ErinInTheSky Posted November 21, 2016 Share Posted November 21, 2016 I actually went back and read like every snow thread in this forum, just to get a feel for how the excitement/frustration builds over a season. 11/12 was rough to read. 13/14 was pretty dang fun though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WxUSAF Posted November 21, 2016 Share Posted November 21, 2016 18 minutes ago, supernovasky said: Moving to DC on December 12th from Louisiana with the wife and kid. I have experienced snow maybe 5 times in my entire life. I am huge into meteorology and moderate the /r/weather subreddit on Reddit, which is a fairly popular sub, and run /r/tropicalweather which has had tens of thousands watching during Hurricane Matthew. Now, I will have a completely new type of storm to track, winter storms! I am extremely excited and just curious from those of you from the area: What is the snow situation generally like in Rockville/Olney/Gaithersburg? Welcome onboard! Generally the farther north/higher elevation you go, the better your snow climo is going to be. We have lots of interesting microclimates in the area when it comes to winter. For MoCo, you're generally looking at 20-25"/year on average in those areas, although farther north toward Clarksburg gets in the 30-36"/year range. But, there's a wide variation around that mean. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErinInTheSky Posted November 21, 2016 Share Posted November 21, 2016 5 minutes ago, WxUSAF said: Welcome onboard! Generally the farther north/higher elevation you go, the better your snow climo is going to be. We have lots of interesting microclimates in the area when it comes to winter. For MoCo, you're generally looking at 20-25"/year on average in those areas, although farther north toward Clarksburg gets in the 30-36"/year range. But, there's a wide variation around that mean. I was specifically wondering about that. Does 2-300 foot elevation make that big of a difference? I saw that DC is in the low double digit elevations whereas Rockville/Olney area where we will be living is closer to 2-300. I was wondering how big a difference that made. I know nothing about snow meteorology. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mappy Posted November 21, 2016 Share Posted November 21, 2016 1 minute ago, supernovasky said: I was specifically wondering about that. Does 2-300 foot elevation make that big of a difference? I saw that DC is in the low double digit elevations whereas Rockville/Olney area where we will be living is closer to 2-300. I was wondering how big a difference that made. I know nothing about snow meteorology. Elevation makes a big difference! Especially for marginal events. So, places that are at 200-300 feet will get above freezing faster than locations at 600-700 feet. There have been quite a few scenarios the last few seasons where an extra 100 feet of elevation is all it takes to see snow from rain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Chill Posted November 21, 2016 Share Posted November 21, 2016 Welcome supernovasky! Previous responses pretty much covered it. I'll add that coming from LA even a 50-75% of climo snow will be satisfying. No reason to expect a dud this year. Things seem very "normal" so far. There are a lot of favored locations within a fairly short drive if you want to chase a little. We seem to always get an event or 2 where the close burbs suck but a 30 minute drive nw will provide some fine entertainment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Chill Posted November 21, 2016 Share Posted November 21, 2016 I live 10 minutes from olney and they often over perform my yard. The big dividing line seems to be north and west of Germantown with borderline events. Das in Clarksburg is in a nice spot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErinInTheSky Posted November 21, 2016 Share Posted November 21, 2016 Awesome! I'm so excited. I badly want to see a real snow event and track it from inception to snowfall totals. I will probably set a PWS up unless we end up choosing an apartment. I'm so ready to get out of Louisiana heat. Hopefully things pick up out there when we arrive! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErinInTheSky Posted November 21, 2016 Share Posted November 21, 2016 Also, Bob Chill, we are specifically looking at Rockville right now! There are some nice affordable condos/apts in that area! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Chill Posted November 21, 2016 Share Posted November 21, 2016 12 minutes ago, supernovasky said: Also, Bob Chill, we are specifically looking at Rockville right now! There are some nice affordable condos/apts in that area! I grew up in Rockville then moved away in 1992 but bought a house here in 2002. I know this area like the back of my hand. If you have any questions about neighborhoods just message me. I'd be glad to help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WinterWxLuvr Posted November 21, 2016 Share Posted November 21, 2016 My fantasy team is on fire! 5 wins in a row. