Annals of snow: Dude, where's our blizzard?

news-blacksburg-snowmapOne National Weather Service station indicates more snow–- but not much.

So Saturday has almost dawned, and no doubt there are 13,000 very unhappy, power-deprived households right now, but the predicted near-blizzard and its expected record snowfalls and high winds haven't materialized. At the Hook weather station near Ivy, it's been lightly raining/misting all night, the temperature is 31, and whatever trace of wind may exist doesn't even register on our little weather machine. Even the National Weather Service, the folks previously predicting 20-28 inches of blowing snow, have issued a far tamer (but potentially contradictory) report for today. The Sterling office of the Service says we're to stay under storm watch until 10pm but to expect just one inch of snow, which quits at 7am. (Read it yourself, and see if a report supposedly issued at 4:05am Saturday and mentioning winds "tonight and Saturday" makes sense.) The more assertive Blacksburg office of the NWS has created a snowfall map that–- although putting Albemarle slightly outside its bounds–- appears to suggest that we'll get 3-4" today. And yet another NWS office has created this multi-color map. This all bolsters UVA's decision to move forward today with its men's basketball game against Wake Forest.

Read more on: snowmageddon


so- does it happen overnight, a couple of weeks, years- how do we know??

I figured we were going to be deprived of our blizzard when it started sleeting and raining so hard last night. That took many inches off the amount of snow we could have had.

Every article or update The Hook gave was a report as to what the NWS and NOAA was calling for- Tim, they were just updating everyone on what the weather services were calling for, or changing- The Hook was not hyping anything, not having the typical "certified meteorologist" forecasting orgasm over the weather- The Hook did a great job of reporting on and interpreting what the NWS and NOAA were officially seeing and trending.

If The Hook had not, I guess some would suggest they were not doing enough for the community.

I love how every time it snows, morons start making cracks about Al Gore and global warming. It's as predictable the sunrise.

This is still a lot of snow, but not nearly the amount that our state climatologist Jerry Stenger predicted last night. No snow bomb, but several explosions during the night, leading to no power for several hours in the University area, but, back on now. I feel for people without power; have to admit, with the temp. dropping, I was wondering about freezing pipes, when it gets down in in the single digits tonight. Guess I didn't have to spend the night shoveling my flat roof after all.

AccuWeather spokesperson explained the varying snow totals, now 12- 18", by their estimate-- instead of the earlier 28 -30+", by saying
that now we have so many models, which we didn't have before, and they print out all these wild numbers. He said, they've learned at Accuweather to be on the conservative side. He did offer another cautionary note saying, now we have to look ahead to Tuesday into Wednesday, and those models are all over the place.

It's still snowing heavily and windy in Nelson County. We count as locals last time I checked.

The small hamlet of Batesville has definitely seen 20 inches - cleared deck down to the wood yesterday, seeing another 12" on it this morning. But as post above states, inches of snow does not always a blizzard make. If the effect (closed schools and businesses and impassable roads) is the same, we have a functional , if not a technical, blizzard. DC may have more inches but they also have public transport, concentrated population and more resources for snow removal. Hunker down and make some coffee.

Hey dude, you may still get your blizzard, well almost, tonight winds 20-25 mph, if you believe the weatherman. Sounds like Philadelphia and the Eastern Seaboard is the place to go if you want to see a full blown blizzard, winds 45mph.

Just heard from Dan Genest, rep. for Va. Dominion Power, on WINA, that a tree came down at Fry's Spring Beach Club last night taking out 5,000 households, but now, down to about 3,000 out of power in our area.

Asked when the rest would be restored, he gave no answer saying, the storms not over yet.

Carol- thank you!

How about we call this one 'SnowBigDeal or maybe S'knowBigDeal?

I think we got our fair share. SO many people are without electricity. We lost ours for 12 hours and are so very thankful to have it back on.
Everyone is getting their driveways cleared only to be hit again on Tuesday. Where is Spring? Can someone PLEASE shoot that damn groundhog!!! I don't think I can take 6 more weeks of this:(

OK- "warned" again- here is the NOAA forecast for Charlottesville-

Take precautions, prepare (again) and good luck........

It is still snowing at on 29N near Profitt. We have allot of snow still coming down?

and, it's not about whether we get 18" or 30" (incidentally, I cleaned a foot of my deck yesterday and this morning there's 10 inches more), it's about how long it will take for thing to return to normal, for all roads to be passable and all the local schools to reopen. With only 10 unimpressive inches last weekend, most local schools (as far north as Culpeper, as far east as Louisa, south as Amherst) were operational for only one day this past week. Don't forget, there's a layer of ICE in inside those unimpressive amounts of snow we got yesterday and the temps aren't going up any time soon.

Dude, it seems like you WANTED the blizzard! What we got is enough as it is. If the blizzard did not come, or happened north of here, then that's okay by me! I'm just sitting this Al Gore Global Warming Snow Storm out.

Q: Dude, where's our blizzard?

A: Leesburg.

So here's where our 2 feet of snow went: "Powder time: At Snowshoe, 23 inches in 24 hours "--well guess with school out indefinitely, the ski resorts will be jumping for joy this year.

this is a much wetter snow fall.
trees are down in my area.
and it is not over.
if you do not think its work to be out in this.
try working.

thank you

power is out, generator on but for how long??? I know it will be bad when Dominion just called me to say that my power has been restored.... yikes! I had to call my outage in again and still do not see it on the interactive "up to date" map....

