Scarlet Pimpernel

Ji can see the back end of the radar already...

Nice shot!! I'm off to visit family in the Cleveland area later this upcoming week for a few days. They got tickets to the Guardians vs. Blue Jays, so that will be fun. Even if they've been frustrating to follow this year!

Welcome home (a bit late)!! Of course, you might not have thought it felt so good about a week or so ago when it was 98 degrees!!

Boxing Day, 2010! What an amaz....oh, wait a minute! No, that storm sucked for us and is verboten to mention, like Lord Voldemort, the Storm which Shall Not Be Named!! But seriously, it's tough to pinpoint an absolute favorite so I'll list a few, or at least a few time periods. Chronological order, not in order of preference: --PD-II, 2003. I was living in the Capitol Hill neighborhood and the lead up to that was very exciting! I had only moved here in July 2001 and winter '01-02 completely sucked (my first winter here), so '02-03 was a nice change! I remember the guidance kept trending colder and lots of precipitation. I was expecting most of it to start on that Sunday morning (Feb. 16, 2003), but when I got up there was already 6" on the ground and pounding snow. We did get sleet of course much later on but still got ~18" where I was. Amazing storm, and cold throughout. --February 2007. I know a lot of people tend to blow off or overlook that winter, but that February was very cold and if we had gotten snow rather than sleet/ice for the Valentine's Day event, I think it would be one of the better winters. And we got the somewhat unexpected 5-6" of wet snow later in February (I think the 25th). That season actually was awful in December and early January...but mid-January through February was pretty cool and active. I actually liked that winter overall. --The entire 2 week period from Jan. 30-Feb. 10, 2010. Even having grown up in northeast OH and having experienced many big winters, that 2 week period here in 2010 was about the snowiest and most incredible that I've seen. Where I was in Silver Spring at the time, I received 6.3" on Jan. 30, 5.0" on Feb. 2, 23.5" on Feb. 5-6, and 12.0" on Feb. 9-10. I recall going to bed on Feb. 9 after some snow and there was freezing rain falling by then, thinking we were in for a huge bust. Woke up on the 10th to whiteout and blizzard conditions that continued through the day. And of course, you cannot mention that winter 2009-10 without also mentioning the 1st HECS of that season on Dec. 18-19, 2009 (20.0" where I am)...oh, and of course, happy anniversary to @mappy every year on Dec. 19!! --Winter 2013-14. Damn near wall-to-wall with tracking events. Not a single HECS, but loaded with several moderate events. Hell, even @Bob Chill said he was exhausted by the end of March! Plus it was the 2nd year in a row that snow fell on my birthday on March 25 (happened in 2013 as well). --3 weeks from mid-February to early March 2015. Holy cow what a ride! Yeah, a late bloomer of a season but another extremely cold February (colder than 2007!) and this time we cashed in on some good snows. March had an ice event the first weekend of the month and then a nifty moderate event on the 5th. February 14 also had what is perhaps my favorite "minor" event, a couple of snow squalls with an Arctic front dropped 2" in less than an hour, followed by bitter cold and wind which ushered in that amazing 3 week period! --January 22-23, 2016. What can you say? The blizzard of 2016 HECS! That storm was so well forecast and just a classic setup. I remember sitting in a coffee shop the Saturday a week before looking at AmWx, and after the 12Z models came in everyone KNEW a big event was all but guaranteed, it was just a matter of the details. A few days prior to that was a small clipper that dropped an inch of dry snow that resulted in icy roads. I know a lot of people love to hate on that winter saying it was a one and done season...but what a ONE! And that was after ridiculously warm (+10 degree departure) December. We also did get a small snow and ice event around mid-February that year, which tends to get overlooked. --January 11-12, 2019. I know this may have affected the DC area more, but it was a neat event that dropped 11"!! I recall LWX going kind of big on the snow amounts which seemed risky at the time, but that turned out to be correct. [But, my all-time favorite event from anywhere I lived was the great Ohio Blizzard of Jan. 26-27, 1978!!! No, it was not a prolific snow producer in northeast OH (maybe 6-12" overall). However, that storm was so damned severe it's hard to top. It set low pressure records from the southeast US to Canada, including 28.28" (957 mb) as the center of the storm passed right over Cleveland. Temperatures dropping 30 degrees in a 2 hour period (from mid-40s at 4AM to the teens by 6AM), then single digits most of the remainder of the day on the 26th with whiteout conditions. Wind gusts to 80+ MPH and unreal low wind chills. They were literally telling people to NOT go outside. We still had about a foot of old, crusty snow on the ground and the drifts that resulted from the blizzard were quite incredible. I remember Dick Goddard, the local meteorologist (and a very good forecaster) saying that for the only time in his long career, he told people on the 11PM news show to not expect to travel anywhere the next day, even though at that time it was still pretty mild and kind of drizzly out. The Ohio Turnpike (I-80/90) was closed from gate to gate for the only time ever. The National Guard had to be called in for relief efforts after the storm. That winter, 1977-78, was the second incredible one after the brutal and record-setting cold winter the year before in 1976-77.]

