RDM

Thanks for chiming in Jebman. That storm was a doozy! Think we saw you walking on Jeff Davis Hwy before we migrated off it and over to I-95 (haha - joking!) I was 25 att and did a lot more walking back then too. The ridicule in the media afterwards was intense. There were a lot of pro mets on TV who had to endure some tough questioning from public authorities (DOT, school administrations, first responders etc.) This was in the pre-Internet and pre-cell phone era when email and social media was not really a "thing" yet. (Some people were connected or had early versions of cellular technology, but not many). So most of the banter in the aftermath was in the news and newspapers. That storm had significant influence on how DOT planned for events thereafter. Wish Wes would jump in with his recollection of that event. From a meteorological perspective, it was a real fluke.

Moving to Banter... Remember that snow well. Lived in Lorton at the time at the intersection of Rt-1 and Pohick Rd. Had a class downtown DC that week. The forecast in the morning was for a dusting or very light snow, or so. My colleague from Woodbridge and I drove to the class together in his Isuzu Trooper. Having experienced surprise events in DC before we threw in some foul weather gear and a long chain and tow strap (we joked about going overboard at the time). Got to class in DC on 23rd street across between the Kenndy Center and west entrance to Dept of State HQs w/o any issues. Snow started mid-morning. By 11 it was puking fatties. USG closed soon thereafter. We made the mistake of pulling a few people out of the parking lot at the facility we were at on and that cost us precious time getting across the Potomac. Took about 3 hours to get to and through old town Alexandria. The roads around the Pentagon quickly became gridlocked on the major arteries and side streets. The news that night said there were 800+ cars abandoned just IVO of the Pentagon. Channel 4 showed video clips of commuters in dress clothes walking on 395 in both directions. After we got through Old Town things moved decently on the Mt. Vernon pkwy until about a half mile from Mt. Vernon. Two large pines fell across the Pkwy just in front of us which closed the Pkwy in both directions travel (it was a very heavy snow). We drove to the front of the stalled traffic with the Trooper and hooked up the chain to one of the pines near the top, which was out in the middle of the Pkwy. Used the length of the tree as a lever arm to pivot the tree around. Of course, w/o any weight we lacked traction to do much, even in 4-low with the center diff locked. Only moved it a few feet initially. So, we commandeered drivers from other cars for weight. We had people in the back seat, in the rear luggage compartment, hanging on the doors, sitting on the hood, sitting on top of each other - about anyplace they could get weight on the Trooper. It was like the car stuffing competitions they used to do in the 60's. Think we counted 13 plus the 2 of us, which was probably 3000+ lbs of dead weight. That did the trick. We pulled both the trees around on a pivot enough to get one lane open in both directions. It was a great example of what can be done with a little know-how and some willing cooperation to prevail amidst a desperate situation... Will never forget the cheer from all the drivers when we opened the road again. There was zero help from local authorities. It was also interesting to see the types of people around. Those who were willing and eager to help, and those who just stood by and did nothing but watch. Would not lift a hand but kept complaining about the situation. We didn't just admire the problem - we did something about it! but the ordeal was long from over. We got on route 1 southbound by Ft. Belvoir. Stood still for 30 mins w/o moving. Turned around and drove back to Ft. Belvoir, drove through the base and got to Backlick Road Northbound (before the FFCO Pkwy was extended to route 1) and managed to get to I-95 Southbound. Traffic was moving, but at a crawl. The snow was still pounding. We crawled Southbound on 95 until we got to the Pohick Road overpass above I-95. I bid by colleague farewell, got out of the Trooper and climbed over the fence along the side of the I-95 right of way. Climbed up the hill to Pohick Road, which was not easy to do even with boots on. When I got on Pohick I looked back to see about 15 other people doing the same thing, some in wingtips and women in heels. Everyone helped each other get up the steep incline onto Pohick road, where everyone went their own way. I walked about a mile the rest of the way home. From the time we departed the parking lot to when I got home was 7 hours. Took my colleague 3 more hours to get to his home in Woodbridge. We got 12"+ from the event which ended just before sunset. Yes, it can snow here in November.

Just woke up and saw the wet asphalt outside with a few drops hitting the windows. Thought "at last, some rain" Then checked the Vantage Vue - have .02 on top of the .03 received last night. Sigh.....

It's not much fun. During monsoon seasons I experienced in India, Thailand and Japan involved extreme dew points. When going from a cooled/conditioned environment into the soupy air the condensation on any non-fabric surface is immediate. Glasses instantly fog over - cell phones leave a wet spot in your pants pockets and mold can grow overnight on shoes that never fully dry out. It's a daily grind at times.

78 with soup outside at 0645am. Was this a new record high low for the day? The relief coming tomorrow can't get here soon enough.

