What's the big deal with this storm??

[unsinkable]

 

 

I'd ignore it. I think someone was having a bad day. :(

 

No, actually, I think it is a deliberate attack. And I think I know what situation to which it refers.

 

 

[Guest inoubliable]

It will be interesting to see the drifts produced from 2 feet of snowfall plus those winds. They will be very high, I am sure.

 

I also saw on the news that they are very concerned about the storm hitting during rush hour, when there would not be enough time to clear the roads before everyone is on them. Being snuggly warm at a well-stocked home during a snowstorm is one thing, being on a highway is quite another!

 

I DID see something about rush hour traffic mentioned this morning. I think it was Boston? The city was asking people to take off of work today if they could, to avoid being on the road when the snow was going to hit.

[GraciebytheBay]

I am wondering the same thing. We live right on Lake Ontario (1/2 mile away), and two feet is right around the time we start paying attention! It is not terribly unusual and does not shut things down for long. That said, it is snowing to beat the band out there right now, and if it continues at this rate, it's going to be a very interesting weekend!

[Lucy the Valiant]

Plus, in all fairness, there's a difference between the news media "freaking out" and actual residents "freaking out."

[I talk to the trees]

I'm guessing you live east of a Great Lake, as do I.

 

Spot-on, sweetie! The lake and I have a love-hate relationship. It loves to dump snow on us, and I hate it when it does! :tongue_smilie:

[Guest inoubliable]

Plus, in all fairness, there's a difference between the news media "freaking out" and actual residents "freaking out."

 

True enough.

[SKL]

When I lived in the snow belt (rural village), I was a college student commuting to the "regional campus." The commute was about 12 miles. I recall multiple times when I was at evening classes when a blizzard hit. Zero visibility on the freeway. Big ditches on each side. No cell phones in those days, and anyway, you couldn't see the signs so you wouldn't be able to tell anyone where you were to come and dig you out. Scary.

 

What saved me every time was that the parking garage for the snowplows was in my village. One would come by with its flashing lights and I would fall in right behind it. It would exit at my exit and once I hit the town, visibility got better since the buildings blocked the wind. Whew!

 

It always felt like a very strenuous activity, driving home in that.

[Wheres Toto]

This storm is a little unusual for our area in that the numbers are worse to the east (NYC), than the west (NW NJ). New York City doesn't usually get a ton of snow, usually it's eastern PA and western NJ that get the higher numbers. That and people are still cleaning up from hurricane damage. The high winds are going to cause problems.

 

We are worried about power outages since we have a well, live down a dead-end street in the back of a small dead-end neighborhood. We do have a fireplace but if it looks like it's going to last we'll have to find someplace else to go.

[MissKNG]

Western New Yorker here! 2 feet is nothing normally but this past winter has been relatively snow-less so now it seems like a big deal.

 

Nothing happening yet though. DH is called to work tomorrow (he is a salt miner) so maybe that says something??

[whitestavern]

I'm in CT; an area that's supposed to get 20-25". I was surprised to see on the news that our top 5 snowfall totals since they've been keeping track (maybe 100 years or so?) have ranged from 17.5" to 24". Those totals seemed low to me. Anyway, if we receive more than 24" it will be our highest recorded snowfall total, therefore making it historic.

[Zebra]

I'm in CT; an area that's supposed to get 20-25". I was surprised to see on the news that our top 5 snowfall totals since they've been keeping track (maybe 100 years or so?) have ranged from 17.5" to 24". Those totals seemed low to me. Anyway, if we receive more than 24" it will be our highest recorded snowfall total, therefore making it historic.

 

 

You made me curious, and in my area the record is 24" in 24 hours as well. Let's hope we DON'T break the record!

 

I also hate when they name these storms. It's corny. I wish they would number the storms instead. Perfectly good names like "Sandy" or "Katrina" get ruined forever.

