Heavy Fog This Morning

There's a Dense Fog Advisory for the South Coast, apparently at least to Bourne.

This is Buttermilk Bay in Bourne, MA.

Here's a mooring buoy at 20 yards, in case you're wondering how thick the fog is.

It should burn off by 9 AM or so.

George "The Animal" Steele Dies

Wrestling fans all around the world will be saddened to hear about the death of George "The Animal" Steele. George, 79, was in hospice care.

Where do you start with The Animal. Playing a rampaging mentally ill character back when you could still do that, eating turnbuckles, stalking and menacing the lovely Miss Elizabeth... what was not to love?

Steele was a schoolteacher and a coach before he became a strangler. He's in the Michigan Hall Of Fame, for coaching. I'm pretty sure that he's in the WWE Hall Of Fame, too. Steele's influence rivals Buddha's. His name turns up in rap songs released long after he retired.

We can neither confirm nor deny George's paternity regarding former wrestler Hammerin' Heather Steele, but he was probably in her hometown at some point 9 months before her birth, George got around.

21 Bell Salute on Monday Night RAW, guarantee it. The man was an icon.

Worst Winters, Snowfall Records For Eastern Massachusetts

(Editor: We're dipping into our archives to drop some February and Winter-type Knowledge into your dome-pieces... the article is a year old, but no new records have been established, nor have averages been altered much.)

I think that even the wimpiest of us would agree that we have had a relatively mild winter so far. It may or may not change in the coming weeks, but that's not what we're here to discuss today.

We're at roughly what I consider to be mid-winter. I may not be correct officially or technically, but it's a good working model. A little bit of November, all of December, January, February and March, plus a bit of April... February is smack dab in the middle of that.

With that in mind, let's sort through some weather facts and speculation that may get you some proper mojo for those times when you ponder the weather at great lengths.

There will be a bit of a Boston focus, as I have a lot of Boston weather data handy. Your town may be different, but it's good enough to work with. I'm leaning heavily on a Weather Channel page. I refuse to use Winter Storm Names.

- Some of our worst storms, like the Blizzard of '78, came in the shortest month of he year.

-Top Boston Snowstorms

1. Feb. 17-18, 2003: 27.6 inches
2. Feb. 6-7, 1978: 27.1 inches
3. Feb. 24-26, 1969: 25.8 inches
4. Mar. 31 - Apr. 1, 1997: 25.4 inches
5. Feb. 8-9, 2013: 24.9 inches
6. Jan. 26-28, 2015: 24.6 inches
7. Feb. 7-10, 2015: 23.8 inches
8. Jan. 22-23, 2005: 22.5 inches
9. Jan. 20-21, 1978: 21.4 inches
10. Mar. 3-5, 1960: 19.8 inches

- Three of Boston's five snowiest months (including #1 overall, with a bullet) were, as you'll see, various forms of February.

- People looking at Top Boston Snowstorms charts in the future will be like, "Damn, it must have sucked in 2015 to get 24.6 inches of snow on January 28th and then get 23.8 inches on February 7th," and they could quite possibly be completely unaware that there was also a Groundhog Day blizzard in 2015 that did like 18". We just fail to mention it, because History of any sort is full of these little nuances.

- Top Snowfall Totals For A Month in Boston, and remember that you lose about 10% of the calendar with February:
1. February 2015: 64.8 inches
2. January 2005: 43.3 inches
3. January 1945: 42.3 inches
4. February 2003: 41.6 inches
5. February 1969: 41.3 inches

- It's odd that December or March didn't force their way in the mix up there in that list. I suppose that Spring is asserting herself by March, and that the ground is too warm in December.

- April, which has had some heavy blizzard-type snowfalls, just doesn't get enough follow-up events to break into that very close (one inch of snow stands between the second worst month of snow ever and the fifth worst) pile of months that make up rankings-2-5.

- March had a 19.8 inch head-start in 1960 and failed to get near the top 5. April had about 24" by April 1st of 1997, but couldn't generate enough powda to be a true player.

