2/5-2/6 Mid-Atlantic Winter Storm

[FFTEX]

Wasn't me. That had to be hilarious. I was in my fire gear digging out hydrants though and I sunk clean up to my waist. I'm 5 10 to so that is a lot of snow.

[tinatornado]

Originally Posted by FFTEX

Wasn't me. That had to be hilarious. I was in my fire gear digging out hydrants though and I sunk clean up to my waist. I'm 5 10 to so that is a lot of snow.

I'm 5' 5" so I can imagine plus being loaded down with your suit and all. I bet that was a funny sight-not! At least you were working and not being goofy. That man will be lucky if he doesn't come down with pneumonia.
I remember when I was a child, we had a deep snow that filled our ditch up. It was deep so we could lay in it and hide. That was probably the deepest snow we have ever had.
You could use some snow shoes that remind me of narrow tennis rackets.

[FFTEX]

Well the fire gear was a lot warmer and drier then my EMT pants in the snow. Had to go wading through a little snow at around 4am on a call.

On another note I am under a Winter Storm Warning from02/09/2010 at 10am to 02/10/2010 at 7pm. Expecting 8 to 14 inches of snow.

Yea I ain't happy. I'm on a 24 tomorrow to.

[The Weather Warrior]

Originally Posted by unclebubba

With 20-30 inches of snow expected over much of the east coast, I'm surprised nobody is talking about it. Blizzard warnings, gale warnings, hurricane force wind warnings, tornado watch...they've got it all.

Jason, I hope to see pics from this monster too.

OK...here is few:


A cottage at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC.


14th Street Bridge (from Ohio Drive), over the Potomac River near to the site of the 1983 Plane crash.

[The Weather Warrior]

Firefighters were responding to all kinds of calls. Here trees from the Rock Creek Park fell on some cars on a street that bordered the park. It looks like the tree must have fallen slowly as there was minimal damage (only the trunk and rear fender were bent some, and looked more than usable. Some more trees and branches were down on cars across the street.


This was cool...some steam coming from a manhole that had vent holes (on 17th Street, NW). When the wind blew just right the stream would rotate creating a vortex like structure.

The building next to this shot is the Executive Office Building. Behind it is the White House.

[The Weather Warrior]

This has been the craziest season so far. Already, the Historic storm from December and now this storm just past which in many locations broke records and was just insane.

The December 19th storm was not only a mega DC storm, but broke all the local records for most snow ever in the month of December.

NOW FOR THE KICKER: We are looking down the barrel AGAIN!!!!!! 15 to 26 inches of additional snow is forecast for the area north and northeast of DC starting tomorrow. We could see potentially life threatening situations, with the risk of roof collapses since back to back mega storms bring more snow fall rates than the roof structures are designed to hold. The average home is already holding as much as 20,000 extra pounds of snow. Add 20 more inches and that adds a lot of heavy snow. Generally the unofficial rule of thumb has been 36" of snow for most pitched roof structures. A little less for old homes, flat roofs, light-gauge steel utility that have already seen some roof collapses in the region.

During the past storm I streamed video for nearly 30 straight hours in and around DC. I don't think I'll be able to do that again (I'm still exhausted from that and all the shoveling), but if the road conditions allow (not likely) I'll be roaming again. I will have some live video during the event...most likely just a few hours tomorrow, and ton on Wednesday during the daylight hours.

[tinatornado]

Originally Posted by FFTEX

Well the fire gear was a lot warmer and drier then my EMT pants in the snow. Had to go wading through a little snow at around 4am on a call.

On another note I am under a Winter Storm Warning from02/09/2010 at 10am to 02/10/2010 at 7pm. Expecting 8 to 14 inches of snow.

Yea I ain't happy. I'm on a 24 tomorrow to.

This is one time a fire would sound nice, but of course not the damaging property kind. I'm glad you told me how tall you are, so if you get lost in the snow, we know how deep to dig to get you out. Somebody might mistake you for a snowman dressed in a fireman's suit!
On a serious note, I hope this wet precipitation takes a vacation for a month. The USA is turning into the world's largest lake. I know snow makes working miserable and harder, but when you add depth to it, it just magnifies the hardship. Please be careful out there, wear your petticoats-whoops-I meant long johns and wooly socks and stay warm. Are the temperatures going to be the same freezing temps you had with the last major system?

[tinatornado]

Originally Posted by The Weather Warrior

Firefighters were responding to all kinds of calls. Here trees from the Rock Creek Park fell on some cars on a street that bordered the park. It looks like the tree must have fallen slowly as there was minimal damage (only the trunk and rear fender were bent some, and looked more than usable. Some more trees and branches were down on cars across the street.


This was cool...some steam coming from a manhole that had vent holes (on 17th Street, NW). When the wind blew just right the stream would rotate creating a vortex like structure.

The building next to this shot is the Executive Office Building. Behind it is the White House.

Thanks for the pics! You almost can't see the traffic lights, not that it matters due to no cars are out, but it is something we don't see down here. The trees may never get their shapes back. This winter needs to be called, "The Winter the North and Mid-Atlantic Stood Still". Stay safe and warm.

[tinatornado]

Originally Posted by The Weather Warrior

This has been the craziest season so far. Already, the Historic storm from December and now this storm just past which in many locations broke records and was just insane.

The December 19th storm was not only a mega DC storm, but broke all the local records for most snow ever in the month of December.

NOW FOR THE KICKER: We are looking down the barrel AGAIN!!!!!! 15 to 26 inches of additional snow is forecast for the area north and northeast of DC starting tomorrow. We could see potentially life threatening situations, with the risk of roof collapses since back to back mega storms bring more snow fall rates than the roof structures are designed to hold. The average home is already holding as much as 20,000 extra pounds of snow. Add 20 more inches and that adds a lot of heavy snow. Generally the unofficial rule of thumb has been 36" of snow for most pitched roof structures. A little less for old homes, flat roofs, light-gauge steel utility that have already seen some roof collapses in the region.

During the past storm I streamed video for nearly 30 straight hours in and around DC. I don't think I'll be able to do that again (I'm still exhausted from that and all the shoveling), but if the road conditions allow (not likely) I'll be roaming again. I will have some live video during the event...most likely just a few hours tomorrow, and ton on Wednesday during the daylight hours.

It'd be nice if there was a roof heater that can be used to melt the snow off. Kinda like a car defroster-type thing. That is the winter snows you only hear of in history books or in story books, like Little House on the Prairie's "The Long Winter".

Be careful out there!

[unclebubba]

Those old roofs weren't meant to hold that much of the heavy wet stuff.

Great pics Jason. I like how the Executive Office Building is plastered.