Death is Coming! In Snowy Flakes!
Posted on February 13, 2007 Posted by John Scalzi 39 Comments
Well, the “heavy snow advisory” that had been on in my area is now off, but only because it’s now been changed to a blizzard warning. So now not only will we get all the snow we were already going to get, but we’ll also get 40 mph gusts of wind. Joy.
This all couldn’t have happened last week, when I had nowhere to go. Hopefully all this crap will be out of the way by Friday, when I travel to Boskone.
Those of you to the east of me: Buckle up, chuckles. It’s coming.
Is the death really coming there, John?
I only ask because here in AA, we’ve been expecting the death to start any minute since late morning. Death appears to be taking his sweet time. So now I’m wondering if maybe AA will cheat death this time.
I told you all, once we got our heavy truck for snow plowing, I’m off the “praying for good weather” detail. We have our truck. Whomever was supposed to step up into the prayer detail wasn’t doing their job.
Yep, we’re not going to get any snow like Oswego County, NY, but 18″ by tomorrow isn’t much fun either.
We would appreciate it in Pennsylvania, if you people in Ohio could stop some of that snow for us like you’re supposed to.
I am already mentally preparing myself for some backbreaking snow shoveling as we speak (or type).
Here in NH, the forecast says snow (and lots of it) through sometime Thursday, so the drive down to Boskone shouldn’t be too bad by Friday noontime. I just hope the meteorologists are accurate this time.
I wouldn’t complain about the snow.
We’re supposed to get several inches of ice here in Virginia tonight. Which likely means I can say goodbye to electricity for a while.
In Near Washington DC, MD, our university campus will be closed at 2 pm. As far as I know, we’re only expecting 1.5 inches of ice over the course of the afternoon and night, but that might have changed. Or it might not, and we’re just being wimpy.
Good luck riding it out, if it gets serious-serious where you are.
Bryan and Zeynep, I stream WAMU during the day. Yeah, it sounds like the capital is closing for business this afternoon.
When DEATH finishes dropping dandruff on you, will you take a picture of the house from the same angle as your current background? I’d like to see Manse Scalzi with the western side drifted up to the eaves.
Out in the burbs of Chicago they’re not calling it a blizzard yet. We’ve got the snow and some wind, but not all the wind. It still took me 2.5 hrs to get to work when it usually just takes 1.
I guess death is just doing some warm up laps here as it moves out east. Good luck for anyone having to be on the roads today in these kinds of conditions.
Matt W:
I’m currently experiencing the ‘heavy snow’ in Chicago as well. This is child’s play compared to the lake effect I grew up with back east of Cleveland.
As far as the commute goes: shit, I think drivers here actively seek excuses to add unecessary time to the drive. ‘Oh noes! It’s drizzling! How could I ever take that 5 degree banked turn at anything faster than 12 mph?! Thank god for my $70k BMW SUV’s advanced antilock braking system!’ *slams on brakes, causes hours of not-unexpected delays*
It’s times like these that I wish I still had my Ohio plates.
Ah, when the Weather Chanel starts playing Dark Side of the Moon on Your Local on the 8s, you know it’s time to duck and cover.
“TRAVEL IS NOT RECOMMENDED ON TUESDAY AND TUESDAY NIGHT”
To bad they didn’t shedule this a week ago. Work for the day job (along the Lake Erie Shore) and meetings for the night job. I always like how they say these things but then we in the local goverments can’t say, “close the roads” so everybody has to go to work which puts more cars on the road which exacerbates the problems.
Well, it looks like my drive home is going to be punctuated by several moments of “Wee!” So, John, my Karma may get a chance at its wish sooner rather than later. :)
John, I’m about 45 minutes SW of you, and the snow has tapered off for the inches of sleet we’ve been getting, with promises of more snow afterwards for a good ice sandwich. It’s coming your way, if not there already..
This all couldn’t have happened last week, when I had nowhere to go.
You mean last week, when it was colder than the frickin’ Oort cloud?
Yeah, it was cold. But you could drive.
I heard from a friend in Columbus that they have had freezing rain on top of the snow, which makes it ever so much more pleasant to travel.
Up here in northeast Ohio, the temps have been staying in the lower 20’s, so I’m hoping to miss the freezing rain party. But the lake effect is promising its own mess.
Keep the warm front down there, please.
And a pic of Chez Scalzi in the snow would be good to see, if someone down there has snow boots deep enough to make the trek. Maybe Kodi could pull you down on a sled?
Yeah, it was cold. But you could drive.
Feh, driving in snow is easy.
Stopping, now, that can be tricky.
Stopping on/in snow isn’t hard – after a while enough piles up in front to effect good braking if you’re doing it correctly.
I note with some amusement that Madison is not getting very much snow. Could be some kind of Karmic thing as punishment for John refusing to attend Wiscon. ;-)
He is a very scurvy pig dog, he is.