- Boston does about 43.6" of snow per winter. I think that Barnstable clocks 25" or so per winter.

- Boston's 10 Worst Winters:

1. 2014-2015: 110.6 inches
2. 1995-1996: 107.6 inches
3. 1993-1994: 96.3 inches
4. 1947-1948: 89.2 inches
5. 2004-2005: 86.6 inches
6. 1977-1978: 85.1 inches
7. 1992-1993: 83.9 inches
8. 2010-2011: 81.0 inches
9. 1915-1916: 79.2 inches
10. 1919-1920: 73.4 inches

- Notice that nearly 2 feet of snow stand between #2 and #5 on this list, while 1 inch stands between #2 and #5 in snowiest months. Those were some genuinely awful winters.

- Boston got 94.4 inches of snow in the thirty days between January 24th and February 22nd, 2015. It would be the third snowiest winter overall, just those 30 days.

- Any kid about 25 years old or so who has lived here all of his life can hold his own with any old-timer, no matter how salty Gramps may be, in a discussion about difficult Boston winters. Even a 105 year old man will have only seen three other winters that would place in the top ten.

- A 128 year old man would have seen the Blizzard of 1888, albeit as a child. However, at that point, the 128 year old man himself would be more interesting than Blizzard of 1888 discussion.

- Old folks would have recourse against whippersnappers in things like Ice Storms and Really, Really Cold Weather. It generally goes without saying that this current generation has better plowing and forecasting. It also generally goes without saying that old people have a better feel for the weather, and always will.

- That said, my 9 year old has now seen snowy winters worse than anything that Old Folks can speak of.

- In 2015, Boston had a Boston-record 37" snow pack. We had 6 feet of snow fall between January 24th and February 10th, and 90" between 1/24 and 2/15. We had 4 days where we had at least 12 inches of snow (a record shared with 1978 and 1960-61). Boston had 6 days in a row with at least a half-inch of snow. They also had 28 straight days where the temperature didn't get above 20.

- Some Perspective:

Heaviest One-Day Snowfall (inches and centimeters)

Georgetown, Colorado 63 160 Dec 4 1913
Thompson Pass, Alaska 62 157 Dec 29 1955
Giant Forest, California 60 152 Jan 19 1933
Mount Washington, NH 49 125 Feb 25 1969
Millegan, Montana 48 122 Dec 27 2003
Gunn's Ranch, Washington 48 122 Jan 21 1935
Deadwood, South Dakota 47 119 Mar 14 1973
Watertown, New York 45 114 Nov 15 1900
Heber Ranger Station, Arizona 38 97 Dec 14 1967
Morgantown, Pennsylvania 38 97 Mar 20 1958
Wolf Ridge, Minnesota 36 91 Jan 7 1994

Snowiest Average Winters, (inches and centimeters)

Mt Rainier, Washington 671 1704
Alta, Utah 546 1387
Crater Lake Park, Oregon 483 1226
Brighton, Utah 411 1044
Echo Summit, California 407 1035

Most Days With Snowfall 

Mt Rainier, Paradise Station, Washington 121.4
Mt Washington, New Hampshire 118.5
Climax Mine, Colorado 104.4
Crater Lake Park Headquarters, Oregon 101.3
Shemya Island, Alaska 98.3
Yellowstone Park South Entrance, Wyoming 94.5

Snowiest Large US Cities, Average Year, (inches and centimeters)

Rochester, New York 99.5 252.7
Buffalo, New York 94.7 240.5
Cleveland, Ohio 68.1 173.0
Salt Lake City, Utah 56.2 142.7
Minneapolis, Minnesota 54.0 137.2
Denver, Colorado 53.8 136.7
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 46.9 119.1
Boston, Massachusetts 43.8 111.3
Detroit, Michigan 42.7 108.5
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 41.9 106.4
Hartford, Connecticut 40.5 102.9
Chicago, Illinois 36.7 93.2
Providence, Rhode Island 33.8 85.9
Columbus, Ohio 27.5 69.9
Indianapolis, Indiana 25.9 65.8
New York, New York 25.1 63.8

- Boston, and Massachusetts in general, rules 'Merica in one weather-related category... Wind Speed. Boston has an average wind speed of 12.4 mph. Massachusetts owns 4 of the top 5 spots when ranked among cities with more than 50,000 people. Weymouh, Brockton, Framingham, Newton, Peabody, Waltham, Quincy, Lowell, Brookline, and Lynn are all in the top 20.

