And it continues...

[altivo]

Finished the spinning guild newsletter for February, so that's done for another month.

The weather clowns aren't done with us yet. This morning we had thundershowers on top of the four to five inches of snow that accumulated overnight. I don't remember the last time (if ever) that I saw lightning in February. The forecast called for dropping temperatures and snow in the afternoon, but instead we got fog that grew denser and denser as the day went on. Finally the weather service issued a "dense fog advisory" (as if you couldn't tell there was fog out there the minute you walked out the door.)

It's pea soup out there now. The snow did not melt, it just got very wet and saturated, like a wet sponge. Starting tomorrow afternoon, we are on a "winter storm watch" with more snow expected. The overnight accumulation may be as much as seven inches. I don't remember this much snow in a single winter since 1978-79, the year Michael Bilandic was tossed out of the mayor's office because Chicago did so poorly at keeping the streets clear. In fact, the snowfall Friday was the worst single accumulation in Chicago since that year, though it was lighter here. Total snow for the season is already approaching 38 inches. In the last six years, we've had more like 20 inches each year, sometimes less. The season is nowhere near over, either. After tomorrow night's predicted six to seven inches, it is supposed to snow again every day for the rest of the week.

Comments

[marzolan.livejournal.com]

That's going to affect my area too tomorrow. We've got a slight to moderate risk of severe weather.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

I did notice spots of thunderstorm activity all over the radar south of us last night.

[marzolan.livejournal.com]

Yeah, we're supposed to catch it after 4:00 here today... And it's warm enough and humid enough for the strong ones to develop. Hopefully I get my work done soon in case we lose power...

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Hmm. I hadn't thought about losing power. That's a possiblity. Better be prepared for it.

[duncandahusky.livejournal.com]

Great news! We've been upgraded to 8"-12" before noon tomorrow!

...yay.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Yes, I just saw that. Now a "winter storm warning" instead of a watch. Actually, I don't mind much, but I know I'll be listening to moaning and groaning all day today at work.

[saythename.livejournal.com]

I remember when I was a kid the winter of 75-76 was like this, lots
of up and down temps that ended in "snow" days because when the
temp dropped suddenly it all became thick ice on everything.

Not so fun now in 2008 as an adult. ;.;

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Actually I don't mind it. But I have to keep reminding myself not to take sadistic satisfaction in watching everyone else get horrified about it. I so much want to say "It's only weather, it'll melt" but to others it's as if their world was coming to an end if they won't be able to get out of the driveway in the morning.

Lessee. In 75-76 I was still in Michigan. I think there was major flooding that spring, but it came well after the snow melted and was caused by torrential rain. I don't remember a lot of snow.

I do remember the 78-79 snows in Chicago though. That was amazing. The *trains* stopped running a couple of times. I particularly recall walking down Halsted St. with a friend. It was snowing. Sidewalks hadn't been cleared, or if they had, the plows had buried them again because the sidewalk there is right at the curb. The snow was packed down, and even packed, it was so deep that our ankles were on the level of the parking meter heads that were just poking out of the snow. People were going down the street on cross country skis. There was no bus or automobile traffic.

I imagine you may see snow that deep where you are a bit more often, since you are on the receiving end of the lake effect, but on a western shoreline, it was extraordinary.

[saythename.livejournal.com]

At least you didn't touch behind my
ear and say, "still wet".

XD

Yeah, it was that time when Newsweek wanted
us to lay down huge amounts of soot in snow
up north.

Wouldn't that have been great?

@.@

[altivo.livejournal.com]

I never read Newsweek. I used to work for Time. ;p

[saythename.livejournal.com]

*puts you on the cover*

Hoss of the Year!

[cabcat.livejournal.com]

Snow and thunderstorms? o.O Normally we only get thunderstorms in the summer, do you get a lot in winter?

[altivo.livejournal.com]

It's not a common occurence here, but it can happen. Actual rainstorms on top of heavy snow cover are rare, but snowstorms that include thunder and lightning seem to happen here perhaps once in four or five years. We've had some this winter.