Oh that sucks, hope you are OK! But nice to make a play that helped win the game! I've seen my share of injuries in this softball league I used to play for and it's no joke. A few years ago in 2019, I broke a finger playing 1st base (normally, I'm an outfielder but played 1st a few times). On this one play, there was a wild and hard throw from our 3rd baseman that I had to dive for. The ball nicked my gloved hand just wrong and bent my pinky finger back somehow. At least I kept it in play and avoided the runner advancing to 2nd! I attempted to bat in the bottom half of that inning but couldn't continue, so that was the end of my season. Had to get a pin in the finger for about 6 weeks. I don't play anymore, COVID kind of canceled any season in 2020 and 2021 though the league started back up last year. Plus, just too much other stuff going on (and I'm getting a bit old for that now hahaha!). But it was fun playing for about 17 seasons in that league, especially the tournament weekend each year!

Very late to the party here, didn't even realize it was @WxWatcher007's birthday recently. So I'll also wish a happy belated to the ever-ageless Reaper!

A red rosebud. Took this awhile back, and made it black and white EXCEPT for the red, to make it stand out (and a cool effect, I think!).

@MillvilleWx, a little late to the party here as I haven't been on in awhile...but CONGRATS!!!! Very happy for you getting the WPC position...well earned and well deserved! When do you start (I guess sometime in August given what you say above)? Now...all you have to do is bring the snow back here with you, right?! Maybe I can catch you sometime at NCWCP, I do head over there now and then from Silver Spring HQ.

Can you post the Kuchera maps for this??

A stately tree! This is actually on the grounds of Georgetown Prep school (right at the entrance), near where I live. I've always liked this tree and have taken several shots of it. Difficult to get it while avoiding buildings, street, traffic lights, etc. (it's right off Rockville Pike). But I found an angle that worked. So here it is, at dusk/sunset...

No problem on the rant! I totally understand what you mean. That scene of Gandalf and the Nazgul never quite made sense to me either, where Gandalf was essentially broken (yet Gandalf, as you mention, broke Saruman and also held off Nazgul earlier). It just sort of ended with Gandalf on the ground and the Lord of the Nazgul going off to meet the Rohirrim. I really only posted that for the Ride of the Rohirrim battle, in my opinion one of the best such scenes in the movies (and still holds up very well 20 years later!). I guess that particular YouTube clip starts it with the Gandalf/Nazgul scene. I always liked the part where Theoden looks down in horror and disgust at the orcs laying waste to Minas Tirith...then jerks his horse with a "fuck it!" attitude and prepares his outnumbered army for battle no matter what.

https://www.google.com/search?q=ride+of+the+rohirrim&oq=ride+of+the+rohirrim&aqs=chrome.0.0i355i512j46i340i512l2j0i512l3j46i512j0i512l3.4872j1j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:5fb4492f,vid:7lwJOxN_gXc

Ahhh, love the 9th and the choral part of course! I've been fortunate enough to see it performed TWICE in my lifetime, both by the Atlanta symphony and chorus (one of them conducted by Yoel Levi). I've heard it said that as wonderful as the choral part of the 9th is, it's actually rather rough and demanding on the singers because they have to strain their voice over the music.

Yup, classic scene! And yeah, Legolas sliding down the trunk of the Oliphant after dispatching all the men and the Oliphant itself...with a toss of his head, and then Gimli saying "That still only counts as one!"