[Jan in SC]

I think the last time we had close to two feet of snow I was three! Of course, if we get 1/2" of snow in a year, it's a miracle!! Two feet of snow would cause people here to move into grocery stores and restaurants! They'd want to be stuck there!

 

Someone build a snowman for us!!!

[Catwoman]

I also hate when they name these storms. It's corny. I wish they would number the storms instead. Perfectly good names like "Sandy" or "Katrina" get ruined forever.

 

:iagree:

 

I hate the stupid names, too.

 

It's a snowstorm. Don't name it; suck it up and deal with it.

 

I don't even think numbers are necessary. These storms are simply not important in the big picture of world history. Why does the media have to turn everything into armageddon?

 

Next thing you know, that idiot Jim Cantore at the Weather Channel is going to start naming the sunny days, too. :glare:

[creekland]

I think the last time we had close to two feet of snow I was three! Of course, if we get 1/2" of snow in a year, it's a miracle!! Two feet of snow would cause people here to move into grocery stores and restaurants! They'd want to be stuck there!

 

Someone build a snowman for us!!!

 

Where I live now 2 - 4 inches of snow is considered a major event even though we usually get them at least a couple of times a year. Where I grew up they happened pretty much a couple of times a week or more, so were no big deal at all. My mom laughs at how quickly schools/churches close in this area. Even after living here for 17 years I find myself still surprised too.

 

It all depends upon what someone is used to and what resources they have to keep up the roads, etc.

[PrincessMommy]

We have been hammered by snow fall after snow fall. We have had probably 3 feet in our backyard over the past 2 weeks. (It did completely melt halfway thru, so the amount in our yard is not that deep.) However, we did not get it all in 2 days. :laugh:

 

Bad news sells. Seriously they named the storm? I guess blizzards are tired of Hurricaines getting all notoriaty.

 

 

Yes, they named the last few stormed this year. I think it's silly.

[Zebra]

:iagree:

 

I hate the stupid names, too.

 

It's a snowstorm. Don't name it; suck it up and deal with it.

 

I don't even think numbers are necessary. These storms are simply not important in the big picture of world history. Why does the media have to turn everything into armageddon?

 

Next thing you know, that idiot Jim Cantore at the Weather Channel is going to start naming the sunny days, too. :glare:

 

 

ALTHOUGH, now that I think about it there is some serious money to be made in naming storms. Like say, just a random example, if you named a storm "Nemo". Disney could PAY the weather service to name the storms after Disney characters.

[Catwoman]

ALTHOUGH, now that I think about it there is some serious money to be made in naming storms. Like say, just a random example, if you named a storm "Nemo". Disney could PAY the weather service to name the storms after Disney characters.

 

 

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

[Jan in SC]

 

 

Where I live now 2 - 4 inches of snow is considered a major event even though we usually get them at least a couple of times a year. Where I grew up they happened pretty much a couple of times a week or more, so were no big deal at all. My mom laughs at how quickly schools/churches close in this area. Even after living here for 17 years I find myself still surprised too.

 

It all depends upon what someone is used to and what resources they have to keep up the roads, etc.

 

Oh- we would be stuck for weeks! Our state doesn't have a big need to allocate much for winter weather!! A big snowstorm might be fun, though! At least for a day or two. (Not a super scary- people die- one, though!)

[Pawz4me]

Two feet of snow is not normal in Virginia.....don't be ridiculous. good grief.

 

Not to beat a dead horse, but . . . It may not be normal, but there are plenty of places in Virginia where that much snow is far from abnormal. When I was a kid my grandparents lived on a mountain top at the crest of the Blue Ridge. They got snow. LOTS of snow. So much that they bought two huge Massey Ferguson snow blowers. And I remember quite a few times walking a path that had been cleared to the barn and chicken coop, and the walls of snow were taller than I was.