Windiest US Cities (>50,000 people)

1. Weymouth Town, MA (housing) (pop. 55,419) 14.7 mph
2. Brockton, MA (housing) (pop. 94,089) 14.3 mph
3. Framingham, MA (housing) (pop. 68,318) 13.6 mph
4. Amarillo, TX (housing) (pop. 196,429) 13.3 mph
5. Weymouth, MA (housing) (pop. 54,393) 13.2 mph
6. Cheyenne, WY (housing) (pop. 62,448) 12.9 mph
7. Fort Collins, CO (housing) (pop. 152,061) 12.8 mph
8. Newton, MA (housing) (pop. 87,971) 12.7 mph
9. Casper, WY (housing) (pop. 59,628) 12.7 mph
10. Waltham, MA (housing) (pop. 62,227) 12.6 mph
11. Loveland, CO (housing) (pop. 71,334) 12.6 mph
12. Quincy, MA (housing) (pop. 93,494) 12.5 mph
13. Greeley, CO (housing) (pop. 96,539) 12.5 mph
14. Rochester, MN (housing) (pop. 110,742) 12.5 mph
15. Great Falls, MT (housing) (pop. 59,351) 12.5 mph
16. Peabody, MA (housing) (pop. 52,044) 12.5 mph
17. Brookline, MA (housing) (pop. 58,732) 12.5 mph
18. Lowell, MA (housing) (pop. 108,861) 12.5 mph
19. Lubbock, TX (housing) (pop. 239,538) 12.4 mph
20. Lynn, MA (housing) (pop. 91,589) 12.4 mph
21. Boston, MA (housing) (pop. 645,966) 12.4 mph

- Viewed in the Year Without A Sana Claus weather logic that I use in lieu of any formal meteorological training, New England is often brought up in arguments where people propose that there are actually several Misers involved in our weather. You could make a case for Warm Miser, Mild Miser and/or Seasonably Cold Miser.

It may be a case where Heat Miser and Cold Miser are General Grant and General Lee, and Seasonably Cold Miser is a subordinate, Jubal Early-style figure.

Blizzard Watch For Coastal Massachusetts, Winter Storm Warning Inland

Cranberry County Magazine is actually part of a secret government experiment where we see if you can bankrupt a website by running the same headline every 5 days. OK, maybe the government isn't involved, but here we go again with another Blizzard!

Let's just hand this to the pros, shall we?

BLIZZARD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM LATE TONIGHT THROUGH
MONDAY EVENING...

* LOCATIONS...Cape Cod and Nantucket.

* ACCUMULATIONS...4 to 6 inches of snow.

* HAZARD TYPES...include moderate to heavy snow, as well as
blowing snow.

* TIMING...spotty light rain this morning becomes steadier and
heavier this afternoon, then transitioning to snow overnight
along with increasing winds by early Monday morning. It is
during these peak winds, that blizzard conditions are possible.

* WINDS...Northwest 35 to 45 mph with gusts up to 65 mph.

* VISIBILITIES...One quarter mile or less at times.

* IMPACTS...The combination of brief heavy snow and strong winds
may lead to dangerous driving conditions as well as scattered
power outages.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A Blizzard Watch means there is a potential for considerable
falling and/or blowing snow with sustained winds or frequent
gusts over 35 mph...with visibilities below one quarter mile...
for at least 3 hours. Whiteout conditions will be possible...
making travel very dangerous. Be prepared to alter any travel
plans.
**************************************************

Remember, folks.... a Blizzard doesn't necessarily mean that you re getting the Blizzard of '78 with 25 inches of snow. All you need is three hours of heavy snow and some high winds. Buffalo once had a blizzard where it didn't snow at all... the high winds just picked up all the fluffy snow sitting on frozen Lake Erie and blew it into Buffalo.

