apm Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 I think it was that they had 12.3 for Saturday another 7.9 on Sunday. Oh ok..well makes sense that they lost power, but the 20.2 seems weenie to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ski MRG Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 Couple of reasons...leaves may be one, but also the higher up you went...the colder and thus drier the snow was. Lower elevations at like 33F is where things went crazy. Also, the ice storm might have helped clean out the excess crap a few years ago and at least reduce the impact of old limbs breaking and what now. The icestorm was a big deal in areas that weren't hit hard by this storm. Will and I were talking about this. Over the last 3 years..nature has done her share of tree trimming. Last year I had a 33F wet snow bomb but didn't have terrible tree damage. There were trees down, but I think the big things about last year was that I had wind the whole time which helps reduce snow piling up on branches. In this storm, we had half or 2/3 of the storm with not much wind inland, and then the wind kicked up to 25-30kts as evident at BDL. I think that was the finl blow delivered and took out all these limbs and even whole trees. Texted with Kevin and he said he is fine. House is 45F and he is staying the night there while the rest of the fam is with family who have a generator. It was basically a Winter powder here. Great to ski in. Hope Kevin is back soon. It's a total pain in the azz to be without power. I have a friend that's a CT State Troper and he came up to borrow a generator from me today. He's been told that some places won't see power for weeks. His area should have power back in 3-4 days and he's a lucky one. Just still in awe of the display I witnessed here Sat night. Totally awesome way to start Winter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ginx snewx Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 I've always said it safer to live at higher elevations. Less of a risk of death by Tsunami as well. until you have a crippling ice storm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoarfrostHubb Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 until you have a crippling ice storm Those do suck... But you probably won't die in one Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brewbeer Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 Power not expected back here until the "end of the week". The camping skills I acquired in my 20s are paying off for my family now. Hot meals and hot coffee from the grill and backpacking stove. There is power at the office so the family is coming to work with me this week. The destruction of trees here is indescribable - and I can't get my chainsaw to start. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DomNH Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 Power not expected back here until the "end of the week". The camping skills I acquired in my 20s are paying off for my family now. Hot meals and hot coffee from the grill and backpacking stove. There is power at the office so the family is coming to work with me this week. The destruction of trees here is indescribable - and I can't get my chainsaw to start. There are still trees and wires laying in the roads all over here. Definitely going to be a while. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HIPPYVALLEY Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 Did they ever repair RT 2 ? Will be at least January of February and I'm sure 30" of snow hasn't helped. The side of the mountain literally had to be re-blasted. Good news,betcha he wishes he didn't shave them pubes now. Maybe Pete and I can put together a care package of hippie hair for Kevin to keep his head warm. I've always said it safer to live at higher elevations. Less of a risk of death by Tsunami as well. Not ideal for growing food and closer to the sun as the ozone erodes. ; ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ginx snewx Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 Will be at least January of February and I'm sure 30" of snow hasn't helped. The side of the mountain literally had to be re-blasted. Maybe Pete and I can put together a care package of hippie hair for Kevin to keep his head warm. Not ideal for growing food and closer to the sun as the ozone erodes. ; ) your pictures are beautiful, love how the house sits surrounded like that, cool spot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Organizing Low Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 Those do suck... But you probably won't die in one ive always felt ice storms are the most dangerous storms in winter. 35 people died in the 98 ice storm, mostly due to power outages and the cold and CO poisioning, and i guess some accidents too with power lines and car accidents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Organizing Low Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 who knew snow and leaves could be such a devestating combo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheetah440 Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 Interesting interactive Massachusetts power map Al la boston.com http://www.boston.co.../?p1=News_links http://www1.nationalgridus.com/masselectric/stormcenter/ check out the outage map in the outage central section.......Lot's of work to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subdude Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 Interesting that Sterling, Princeton, Boylston/West Boylston all appear to have 100% power, but towns just to the east at lower elevations all have close to 100% outages (lancaster, berlin). I think a big part of it is the power companies that service these towns and probably also how good of a job the towns did trimming back the trees from the power lines after the icestorm back in 08... I never lost power in the storm myself, other than it flickering on and off throughout the night. Edit:Just realized that those towns are probably not reflected in the map due to having their own municipal light departments (sterling included) however the outages appear to be non existent from my drive through Sterling/Princeton but once you hit Lancaster its a total blackout town wide. There were about 250 homes without power in Westminster but it was localized, fallen limbs etc...overall that's not too bad. Surprisingly, I had no power issues or tree damage the ice storm took care of that . Today felt like a March thaw. lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoarfrostHubb Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 ive always felt ice storms are the most dangerous storms in winter. 