[creekland]

Ok, for those curious, here are the record monthly and 24 hour (two different columns) snowfalls for different areas in VA:

 

http://climate.virginia.edu/snowtable.htm

 

Google makes this way too easy. Remember the days when we didn't have all sorts of info at our fingertips? It kind of makes me feel old actually. ;)

[MissKNG]

Where are you in western NY? I'm around Bath/Hornell and we've had so much snow! Of course I'm at the tip top, and on the darker side, of a big hill, so maybe that contributes. Last year we had very little, though.

 

 

We are near Geneseo. Right now it is about 35 degrees and raining. Apparently it is suppose to arrive later in the afternoon for us.

 

My FIL works in the public defenders office in/near Bath (I think). For Steuben County, (again I think).

[Lizzie in Ma]

For us the danger is the hurricane force winds with wet heavy snow causing power outages with a drastic drop in temperature overnight. Not so much the snowfall amount. I am on the Cape.

 

It is crazy around here and it makes me laugh. This was the best thing I saw all day on FB......

[Amira]

 

 

LOL. I have to say, too, that when I first got to Utah in August it looked very...scrubby. With lots of dirt. And then when it snowed....ahhhh....it looked like a fairytale land! And your mountains!! I remember driving down to SLC, and as we're going through these mountain, I didn't even realize how BIG they were until I shoved my head OUT of the car window to look...UP! Our eensy little Blue Ridge is just rolling hills compared to the mountains out there.

 

We recently moved near the Blue Ridge Mountains and my oldest was incredulous that they were considered mountains. "How can they be mountains? They're covered with trees!"

 

He's spent a lot of time in Rockies and the mountains of Central Asia- but those mountains make the Rockies look like hills too. But we still enjoy the Blue Ridge.

[jujsky]

After 2 significant ice storms over the last 5 or 6 years, the trees have weakened. Those winds + weakened trees have New Englanders plenty concerned. 2 feet of snow isn't a big deal. Power outages in the winter ARE a big deal. The gas stations were mobbed yesterday because no power means their pumps won't run. Two of the gas stations we tried were out of gas, and one had long, long lines to get in. DH ran out this morning and got some so we can run the snowblower and the generator if we lose power. I'm looking forward to the snow, but not the prospect of losing power or having a tree fall on my house.

[datgh]

Here in NH many people are doing a "happy dance" over the storm. It means money for a lot of people. I was just at the gas station and the snow mobilers are getting gassed up for the morning. The ski areas can't wait. Snow in MA today means lots of skiers up in NH tomorrow which means lots of dollars spent. The fact that it is coming on a Friday night couldn't be better. The plow drivers haven't had much action this winter so they are ready to earn some cash. My kids can't wait to hit the sledding slope tomorrow. I'll burn some much needed calories shoveling. I guess it is really all in your perspective. Bring on Nemo. We are ready!

[Catwoman]

 

It is crazy around here and it makes me laugh. This was the best thing I saw all day on FB......

 

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

I loved that!!!

[Guest inoubliable]

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

I loved that!!!

 

I'm still laughing! I had to let the kids watch so they could appreciate the tears and snorting.

[Pawz4me]

We recently moved near the Blue Ridge Mountains and my oldest was incredulous that they were considered mountains. "How can they be mountains? They're covered with trees!"

 

He's spent a lot of time in Rockies and the mountains of Central Asia- but those mountains make the Rockies look like hills too. But we still enjoy the Blue Ridge.

 

Tell him the Appalachians were once about as high as the Rockies. But because it's such an old mountain range, they've been worn down by erosion over time. As the saying goes, the Appalachians were ancient before the Rockies were born.

[UrbanSue]

 

Yes, I think that's the blizzard that seldom gets remembered elsewhere, but it's definitely one I remember. If I'm remembering correctly ;) it came on a Wednesday. My first memory of it was coming home from school with my parents (in our car) and they couldn't see a thing. Dad (driving) kept trying to clear the windshield and mom had her door open to try to see the line on the road to be certain we were on it. At one point, she told dad the line was "yellow" not "white" so dad moved to the right to get in the correct lane. Less than 10 seconds later, a car passed us going the other way. It was kind of scary.

