Snow

RJM62

RJM62

Touchdown! Greaser!
Gone West
Joined
Jun 15, 2007
Messages
13,157
Location
Upstate New York
Display Name
Geek on the Hill
Even for Buffalo, that's a lot of snow.

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http://www.timesunion.com/news/us/a...ts-New-York-rest-of-US-feels-cold-5902822.php

That's in Buffalo, which is well west of where I live. It may be selfish on my part, but I'm not terribly disappointed about that...

Rich
 
RJM62 said:
Even for Buffalo, that's a lot of snow.

That's in Buffalo, which is well west of where I live. It may be selfish on my part, but I'm not terribly disappointed about that...

Rich
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I don't miss that sh-- at all. it was 50 here yesterday, today will be warmer.
 
you beat me to it Ben
 
This is on the Thruway. Apparently the stretch just south of Buffalo extending out from the eastern point of Lake Erie got the worst of it.

ENLARGE_01thruway_snow.jpg
 
I've had to re-route driving through that stretch of New York before because of snow.
 
JB1842 said:
I've had to re-route driving through that stretch of New York before because of snow.
Click to expand...

A friend was visiting once from Michigan and the train she was SUPPOSED to be on was stranded east of Jamestown in a blizzard. Fortunately, she was actually put on the 'wrong' train in Ohio and was routed through Pitt and Philly, avoiding the worst of it.

My usual driving route between Rochester and the NY metro area is down 81; 380; 80 through the Poconos. More direct than taking the Thruway all the way, not to mention saves on tolls.

One winter I was driving home through a lake effect off Ontario, and while I was in Syracuse I heard on the radio that I-81 through Cortland was closed. I promptly got back on the Thruway and tucked in behind a plow truck -- followed him just about all the way to the NYC line. That toll was one of the best ~$20 I ever spent.
 
DJTorrente said:
A friend was visiting once from Michigan and the train she was SUPPOSED to be on was stranded east of Jamestown in a blizzard. Fortunately, she was actually put on the 'wrong' train in Ohio and was routed through Pitt and Philly, avoiding the worst of it.

My usual driving route between Rochester and the NY metro area is down 81; 380; 80 through the Poconos. More direct than taking the Thruway all the way, not to mention saves on tolls.

One winter I was driving home through a lake effect off Ontario, and while I was in Syracuse I heard on the radio that I-81 through Cortland was closed. I promptly got back on the Thruway and tucked in behind a plow truck -- followed him just about all the way to the NYC line. That toll was one of the best ~$20 I ever spent.
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I've done 80 once before (it's usually too far out of my path of travel), but I have taken 86. Even then it can be a crap-shoot because of the weather.
 
DJTorrente said:
This is on the Thruway. Apparently the stretch just south of Buffalo extending out from the eastern point of Lake Erie got the worst of it.

ENLARGE_01thruway_snow.jpg
Click to expand...

Interesting they got that much UNDER the bridge.
 
I have several friends from the Buffalo area. Snow doesn't phase them. When there's a blizzard, they just put chains on the buses and everyone still goes to school. In CT and the mid atlantic, a dusting causes mass panic.

So if Buffalo is having a major problem, you know it's BAD.
 
Pedals2Paddles said:
In CT and the mid atlantic, a dusting causes mass panic.
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I can tell you that freak 2" that paralyzed Atlanta caused quite a mess in the GA mountains as well.

It makes little sense to invest in road clearing equipment for occurrences which are so rare, so there's just nothing in place and one must just be patient.

We did go ahead and buy some "take-off" wheels for our Jeep with more aggressive tires and just threw them on a week or so ago:

15642139899_5f70a588d2.jpg


So, we are at least a little prepared!
 
Pedals2Paddles said:
I have several friends from the Buffalo area. Snow doesn't phase them. When there's a blizzard, they just put chains on the buses and everyone still goes to school. In CT and the mid atlantic, a dusting causes mass panic.

So if Buffalo is having a major problem, you know it's BAD.
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:yes:

I remember a nor'easter hitting NYC once causing the governor to call out the national guard. They mostly ran heavy machinery, pushing snow piles into the rivers. The news interviewed one guardsman from Buffalo who couldn't quite grasp what all the fuss was about only two feet of snow.
 
FastEddieB said:
I can tell you that freak 2" that paralyzed Atlanta caused quite a mess in the GA mountains as well.

It makes little sense to invest in road clearing equipment for occurrences which are so rare, so there's just nothing in place and one must just be patient.

We did go ahead and buy some "take-off" wheels for our Jeep with more aggressive tires and just threw them on a week or so ago:

15642139899_5f70a588d2.jpg


So, we are at least a little prepared!
Click to expand...

CT and the mid-atlantic states are very well equipped with more equipment than they'll ever need, just like the northern states. It snows all the time. It's the ensuing panic that is different.
 
The walls wouldn't bother me. The roofs on the other hand....
 
If you like your snow, you can keep your snow.
 
AggieMike88 said:
Interesting they got that much UNDER the bridge.
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Lake effect snow is bizarre. It comes in from every direction except up from the ground.

