Thursday, December 20, 2012

Skywatch Friday 17

I thought I would share a few photos from the Blizzard of December 19-20. Most of the following were taken through my apartment windows. I went outside for all of ten minutes Thursday and decided that was more than enough.


Back parking lot about two hours after the snow started late Wednesday night.




The snow started about 9pm Wednesday, and came down heavy from the start. Around midnight we had thundersnow and lightning, which is always a bit eerie to experience. For those not familiar with this weather phenomenon, you get two to three times as much snow when it is thundering.






We had heavy snow throughout Wednesday night and all day Thursday, somewhere between 15-18 inches, with heavy winds in the afternoon and evening, resulting in a blizzard warning until midnight. It doesn't actually have to be snowing for blizzard warnings, as 45mph winds can produce white-out conditions.




Though the blowing wind was cold, and gave one shivers just listening to it, the snow-frosted trees are really pretty.





Silly squirrel didn't have sense to keep to his nest.



 

By late afternoon, trees were bowing under the weight of heavy, wet snow and there were some power outages due to downed trees and lines. Though my lights did flicker a few times, my neighborhood never lost power.


The one on the right was just starting to bend this afternoon, and is now bent nearly in half.














16 comments:

Anonymous said...

Very cool photos... it doesn't snow where I live, but I sometimes wish it did:) So beautiful.

Arija said...

You might think me perverse, but I love a good snowstorm. Haven't been in one since Vermont was declared a national disaster area in 1969. We are having temps in excess of 100F where I am so your storm makes me quite envious.
Hope not too many trees were lost tho the weight of snow. Love your shots.

Jennifer Leeland said...

70Wow!!!! those are some impressive pictures.

Liz said...

Beautiful photos. Happy sky watching.

Up in the sky

Anonymous said...

Oh my gosh, a BLIZZARD? I'm so used to it being 50 every day during the winter in SC I sometimes forget that other people are getting slammed with snow!

Heather said...

Tania: Thank you. We had severe drought here this year, and didn't have any measurable snow until mid-December. We've more than made up for that now!

Heather said...

Arija: I don't you perverse at all. There's something invigorating about a good snowfall, especially the first really big one of the year. As long as you don't have to go out in it or drive.

Some of the skinny pines in front of our building are bent over all the way to the ground today, but I think they will all survive. I did see a few trees down en route to work this morning, and a few I was surprised weren't down.

Heather said...

Jennifer: Thank you. "Wow" is certainly a good way to describe it. I forgot to charge my camera over night I'd post some of how bad our cul-de-sac was when I left this morning.

The city plow was through just before I left. Except, he only plowed one side of the road and left a three-foot high berm down our side of the street, barricading my building's driveway and ending halfway between our drive and the one next door.

Luckily, they were plowing snow at the building next door, and the sidewalk was completely clear, so I was able to walk down to their drive to get out. Sucks to be anyone in our building who needed to drive somewhere.

Heather said...

Thanks, Liz! And thanks for coming by to look at my photos.

Heather said...

Julie: Yes, a blizzard, LOL. City buses and schools are cancelled again today, though just about everything else has reopened. Most major roads are in pretty good shape, secondary streets...eh, they're working on 'em. Streets crowded with snow was why city bus service was cancelled again today--they can't get down half the residential streets.

On the bright side, the sun is shining today, though the temp is only 20F, with a windchill at least half that.

Yvonne said...

The pictures are great, but I hate snow storms (mostly I hate driving to work in them) - but they can be so pretty.

Alice Audrey said...

It's not that bad. We can still see the cars.

Heather said...

Yvonne: Thank you. I actually love storms, weather rain or snow, so long as I don't have to be out in them.

Heather said...

Alice: That photo was taken not long after the snow started Wednesday night. This morning? People had trouble digging their cars out of the snow, especially where snow plows had been through.

Jana said...

Brrrrrr...

We got a TON of wind that say day. I'm talkin', throw you against a wall gusts. I was out and about that afternoon and TWICE got tossed against the car when I stepped out of it. And I lost count of how many times the car door got jerked from my hands upon opening it. Half my yard decorations ended up tossed into the driveway except for one bow that is still sitting in the pasture behind my house just out of reach on the other side of five string barbed wired fence. :-/

And yet...I'm SO GLAD we didn't get that blizzard. *shudders*

Excellent photos. Poor silly squirrel! lol

Heather said...

Jana: You should be grateful not to get the blizzard, LOL. They did a horrible job cleaning up after it, at least in most residential neighborhoods. I know it was a lot of snow to deal with, but on my street in particular, there are five foot drifts sticking out about four feet from the curb. You go up on to about three-inch thick ice when turning in at my street, and the road is riddled with ruts.

I risked life and limb Friday after work by going for a short walk. Sigh... While most people did an excellent job of clearing their portion of sidewalk, others barely made an effort, and half the cross-walk accesses are inaccessible.

By law, sidewalks are to be shoveled their entire width (NOT just a shovel's width) within 24 hours of any snowfall, or owner can be ticketed. The city would make a fortune in my neighborhood alone! Also, if you have a corner lot, you are to clear the access to crosswalks, and if there is a fire hydrant in front of your property, you are to clear snow away from it. You wouldn't believe how many of both are still buried. :-\