 

Once we got home (safely) all was well and we enjoyed the storm. We were prepared with a generator, etc. Where we live we were always prepared for such things. In my family, even though we now live further south, we're still always prepared.

 

We had Thursday and Friday off from school, but again, our superintendent was not happy. It was a city school district where kids walked (we lived in the country, so drove) and he felt there was no reason we needed more than one day off. The state thought otherwise...

 

Memories! The storms are fun when one is a kid (I was 10 at that time) and if one is prepared without anything awful (storm surges, etc) going on. They are rather dangerous otherwise. It's definitely important to be prepared. I learned that lesson well growing up.

 

My parents talk about this all the time. I'm always surprised--after hearing their stories--about how it is never mentioned as a historically big storm.

[UrbanSue]

Here it's the wind and the ice and the power outages. Two feet of snow all at once when there is nowhere to put it can be pretty crippling. Though, two years ago, we got back-to-back-to-back storms of that size. My youngest was smart enough to be born during a lull between two storms but dh was out keeping the car cleared off every hour for a few weeks, there.

[sparrow]

Tell him the Appalachians were once about as high as the Rockies. But because it's such an old mountain range, they've been worn down by erosion over time. As the saying goes, the Appalachians were ancient before the Rockies were born.

 

 

:lol: :lol:

 

I said this same thing, almost word for word, while we were watching the National Geographic Lewis and Clark doc on Netflix this AM! There is some gorgeous cinematography in it and as we were "flying" over the Rockies, I did my little talk about how isn't it hard to believe the Appalachians were nearly that tall and weather and erosion and blah, blah, blah.

 

Sorry for the hi-jack. It just cracked me up to see *my* words typed out on the same day!

[Amira]

Tell him the Appalachians were once about as high as the Rockies. But because it's such an old mountain range, they've been worn down by erosion over time. As the saying goes, the Appalachians were ancient before the Rockies were born.

 

Yeah, I did tell him, but he seemed to think the Appalachians had wimped out. There's no respect for the elderly anymore. At least it gave him a healthy respect for erosion.

[SKL]

 

My parents talk about this all the time. I'm always surprised--after hearing their stories--about how it is never mentioned as a historically big storm.

 

I remember this one from when I was a kid too. Everyone around here remembers it (if they are old enough).

 

One sad story to add to the "snowstorms can be really bad" comments. A little boy went missing on the day of that big blizzard. He was never found until the spring thaw. Turns out he had been playing near the street when a snowplow came by. He became part of the big snow pile at the side of the road. :(

[UrbanSue]

 

I remember this one from when I was a kid too. Everyone around here remembers it (if they are old enough).

 

One sad story to add to the "snowstorms can be really bad" comments. A little boy went missing on the day of that big blizzard. He was never found until the spring thaw. Turns out he had been playing near the street when a snowplow came by. He became part of the big snow pile at the side of the road. :(

 

Oh, my goodness. Wow.

[Pawz4me]

:lol: :lol:

 

I said this same thing, almost word for word, while we were watching the National Geographic Lewis and Clark doc on Netflix this AM! There is some gorgeous cinematography in it and as we were "flying" over the Rockies, I did my little talk about how isn't it hard to believe the Appalachians were nearly that tall and weather and erosion and blah, blah, blah.

 

Sorry for the hi-jack. It just cracked me up to see *my* words typed out on the same day!

 

Two homeschoolers thinking alike. :laugh:

[I talk to the trees]

It's here. It has been clear all day even though the radar shows heavy cloud/precipitation. But no longer. It's coming down- straight down. So it begins...

[NancyNellen]

 

Yep, our roads are always clear. We couldn't get out of the driveway until we shoveled, but once we did....blacktop with not a flake on it. I love our road crews! And there is no such thing as a "grocery store run" before a storm here. Actually....we laugh when we see news stories of people doing that back east for an expected 4-6 inches.

