Major winter storm heading for east coast of USA

[RebbePete]

A major winter storm is heading through the southeastern part of the USA, and is forecast to become a major winter storm (the word "historic" is being bantered around) for the entire east coast. Ice coatings up to an inch, and snowfalls up to 18 inches are possible.

That's going to leave a mark. Everyone, be careful.

Here in Maryland, there's the usual panic buying of groceries, including, for the first time, beer. I guess you go with what works for you.

- Pete

[don]

Re: Major winter storm heading for east coast of USA

Does beer freeze at a lower temperature than water? Could be a precautionary measure

[jiimbergin]

Re: Major winter storm heading for east coast of USA

Does beer freeze at a lower temperature than water? Could be a precautionary measure

[dcarrigg]

Re: Major winter storm heading for east coast of USA

A major winter storm is heading through the southeastern part of the USA, and is forecast to become a major winter storm (the word "historic" is being bantered around) for the entire east coast. Ice coatings up to an inch, and snowfalls up to 18 inches are possible.

That's going to leave a mark. Everyone, be careful.

Here in Maryland, there's the usual panic buying of groceries, including, for the first time, beer. I guess you go with what works for you.

- Pete

How are you set for plows, salt and sand down MD way? I know that was part of the problem in GA last time. We're only looking at 4-6 inches up here. That's a "light shoveling and get the kids to school" type weather. Of course we're still sissies compared to the upstaters/canadians/alaskans that really get hit. But either way, it feels chesapeake -> south really saw a lot more snow than they're used to this year. Take it easy. Grab some hot cocoa/coffee and irish creme while you're out getting beer. No use fighting the winter; better off joining it.

[jpatter666]

Re: Major winter storm heading for east coast of USA

Here in northern Virginia (or occupied Virginia as southerners call it) the stores have heavy traffic but people seem to be taking it in stride. No ice melt, but food, milk, bread no problem. We've had so many cold, freezing days I think everyone is just resigned to it now.

Good thing is that it looks like we finally break out of this pattern and return to the norms (and then some) next week.

[BadJuju]

Re: Major winter storm heading for east coast of USA

Stupid people clogged up the store today. Hate 'em all!

[shiny!]

Re: Major winter storm heading for east coast of USA

No use fighting the winter; better off joining it.

Or... You could be swimming today. My roses are blooming. Clear blue sky, 74 degrees with 16% humidity.

Phoenix, AZ 10-day forcast

It's OK though. You can have the last laugh this summer when it's 115.

[dcarrigg]

Re: Major winter storm heading for east coast of USA

Or... You could be swimming today. My roses are blooming. Clear blue sky, 74 degrees with 16% humidity.

Phoenix, AZ 10-day forcast

It's OK though. You can have the last laugh this summer when it's 115.

The only memories I have of 115 were in front of the oven as a kid, flipping pizzas for a little cash. As I recall, you get somewhat used to it. I remember being cold in a 70' house after I got out of there. Then again, I'm not sure if getting used to it applies outside of youth...

I have no idea how anyone can work a real physically strenuous job with the sun beating down overhead in those temperatures...

[jpatter666]

Re: Major winter storm heading for east coast of USA

The only memories I have of 115 were in front of the oven as a kid, flipping pizzas for a little cash. As I recall, you get somewhat used to it. I remember being cold in a 70' house after I got out of there. Then again, I'm not sure if getting used to it applies outside of youth...

I have no idea how anyone can work a real physically strenuous job with the sun beating down overhead in those temperatures...

The lack of humidity makes a *big* difference. You need to stay hydrated but to an East Coaster, it didn't seem hot at all.....

[shiny!]

Re: Major winter storm heading for east coast of USA

The only memories I have of 115 were in front of the oven as a kid, flipping pizzas for a little cash. As I recall, you get somewhat used to it. I remember being cold in a 70' house after I got out of there. Then again, I'm not sure if getting used to it applies outside of youth...

I have no idea how anyone can work a real physically strenuous job with the sun beating down overhead in those temperatures...

Most physical laborers start work by 5 AM and quit in early afternoon, before the worst of the heat. I don't know how they do it, either. The toughest men I've ever seen are these short, little Mexican-Indian immigrants that do landscaping around here. They work like gangbusters under the hottest sun. I guess they've adapted to the heat over many generations. I have a tremendous amount of respect for those guys.

I've gotten used to 110 degree days for short periods, like walking from the car to the grocery store (it's much hotter over black asphalt parking lots). Or when I've been in too-cold air conditioning, it feels good to step outside and thaw for a few minutes. It feels like a dry sauna. But 115-120 is harder. Just breathing, the air burns my lungs. One time I got into my car which was parked under a tree and HOT. As I drove away I rolled down the windows to cool it off but it just got hotter. Even with a shade over the windshield, you learn to keep a sock over the stick shift and a drape towel over the steering wheel and seat belt buckle when you park.