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eskimo Joe Posted November 21, 2016 Share Posted November 21, 2016 1 hour ago, supernovasky said: Moving to DC on December 12th from Louisiana with the wife and kid. I have experienced snow maybe 5 times in my entire life. I am huge into meteorology and moderate the /r/weather subreddit on Reddit, which is a fairly popular sub, and run /r/tropicalweather which has had tens of thousands watching during Hurricane Matthew. Now, I will have a completely new type of storm to track, winter storms! I am extremely excited and just curious from those of you from the area: What is the snow situation generally like in Rockville/Olney/Gaithersburg? Montgomery County sits on the edge of the east coast fall line (See map HERE). Upper Montgomery County (Damascus, Clarksburg, Germantown) is 700-1,000 feet in elevation and usually is the winner in marginal snow events. Once your get south of Gaithersburg, really along MD 200 (Intercounty Connector - ICC), elevation gets close to sea level and snow becomes harder to get. I work for the county and have seen storms that feature 24" of snow in Damascus, while Takoma Park near the DC line gets only 5". Key message: If you like snow, go north and west...Damascus, Germantown or Laytonsville are your spots. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
North Balti Zen Posted November 21, 2016 Share Posted November 21, 2016 1 hour ago, supernovasky said: I actually went back and read like every snow thread in this forum, just to get a feel for how the excitement/frustration builds over a season. 11/12 was rough to read. 13/14 was pretty dang fun though. Now THAT is impressive for someone new to a forum. Welcome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mappy Posted November 21, 2016 Share Posted November 21, 2016 3 minutes ago, North Balti Zen said: Now THAT is impressive for someone new to a forum. Welcome. He should know who everyone is now. The good, the bad, and the downright ugly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mappy Posted November 21, 2016 Share Posted November 21, 2016 40 minutes ago, WxWatcher007 said: Why do you think I have War On Mappy as part of the index? It's 1859 and all it takes is a little more nudging for a war between the states. I will defend my northern brethren until I can no longer stand... or get too cold and go back inside so they can fend for themselves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErinInTheSky Posted November 21, 2016 Share Posted November 21, 2016 26 minutes ago, North Balti Zen said: Now THAT is impressive for someone new to a forum. Welcome. Hey thanks! I mean, I run some pretty large weather communities myself and being that this has been a passion of mine since I was 5 and sitting in front of the TV watching hurricanes approach my area, I figure why not? Its my passion. My wife doesn't get it but, eh, it is what it is! But yes, on the positive side, I have learned a lot of who you people are I really, really, really can't wait to watch for my first ever real snow event! Everything I've experienced in my life has basically been small snows in Louisiana of 1-2" (we FREAK OUT about that here), or the ONE event that I saw up in Pittsburgh, where my wife is from, visiting her family. About 3" of snow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eskimo Joe Posted November 21, 2016 Share Posted November 21, 2016 1 hour ago, supernovasky said: I was specifically wondering about that. Does 2-300 foot elevation make that big of a difference? I saw that DC is in the low double digit elevations whereas Rockville/Olney area where we will be living is closer to 2-300. I was wondering how big a difference that made. I know nothing about snow meteorology. Yes, having the extra 200 - 500 feet is crucial in most DC events and on the book ends of winter here. Couple of big events that come to mind: -Jan 2011 storm (https://dcstorms.com/tag/commuteageddon-january-2011/) -Oct 2011 storm (http://www.raymondcmartinjr.com/weather/2012/29-Oct-11.html) -Thanksgiving 2013 storm (http://abc7news.com/archive/9340297/) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokeybandit Posted November 21, 2016 Share Posted November 21, 2016 8 minutes ago, supernovasky said: Everything I've experienced in my life has basically been small snows in Louisiana of 1-2" (we FREAK OUT about that here) Oh don't worry, people freak out about that here, too, since Maryland/DC has the worst drivers in the country. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Chill Posted November 21, 2016 Share Posted November 21, 2016 36 minutes ago, smokeybandit said: Oh don't worry, people freak out about that here, too, since Maryland/DC has the worst drivers in the country. No doubt. A well timed .5 - 1" snowfall with below freezing temps can bring this area instantly to its knees. It's part of the fun of living here. Well, as long as you aren't on the roads at the time. Forum members are really good at avoiding it. The other 5 million people become our entertainment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErinInTheSky Posted November 21, 2016 Share Posted November 21, 2016 At least we know in Louisiana not to drive on that stuff. That southern "snow storm" that happened a couple years ago that hit us and Atlanta showed how differently we treated it. We shut EVERYTHING down, interstates and all. Atlanta kept everything open. Atlanta had hundreds of accidents in no time. We had like 5. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