 

 

While I, too, laugh at the city dwellers who wait in long lines to get a gallon of milk, I think that you need to take into consideration the many country folk who are a long distance from grocery stores and very much at the bottom of the priority list when it comes to plowing and power restoration. My parents live in the house I grew up in in a tiny town in central Massachusetts. They almost always lose power if there is more than a foot of snow, or if it is heavy/wet snow, or even slightly windy. When they lose power they lose water because they have a well. Because they are rural they have one small town grocery which is privately owned and will usually close when the weather is bad, since workers can't get there safely. They require a large store of non-perishables since they may not be able to get out or use electricity for multiple days. And the state snowplows consider them extremely insignificant when it comes to clearing the roads. They are predicting 24-30 inches of snow where they live, falling as fast as 4 inches an hour.

 

The huge storm they had last fall had them without power for 13 days. That is just the reality for them. So, obviously a huge storm coming requires a bunch of advanced prep on their part.

 

Utah probably has buried power lines, cutting down on long power outages. They also don't have issues with WHERE to put that much snow once it has been cleared...lots of open spaces and all that the northeast does not have. The northeast, with all of its dense metropolitan areas, major international airports, corporate headquarters and centers of commerce, has a lot more overhead when it comes to a major blizzard.

[MIch elle]

Lots of snow in the city is a HUGE problem of where it put it all! They use to dump the snow in the river and bay, but now they truck the snow and "store" it in open areas in the suburbs. The snow becomes cargo to be hauled away.

 

People with cars in Boston and dense living areas park their cars on the street. During a storm people are required to remove their cars from city streets - a BIG problem for lots of people.

 

 

 

[delaney]

Two feet of snow is not normal in Virginia.....don't be ridiculous. good grief. Northern Virginia had two feet of snow three and a half years ago and it wasn't normal then and wouldn't be normal now.

 

New England is looking at totals of two feet and possibly more with blizzard condition winds....THAT would certainly get my attention if I were in the path of the storm. There is a concern regarding downed power lines and trees. The positive in this particular situation in NE is that there is no snow from previous storms already accumulated on the ground.

 

It really annoys me when people complain that too much is made of the weather, and then everyone starts whining that they weren't given enough warning.

 

ETA: I have lived in fairfax county for almost 12 years. two feet of snow on the ground even as the result of numerous snow storms is not normal. we would be more likely to have closings, etc due to ice than snow.

Let's not forget that here in VA many of the roads are plowed with PICKUP TRUCKS! I kid you not. We don't have the equipment and the last time we got 18 inches school was closed for at least a week. It is funny for me having come from Long Island where no less than 6 inches will get you a school closure.

[dancer67]

After 2 significant ice storms over the last 5 or 6 years, the trees have weakened. Those winds + weakened trees have New Englanders plenty concerned. 2 feet of snow isn't a big deal. Power outages in the winter ARE a big deal. The gas stations were mobbed yesterday because no power means their pumps won't run. Two of the gas stations we tried were out of gas, and one had long, long lines to get in. DH ran out this morning and got some so we can run the snowblower and the generator if we lose power. I'm looking forward to the snow, but not the prospect of losing power or having a tree fall on my house.

:iagree: This is the big issue. In New England, we obviously do not have bendable palm trees. We have very old oak trees,(even pine) that have limbs as massive as the tree trunks themselves. With the trees already weakened from the other storms, the winds and the fast amount of snow fall is a big concern. It is really starting to pick up in intensity here. When the wind blows, I can't even see out my windows. Nobody is allowed on the roads here after 4 pm. (Except for the obvious). And I happen to like them naming the storms. "Nemo" sounds a lot cooler then "Remember the Blizzard of 78?" :hurray:

[magnificent_baby]

Yep, our roads are always clear. We couldn't get out of the driveway until we shoveled, but once we did....blacktop with not a flake on it. I love our road crews! And there is no such thing as a "grocery store run" before a storm here. Actually....we laugh when we see news stories of people doing that back east for an expected 4-6 inches.

