and do night barn. And I have months worth of food here for everybody.

We're already camped out in the family room. I moved in there last winter when we lost power and realized I sleep better there, especially in early Jan when the full moon lights up my sunroom like daytime. So this year I moved out of the sunroom and into the family room well ahead of time.

[lovemydog]

21. Haha, that's awesome!

What do the dogs do for night barn? Do they kind of help keep the horses or other creatures in line? Maybe read them nice stories like Misty of Chincoteague?

[magical thyme]

24. they run around the pasture barking at coyotes

and anything else that goes bump in the night! and then visit the manure pile for a late night snack of poopcycles.

If the horses are out, they try to "help" by herding them, which usually results in the horses running the wrong way, or running me down.

Mostly they drive me nuts and I end up having to run around looking for Jake and dragging him in for the night. Luna still comes when I call him, thank DOG. Jake goes the other way...

[In_The_Wind]

20. We are smack-dab in the middle of the 12" to 24" band.

We aren't going out again after Monday afternoon.





How far do you need to drive to reach your job? You might be safer staying the hell at home.

[lovemydog]

22. Dayum. Stay safe & warm In_The_Wind!

[magical thyme]

23. per accuweather, one map shows me in 12-24

BUT their map that includes Nova Scotia and covers Tues-Thurs puts me in 30-60!

I just did a double-take and realized the 2nd map is in centimeters!

[magical thyme]

25. too far. the main thing will be the combination of some 8+" on the ground and wind

with white out conditions.

Of course I'll be safer staying at home. I've pretty much decided I'm calling out. They'll be pissed, but I'm hoping to get fired so maybe this will inch me closer in that direction!

[Aristus]

34. 10 minutes. Most of it on a major state route, so if we ever got snow, it would be salted pretty

quickly.

I'm our clinic's go-to guy for snow days. They know I can always make it in...

Stay warm!...

[Shrek]

30. Isn't it "call in" sick?

Does "call out" mean something different?

[magical thyme]

31. Ha! NOAA report for my area...

IMPACTS...WHITEOUT CONDITIONS WILL MAKE TRAVEL EXTREMELY
DANGEROUS..IF NOT IMPOSSIBLE. STRONG WINDS MAY LEAD TO
SCATTERED POWER OUTAGES. TEMPERATURES IN THE TEENS AND SINGLE
DIGITS COMBINED WITH WINDS WILL LEAD TO BITTERLY COLD WIND
CHILLS. IF YOU ARE STRANDED OUTDOORS IT COULD BE POTENTIALLY
LIFE THREATENING.

* WINDS...NORTH 15 TO 25 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH.

* TEMPERATURES...8 TO 17 ABOVE.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A BLIZZARD WARNING MEANS SEVERE WINTER WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE
EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. FALLING AND BLOWING SNOW WITH STRONG WINDS
AND POOR VISIBILITIES ARE LIKELY. THIS WILL LEAD TO WHITEOUT
CONDITIONS...MAKING TRAVEL EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. DO NOT TRAVEL. IF
YOU MUST TRAVEL...HAVE A WINTER SURVIVAL KIT WITH YOU. IF YOU GET
STRANDED...STAY WITH YOUR VEHICLE.

[Tobin S.]

33. With that kind of forecast, I don't think your employer can fault you

for staying at home.

[sarge43]

36. Because it isn't said enough

Profound thanks to all people who stand between us and nature's wrath: Medics, firefighters, dispatchers, linemen, cops (yes there are good cops) and all the others who won't being going home tonight or tomorrow - the silent heroes.

[bigwillq]

37. 36 inches or more possible

for CT.
UGH

[Skittles]

38. please, no one take any chances

and do try to check on the more vulnerable, less mobile folk you know