The coast has more NWS stuff to deal with... and you know they're serious, because they're going CAPS LOCK:

COASTAL FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM MONDAY MORNING THROUGH MONDAY
AFTERNOON...

* LOCATION...SALISBURY TO ROCKPORT, NORTH SIDE OF CAPE COD FROM SANDWICH TO
EASTHAM, AND NANTUCKET.

* TIDAL DEPARTURE...1 TO 2 FEET ABOVE NORMAL TIDE IS POSSIBLE SALISBURY TO
ROCKPORT, AND 2 TO 3 FEET ABOVE NORMAL TIDE IS POSSIBLE ALONG THE NORTH SIDE
OF CAPE COD AND THE NANTUCKET HARBOR AREA.

* TIMING...WITHIN A COUPLE OF HOURS OF THE MONDAY EARLY AFTERNOON HIGH TIDE.

* COASTAL FLOOD IMPACTS...MINOR TO MODERATE COASTAL FLOODING IS POSSIBLE
SALISBURY TO ROCKPORT INCLUDING THE PLUM ISLAND AREA AS WELL AS NANTUCKET
HARBOR. MODERATE WITH POCKETS OF MODERATE TO MAJOR COASTAL FLOODING IS
POSSIBLE FROM SANDWICH TO EASTHAM WHERE DAMAGE TO THE MOST VULNERABLE
STRUCTURES ALONG THE IMMEDIATE SHORE AS WELL AS SHORELINE ROAD WASHOUTS ARE
POSSIBLE DUE TO THE COMBINATION OF STORM SURGE AND LARGE BREAKING WAVES.
INUNDATION OF 1 TO 3 FEET IN LOW SPOTS IS POSSIBLE.

* SHORELINE IMPACTS...LARGE WAVES OF 15 TO 20 FEET JUST OFFSHORE WILL LIKELY
CAUSE SIGNIFICANT EROSION OF OCEAN EXPOSED SHORELINES ALONG EASTERN
MASSACHUSETTS. THE EROSION ALONG THE NORTH SIDE OF CAPE COD FROM SANDWICH TO
EASTHAM, THE OCEAN SIDE OF CAPE COD FROM TRURO TO CHATHAM, AND THE EAST SIDE
OF NANTUCKET MAY BE SEVERE IN PLACES.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A COASTAL FLOOD WATCH MEANS THAT POTENTIAL EXISTS FOR MODERATE OR MAJOR COASTAL
FLOODING. MODERATE COASTAL FLOODING PRODUCES WIDESPREAD FLOODING OF VULNERABLE
SHORE ROADS AND/OR BASEMENTS DUE TO THE HEIGHT OF THE STORM TIDE AND/OR WAVE
ACTION. NUMEROUS ROAD CLOSURES ARE NEEDED. LIVES MAY BE AT RISK FOR PEOPLE WHO
PUT THEMSELVES IN HARMS WAY. ISOLATED STRUCTURAL DAMAGE MAY BE POSSIBLE.

MAJOR COASTAL FLOODING IS CONSIDERED SEVERE ENOUGH TO CAUSE AT LEAST SCATTERED
STRUCTURAL DAMAGE ALONG WITH WIDESPREAD FLOODING OF VULNERABLE SHORE ROADS
AND/OR BASEMENTS. SOME VULNERABLE HOMES WILL BE SEVERELY DAMAGED OR DESTROYED.
NUMEROUS ROADS ARE IMPASSABLE...SOME WITH WASHOUTS SEVERE ENOUGH TO BE LIFE-
THREATENING IF ONE ATTEMPTED TO CROSS ON FOOT OR BY VEHICLE. SOME NEIGHBORHOODS
WILL BE ISOLATED. EVACUATION OF SOME NEIGHBORHOODS MAY BE NECESSARY.
********************************************************
Please note and know that the greatest danger here is for people on north-facing coastlines. This means you:

Hull

Scituate Neck

Fourth Cilff

Brant Rock

Gurnet Point

Manomet

Sandwich

Barnstable Harbor

Dennis

Brewster

Provincetown

Here is a list of Tide Charts that you probably want to have a look at before tomorrow's entertainment.
***************************************************

The rest of you (meaning the inland and South Coast parts of our reading area, you get:

WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM EST MONDAY...

