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Storm timing and DC impact - 1/25/2000 had a HECS impact - Daytime snow sucks

snow.

By snow.,
in Mid Atlantic

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snow.

snow.

Posted
Posted

Walking around today, I thought about the impact of the event.  If I was living in a cave, and i started walking around DC today and you told me we had an event 2 days ago and it has been a very cold air mass in its wake  I would guess we had 3-4".  So close.  The more elevated areas of downtown had around 4".  The impact 2 days later downtown is consistent with an average 3-4" event in a cold air mass in December or January.  Still slush on streets even on main streets, piles where there has been shoveling.  Some covered sidewalks.  good coverage on all grass and bushes.  minor, but noticeable impact and pretty outside.

 

I realized how important it is to start at night or have most of the event at night.

 

Some may remember 1/20/2000...It was the 1st of our 3 events.  Similar totals downtown, maybe a tad less.  3-4".....And it was a "warm" storm.  30-32 for most of the even.  It started overnight and laid a foundation...most of the snow fell from 4am  to 8am.  So there was little traffic, and it was dark, and the snow was moderate and laid pretty easily.   I would say the impact was  less than today down here.  There was melting in the afternoon, and it wasn't a high QPF event.

 

So then 1/25/00.  4 days later.  There is some snow around, but mostly it is on grass, and some small piles where there was shoveling.  Streets and sidewalks are clear for the most part. So it added some impact the the 1/25 event but not much.  So 1/25.  Starts overnight.  mid to  upper 20s.  And snowed pretty good until late afternoon.  It was during the week.  Cold after.  Downtown got around 9-10"...Yet it looked like a 15" snowstorm for the next couple days.  3 foot piles at the corner of streets in front of the crosswalks with carve outs so people could walk through them.  Some with no carve-outs so you had to basically climb a mountain to get across the street.  HUGE piles of snow where the rewas shoveling and plowing.  Disaster area downtown.  And this was just as business casual was taking hold, so a lot of people in suits (including me) and dress shoes negotiating this mess, and not too successfully.  So twice as much snow but 3-4 times the impact.  

 

starting at night and laying a good foundation is crucial. I know a lot of folks wanted to watch the snow fall during the day, but I hated the start time with our warm temps and warm ground as we didnt get a good street and sidewalk base until early to mid afternoon when the snow became heavier and the sun became less of a factor.  This happens all the time.  Snow at night is way better anyway, unless it is ++ paste snow with fat dendrites.

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Ian

Ian

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whatever.  Nothing worse than grass only accumulations.    Street/Pavement snow = legit snowstorm. 

 

well i didn't say that.. but i don't care if i get 2" on the street and 6" in the grass.  snow sucks in the city after about a day anyway. i wish i would melt. 

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Deck Pic

Deck Pic

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well i didn't say that.. but i don't care if i get 2" on the street and 6" in the grass.  snow sucks in the city after about a day anyway. i wish i would melt. 

 

Ha...thats the best part..makes it feel like winter for a few days....we'll have +27 temps soon enough and we will all be pining for this stuff

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Ian

Ian

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Ha...thats the best part..makes it feel like winter for a few days....we'll have +27 temps soon enough and we will all be pining for this stuff

 I keep bringing puddles of muddy junk into my place.   :(

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stormtracker

stormtracker

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well i didn't say that.. but i don't care if i get 2" on the street and 6" in the grass.  snow sucks in the city after about a day anyway. i wish i would melt. 

well yeah...i don't care about the amount of accumulation on pavement...lets just have it so there will be a vast waste land of snow.  

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Bob Chill

Bob Chill

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Absolute worst start time is a weekday around 10am with light rates until noon and then heavy rates until sundown. The last storm was saved by temps because it was the worst timing for street stickage. The last band made the entire storm. Without it i still would have liked the storm but that band covered everything as a grand finale. 

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Ian

Ian

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4-5am is best, agreed.. Nothing better than watching it fall..

2-3 hours is plenty of time to lay on roads etc before sun impact. Our problem is usually that it was 94 the day prior. Though as far as I can tell I didn't really lose anything on grass with this one despite it being mild leading in and it falling during the day. In CT it seemed most of our best storms started in that period. Maybe they don't happen here.
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Yeoman

Yeoman

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2-3 hours is plenty of time to lay on roads etc before sun impact. Our problem is usually that it was 94 the day prior. Though as far as I can tell I didn't really lose anything on grass with this one despite it being mild leading in and it falling during the day. In CT it seemed most of our best storms started in that period. Maybe they don't happen here.

I remember in the 80s most storms seemed to start in the 3-6am time period. I used to have nightmares that I'd awaken to rain or nothing.. unfortunately a majority of the time it ended up as reality.

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gymengineer

gymengineer

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I remember in the 80s most storms seemed to start in the 3-6am time period. I used to have nightmares that I'd awaken to rain or nothing.. unfortunately a majority of the time it ended up as reality.

Yes, those were the worst as a kid growing up in this area--- so many examples too.

That's why I viscerally need a snowstorm to start the night before so at least you know that it's busting already and can go to bed annoyed but ready for the next day vs. having to open the blinds at 4:30 or 5 am to see the bust and get the "ugh" feeling to start the day. 

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billg

billg

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Office closed at noon on jan 13 1982. A friend and I were on duke street stuck in traffic trying to get home when we heard about the plane hitting the 14 th street bridge. Shortly thereafter we heard about the metro crash figured the entire world was ending so I dispatched my buddy to a corner store, santoulou's market with all the cash we could muster to get as much beer as he could buy. Remember being stuck in traffic for over 3 hours just listening to the carnage happening all around us. Will never forget it. And still would rather evening snow storms.

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Yeoman

Yeoman

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Office closed at noon on jan 13 1982. A friend and I were on duke street stuck in traffic trying to get home when we heard about the plane hitting the 14 th street bridge. Shortly thereafter we heard about the metro crash figured the entire world was ending so I dispatched my buddy to a corner store, santoulou's market with all the cash we could muster to get as much beer as he could buy. Remember being stuck in traffic for over 3 hours just listening to the carnage happening all around us. Will never forget it. And still would rather evening snow storms.

nice  :clap:

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