 

I do a grocery run for anything more than a few inches. We get snow here on a regular basis, but it gets really slick even though our road crews do a fantastic job on the roads. Perhaps your climate is a bit different and it doesn't get as slick as other places? There are usually a few traffic related deaths (5 actually during the last event) every snow storm we get, even if amounts are minimal. A few weeks ago, we had frozen fog and the roads were awful. I don't go out unless I absolutely have to when it snows, so I like stock up.

[Matryoshka]

Everyone does get the irony of naming the storm Nemo? Nemo means "no name"....

 

I think in some ways they overreacted - like cancelling all the schools today. A half-day would have been more than sufficient. It was just flurries all morning; the pavement was clear till after 2pm.

 

However, I do think that getting people off the roads starting this afternoon is very wise. And it does sound like once it gets going, it's going to be bad. It's not that we're not used to 2+ feet of snow on the ground; it's the rate of accumulation and the wind that's the issue. The big problem in '78 here was that everyone was driving in it, and got backed up, and then the rate of snowfall was so great that they got trapped in their cars by the hundreds - or thousands. The plows couldn't clear anything because the roads were full of snowed-in cars. Many people died in their cars, and it took them almost a week to open the roads.

 

 

If everyone's at home, the plows can just do their jobs and we'll all be back to normal much faster.

 

So I support staying off the roads in a major blizzard! And a blizzard is a different animal than a snowstorm, with high winds and white-out conditions. Here, actually the snow is going to be fluffy, not heavy, so I'm hoping that will help with power outages. Another thing that's freaking them out a bit is that this storm is actually two storms merging, which I think is the thing that made the '78 blizzard so bad. I hear the coast is going to get hammered - glad to be inland...

 

But I still don't get cancelling everything the morning before the storm even gets here... yeesh.

[creekland]

And I happen to like them naming the storms. "Nemo" sounds a lot cooler then "Remember the Blizzard of 78?" :hurray:

 

I actually like using the years better and I remember them better by the years. I think in 30+ years I'll have forgotten when Nemo happened (or any of the others), but I can instantly remember when the Blizzard of '77 (or '78 for those of you with that one) happened.

 

It has just started to snow here and we aren't going to get much. We had a full school day today as we got absolutely nothing overnight (they had predicted ice).

 

Hubby's been having fun watching the web cam at middle son's college in Rochester:

 

http://www.rochester.edu/aboutus/chapelwebcam.html

 

He likes the guy riding the snow remover clearing the sidewalks when he shows up. They're definitely used to having snow - nothing is closed as far as I know, but they're only supposed to get 12 inches I think.

 

To those in the thick of it all - I hope all goes well! Personally, we're staying in, eating fried deer loin and homemade french fries (and pomegranates to keep it all healthy ;) ) and watching a movie. I think youngest picked Chronicle.

[Audrey]

All we're hearing about is how Toronto is going to get slammed with this storm.

 

Oh? :huh: Really? :wacko: You mean the same storm -- that no one bothered talking about then -- that slammed us out West last week?

 

:nopity:

[Parrothead]

It's here. It has been clear all day even though the radar shows heavy cloud/precipitation. But no longer. It's coming down- straight down. So it begins...

Still nothing here.

 

Enjoy your snow.