* LOCATIONS...include Northern Connecticut, Northern Rhode
Island, and Southeast Massachusetts.

* ACCUMULATIONS...4 to 8 inches of snow.

* HAZARD TYPES...include moderate to heavy snow, as well as
blowing snow.

* TIMING...spotty light snow early this morning will give way to
steady snow later this morning and then heavy at times this
afternoon. Snow may mix with sleet at times later this afternoon
and possibly mixed with freezing drizzle tonight before turning
back to snow Monday morning.

* WINDS...North 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 40 mph.

* VISIBILITIES...One quarter mile or less at times.

* IMPACTS...The combination of sleet and snow will lead to
hazardous driving conditions at times. There is also the low
risk for isolated power outages.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A Winter Storm Warning is issued when an average snowfall of
6 inches or more is expected within a 12 hour period...or for
8 inches or more in a 24 hour period. Travel will be slow at best
on well treated surfaces...and quite difficult on untreated
surfaces. Only travel in an emergency. If you must travel...keep
an extra flashlight...food...and water in your vehicle in case of
an emergency.
********************************

There's even a HIGH WIND WATCH for the next few days, and a SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT about this morning's snow.

*****************************************************
This NWS chart shows a lot of stuff,but the first three numbers after the town name equal 1) Best Case Scenario, 2) Most Likely Scenario, and 3) Worst Case Scenario

Location At least Likely Potential for >=0.1" >=1" >=2" >=4" >=6" >=8" >=12" >=18"
Boston, MA 6 14 16 100% 100% 100% 100% 93% 79% 35% 0%
Edgartown, MA <1 3 4 92% 77% 43% 10% 0% 0% 0% 0%
Greenfield, MA 10 12 15 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 46% 0%
Hartford, CT 3 4 10 100% 100% 99% 83% 48% 27% 0% 0%
Hyannis, MA <1 4 6 93% 83% 67% 34% 12% 0% 0% 0%
Nantucket, MA 2 4 5 100% 100% 88% 23% 0% 0% 0% 0%
Newport, RI 0 1 5 77% 56% 42% 21% 0% 0% 0% 0%
Plympton, MA 1 6 11 95% 89% 83% 60% 41% 27% 1% 0%
Providence, RI 2 6 11 100% 98% 93% 78% 48% 33% 4% 0%
Springfield, MA 5 8 12 100% 100% 100% 99% 83% 49% 10% 0%
Taunton, MA 2 7 11 99% 96% 89% 75% 46% 31% 3% 0%
Westerly, RI 0 2 5 81% 63% 43% 18% 0% 0% 0% 0%
Worcester, MA 8 12 16 100% 100% 100% 100% 99% 88% 42% 0%

*******************************************************************

This is a dangerous storm, and it looks like fun for both commutes Monday.
It may start of as rain, but don't fall for that. It'll switch over soon enough, and the roads will be treacherous.

I'm considering going in to work 24 hours early and just hanging around. I barely made it over the Bourne Bridge in my junker Dodge during the blizzard last week. I had to resort to Tacking, a sailing method that involves repeatedly aiming your bow in different directions to do the seemingly-impossible move of sailing into the wind. I don't know Why it worked, only That it worked.

This feat was more impressive because:

1) I wasn't in a sailboat.

2) Tacking isn't designed to move Uphill.

3) Even if it was, I wasn't on water. Well, technically I was, but you know what I mean.

4) Cars, which aren't designed to cut through the surface of an ocean, don't have bows.

5) I don't know how to sail.

6) "I was on a 25 yard wide suspended plank looking at a 200 foot fall into a coastal river in February" was my worst case scenario.

