Now We're Naming Snow Storms?

[sk8er1964]

Whaaa? My power went out a few months ago, and I could still wash dishes.

You wouldn't be able to if you were on a well. When we lose power, we also lose water.

[cruisin]

You wouldn't be able to if you were on a well. When we lose power, we also lose water.

Yes, we have friends who have the same situation. But, I think that most people on city water forget about that. Our friends have a pool and used pool water after Sandy to flush toilets. At least the chlorine kept the toilets clean

[sk8er1964]

We keep several jugs of water around for that - but except for that widespread August power outage a few years ago, we've never lost it for more than 12 hours. We weren't home when that major power outage occured, so except for losing the contents of the fridge it was no harm no foul for us.

[cruisin]

We keep several jugs of water around for that - but except for that widespread August power outage a few years ago, we've never lost it for more than 12 hours. We weren't home when that major power outage occured, so except for losing the contents of the fridge it was no harm no foul for us.

You're very fortunate. There are a lot of people in this part of NJ on well water. When we had the snow last year and Sandy this year, some lost power for weeks.

[sk8er1964]

Yeah, I know. I felt for them - you can live without lights and air conditioning (well, maybe not in places like San Antonio in August ), but it is really hard to live without heat and water. We have a woodstove so we can easily survive in our house without the furnace, but our house was built in a time when everyone heated with wood (1894). Modern houses just aren't made to be without a furnace. If the old outhouse in the back was still functional, we probably could live without water too but who really wants to go there?

[AragornElessar]

You wouldn't be able to if you were on a well. When we lose power, we also lose water.

Grrr...I was sure I'd clicked Multi Quote to also have what vesperholly said about still being able to wash dishes w/out power. We're also on a well and when we lose power, it's either get out the Generator or fill up the sinks w/the water that's still left in the pipes. I am so grateful Mom and Dad got that generator when it was on sale about ten years ago. It's more than paid for itself several times over.

Yeah, I know. I felt for them - you can live without lights and air conditioning (well, maybe not in places like San Antonio in August ), but it is really hard to live without heat and water. We have a woodstove so we can easily survive in our house without the furnace, but our house was built in a time when everyone heated with wood (1894). Modern houses just aren't made to be without a furnace. If the old outhouse in the back was still functional, we probably could live without water too but who really wants to go there?

This one was!! The foundation went down in June of 91 and was designed for both furnace *and* a woodstove. Which makes our heating bill much lower due to us using the wood stove to heat the house. It truly is a God send to have for times like this Storm.

To those in the path/area of this thing, stay safe!!

[AragornElessar]

This was posted to Twitter about twenty mins ago...

How the storm looks from Space...Le YIKES!!!

[ballettmaus]

I keep reading articles that says Europe has been naming weather systems for years, so the winter storm thing wouldn't be unusual there. I wonder if someone from Europe could comment on how that works.

As far as I know, Germany isn't naming storms specifically but the weather systems itself. So you have the highs and lows which are named. Each system that is pushing in is getting a name. So, in summer, when you have warm and sunny weather, it's a high and it's named Anna, for example. Then a week later a low comes with rain and colder weather, that's named Benno. They go through the alphabet, I think, then switch the high and low names, so the high gets to be a male name and the low a female one.
If there's a storm with one of the systems, I don't think it gets named separately. It just goes like: low Benno is bringing strong winds. (I've never paid that close attention to the weather reports so I'm not 100% certain but I don't recall storms being named separately )
They go through a lot of names that way but apparently, it's easier to keep track of everything.

[elka_sk8]

This storm naming dives me crazy, but I did find this to be hilarious:
http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/ga...er-storm-nemo/

Yeah it's definitely a Weather Channel thing. From what I've heard NWS doesn't want to go down that road because winter storms are much more subjective. For tropical cyclones, in contrast there are clear guidelines on wind speed as to what is designated a tropical storm, hurricane, etc.

[danceronice]

My aunt just texted me and told me my town in MA is ground zero for the storm and we will get over 30 inches. I knew about the 30+ but ground zero?! LOL.

Danceronice, I remember that storm a few years back. We got stranded at our work until after 10 PM. Our office was up on a hill, and you go down the hill, take a left and then the highway was right there. The highway was so backed up that the hill got backed up all the way to the top. You literally could not leave the building since there was no place to go. It was nuts.