An old A/C guy told me that one summer he and his partner were doing a commercial installation, working on the roof and in the attic on what they later discovered to be the hottest day of many years, 122 degrees. They felt tired, went to a restaurant for lunch and both passed out on the table. The waitress woke them after 6 PM.

This past summer my A/C died on Saturday of the hottest weekend of the year, 116-117 degrees outside. Couldn't get it fixed until Monday. It took until Monday night to cool the house down. My house was over 105 degrees for almost 48 hours. I don't know how hot it actually got because the thermostat stops reading at 105. Couldn't cool off in the shower because cold water comes out of the tap scalding hot. Nearly lost my sick dog and 18 year-old cat. They bounced back after a few days (Gracie cat died on Christmas eve) but I had heat exhaustion for the entire week after that ordeal.

Wish I could live somewhere that doesn't require either A/C or a heater to survive, but Hawaii is out of my budget.

[shiny!]

Re: Major winter storm heading for east coast of USA

The lack of humidity makes a *big* difference. You need to stay hydrated but to an East Coaster, it didn't seem hot at all.....

Actually, our monsoon season here runs from about mid-June through mid-September and the air gets quite muggy. Humidity builds during the afternoons as the heat climbs. 115 degrees with humidity over 60% is not comfortable at all. Maybe it's more pleasant than New Orleans or Houston, but I think it's pretty miserable.

[don]

Re: Major winter storm heading for east coast of USA

and I believe you have those thunderstorms that don't come in from anywhere but are created "on the spot".

[shiny!]

Re: Major winter storm heading for east coast of USA

and I believe you have those thunderstorms that don't come in from anywhere but are created "on the spot".

Do you mean the afternoon storms during monsoon season? When the heat and humidity combine, rain clouds build up all afternoon, then hopefully dump rain on us. Usually they build up and don't dump rain, so we just get all the humidity and lightning for nothing. We get a lot of "virga" which is rain that evaporates before it hits the ground. It's often accompanied by lightening. Virga storms cause a lot of forest fires.

We're also blessed by microbursts, which are violent columns of air like upside-down tornadoes. There's nothing "micro" about them, though, as they can be as large as 5 miles across. Instead of a tornado that pulls things up, microbursts are a column of air that punches down like a fist, causing violent updrafts as a result. Both the downward punch and surrounding updrafts cause a lot of damage. Dry microbursts are the most common, but occasionally there are wet microbursts that come with rain storms.

In 2008 my mobile home community was in the epicenter of a huge wet microburst. I've not seen a storm like that since being in New Orleans for Hurricane Camille. At one point we heard what sounded like a train whistle screaming through our carport; I think it was a tornado. All totalled, the storm lasted about 30 minutes, which is a really long time for a microburst. I walked outside to see blue skies and my neighborhood torn to hell. Six palm trees in a row on my steet had been decapitated, with their tops lying at their feet in perfectly aligned precision. Giant mulberry trees were uprooted. A big saguaro cactus fell on my neighbor's car, narrowly missing her house. The roof from Discount Tires down the street was in our swimming pool... Almost 500 homes here and nearly every one of them sustained some sort of damage. Our home escaped damage. Then six weeks later, a quick, dry microburst hit us and destroyed our carport. Pulled the supports right out of the concrete slab and peeled it back like the lid on a tin of sardines. Most of it ended up on top of our neighbor's car.

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Here's my awning after the second storm that summer. Underneath it is my much-missed, rusty old '86 Crown Vic. The sign on the back of it said, "Don't laugh. It's paid for."

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This probably confirms me as iTulip's least affluent member! But everything's paid for and I have no debt. I like it that way.

[don]

Re: Major winter storm heading for east coast of USA

Being SF Giants fans, one year in Phoenix spring training we experienced one of those cloudbursts. Holy moly! Back at our hotel the local weather showed how they sprung up out of nowhere.

[shiny!]

Re: Major winter storm heading for east coast of USA

Being SF Giants fans, one year in Phoenix spring training we experienced one of those cloudbursts. Holy moly! Back at our hotel the local weather showed how they sprung up out of nowhere.

I hadn't thought about it like that but you're right, they do. You really haven't lived until you've sat through a microburst in a mobile home and felt it shake as the wind tries to pick it up. My home is well-anchored and built pretty solid, but still... Prayer takes on a whole new meaning.

The Cubs train here, too. Next time you come this way give me a hollar. Maybe we can take in a game.