7) My second worst case scenario was to just roll back down the bridge, in the wrong lane, then try to do an Elwood Blues-style sudden spin where I ended up in the heading-onto-the-mainland lane instead of my original heading-on-Cape lane. The fact that my rear window was completely snowed over was very far down on the list of things I was worried about with this move.

8) I was going to instantly shift my focus onto move #7 once I started sliding backwards down the bridge, without a second thought.

It didn't come to that, as Tacking worked. It still took me 5 minutes at 6000 RPMs to get to the top of the Bourne Bridge.

We'll be in the Bourne and Plymouth for this storm. I'm very tempted to hide myself in my sister's house on Duxbury Beach for the high tides, but I have a graveyard shift back in Bourne on Monday night. I'm not trying to repeat 1-8.

In about two days, look for some variation of "You know you're from Massachusetts when someone says 'I wrecked my car in the blizzard,' you say 'Yesterday?" and they say "No, last Thursday" meme to start showing up.

Blizzard Snowfall Totals

MASSACHUSETTS

...BARNSTABLE COUNTY...
   1 E TRURO             10.2   645 AM  2/10  COCORAHS
   ORLEANS               10.0   849 PM  2/09  TRAINED SPOTTER
   MARSTONS MILLS         9.0   831 PM  2/09  HAM RADIO
   EAST SANDWICH          9.0   929 PM  2/09  NWS EMPLOYEE
   1 NW EAST FALMOUTH     8.7   707 AM  2/10  COCORAHS
   EAST FALMOUTH          8.5   849 PM  2/09  HAM RADIO
   POCASSET               8.0   844 PM  2/09  NONE
   WELLFLEET              8.0   539 PM  2/09  HAM RADIO
   3 E FALMOUTH           8.0   700 AM  2/10  COCORAHS
   WEST HARWICH           7.5   906 PM  2/09  HAM RADIO
   WAQUOIT                7.5   513 PM  2/09  HAM RADIO
   BREWSTER               7.0   823 PM  2/09  HAM RADIO
   BOURNE                 6.8   335 PM  2/09  TRAINED SPOTTER (the Bourne spotter- me- actually had a 10.5" measurement later that evening, but may have reported it wrong.
   1 NNE SANDWICH         5.0   700 AM  2/10  COCORAHS

The snow drives back the foot that's slow...

...BRISTOL COUNTY...
   1 ESE WESTPORT        13.5   700 AM  2/10  COCORAHS
   NORTH DIGHTON         13.2   607 PM  2/09  HAM RADIO
   ASSONET               13.0   753 PM  2/09  HAM RADIO
   WESTPORT              13.0   516 PM  2/09  HAM RADIO
   FREETOWN              13.0   815 PM  2/09  TRAINED SPOTTER
   MANSFIELD             13.0   815 PM  2/09  TRAINED SPOTTER
   NEW BEDFORD           13.0   850 PM  2/09  HAM RADIO
   DARTMOUTH             12.8   553 PM  2/09  TRAINED SPOTTER
   4 NW TAUNTON          12.4   753 PM  2/09  NWS OFFICE
   TAUNTON               12.3  1102 PM  2/09  TRAINED SPOTTER
   NORTH ATTLEBORO       12.3   856 AM  2/10  NWS EMPLOYEE
   NORTON                12.2   749 PM  2/09  HAM RADIO
   ATTLEBORO             12.0  1111 PM  2/09  TRAINED SPOTTER
   SWANSEA               12.0   525 PM  2/09  TRAINED SPOTTER
   ACUSHNET              10.0   630 AM  2/10  SOCIAL MEDIA
   4 N TAUNTON           10.0   700 AM  2/10  COCORAHS
   WEST ACUSHNET         10.0   812 PM  2/09  HAM RADIO
   FAIRHAVEN-POPE BEACH   9.5  1025 PM  2/09  HAM RADIO
   FAIRHAVEN              9.5   847 PM  2/09  HAM RADIO
   REHOBOTH               9.2   524 PM  2/09  NWS EMPLOYEE
   3 NW TAUNTON           9.0   339 PM  2/09  TRAINED SPOTTER

...DUKES COUNTY...
   OAK BLUFFS             5.5   839 PM  2/09  HAM RADIO

The Buzzards Bay Biggie Blizzard remix... it's amazing how a song about shooting Tupac actually sounds a bit like a Christmas carol if you have the right visual...