usedtobe Posted November 21, 2016 Share Posted November 21, 2016 1 hour ago, Bob Chill said: No doubt. A well timed .5 - 1" snowfall with below freezing temps can bring this area instantly to its knees. It's part of the fun of living here. Well, as long as you aren't on the roads at the time. Forum members are really good at avoiding it. The other 5 million people become our entertainment. I was driving from Denver airport to Boulder in one of those .50" to 1.00" events and you know what? The Interstate essentially shut down, I had to take an alternate route. Too many cowboys in Suvs spun out and crashed all over the city. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Chill Posted November 21, 2016 Share Posted November 21, 2016 4 minutes ago, usedtobe said: I was driving from Denver airport to Boulder in one of those .50" to 1.00" events and you know what? The Interstate essentially shut down, I had to take an alternate route. Too many cowboys in Suvs spun out and crashed all over the city. It was no better in the mountains at onset of any storm on the interstates. Once a storm has been cranking then everybody seemed to behave better but that first inch wreaked havoc on the grades coming down from the various passes. Many tractor trailer incidents. It seemed like it was easier to drive on completely snow packed roads or with a couple inches of fresh snow piled up than the initial inch. Somehow someway I managed to never wreck or get stuck in the 7 years I was there. Had some harrowing rides though with many close calls. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattie g Posted November 21, 2016 Share Posted November 21, 2016 2 hours ago, usedtobe said: I was driving from Denver airport to Boulder in one of those .50" to 1.00" events and you know what? The Interstate essentially shut down, I had to take an alternate route. Too many cowboys in Suvs spun out and crashed all over the city. Bingo, Wes. There are bad drivers everywhere, and even in the most snow-hardened areas you can get gridlock from an otherwise run-of-the-mill event if it falls at the right/wrong time. It's not limited to DC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErinInTheSky Posted November 22, 2016 Share Posted November 22, 2016 Just curious - there any good cajun restaurants in the region? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nw baltimore wx Posted November 22, 2016 Share Posted November 22, 2016 1 hour ago, supernovasky said: Just curious - there any good cajun restaurants in the region? You got me curious so I googled Cajun restaurants in DC and several came up with good reviews. I'm just outside Baltimore so I googledagain for Baltimore and Popeyes came up. So, in DC there may be some hidden gems to check out. Not so much here in Bmore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErinInTheSky Posted November 22, 2016 Share Posted November 22, 2016 Popeyes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErinInTheSky Posted November 22, 2016 Share Posted November 22, 2016 2 minutes ago, WxWatcher007 said: I got a chuckle out of that too. I can't remember if you said before, but what brings about the big location change? Wife got a job at the Olney theatre and honestly, I've been in this state way too long. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErinInTheSky Posted November 22, 2016 Share Posted November 22, 2016 By the way the idea of "Louisiana fast" makes all us Louisianians laugh our behinds off. Nothing about Louisiana is fast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErinInTheSky Posted November 22, 2016 Share Posted November 22, 2016 Just now, WxWatcher007 said: Congrats. I think you'll come to like this region. Just be sure to hide your love for heat in the summer (if you do) Thats part of the reason I am leaving - I'm dang ready to get away from heat. That being said it will be funny to hear what you DC folk call heat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stormpc Posted November 22, 2016 Share Posted November 22, 2016 Heat? We do that very well. Its a hell hole here most sunmers. Ask a guy named EastcoastNPZ. He has his own private almanac he can share with you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErinInTheSky Posted November 22, 2016 Share Posted November 22, 2016 Yeah we had 105 straight days this summer with lows above 73. I'm ready for this move But really, I'm here for the snow. DC better deliver. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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