@yoda... Thought you would appreciate this. Some movie theaters here are showing a 20th anniversary of Lord of the Rings, Return of the King. Saw it last night. Totally awesome! Amazing how that movie still holds up 2 decades later. They showed the extended version, so it was like 4 hours, but absolutely worth it to stay out late! I saw the original theatrical release in Jan 2004. And though I have a Blu-ray copy of all 3 which I have seen a few times, seeing that on the big screen again was amazing! Favorite scenes are lighting of the beacons of Gondor, and the Ride of the Rohirrim battle. Unreal cinematography and Howard Shore's sound track is unparalleled.

That would be cool, over a beer or three (after work of course!). I actually work in MDL and do a certain amount of work on the Blend as well as MOS. But much of what I have done lately involves getting things ready for implementation. I would definitely be glad to talk more offline if you like.

I totally hear you, PSU, and overall I agree concerning 2015-16. It is hard to just look past that one amazing event but also it really was not the most memorable season beyond that. Well, if you consider the extreme December warmth, I guess that is memorable LOL! I wonder if the 8" event you got was the same mid-Feb snow/ice event we got farther south here. And I agree, don't like having to root for the historical level event to save a winter! 2013-14 and 2nd half of 2014-15 were more consistent in terms of longer lasting cold. Which was awesome of course! I guess my point is that I never got all the 2016 "hate" that so many seem to have. Going into that winter, I recall expectations being kind of reserved with a very strong Nino. But also that some expected a higher than normal chance of a big event. And honestly after an April-like December, that Jan-Feb were pretty OK temperature-wise.

I know you're being a bit snarky with that reply, but in all honesty there are a certain number of people that love to hate on that winter 2015-16. Despite the HECS in January; and it wasn't really all some total "freak/luck" event either. I'm not one of those, and would take that again just to re-live that one event and the lead-up to it. Yes, December was abysmal with a +10 departure for the month (thank goodness that didn't happen in JULY!! LOL!!). Christmas Eve was downright muggy!! And yes, we really had just the one event worthy of remembering. But...oh, what an event! To me, it's kind of amusing to say, "if it weren't for the big-ass snowstorm that we all followed a week in advance, winter sucked!" It's kind of like saying, "Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how did you enjoy the play?" If you look at DCA's records for that winter, Jan-Feb actually were both a bit COLDER than normal (Jan in particular). At DCA! And I think a lot of people forget the interesting little snow/ice event we had in mid-February. We had some legit cold days the second half of January and in the middle part of February. It's not like all was a torch other than one event; there were chances beyond the HECS that season. I'd take that any time over the constant actual torch we had this Jan-Feb, with literally NO snow outside a half-inch on Feb. 1 in the predawn hours that was gone before noon (and almost literally no real chance of anything all winter). Maybe I'm one who just likes to take the discrete good events or periods that happen for themselves, in a lot of ways. Heck, I actually view winter 2006-07 to be pretty good here, and a hair from being one that would be very memorable for everyone (the Valentine's Day sleet storm was not far from being a foot-plus of snow, and was during a very cold period that month).

You need to oil up the ol' Jebman Shovel, get out there, and show them how it's done!!!

That's awesome, @MillvilleWx!! Best of luck to you with the interview, and I hope you land the position! You'd definitely be a great asset there. I go to the NCWCP building now and then (still know a few people there even though I've been at HQ for many years now!), and would be glad to stop in and say hello if you get there! Maybe you can lead one of the WPC map discussions sometime!

And this was perhaps my favorite..looks like a flame! It looked cool in silvery black-and-white as well!

Happy Easter, happy Spring! @mappy, some TULIPS for you!! I took enough tulip photos today that I'm practically Dutch! LOL! But there were so many good ones people had planted. Here are some of the better ones I got: Close-up of the inside of a tulip: Purple tulips: Tulip among some white daffodils:

From the past week...a foggy night (last Saturday, on my birthday no less...note the spider web on the branch near the one light), and a cherry blossom back-lit by the late day sun.

@mappy, that is stunning!!! Love the light and contrast!!

Start a thread, PSU! Start a thread! Go on...DO IT!!