...NORFOLK COUNTY...
   FOXBORO               15.4   741 PM  2/09  NONE
   SO. WEYMOUTH          13.0  1003 PM  2/09  MEDIA
   RANDOLPH              13.0   810 PM  2/09  TRAINED SPOTTER
   MEDFIELD              12.5   515 PM  2/09  BROADCAST MEDIA
   NORWOOD               12.1   756 PM  2/09  NWS EMPLOYEE
   QUINCY                11.8   910 PM  2/09  GENERAL PUBLIC
   BELLINGHAM            11.5   215 PM  2/09  HAM RADIO
   DOVER                 11.0   536 PM  2/09  BROADCAST MEDIA
   MILLIS                10.3   735 PM  2/09  TRAINED SPOTTER
   BROOKLINE             10.0   728 PM  2/09  TRAINED SPOTTER
   NEEDHAM HEIGHTS       10.0  1005 PM  2/09  HAM RADIO
   WRENTHAM              10.0   418 PM  2/09  HAM RADIO

...PLYMOUTH COUNTY...
   PLYMOUTH              16.5   832 PM  2/09  GENERAL PUBLIC
   KINGSTON              14.5   855 PM  2/09  TRAINED SPOTTER
   3 WNW KINGSTON        14.5   600 AM  2/10  COCORAHS
   2 SE BRIDGEWATER      13.5   700 AM  2/10  COCORAHS
   BRIDGEWATER           13.5   953 PM  2/09  NONE
   MARION                13.5   916 PM  2/09  TRAINED SPOTTER
   BROCKTON              13.3   527 AM  2/10  TRAINED SPOTTER
   WHITMAN               12.0   545 PM  2/09  TRAINED SPOTTER
   ROCKLAND              12.0   505 PM  2/09  HAM RADIO
   MIDDLEBORO            12.0   800 AM  2/10  CO-OP OBSERVER
   HINGHAM               12.0   700 PM  2/09  COOP OBSERVER
   HANOVER               11.0   626 AM  2/10  NONE
   LAKEVILLE              9.0   851 PM  2/09  TRAINED SPOTTER
   HULL                   8.9   930 PM  2/09  NONE


Snowbound, at a hotel... "I corrected them, Sir"

...SUFFOLK COUNTY...
   SOUTH BOSTON          12.0   422 PM  2/09  MEDIA
   CHELSEA               11.3   409 PM  2/09  HAM RADIO
   WINTHROP              10.9  1136 PM  2/09  NONE
   1 N EAST BOSTON       10.7   702 PM  2/09  AIRPORT
   BOSTON                10.5   535 PM  2/09  THE FENS

The better pics are from Monument Beach. Tristan and Mikina are way nicer with the camera than ol' Steve is.

Cape Cod met blizzard conditions yesterday.

They weren't joking about that Red Skies In Morning bad weather omen stuff...

Pre-blizzard sunrise

Same vantage point, 12 hours later.

Here's another Vantage Point exercise. This is at the height of the blizzard...

Same vantage point, once darkness settled in and things calmed down some...

A tree, during the height of the storm....

Same tree, from a few yards back once the whiteout lightened...

Shovel all night, go to get some refreshments, and  a dog took my favorite bar stool. Know that the Trowbridge Tavern provided a Hawaiian Pizza to the author at the height of the storm. 

Blizzard Warning, School Closings, Snowfall Total Predictions

BLIZZARD WARNING 
REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 9 AM THIS MORNING TO
8 PM EST THIS EVENING...

* LOCATIONS...Eastern Plymouth County...Cape Cod...Martha's
Vineyard...Nantucket and Block Island.

* HAZARD TYPES...Heavy snow...strong to damaging winds and Blizzard
conditions.