Wasn't that a nightmare? I was working at an afterschool and it wasn't until 7pm we were down to few enough children the manager let the rest of us go (we had a ratio we had to maintain.) Parents were calling us saying "I left work at 3pm and I've only gone a quarter mile!" On my 2+ hour drive home I listened to Howie Carr who spent the whole show taking calls from people stuck in the storm and giving out prizes for being stuck--one woman called having been trapped on the Winter Street bridge for FIVE HOURS! She said "It's like Siberia!" That was just really bad planning on the city's part--should have told everyone to stay at work until they could get plows out to clear as it came down

[cruisin]

We got about 8" - 9". Not too bad. Very windy! Plow has not cleared the driveway yet. Can't shovel it, too steep and long. Will shovel the sidewalk later. The snow will just blow back in, anyway. Looks like CT got hit the hardest. Milford got 36"! We've had that a few times, miserable! One year (mid '90s) we got about 36" and had 12 ft. drifts! Our garage is basement level, and the snow was over the top of the garage doors!

[BigB08822]

I post on a weather message board with some VERY respected mets and almost all of them think this naming system is just something cooked up by the media. It's even more obvious when you realize the Weather Channel is doing this and that the National Weather Service wants nothing to do with it.

[Jenny]

Neither does the Canadian Weather Network.

[Vash01]

Last night I saw the news about the snow storms in the North east. Feel sad for those folks. If they lose power, it's going to be really tough without heat (or may be they use oil for heating?). In any case, stay safe. This storm will also pass.

[cruisin]

Last night I saw the news about the snow storms in the North east. Feel sad for those folks. If they lose power, it's going to be really tough without heat (or may be they use oil for heating?). In any case, stay safe. This storm will also pass.

I can tell you that we have power in NJ (I have not seen any NJ areas that lost power due to this storm). There are a few spots on Long Island that lost power, but they are saying it will only be for 24 hours - tops. Don't have info for CT or MA.

[Cachoo]

This was posted to Twitter about twenty mins ago...

How the storm looks from Space...Le YIKES!!!

My mom saw "The Day After Tomorrow" for the first time yesterday and that storm looks like the movie storm without the eye. I feel for anyone getting pelted by it. Boston looks like it took quite a hit.

[barbk]

I had the cool(?) experience of getting on one of the last flights out of LaGuardia ...counted all of 5 planes visible at any terminal I could see by the time we left (3PM).

What wasn't so cool: we got on-board for an 11 am departure. Got to #1 for take-off. Ran off the end of our de-icing time. Returned to gate. Got re-deiced. Went back into line. Timed out a second time. Wandered in the wilderness (aka, exploring all the taxiways of La Guardia). Needed more fuel. Got fuel. Required to come back to the gate by irked passenger service agent. (Pilot wanted to deice elsewhere.) Passenger service agent boards, advises crew that since the 3 hour window has passed, federal regulations require that passengers be given the opportunity to deplane to get food & drink. Captain argues. (I'm in second row with a GREAT rinkside view of all of this.) Passenger Service Agent makes the announcement. Captain takes the mike and says that all that is true, but if anyone gets off we can pretty much plan on the plane spending the night at La Guardia. Giant roar of NO from the passengers. Decision by crew to serve us bread and water (pretzels and water, actually). Lady with anxiety disorder behind me decides to get off and not come back. Nine additional passengers got on desperate to get anywhere as long as it was out of NY. HAPPY to go to St. Louis, one said. They then cut some deal with American to allow us to deice in front of their hangar, which was much closer to the runway, and we finally managed to get off. Cheers from all. (The crew gets huge props for being cheerful throughout this whole thing.) Got to St. Louis and the nice gate agent there already had printed new boarding passes for everyone needing connecting flights. Long day to get home, but I finally made it.

[once_upon]

I don't understand the posters who complain about storms being designated as a huge storm with major impact turning out to be a nothing. I would prefer to be prepared than not prepared for potential lack of services.

If one has a family member or neighbor with significant health issues, mobility issues, planning/preparing for a big storm is better than being without a plan.

[Karina1974]

^^^I don't remember anyone complaining about that. What *I* get annoyed with is the hyping up of the kind of weather that is perfectly normal for this part of the country at this time of year, going back loooong before there was any such thing as climate change. Irene and Lee last year, & Sandy this year, OTOH, those kind of storms are NOT normal for the Northeast region, but a major snowstorm up here should be considered routune and par for the course of living here.

[cruisin]

^^^I don't remember anyone complaining about that. What *I* get annoyed with is the hyping up of the kind of weather that is perfectly normal for this part of the country at this time of year, going back loooong before there was any such thing as climate change. Irene and Lee last year, & Sandy this year, OTOH, those kind of storms are NOT normal for the Northeast region, but a major snowstorm up here should be considered routune and par for the course of living here.

I would include the Halloween storm last year. As much as getting a foot or more of snow in the NE is normal, it is rare to get it late October. A storm like that with leaves on the trees = devastating. But, in February, pretty expected.