Thursday, February 11, 2010




Last night my wife and I were out walking around in our town admiring the aftermath of the blizzard - and it put snow in places where there weren't places. Wow! A snow emergency was declared which meant that residents could not park on the snow emergency routes. Everyone spent parts of the day digging out, as shown in the next photo.


The snow mound between the sidewalk and the street is between 3 and 4' tall. We have run out of places to put snow in the city. So the city got out their magic snow blower to clear the snow emergency streets curb to curb. They blow the snow into large construction dump trucks and haul it off to a dirt parking lot near the Conestoga River to let it melt with the changing of the seasons. This happened during the winter of 93/94 when we were on a similar storm track.



During the 93/94 winter, which started in earnest on January 4th with 4" of ice pellets, we got some frozen precipitation every week for a period of time. The dog and I enjoyed running in it. By the end of the year we had 75" of snow - about twice what we normally get.

This year we got snow on February 5th and 6th. That shut the DC area down and effectively closed us down too. That was last Friday and Saturday. That must not have been sufficient snow; so, the following Tuesday (February 9th) we got the blizzard.




Here are some cars blown under the snow while their owners are at work in the prison (the big stone structure in the background). The loose snow on the street is between 8 and 12" deep. There were snowmobiles running loose on the streets (legal in snow emergencies). Unfortunately, there was an accident nearby with a snowmobile striking a turning car and both riders on the snowmobile being killed. Very sad.





The image above is what we woke up to on February 6th - 20" of landscape changing white stuff.



Above is what the back alley looked like that morning. This was all before the blizzard on February 9th and 10th. That event just added to the excitement.

I have been using a Wovel to remove snow. I recommend it. I have no financial interest in telling you about this great tool - it incorporates a large wheel with a snow shovel to give you a mechanical advantage. That means no sore back. However, your arms and shoulders will tell you they have not had any exercise if that is the case. Go Google "wovel" and take a look at the video. If you are in the Middle Atlantic area you might as well just get one. You can thank me after the next few snow storms.