* Accumulations...Snow accumulation of 12 to 16 inches.

* TIMING...Precipitation will overspread the region between 6 and
9 am this morning and may begin as a brief period of rain. Any
rain will change to snow by late morning. The snow will then
fall heavy at times this afternoon before tapering off to snow
showers this evening.

* IMPACTS...Heavy snow and strong to damaging winds will result in
blizzard conditions this afternoon and early evening. Intense
snowfall rates of 2 to 3 inches per hour will be possible at times
this afternoon. Strong winds will create blowing and drifting snow
and near-white out conditions at times. Travel is not
recommended this afternoon and evening. In addition strong to
damaging winds may result in isolated power outages.

* Winds...Northeast 30 to 40 mph with gusts up to 65 mph.

* Visibilities...One quarter mile or less at times.

* Temperatures...In the upper 20s.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A Blizzard Warning is issued when sustained winds or frequent
gusts over 35 mph are expected with considerable falling and/or
blowing snow. Visibilities will become poor with whiteout
conditions at times. Those venturing outdoors may become lost or
disoriented. So persons in the warning area are strongly advised
to stay indoors.

**************************************************

Here is a list of

School Closings

**************************************************

Snowfall Predictions, by local TV stations, 6 AM:


WBZ... 8-14" for most of Massachusetts. 4-8" for Cape Cod

WFXT... 10-14" for most of Massachusetts, 7-10 on Cape Cod

WHDH.... 12-16" for Estern Massachusetts, 16-20" from Worcester to NE CT, NW RI, 8-12 Cape

WCVB... 12-18" Massachusetts, 10-15" Cape Cod

NECN.... 12" Cape, 15" South Shore, 18" interior SE MA

**********************************************

Coastal Flooding is a threat. The good news is that the storm won't be at full speed at the morning high tide, and will be waning (with north instead of northeast winds) for the evening high tide (11ish). It's an astronomically high tide, so keep an eye to the sea.

**********************************************

Yes, this blizzard roughly coincides with Blizzard of '78. This won't be so bad, but it may be the worst of the year... and we had a 12-18" blizzard already this season.

We'll be bopping around for much of the storm, and we'll get some pics/videos. I may not get to the shore for the storm, but you never know.

We'll be back with an update if need be.

Red skies in morning.... unless my camera disagrees, which happens now and then.

Blizzard Conditions Possible Tomorrow

BLIZZARD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 6 AM THURSDAY TO
MIDNIGHT EST THURSDAY NIGHT...

* LOCATIONS...southeast Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

* HAZARD TYPES...Heavy snow.

* Accumulations...Snow accumulation of 6 to 12 inches.

* TIMING...Snow will begin early Thursday morning and last
through much of the day before ending Thursday evening. Snow
could fall heavy at times and impact both the morning and
evening commutes.

* IMPACTS...Hazardous travel due to snow covered roads and poor
visibilities. Blowing and drifting snow is possible.

* Winds...North 20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 50 mph.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A Winter Storm Warning for heavy snow means severe winter weather
conditions are expected or occurring. Significant amounts of snow
are forecast that will make travel dangerous. Only travel in an
emergency. If you must travel...keep an extra flashlight...food...
and water in your vehicle in case of an emergency.

&&

===================

SOUTHERN PLYMOUTH: (same)

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Not much to add to that. There is a coastal flooding threat, and a high astronomical tide. The tide will be tempered somewhat by the timing of the storm, which will just be warming up for the morning high tide and will be blowing a wave-killing North by the time of the evening tides.

There is a strong possibility that the current Winter Storm Warning will be changed to a Blizzard Warning later this morning or early this afternoon.

We should certainly have the snow for a blizzard, and the winds will be up for most of the day. Both commutes should feel the pain, although I'm currently betting on the evening commute being the bonecrusher.

After ol' Mr. Blizz leaves town, we'll be in for a deep freeze.

We're looking at another snow event for Saturday. That's looking like 3-6", probably closer to the 3. Keep in mind that tomorrow's storm was a 3-6" forecast a few days ago.

We'll be back with an update if need be.