Winter Storm Nemo: Potential Historic Blizzard Looms (MAJOR WEATHER EVENT!)

[eggplant]

139. Yes, and all of those things are real concerns.

High winds can bring down trees and take out power lines. However, we have had a ton of high wind days up here this winter already, and many of the trees that would come down have already come down. The power companies have been very diligent around here about taking down "risky" trees in advance. If you want to watch the power situation in real time, you can look here:

http://www.nyseg.com/Outages/outageinformation.html

This storm looks like it is mostly snow, except maybe for the coasts that will get some flooding. So ice doesn't seem like it will be a problem, unlike the ice storm of December 2008 that decimated the northeast for weeks. That one really sucked for everyone.

Snow buildup can be a concern too, particularly when there is already lots of accumulation. But there isn't any snow on the ground at the moment, so that is a good thing. (But thanks for the reminder! I have to remember to turn on my heat tape tomorrow to prevent ice jams.)

Lots of snow does mean lots of plowing, but the municipalities in the northeast are very prepared for that sort of thing. What kills us up here is relentless storms that cause our cities to go through their stocks of road salt and sand early in the year and blow their budgets. But again, this year has been really mild (in terms of snow -- it's been wicked cold though), so that's not a concern.

Black ice is a really dangerous phenomenon, but can't happen this weekend. Black ice is when rain seeps into the cracks in the asphalt, and then the temperature drops and it freezes. Because it adheres to the texture of the road and doesn't just freeze in a smooth sheet you don't see a reflection and you have no idea it is there. Lots of snow doesn't cause this to happen. Even if temps get above 32 and then back down, you can't get black ice when there is snow on the pavement.

High winds + snow mean blizzard conditions, and that limits safe travel. But this storm has had lots of warning, people will prepare, and so most people won't be travelling in it. I do worry for the fire and rescue crews that will have to deal with 911 calls during all of this, but again, this isn't something they don't know how to deal with. It's just part of living up here in the tundra.

Power outages can be a big deal, particularly for people who get their heat from electricity. But heat isn't the real problem. Much of upstate is relatively rural, and no power means no well pump, and that means no water. You can live without heat (for a while), but you can't live without water. But people around here help one another, they check on their neighbors, and most people have alternate heat sources (woodstoves, or oil/gas heat). We lose power in the northeast winters (and summers! still need water in the summer!) all the time, so people know what to expect.

Burst pipes are something that happens in unheated houses that don't plan for it -- people around here know that if you lose heat and have to leave your house, that you leave a few taps open slightly and nothing bad will happen. People who leave their houses for extended periods of time turn off their water in advance. Underground pipes don't have these problems. I've never heard of a water main breaking because of cold -- it can't, since the water is continually moving.

I truly believe your heart is in the right place with your concerns. But you don't live here and you clearly aren't familiar with what winter really means around here. Yes, this is a major storm, but it doesn't rise to panic levels. Let me put it this way. There is at least a 75% chance that my kids will be going to school tomorrow, and at least a 50% chance that they won't even dismiss them early. And I would guess that my 8-year old will be ecstatic on saturday to get to go out and build a snow fort in the yard -- we haven't even had enough snow this year to make a half decent snowman so far. Heh, maybe I'll shovel out my gas grill and have a bbq after all the snow has fallen.