35 people died in the 98 ice storm, mostly due to power outages and the cold and CO poisioning, and i guess some accidents too with power lines and car accidents. Few if any deaths that I can recall on 2008 But 1998 was much more devastating Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HIPPYVALLEY Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 your pictures are beautiful, love how the house sits surrounded like that, cool spot. Thanks. The trees are awesome but a bit concerning. Luckily I'm in a pretty wind sheltered area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Organizing Low Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 Few if any deaths that I can recall on 2008 But 1998 was much more devastating well this one was kind of like an ice storm. not really but snow sticking to trees and brining them down.....similar to ice weight on trees. not the same i know but same mechanism of destruction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORH_wxman Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 I do not think it is a coincidence that areas that got smashed really hard in the ice storm had less damage than areas that didn't. There was def some big limbs down here, but it was far far worse lower down in elevation....lower areas in Worcester that had much less impact in the ice storm. It was funny, I think the top of winter hill probably had the least damage of anywhere I saw in town, and that was the worst hit spot in the ice storm. I do think the slightly drier nature of the snow helped along with a bit less foliage higher up, but those two factors were not nearly enough to explain the difference in damage. I think a majority of it was that most of the "weak links" in the trees were picked off in the ice storm...those same easy targets did not get picked off in much lower elevations in the ice storm so they were now taken care of in this storm. Add on the extra foliage and slightly wetter nature of the snow and you had a perfect recipe for big differences in tree damage over a short distance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Organizing Low Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 Similar yes, but could you imagine an icestorm with leaves still on the trees? This storm would have been minimal impact in comparison had it occurred just a month later. While there were a lot of downed trees/branches in town here, the damage is nothing compared to what I experienced in 08 - not even close. For many towns it was much worse though and this storm (due to the leaves) had a significantly wider impact region wide. yes thats just it i have a hard time comprehending the amount of damage that snow on trees can cause, but here we have proof that it can happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sankaty Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 Still no power here, but finally 3G data service has been restored so I can post a final observation. Ended up with 8.5 inches here. Didn't do any clearing, so that includes some compaction. The deformation band did much better than I expected here (seemed to be weakening rapidly before pivoting in) and represents almost half the total. Incredible tree damage, especially right around our house. Much, much worse than Irene, locally speaking. I guess we can put our shade gardening books in storage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisM Posted November 1, 2011 Author Share Posted November 1, 2011 Parents somehow miraculously got power back...wow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ginx snewx Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 Parents somehow miraculously got power back...wow. Infrastructure demolished cancel They are lucky must be on a critical grid, only 120 restored out of 2950 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamrivers Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 Long time no post, been very busy - pulled a 9am-midnight shift on WMAS on Sunday - slept whatever I could today and spent a long day in Willimantic afterward..... Springfield area damage is unreal.....not tornado like but still hard to believe. The areas where the tornado crossed through had a tree or two left for each house - and a few of those were even lost too. From Chicopee all the way to Mansfield, CT - just constant dodging of trees and power lines all over the road while driving. I have seen a lot of posts mentioning elevation......doesn't seem that it was much of a factor out this way..... the high points off Gulf Road in Somers near Soapstone Mountain have just as much tree damage as the low points in the valley. Springfield area lots of large trees (that appeared strong) down on homes, in roads, etc. WMECO and National Grid have done a semi-decent job getting the power numbers down here in Western Mass. Most are expected to have power by Thursday, which all things considered, is pretty good. Fortunate that here at home we only lost half a pine tree, 1 small maple and a ton of branches, and no damage. Feel lucky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ginx snewx Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 Long time no post, been very busy - pulled a 9am-midnight shift on WMAS on Sunday - slept whatever I could today and spent a long day in Willimantic afterward..... Springfield area damage is unreal.....not tornado like but still hard to believe. The areas where the tornado crossed through had a tree or two left for each house - and a few of those were even lost too. From Chicopee all the way to Mansfield, CT - just constant dodging of trees and power lines all over the road while driving. I have seen a lot of posts mentioning elevation......doesn't seem that it was much of a factor out this way..... the high points off Gulf Road in Somers near Soapstone Mountain have just as much tree damage as the low points in the valley. Springfield area lots of large trees (that appeared strong) down on homes, in roads, etc. WMECO and National Grid have done a semi-decent job getting the power numbers down here in Western Mass. Most are expected to have power by Thursday, which all things considered, is pretty good. Fortunate that here at home we only lost half a pine tree, 1 small maple and a ton of branches, and no damage. Feel lucky. Glad you are Ok Adam, did 98 come back yet? Interesting social comment, saw some angry folks at gas pumps on video today, did not see that in ECT during Irene. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoastalWx Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 As much as I would have loved to witness the trees snapping and what not...no way is is worth the power outages unless I'm buried under 30". Watching these horror stories with temps in the 20s at night......no way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HIPPYVALLEY Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 As much as I would have loved to witness the trees snapping and what not...no way is is worth the power outages unless I'm buried under 30". Watching these horror stories with temps in the 20s at night......no way. Strongly agree. I'll count my blessings to have seen 14" of snow in Oct., snapping trees and only have 24 hrs of no electricity. The cold nights are a killer for all these folks because it's just not warm enough by day to have any type of temperature recovery inside the house before nightfall. I'm guessing homes w/o alternative heat sources must be in the 40's by now. That's why I have never understood getting a pellet stove vs a wood stove. Pellet stove might be efficient but it still needs electricity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoastalWx Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 Strongly agree. I'll count my blessings to have seen 14" of snow in Oct., snapping trees and only have 24 hrs of no electricity. The cold nights are a killer for all these folks because it's just not warm enough by day to have any type of temperature recovery inside the house before nightfall. I'm guessing homes w/o alternative heat sources must be in the 40's by now. That's why I have never understood getting a pellet stove vs a wood stove. Pellet stove might be efficient but it still needs electricity. I want a wood stove in my next house. I love those. Not too many homes have them, but they are pretty cool. Losing power for a day or even two is ok, but days without power will be tough. This weekend will feature a cool shot and make it tough once again for those without power. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HIPPYVALLEY Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 I want a wood stove in my next house. I love those. Not too many homes have them, but they are pretty cool. Losing power for a day or even two is ok, but days without power will be tough. This weekend will feature a cool shot and make it tough once again for those without power. I remember even when we lived in Cambridge there were city apartments and houses w/ wood stoves and I was always envious. We had a fire place up until this summer. Nice ambiance but the wood stove is so much more heat efficient. Almost too much. Our house is only 1500' sq/ft so I'm pretty much hanging out in shorts and a t-shirt w/ the wood fire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoarfrostHubb Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 Strongly agree. I'll count my blessings to have seen 14" of snow in Oct., snapping trees and only have 24 hrs of no electricity. The cold nights are a killer for all these folks because it's just not warm enough by day to have any type of temperature recovery inside the house before nightfall. I'm guessing homes w/o alternative heat sources must be in the 40's by now. That's why I have never understood getting a pellet stove vs a wood stove. Pellet stove might be efficient but it still needs electricity. After the ice storm in 08, my house got to 38F... we did not get really cold after that event, thank goodness. We have a fireplace and used that at first, but it was wasted heat. We went to my in-laws for 1 night, hoping they would have power back sooner (plus they had city water = flushing toilets!), but it got mighty cold there, too. We spent the next 4 nights in Belmont, where they only got rain. Wood stoves are the way to go for a backup Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoarfrostHubb Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 I remember even when we lived in Cambridge there were city apartments and houses w/ wood stoves and I was always envious. We had a fire place up until this summer. Nice ambiance but the wood stove is so much more heat efficient. Almost too much. Our house is only 1500' sq/ft so I'm pretty much hanging out in shorts and a t-shirt w/ the wood fire. My dad almost burned down our house in 1978. We had a wood stove for about a week, and he stupidly put some ashes (thought they were cool) in a paper bag and put that on our back porch. That went up pretty good. lol Back porch had to be redone. I was mad because some of my Star Wars toys melted. But then I realized they were more cool that way Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoastalWx Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 I remember even when we lived in Cambridge there were city apartments and houses w/ wood stoves and I was always envious. We had a fire place up until this summer. Nice ambiance but the wood stove is so much more heat efficient. Almost too much. Our house is only 1500' sq/ft so I'm pretty much hanging out in shorts and a t-shirt w/ the wood fire. Haha nice. Well no fireplace here, though I suppose I could have a gas stove put in, but it's not the same. I'll be happy even with just a regular fireplace. Anyways we went OT. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powderfreak Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 Haha nice. Well no fireplace here, though I suppose I could have a gas stove put in, but it's not the same. I'll be happy even with just a regular fireplace. Anyways we went OT. There is nothing better than watching it snow outside a big picture window while a fire crackles and pops in your living room...it's as aesthetically pleasing as it gets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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