Downtown MJH area, power out around midnight, restored around 9Am. The power company crews deserve our heartfelt thanks. Looks like the city is doing okay with plowing too. My street plowed sometime last night.

As usual my streets were pretty much ignored. It did turn to sleet last night, with several inches of it. That mashed down the snow, and melted it a bit, but we still have heavy snow falling right now, and it is accumulating. The tops of vehicles looke like over a foot with the sleet. I think we are still going to get several inches today.

ot sure what happened with the wind, because it was really blowing at about midnight last night here.

Thankfully, no power outage for us.

winter tyres were awesome, though with the sleet layer, they almost got in the way, because they would just start digging right down to the surface.

So, the snow was going to end at 7am? It's four hours later and snowing as hard as at any point yesterday.

I'm in Florida. How many inches of snow has Charlottesville REALLY gotten so far? Does anyone know for sure!

geee down here south of Touson, it's 63 deg and sunny...a little golf today...

It's just a wise crack, gosh give a guy a break, maybe I'm not as funny as Jay Leno, but in no way am I a moron. I hope you are not a person who likes to call persons with opposite views from yours a moron rather than have a civil discussion of different opinions. However your comment leaves nothing to make me think any differently.

For real, we do need to continue to address the climate change. I agree with the President's statement that even if one does not agree on the science, we all can agree to make efforts to keep our environment clean. You will see me at the recycle center often, and I support all means to have better insulated homes, the highest efficiency in heating and cooling, drive fuel efficient vehicles, and support mass transportation.

There is no nation on earth who is doing better than we are when one considers the scale in which we are doing. That does not mean we should not continue to improve, we can and will and in a responsible way. We do not need to feel guilty about our nation's living standards because we are doing more than any nation on earth to address issues with our climate.

Two major industrial nations do not want to cut back their emissions. Perhaps we should start a grass roots effort to purchase less products that are sent here. I hear no clamor for this at all.

Maybe, just maybe there is something we can agree upon, but I will never know if you keep calling me a moron or a say I am one of memes (Mr. or Ms gasbag to the 10th power).

The long range cycle of the Earth and its climate, influenced by solar cycles, makes us due for an Ice Age.

Global warming propaganda is being directed to accomplish another set of goals, something Michael Crichton realized and for which he may have been targeted: control of the population, world government, austerity and depopulation.

"C'villeman I love how every time it snows, morons start making cracks about Al Gore and global warming. It’s as predictable the sunrise."

Not sure that there could be a sunrise if Big Al were to your East........hey, where is Big Al?

As I sat at my desk at 5:30am this morning, the phones began to ring, but there was no one there, the lights flickered, but stayed on, the wind howled in the tall oak trees, and the world was white with blowing snow; having grown up in Buffalo I wondered, is this the blizzard some have been wanting to see ?

Growing up in Buffalo, as a child, I lived through many a blizzard and only remember the excitement of playing in the snow; building snow forts, which we made into little houses and stayed in for hours; turning the backyard into a frozen pond for skating, and drinking lots of hot chocotate. But, my parents would tell a different story --and no I never remember losing power.

A piece in today's Washington Post by Jonathan Capehart reminded me that true blizzards are not all fun and games, and perhaps we were lucky this time.

He writes: " I'm from Upstate NY-Albany and Buffalo..I can't keep quiet any longer about the abandon with which the word " blizzard" is being bandied about....According to the National Weather Service, a blizzard requires certain conditions: There must be sustained wind or frequent gusts to 35 miles an hour or greater, and such falling or blowing snow that visibility is reduced to less than a quarter-mile. Moreover, these conditions must prevail for a minimum of three hours.
Forgive me but: I lived through Buffalo's Blizzard of 1977 ( houses buried in snow, winds gusting to 69mph, thousands of cars abandoned, people stranded, bone chilling cold). That experience gave me an appreciation of what a true blizzard is....I think the best definition comes not from the National Weather Service but from my colleague and fellow Buffalonian Tom Toles:" It's Really scary. You can't see a thing-and you think you are going to die."

And now Washington is being hit again, much harder than we are, the momentary white-out at 5:30am in my yard has given way to glorious sunshine, and the Post writer may in fact be experiencing a Buffalo-type blizzard, I for one am glad to be here.

Yup, they do and in fact I had several people make the comment to me this week. It's all part of memes that are simple and easy to repeat.
People think weather is climate, but weather is local and climate is global.
For some, the world is only what they see in their own backyard...

Al Gore is a "crack"! He started it....doesn't deliver on it. Remember, now it is climate change, not global warming. We could use Al Gore's suit coat to make a tent for a family with a power outage- maybe his personal "explosion" can be blamed on climate change...........

Harry, Our big problem is not global warming but pathological utopian elites, for more see:

I just want to know if the Ice Age is coming again and when. I need to prepare.

So, when does the city expect us to have the sidewalks cleared this time around?

Typcial hook article. Publishing stories all week about how nasty the storm will be, then seizing an opportunity when it doesn't materialize exactly as expected by throwing a jab at the weather establishment for getting the exact forecast wrong. Excellent reporting, clowns

I direct your attention to this article, Damon, explaining the difference between 'weather' and 'climate'. I'm sure you'll put on your tinfoil hat before reading...