I lived in the Syracuse area for a few years in my youth. I still remember the first day I drove into town, wondering why the heck all the street signs were mounted so high. I found out that first winter.

Rich
 
DJTorrente said:
:yes:

I remember a nor'easter hitting NYC once causing the governor to call out the national guard. They mostly ran heavy machinery, pushing snow piles into the rivers. The news interviewed one guardsman from Buffalo who couldn't quite grasp what all the fuss was about only two feet of snow.
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NYC is a lot better at dealing with snow nowadays, although they did have that problem a few years ago when the Sanitation Department workers deliberately botched the snow removal because of a contract-related gripe or some such thing. Other than for that despicable event, the various snowstorms I lived through in my last ten years or so in The City were handled very well, all things considered.

Where I live now in the Catskills, up to a foot is shrugged off and barely mentioned. Up to two feet may get some comments at the local pub. More than that, and things start slowing down a bit; but it's usually plowed and cleared within a few hours. I don't believe they've closed the schools (nor anything else) because of snow or cold weather since I've lived up here.

Rich
 
RJM62 said:
I lived in the Syracuse area for a few years in my youth. I still remember the first day I drove into town, wondering why the heck all the street signs were mounted so high. I found out that first winter.

Rich
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I had almost the EXACT type of AH-HA! moment. For me it was these unusual glass-encased pedestrian tunnels the spanned above the streets across downtown Rochester, looking much like human habitrails (Midtown Plaza was still in operation at the time). They didn't make sense as we drove around in August. In February, their utility was much more apparent.

Speaking of, one of the first sights I saw when I arrived to tour the campus in August was a roughly 5' pile of snow. I thought for a minute: It hasn't melted YET?!? Turns out I had parked next to the ice rink, and the Zamboni had just dumped its load. However, it should have been a sign of things to come.

On the bright side, we always knew where to go to fill the barrel with ice shavings to chill the keg.
 
RJM62 said:
Lake effect snow is bizarre. It comes in from every direction except up from the ground.

I lived in the Syracuse area for a few years in my youth. I still remember the first day I drove into town, wondering why the heck all the street signs were mounted so high. I found out that first winter.

Rich
Click to expand...


Same thing when I used to travel to Cleveland, and work with a client in Ashtabula, Ohio, on the south eastern shore of Lake Erie. Wow, they get nailed.
 
DJTorrente said:
A friend was visiting once from Michigan and the train she was SUPPOSED to be on was stranded east of Jamestown in a blizzard. Fortunately, she was actually put on the 'wrong' train in Ohio and was routed through Pitt and Philly, avoiding the worst of it.

My usual driving route between Rochester and the NY metro area is down 81; 380; 80 through the Poconos. More direct than taking the Thruway all the way, not to mention saves on tolls.

One winter I was driving home through a lake effect off Ontario, and while I was in Syracuse I heard on the radio that I-81 through Cortland was closed. I promptly got back on the Thruway and tucked in behind a plow truck -- followed him just about all the way to the NYC line. That toll was one of the best ~$20 I ever spent.
Click to expand...
Didn't know that the lake effect went that far south.
 
nddons said:
Same thing when I used to travel to Cleveland, and work with a client in Ashtabula, Ohio, on the south eastern shore of Lake Erie. Wow, they get nailed.
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I grew up on the southern most point on the shore of Lake Erie. We got lucky because the worst snow always seemed to miss us. Anywhere from Lorain eastward always got hit bad.
 
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RJM62 said:
Where I live now in the Catskills, up to a foot is shrugged off and barely mentioned. Up to two feet may get some comments at the local pub. More than that, and things start slowing down a bit; but it's usually plowed and cleared within a few hours. I don't believe they've closed the schools (nor anything else) because of snow or cold weather since I've lived up here.

Rich
Click to expand...
When I attended this little school we skied to school, never had snow days, or busses with chains, If the Teacher could walk to school you best get your butt there too.
 

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JB1842 said:
I grew up on the southern most point on the shore of Lake Erie. We got lucky because the worst snow always seemed to miss us. Anywhere from Lorain eastward always got hit bad.
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Sandusky only averages about 25" per year...Mentor 65"...do you know why?
 
timwinters said:
Sandusky only averages about 25" per year...Mentor 65"...do you know why?
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If I remember what I was told years ago (and if it was even true) it had something to do with the wind coming off the lake and picking up more moisture.
 
timwinters said:
Sandusky only averages about 25" per year...Mentor 65"...do you know why?
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Lake effect snow. It occurs when a cold wind of 10-25 knots goes across large bodies of water (great lakes). The water needs to be fairly warm in comparison to the air and it has to go across the water a significant distance. Due to the shape of the great lakes only certain winds can carry that cold air over the water long enough to create the snow.

Once the storm builds it deposits very quickly, in isolated areas. The south side of Buffalo was hit very heavily if I recall 5" an hour?
 
In a nutshell, winter winds are typically out of the NW thus the Southeasterly coasts get the most snow.

Also, this week's LE snows are so severe because the lake water/air delta T is far greater than normal.
 
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