[skimomma]

I live in an area where 24 inches in 24 hours is pretty common. Usually at least once a year. We just got 100 inches in the span of ten days last month. And I can definitely see why it is a big deal. The type and amount of equipment our towns own and maintain is very different from other areas. We have snow removal machines that no one else has ever heard of like sno-goes. We shovel our roofs on a regular basis. Our personal snowblowers are scary monsters. And wiht all of that, it takes a day or so to dig out. Typically things don't close, but it is messy. Moving all of that snow takes a lot of time, organization, experience, space, and equipment. That is not even addressing the power outages, mobility of emergency personnel, and other headaches that come from large snowfalls. And obviously since most people think living in this sort of climate is insane, we have a very low, but extremely hardy, population which also makes snow removal easier. I would totally be freaking out in weather like this if I lived in NYC or another large city.

[creekland]

Ok, I haven't been watching enough weather/news. I had no idea today is the anniversary of the aftermath of the Blizzard of '78 in New England... It doesn't sound like this one will be quite as bad as what happened then. Here's the synopsis of then:

 

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/new-england-digs-out-after-blizzard

 

72 hours, 55 inches (in the worst places), 50 foot waves, 56 deaths total (includes some who died of heart attacks shoveling and such things).

 

Storms aren't something to take lightly. One should be prepared and be smart IMO. Then there is less death and more enjoyment (at least for those who didn't have houses destroyed from the waves).

[creekland]

I guess I have a little too much time on my hands right now - though after this post we really are starting to fix supper...

 

Here's a link to the one site's Top 10 Blizzards in US History:

 

http://www.toptenz.net/top-10-worst-blizzards-u-s-history.php

 

Those of '77 & '78 don't make the Top 10. Many are from (relatively) long ago. It must have been bad before they had decent forecasting...

 

Here's a link to some facts about the Blizzard of '77 (from my childhood):

 

http://www.wnybooks.com/white-d.html

 

"Blizzard of '77 32nd Anniversary Trivia (January 28,29,30,31, February 1): Beer - Bread - Birth Control

1. It snowed in Miami.

2. One hundred thousand cattle and calves froze to death in Kentucky with costs over one hundred million dollars.

3. That cold spell cost the Florida economy 2 billion dollars.

4. Some people in rural areas were isolated for up to 14 days.

5. Twenty- four hour a day emergency radio broadcasts saved a lot of lives.

6. More than 100 people died from the effects of the only blizzard in history declared a major disaster.

7. A good Samaritan approached a woman kneeling beside the road during the blizzard. That woman fell over. She had frozen to death.

8. Twenty -nine died in Western New York with wind chills of 60 below zero. Two died in neighboring Canada that had snowdrifts to 35 feet.

9. But Western New Yorkers and neighboring Canadians discovered a great way to stay warm during The Blizzard of '77. Their secret was revealed by the 18% percent jump in the birth rate and 45% jump in the abortion rate after the storm of the century. That's why local comedians suggest the three B's for surviving a blizzard: Beer- Bread- Birth Control."

 

That link is older and I don't think it's the only Blizzard declared a major disaster any longer, but it still had a bit going on - more than I remember. I really don't remember my parents ever telling us kids about the three B's for preparation either. ;)

[unsinkable]

All we're hearing about is how Toronto is going to get slammed with this storm.

 

Oh? :huh: Really? :wacko: You mean the same storm -- that no one bothered talking about then -- that slammed us out West last week?

 

:nopity:

 

 

I love you prairie girls! You send us the best, toughest hockey players!

 

(Or is that too handmaiden's tale-y)

[LarlaB]

All we're hearing about is how Toronto is going to get slammed with this storm.

 

Oh? :huh: Really? :wacko: You mean the same storm -- that no one bothered talking about then -- that slammed us out West last week?

 

:nopity:

 

 

 

This happened last year :) I live in CO and we had 8-10" in October...the 2 days later I happened to be travelling back east to PHL and everyone was all a-flutter about the same storm system bringing 1-2" of snow to the area.

 

Honestly, (and this is from a former east coast girl- Philly & Va Beach) I think anything that happens to the East Coast is made much more of a 'big deal' than when it happens elsewhere..... Partly because population density yes, but also because some folks in NYC & DC believe they are the center of the universe.