Just came in from working outside. These conditions remind me of monsoon season in India and Thailand. Think my Vantage Vue has gone belly up. The rumble has been nearly constant IVO of Vienna for an hour but no rain yet IMBY. The relief forecast for later in the week can't get here soon enough.

2.45" so far in just under an hour. It was pouring for a while. Was outside when it started and thunder was nearly continuous. The first drops were like globules, akin to snow parachutes in winter. Was nearly stationary over Reston and Vienna as it blew up.

Hi Bob, Wow - that's impressive! You've really done a lot - to say the least! Very nice layout for the raised beds. I wish I had the time to work on home projects F/T. Maybe in a couple more years. Can appreciate the clearing work. After moving into our place in 2009 we reclaimed 1/2+ acre that was not maintained for decades. Removed 30+ trees, regraded the ground with a power rake, removed four 30 yd dumpsters of debris and spread over 100 yds of 50/50 topsoil and mulch and 400 lbs of seed. Managed to grow some great weeds! It was a lot of trips with the Kubota BX and a 4 foot bucket. You have a REAL tractor with that MX5200. Would love to have a Kubota B with the glass cab, AC/heat and 5 foot bucket, but can't justify it with our smallish spread. Below are a few pics of our wall project. Started the project 3 years ago by relocating some azaleas that were on the hill where the terraces are now - fortunately they all lived! In 2024 I removed the old steps, graded the terraces and relocated the water line running from our well to the house. (we live 1/2 mile from Vienna but are on well and septic - go figure). Started laying block last Fall with 42 pallets of wall block - 82 lbs each. Have a little over 1 pallet of block remaining along with 5 pallets of caps. The caps will be a patio at the bottom of the lowest wall to the right of the steps Will be happy when the project is done, but it's been fun - most of the time. Can relate to the humble part too. Part way through the pile of blocks I was not sure how it would go. Kept at it steadily with a focus on the big picture. Managed to lose 26 lbs in the process and feel pretty decent these days. Not as sore in the mornings as when I started. Good luck with the rest of your adventures on your homestead. R.

Picked up nearly an inch in 20 mins.

Can relate to all that Bob. Been working on a retaining wall project at home since last Fall. 166k lbs of prefab concrete blocks that weight 82 lbs each (42 pallets of block). Nearly finished with most of the block work, which sits on top of 50 cubic yards of #57 stone. Been working every weekend and most evenings after work, except early this past week. Dew pts in the 70's just sucks the energy out. I'm 60+ now and can feel every aching bone...

That's getting up there. Lived in India, Thailand and Japan before. India was the worse of the lot when it came to HI extremes. As the monsoons approached the end of June or early July we had heat indexes off the charts used here in the US. 113 to 118 or more every day for weeks with growing humidity. It was like hitting a wall when going outside. Even inside my house the large split pack units barely keep the heat at bay. It was brutal.

Humm - my Vantage VUE currently show 97/77dp which is 113 HI. Seems a bit hi.

Worked outside from 1130 until about 1900 on a retaining wall project. Using a hand held concrete saw with DPs in the low 70's made it pretty ugly. Could have been an episode on "Dirtiest Jobs". Got to a good stopping point in advance of the next few days. Currently 85/74 here.

Pouring here the last 20 mins. FFW for part of the area till midnight.

1.55" so far. Mainly a steady soaker here.

Wes - it's great to have you back amongst us again. We're honored. Hope you are doing well.

Woke up and saw 200+ posts in the LR thread and thought "are we back?" Then realized an appreciable number of the posts was the back and forth nonsensical banter of a couple of posters who should know better than to clog up the LR thread with that junk. So disappointing and text-book behavior for why some of the older foundational members of this forum and Eastern before it left. We had a couple of the older, (more experienced) crew make showcase appearances, which was great. Wish they would stick around more but suspect its too painful.

Indeed - don't recall seeing that many colors for a long time. The national view is interesting too. The expanse of the high wind watch is pretty amazing. https://www.weather.gov/

And it's a 10:1. Several others mentioned the ratios are likely going to be much higher this time around.

Great to see you are still at it. Hadn't seen any updates this year yet and was wondering. Recall seeing your setup years ago on the previous forum and was in awe at the effort.

199 pages... whew...

Right at 4" here too NW of Vienna on Lawyers Rd. Lawyers was closed for a while due to a serious accident. May still be closed. Going out to plow the first bit with the Kubota

Totally Agree, NFL is going to take a hit for this one, big time. I grew up with Ohio Players, Parliament, P-Funk Allstars, Lakeside, War, House muzic and the like... Used to DJ for Soul Sessions at a couple skating rinks in Ohio in the 60's, 70's and 80's. Hard to imagine how the NFL marketing team thought this was a good idea.

haha - You didn't miss anything on TV. If KC doesn't start playing the activity here will likely ramp up a lot by the end of the 3rd quarter.