Having lived on the East Coast, unfortunately I too, have had to endure my fair share of abuse from its weather. From snarled traffic, closed schools, and freezing cold temperatures, I know how bad it can get. I also grew up in Ohio—where it gets very cold in the winter.
Images unfold, just thinking about the onslaught of snow and snowstorms, that’s now wrecking havoc in its wake for all of the people affected; as the thought of shoveling snow until doomsday–and the other problems that snowstorms unleash–still remain fresh in my mind.
Winter Arrives, Blanketing East Coast in Snow
An enormous winter storm crippled the nation’s capital and the Mid-Atlantic early Saturday as fierce winds churned northward into New York and New England, canceling thousands of flights across the country and stranding motorists during the peak of the holiday shopping and travel season.
With winter officially starting on Monday, one to two feet of snow was expected to fall by Sunday morning from Virginia to New England, where blizzard warnings were posted for coastal areas.
In Washington, the storm blanketed the capital in serenity, at least until it began piling up on the major city streets and the surrounding Beltway early Saturday afternoon and forcing mass transit shutdowns. The mayor of Washington, Adrian M. Fenty declared a snow emergency, following the state of emergency that Gov. Tim Kaine of Virginia declared on Friday in advance of the storm.
“This is one of the bigger ones,” said Kevin Witt, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in the Baltimore-Washington forecast office in Sterling, Va. Mr. Witt said that when the snow finished falling — late Saturday night into Sunday morning — it could rank in the top 10 of winter snowstorms. Source: New York Times Photo courtesy of ABC2News Baltimore
As of 2 p.m. [EST], Reagan National reached 13", setting a new record for December snow.
I’m not writing this story out of a sense of schadenfreude, but to entice you to read and follow Travelin’ Local more. So when you read all of the great places to go and things to do here—take a break from the foul weather, and make a trip to Los Angeles and Southern California at the top of your to-do list.
I know—been there, done that!
Lance
2 months ago
Hi Lisa,
Well…I’m okay with this one missing us here in Wisconsin! We had a big one recently, and it was heavy snow! The beach photo at the top looks soooo enticing! Enjoy it all! On the flipside – we had today to just play in the snow here – and had some great runs down our sledding hill!
Still…that beach looks pretty inviting…
Lance´s last blog ..The Upside of Life (And Holiday Celebration!)
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LisaNewton Reply:
December 20th, 2009 at 5:19 am
@Lance, I’m sorry I left Wisconsin out, Lance. Having lived on the East Coast and still having friends and family there, I tend to follow their weather closely, particularly at this time of the year.
I’m so happy you were able to spend some time playing in the snow. Every season has it’s upside.
I wish you and your family a safe and happy holiday season.
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dc
2 months ago
Heh, I just noticed this one — nice!
(We’re up to about 90 inches of snow so far for the season here in northern Michigan!)
dc´s last blog ..Sarah at the Cliffs
[Reply]
LisaNewton Reply:
December 27th, 2009 at 5:52 pm
@dc, Well, I’ve never lived in northern Michigan, but one thing I do know is that where you live is prepared for snow, where as, some of the East Coast isn’t.
When it snowed 27 inches in 2003, I lived on a small subdivision street. The snow started on Friday, and my road didn’t see a snow plow until Wednesday.
It’s better now, but it’s a small storm can bring lots and lots of issues there.
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dc
2 months ago
@LisaNewton: It’s true, a large part of the town’s yearly budget goes to snow plowing — equipment, maintenance, wages, salt, sand… But I did live in Regina (Saskatchewan) briefly. They’re much farther north than here, and don’t see as much snow (but still 100+ inches per year) — and they have awful road maintenance. I think part of that is because salt won’t work at the cold temperatures they get up there, so the streets really get packed down.
dc´s last blog ..Sarah at the Cliffs
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