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Pre-storm Banter Thread


WxUSAF

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Seems like Virginia and Maryland run on the same level of incompetence.

 

At some point, I think we have to acknowledge that media target fixation on this weekend's storm may have been partially responsible for the mess around here last night. 

 

I know that won't sit well with some people on here, given everybody's professional responsibilities, but when you marginalize a commute-time threat because "the big one" is more interesting, this is one of the consequences. I can't tell you how many times I saw or heard the phrase "a few flakes" to describe what was forecast for yesterday. 

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Re closings in general - if I were the governor of MD or VA or running DC, I would declare a state of emergency for the hours before the snow starts and order people out of work and to get home before stuff starts falling so that the roads are relatively clear for plows to go to work once the bad stuff sets in.

 

I'm hopeful for this, but who knows. My office is pretty easy going on weather related stuff. I could leave at noon and they won't care, though I'd have to at least put in the rest of my hours at home. 

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I know you all have waited so long for this and I was waiting until last night's runs confirmed things.  Here is my first, twelfth, second, last, to be updated call

 

attachicon.gifsnowmap Jan16Blizzard.jpg

 

I know you all have waited so long for this and I was waiting until last night's runs confirmed things.  Here is my first, twelfth, second, last, to be updated call

 

attachicon.gifsnowmap Jan16Blizzard.jpg

 

Brilliant

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Re closings in general - if I were the governor of MD or VA or running DC, I would declare a state of emergency for the hours before the snow starts and order people out of work and to get home before stuff starts falling so that the roads are relatively clear for plows to go to work once the bad stuff sets in.

VA is now under State of Emergency. 

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I know you all have waited so long for this and I was waiting until last night's runs confirmed things. Here is my first, twelfth, second, last, to be updated call

attachicon.gifsnowmap Jan16Blizzard.jpg

This is incredible. If this snow in fact induces labor you are the first person I am going to blame!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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Re closings in general - if I were the governor of MD or VA or running DC, I would declare a state of emergency for the hours before the snow starts and order people out of work and to get home before stuff starts falling so that the roads are relatively clear for plows to go to work once the bad stuff sets in.

I agree with this 100%. There are some people and I have come across a few today that are very bearish and are downplaying this. "It won't be that bad", "just take your time getting home", "it's going to miss us" etc. Factor in some of the bearish forecasts tossed out by a few radio DJ personalities and tv weather tools there are going to be some idiots driving around in Camries in the middle of a HECS. Happens all the time around here in large storms.
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This is a great explanation, Bob. As always, you break down the technical in a very easy-to-understand way. Thank you.

No problem. We throw a lot of terms around here that have little meaning to many folks. When I joined eastern and started reading things like progressive, negative tilt, occluded, vertically stacked, waa, ccb, ULL, etc they may as well been written in Chinese. Took a long time to figure out the significance irt my yard. Which is always the most important spot. Lol.

This storm really emphasizes why closed upper level lows and phasing are important for big totals. If h5 remained open it would only be a 6-12" event that occurs in 12 hours or so.

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Hey, I seem to have turned on email notifcations for replies somehow and cannot figure out how to uncheck whatever box that is. Anyone know where I can go on the site to fix this? My email is getting bombarded.

 

did you do it within taptalk by accident? 

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No problem. We throw a lot of terms around here that have little meaning to many folks. When I joined eastern and started reading things like progressive, negative tilt, occluded, vertically stacked, waa, ccb, ULL, etc they may as well been written in Chinese. Took a long time to figure out the significance irt my yard. Which is always the most important spot. Lol.

This storm really emphasizes why closed upper level lows and phasing are important for big totals. If h5 remained open it would only be a 6-12" event that occurs in 12 hours or so.

You know, I've been meaning to ask if perhaps someone can make a "glossary" page with a list of what certain terms (perhaps the most frequently used) mean. Because like you were, I'm kinda new to the terminology and yes...It is like reading Chinese, haha
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WBAL is also historically very bearish on making snow calls too.

 

I heard Tony Pann on the radio during my drive home last night. It was quite amazing - he was complaining that social media made him do things he didn't want to do, like predict a snowfall total "2 or 3 days before the storm." After which, he chided NWS for issuing a Blizzard Watch as early as they did.

 

Now he's at them again on Twitter:

 

Why does NWS (@NWS_BaltWash ) have a Blizzard Watch for West of the Bay, but Philly only has WSW for Eastern Shore? Winds stronger East. No?
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A bit late here since I'm sure this was already discussed a lot...but the roads were simply abysmal last night.  Not just side roads (which didn't surprise me much), but main roads.  I'm talking Connecticut and Wisconsin Ave.  My daughter had her regular ballet class yesterday evening at the ballet school (near the Cathedral, on WI Ave.).  No problem getting her there.  But it took me over an hour to pick her up.  Total white-knuckle driving, and they partially closed one road  (Nebraska Ave.), so I was forced to cut onto the side roads like around 35th or 36th St.  It was an absolute nightmare and I seriously thought I wouldn't get there for awhile.  On the way back, I finally saw some trucks on WI Ave.  And Nebraska had opened back up, relatively decent shape.  So it was a bit better, but bumper-to-bumper and very sloooow going.  Connecticut was in OK shape too by then, until you got north of Chevy Chase circle, and especially north of East-West Hwy.  It was then a sheet of ice again.  As was my street, which is a side road.  Most of the time there and back, I just put it in 1st or 2nd gear and took it slow, but there were some people spinning wheels like crazy, and then trying to stop while coasting down a hill (I was thinking, "dude, don't stop...just keep going very slowly!"...about all you can do on a hill).  It took me about 2 hours to get home, around 11:30PM...whew!

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Hey, I seem to have turned on email notifcations for replies somehow and cannot figure out how to uncheck whatever box that is. Anyone know where I can go on the site to fix this? My email is getting bombarded.

At the top of the page, below the subscription progress bar, at the right side.  There is a toggle button to (un)follow the thread.

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Re closings in general - if I were the governor of MD or VA or running DC, I would declare a state of emergency for the hours before the snow starts and order people out of work and to get home before stuff starts falling so that the roads are relatively clear for plows to go to work once the bad stuff sets in.

 

State of emergency declared in VA at 8 AM by the Governor.

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