Monsoon's Weekend Blizzard Debriefing; Look Ahead to Next Storm
Now that’s what I call a frickin’ snowstorm. My predictions were admittedly conservative, and it turned out that the projected totals were low by as many as six to eight inches in some places. And New York City didn’t get a damned thing.
But wow. Bunk has been traipsing and galumphing through shoulder-deep snow in the backyard and returning to the house with frosty little snow blossoms caked to his coat.
Snow totals, based on my own observations and unofficial reports around the region:
Allentown, extreme northern Berks, and points north, 8-12 inches
Northern Lancaster County, central and southern Berks, 18-20 inches
Philadelphia and immediate suburbs, DC, Baltimore, 24-26 inches; a bit more in some areas
Delaware, northern Maryland, extreme northern Virginia, and extreme southern Pennsylvania, well over 24 inches. Up to 30 inches have been reported in some areas, and there have even been measurements that exceed 2 ½ feet. Boggles the mind.
[Please email me with your storm totals and locations and I’ll post them on my next weblog entry.]
The view out my window toward the deck at 7:30 this morning, before the snow was even finished
Even though the snow has ended across the forecast area by mid-afternoon Saturday, ongoing problems from this storm will be continuing strong winds, which will result in drifting (we have a couple of two-foot drifts here at Monsoon Central), collapsed roofs, downed power lines, and fallen limbs, trees and shrubbery. The temperature will dip into the lower teens tonight, sending the accumulated snowfall into a deep freeze.
Sunday 2/7: partly sunny with moderate winds; high 29, low 11.
Monday 2/8: plenty of sunshine and cold; high 32, low 16.
Tuesday 2/9: cloudy with snow possible (discussed below); high 31, low 25.
Wednesday 2/10: cloudy with considerable winds and lingering snow possible (see below); high 28, low 19.
Thursday 2/11 and Friday 2/12: partly to mostly sunny and milder with highs in the mid 30s and lows in the upper teens.
Saturday 2/13: a bit of snow possible, but nothing like this monster.
A bit of a thaw may be in store by the 20th to the 22nd.
Most forecasters (including this one) have been paying little attention to the Tuesday-Wednesday event, having been preoccupied for some days with this blizzard. But on first blush, here’s my call: the snow begins Tuesday afternoon and continues intermittently through the evening and overnight. Some flurries or snow showers may linger into Wednesday. The snow will not be nearly as heavy as the event that just wrapped up, but I think it’ll leave 4 to 6 inches of accumulation in Berks and northern Lancaster Counties.
All of this—the blizzard, the drifting, the historic storm totals, and the midweek storm—make for a potentially shaky schedule this week. Here are my calls…
Monday 2/8: Cancellation 60%; Delay 80%. (I can see the buses trying to navigate some of the far reaches of my district, unplowed and heavily drifted, and it’s not pretty.)
Tuesday 2/9: Cancellation 30%; Delay 15%; Early Dismissal 40%.
Wednesday 2/10: Cancellation 55%; Delay 75%.
Thursday 2/11: Cancellation 10%; Delay 20%.
As always, stay tuned for updates!