DJN
Scalzi: Buckle up, chuckles. It’s coming.
Hey, who told you my secret name?
God damn, if you’re not going to Boskone then I’m not. I don’t feel right stalking Ms. Bear, The Nielsen Hayden’s and Karl Schroeder without you there, too.
Yeah, and the snow hits us right when we have our biggest event of the frigging year. Grrrr… You’d think Mainer’s wouldn’t yelp over a foot or so of snow.
It’s an official “snow emergency” here in Fort Wayne. I’ve seen worse — I grew up in Ottawa — but it’s pretty bad. No ice or sleet, at least.
We would appreciate it in Pennsylvania, if you people in Ohio could stop some of that snow for us like you’re supposed to.
I’m with strugglingwriter. I mean, if Ohio’s not gonna do its job, what is it good for, huh? We had a deal, people.
We’re getting a mix of sleet and snow here in Indy. Was snowing until about 10AM, then sleet; I think it’s switching back and forth now.
Probably 6″ of snow on the ground but that’s got a layer of frozen sleet on top of it. And then maybe another 3-5″ of snow atop that tonight. I am NOT looking forward to shoveling.
Yeah? What does Pennsylvania protect us from? New Jersey?
Well, what do you think all those hills are doing? They’re not there to make the winter driving easier, I’ll tell you that much.
Thank goodness this whole “global warming” craziness can finally be put to rest.
“What does Pennsylvania protect us from? New Jersey?”
i thought philadelphia was the last piece of civilization between jersey and chicago…
I’m on the feeble, dwindling, north end of this storm. It’s not to bad here in Milwaukee, but I do seem to have a lot of flaky, white Lake Michigan in my yard and on my sidewalks. And, for some reason, I think it smells like dead fish. Snow is not supposed to smell like bad sushi, man.
Welcome to the club. Our blizzard was last weekend, of course, but still. Nothing like a lake effect blizzard that has all my co-workers in Detroit saying, “Pussy. No snow on the ground here. Get out and drive.”
on ice in DC: nothing wimpy about that at all. When we get ice in DC, we get black ice. And let me tell you right now that it will knock you on your ass a hell of a lot faster than any amount of snow.
My dad’s blog these last few days has mostly been about how horribly his job (ambulance crew) is going to suck over the next few days.
Which is why I’m not laughing, even though I’m far enough east that I could get away with it.
What does Pennsylvania protect us from?
Highway construction?
They’ve certainly got enough of it. They must be getting it from somewhere…
From Alaksa: Bahwawawawa! Ya bunch of babies.
I’ve got a couple pairs of showshoes and a slightly used sleddog team, if anybody needs them.
Basic rule of thumb: its not really a blizzard until you’ve made at least two trips into town to buy milk, diapers, and kerosene – on your snowmobile. The first time you did it was because you thought it would be fun (it wasn’t), the second time was because you HAD to.
Good luck, Ohioans, and again – Bahwawawa!
Yay! Flaky doom!
According to the reports now, Boston might miss out on the worst of it, so it’s possible it won’t affect this end of your travel. Good luck digging out.
75 and sunny in californa, wow, i just love my state, ha snow, that white stuff, im off to go surf
I’ll take “Do you ever miss the Midwest?” for $500, Alex.
I’m glad you included Indiana in the map, as it shows very nicely that my mother is right in the pink band with the ice storms. Good thing she has an SUV….
(…meanwhile I’m having some nice 60s sunny weather in coastal Georgia. :D )
Amazing the number of Whatever posters from the Midwest. And I was just waiting for one of the sonsofbritches from California to start The Gloat. What I like about blizzards is that in the Midwest, snow comes down, snow goes sideways, but the house doesn’t move.
At last report the Line o’ Death is tracking along I-94, not I-96. That means we’ll get a little snow where I live in West Michigan and the high winds will drift it some. Maybe the garbage can will stay in its drift and not wander out down the icy road in the morning. But when my long commute reaches Kalamazoo County, well, K-zoo has no concept of what it means to plow snow and the university does little better — and the university CLOSES so dang late if they bother to close that I’ll be on the road trying to get to my thrice-damned 8am class.
Who came up with 8am classes in the winter anyway? Oh, wait, the university renamed this SPRING semester the other year. (smacks-hand-on-forehead)
Dr. Phil
Well, you are in Michigan, after all.
Just a little interstate rivalry here.
No whining. Here in Valparaiso I had to wade through 2-foot drifts for a mile to get home from class. That was a pain. Especially when the snow decided to break its customary pattern and fall horizontally rather than vertically.
Boston should be fine by Friday…fine as in the expected snow tomorrow should be tidied up just in time for FREAKING FREEZING temperatures again. Should be hovering around and below freezing with the wind chill.
If any of you Midwesterners can band together and push that storm down into North Carolina, I’d be grateful. I love snow! But I live in the middle of “wet and mild” territory. Not much snow, I’m afraid, just a lot of cold rain.