I wanted to post a couple good pictures for all to see just how incredibly incredible the snow is up in Patriots Country right now. Beanfolk... can you help me out? Know any good links for pics I can post to show the drifts up to 5 feet, up to the 1st floor of some houses, etc? I think our powderhounds down south need to see this, because the dynamics which pummeled you can very well do a second act next month for the Mid-Atlantic.
Anyone looking for some phenomenal stats on this storm, check out the Boston Area NWS Storm Reports. 38 INCHES IN SALEM! 84 MPH WIND GUST IN THE NANTUCKET AREA. And good indepth reports from the Boston's Channel 5 WCVB
It has been quite a rollercoaster emotional weekend for all of us, especially all those Eagles/Steelers/Patriots Fans. What a combination of events, huh? Playoff mania surrounded by Blizzard mania all at the same time. I think ESPN and the Weather Channel had the highest ratings of anyone this weekend. And the digging out up there will be historic in it's own right. If the storm mayhem and playoff anticipation did not exhaust you, then the shoveling probably will! But thank you to all our newly acquired Boston readers for all the great comments. Please feel free to continue posting your obs about the recovery. I still think your schools are out the entire week.
Game prediction as of 8:50 PM... Final Score: Patriot 38, Steelers 27.
I will do a final grade for storm totals on Monday, after I turn in my quarterly grades while on duty ON TIME at my school. Chip, if the inservice day is on, I'll be reporting at 7:30 AM, I promise. Either way, I am very grateful we have this day to at least mentally recover after a wonderful but tiring ski trip. It is a total toss up what will happen tomorrow morning... some schools may delay, others will be on time, and some will close.
(12:50 AM update...a number of the surrounding school systems around Baltimore have all closed for Monday... Harford, Cecil, Anne Arundel. No word from Howard or Balto County yet. But you know the rule, as Harford County goes... so goes the region, right? I've been in Baltimore County only four years now, and in that time, I can't recall an instance where BCPS was open and Harford was closed. What do you think? Maybe the solution is to get a "dual certificate" so we can also teach in Boston during the winter.)
I think most Philadelphia metro and suburban schools will be closed just tomorrow, and some may have a delay Tuesday, but crews will get it all cleared by the end of Tuesday.
Will be posting in the next day or two a detailed wrapup of the 2005 Blizzard, why it happened, how the computers missed it, and what are the factors which can lead to this repeating in February for a larger portion of the East Coast. No joke. If three hurricanes can hit Florida in one month, is two Blizzards impossible? I am concerned about what is coming Wednesday. A quick snapshot of the satellite shows a very active stream of moisture from DEEP in the tropics heading north, with another series of shortwaves heading southeast around the Rockies high pressure ridge. Something smells fishy in the forecast, yet again. If BCPS bows to the pressure of it's neighbors, (fingers crossed, wearing lucky wool slippers, while eating a fruit cup) then I'll have more time today to analyze this situation.
Congratulations New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles.... what a weekend it has been. One of the most exciting Superbowls in a long time is now on the table, occuring in a month which may go down in weather history as the most exciting in it's own right.