Weird Weather, 40 Inches of Snow in One Week

You should levy import tax on those exports Solve a lot of budget issues for the yanks

Hm, so let me get this straight: you’re saying that low temperatures are caused by polar low pressure zones.

Perhaps an example could help me understand better.

Does C’s answer strike you as particularly bright? Moving back only one step in a clear causation chain isn’t a big deal, it’s moving back to the rupture point which interests people.

Translation: Of course this arctic (wait, didn’t I just say that in early January we has 20 degrees celsius in Albania?) weather has been caused by polar low pressure zones. But allow me: WHY are there polar low pressure zones? Why are they so large? Or so permanent? Has this been a gradual build-up over the years? Does this happen with some extended regularity?

So again, we can move a step back the causation chain ourselves. The idea here is to move many more steps. And I doubt that “there are polar pressure zones” tryuly answers any question or helps us predict further arctic temperatures in the future: we still can’t predict the formation of pressure zones beyond a few days.

But than again, you’re right. Neither of us is a climatologist here (besides you), and we all discuss based on what little we know and see. But, poor me, I was under the distinct impression that this was a recreative discussion, not a climatologic discourse. My bad.

Nah, we need to bill them for the nice tropical air from Hawaii that keeps Vancouver relatively toasty

I'm no climatologist either (I'm a life scientist), I know a bit about the weather because I fly airplanes but I don't think I know as much as lets say the weatherman on your average news station. I'm not trying to be degrading but I'm trying to stop the continuation of all these panic pendulum swings as I call it because during this debate I scowered the internet a little bit to see what the internetz tells me and the surprising thing is I keep coming across fringe websites that use poorly founded arguments to spread propaganda to do the one or the other and they come along with arguments such as these. I apologize for my rudeness in that post merlin but learn to expect that I come crashing down on people who make scientifically sensitive claims without anything to back it up.

Well, it seems that the snow is going to hit Richmond. The coastline will just get hit by a massive deluge of rain. Guess we get to flood again.

I hate living in a low laying area...

You may have posted this before, but where exactly do you live that you can get flooding by 1 storm?

Poquoson, the tip of Virginia's Middle Peninsula. It's low laying, which is bad to start, but the peninsula is also a wetland.

We got flooded in November when a Nor' Easter came up and dumped a bunch of rain during a period in which the Moon was unusually close (we had an unusually high tide before the flooding). Plus we're on the Chesapeake Bay so any wind surge (which we had during that storm) blows the bay into our town.

Essentially the same thing is going to happen again this time. I doubt that this area will be inhabited in the coming years, it keeps getting hit by very powerful storms, and the global sealevel is supposed to rise. It is pretty much like a miniature version of the Florida Peninsula.

Another fun fact, Poquoson is a term the local Native Americans gave this area, which means "great marsh". The marsh is so big it was used as a USAF bomb range before become a protected wetland area, and the guys at Langley AFB come out every now and then to blow up the undetonated ordinance. Every now and then you can hear the sound of detonations from way out in the wetlands. The town also used to be a major fishing area, but the industry died out as the Bay did, so now it really is just a commuter town. We have very little in the way of industry, the government gave subsidies so that a concrete and gravel factory could be built and a small new marina.

I'm not actually from Poquoson, I just moved here last summer. I do like to know a bit about the places I live though.

This post has been edited by Delta Force on 5 February 2010, 22:30

Delta, how far away are your from Fairfax? I was born there, and I have a friend that lives there. From what he's told me, they're going to get dumped with snow.

I call Global Cooling!

I used to live there until this summer. From what I have heard DC is going to get the most snowfall it has seen ever, 3 feet. I've heard from some people there that the local government told people to stockpile supplies because they will probably be snowed in for days.

Thus far everything seems okay here, apart from some really heavy rain and snow earlier. We might be able to luck out and avoid a flood, but the wind hasn't kicked in yet and it is going to keep raining for a while.

Weather Update:

I just stepped outside because i thought i saw only one wiper blade on my car..... The snow covered the door to my apartment pretty good.... Saw that some branches next to my window are down.. The snow drift is up to a high portion of my leg. And this is at 6AM my time. And there is still most of Saturday to go through yet.... No F#($#($( way if my job tries to call me into work am i going..... No F$#@)$@#)$ way.

I am so friggin PISSED the F$*@(#$& off at the weather right now.... Saturday wedding rehersal got cancelled. Now on Tuesday am suppose to go at 6PM for a second try... I hope the 18-24+ inches of snow can MOTHER F@$(@)$*#) hold off until the wedding rehersal is over.... My parents are coming from Iowa to this.... I hope the airports will be fine for their arrival

I need to live in a location where it hardly snows.

We got 26.5 inches of snow here in Wilmington, and were supposed to get another 24 inches Today and Tomorrow. I've talked to alot of older folks in my neighborhood, they have never seen 50 inches of snow here.

Even the weather people here keep saying that this is the first time they've seen 2 blizzards in a week. You have to wonder wtf is up with the weather.

Question for you Europeans: When the weather forecaster calls for even a little bit of snow, do people over there all go into a panic mode and go right to the grocery store?

By a little bit what do you mean?

Nah, American wussies would do that.

Us Neanderthal-derived Europeans…



…just proceed to go on a rampage and kill as many innocent bystanders as we can. Than we store the meat for eating, and the bones for burning.

DC is getting hit with another 10-20 inches. Fortunately we just get some rain. That said, DC is pretty much screwed now because the snowplows are breaking down from the sheer amount of snow they have to move and the crews are becoming unproductive due to massive fatigue from snowplowing ever since Friday. My friends in the DC area not only got last week off but have now officially been given all of this week off too.

Hopefully we'll have a cool summer this year given all this trouble. Virginia summers can be so awful.

Why god hates me and wants to ruin my wedding update:
Part 1: I barely got the wedding rehearsal done yesterday..... It snowed a little bit going to the rehearsal... Coming home was a challenge already.. Not even 1 inch was on the ground yet... I felt the wheels in the car wanting to slip and slide. And at one intersection close to where one of the wedding party lives.... I almost got to see a car crash at an intersection up close and personal that did not involve me. :-(

part 2:
My parents WERE coming in via Amtrak... That just cancelled.... Now they are coming in via Reagan International Airport.

One party cancelled.... which did put my wedding part at 52/50 now its at 48/50. If things really get bad... My wedding official lives right next door. So i can step outside my apartment door and knock on the next door and get married this Saturday.

Stay tuned for further developments and updates. :-(

This post has been edited by John McCloud2 on 10 February 2010, 5:59

Here after the freak storm that brought a record amount of snow not seen for maybe 5 or more years we will have a second storm with rain. Lots and Lots of rain.

Yes, but mainly in the south. The whole of London shuts down when a single snow flake falls.

Also, morons start going out onto the street sweeping the snow away thinking they are doing their civic duty. But when they sweep it away, the left overs melt real easy during the day, then freeze at night so everyone walking down the road breaks their legs.

No, not here. Traffic though breaks down, as most people only uses tires for Summer, as it hadly ever snows here. Yet January & February it has been below freezing point day and night....

Jesus christ people just use studs if it gets that bad....

This post has been edited by lardbeetle on 10 February 2010, 15:35