Re: Re: bllizzard in Buffalo NY- OT

December 3, 2010

That's what has happened here... just with far less snow. Now, if all of you who are used to it really want a laugh, read on. There's been chaos in London because of it (southerners cannot cope AT ALL. In the north we get on with it). But one of my friends is in Central London at the moment. And there is no snow at all there! Admittely a lot of it is the surrounding area having a knock on effect - one of the people I should have been going to London with this weekend now can't make it as she is on a small line, which hasn't been ploughed, and as it's a diesel train it's been stolen for a bigger line. But it does seem ironic that they can't cope with the snow when they don't even have any JennTha can tek

t'lass outta Yorkshire...! Don't brand me, don't classify me, don't tell me what to wear. I'll be who I want to be, and I'm proud to be me.Subject: Re: bllizzard in Buffalo NY- OTTo: asthma Date: Friday, 3 December, 2010, 15:51Ann,Those photos made me think of snow in Michigan. Twice while I lived in the Ann Arbor area, we had storms that dumped two feet or more at once. The freeway was shut down and the National Guard was called out to rescue all the stranded

motorists. One time we were driving home from my in-laws in Grand Rapids, and actually made it to within two blocks of home, but our street was drifted over and totally impassible. We drove into a snow bank to get off the main road, and walked home. The next morning we brought out the snow tires on the sled, and made it down to the gas station where the guys changed out the tires. By the next day it had warmed up enough that most of the roads were plowed and clear again. We always carried a snow shovel, survival blankets (with that space-age reflective technology,) wool blankets, granola bars, a thermos of hot chocolate, fire wood for extra weight and better traction or to help if we got stuck, and plenty of dry matches in case we needed a signal fire.Now I enjoy snow on our local mountains and don't need a snow shovel any longer. Much

better!CJ------------------------------------

December 3, 2010

I had a pick up truck...I always put an extra 500lbs of weight over my rear axles...usually in the form of sand bags. Once or twice that actually came in handy b/c I got stuck on ice and needed the sand for traction. I usually had a shovel or broom, snacks and a blanket or extra jacket with me too and carpet remnants. Being that I lived in a fairly urban area the risk of being stuck for long periods wasnt too high, especially since where I lived there was always more than one way to get somewhere and at least one of those ways did not involve driving on the freeway. One thing my dad always taught me was to have more than one route to get somewhere...my cousins daughter had to go back to her college the other day when the expressway was blocked due to an accident because she didnt know any other way to get across the city to get home.

Ann

Re: bllizzard in Buffalo NY- OT

Ann,

Those photos made me think of snow in Michigan. Twice while I lived in the Ann Arbor area, we had storms that dumped two feet or more at once. The freeway was shut down and the National Guard was called out to rescue all the stranded motorists. One time we were driving home from my in-laws in Grand Rapids, and actually made it to within two blocks of home, but our street was drifted over and totally impassible. We drove into a snow bank to get off the main road, and walked home. The next morning we brought out the snow tires on the sled, and made it down to the gas station where the guys changed out the tires. By the next day it had warmed up enough that most of the roads were plowed and clear again.

We always carried a snow shovel, survival blankets (with that space-age reflective technology,) wool blankets, granola bars, a thermos of hot chocolate, fire wood for extra weight and better traction or to help if we got stuck, and plenty of dry matches in case we needed a signal fire.

Now I enjoy snow on our local mountains and don't need a snow shovel any longer. Much better!

CJ

December 3, 2010

The main portion of the actual city of Buffalo did not get as much snow, but the outlying areas got dumped on. I can totally see where it would cause so much trouble within the city when that happens. Back in 1991 we had a major ice storm that paralyzed our city for up to 3 weeks in some areas. My husband lived in the inner city where there wasnt so many trees....when he got up, he had cable, power and no idea of what had been going on all night. My parents house, on the border of the city/suburbs, lost power at 330am and forget about cable (not that it mattered since we didnt have power). The funny thing was that b/c the opposite side of our street was fed by a different transformer that was unaffected by trees they never lost power. The beauty of this was that between all the neighbors we had enough extension cords to run from one house to another and nobody on our street actually lost any food.

Ann

this is a video someone took the morning after the ice storm...he drove to work during a state of emergency. He started out in the fire district where I used to volunteer. One of the things that really struck alot of the firefighters is that despite so much damage to the trees, very few actually fell on houses...the vast majority fell away from the structures. One theory is that there was just enough heat coming off the structures to keep the ice thinner on that side. In this video, there was not actually any snow on the ground. All the white shown on the trees was ice. It was about 1/4 to 1/2inch thick depending where one was. This is kind of long, but it really shows how badly the area was hit.

Re: bllizzard in Buffalo NY- OT

To: asthma

Date: Friday, 3 December, 2010, 15:51

Ann,

Those photos made me think of snow in Michigan. Twice while I lived in the Ann Arbor area, we had storms that dumped two feet or more at once. The freeway was shut down and the National Guard was called out to rescue all the stranded

motorists. One time we were driving home from my in-laws in Grand Rapids, and actually made it to within two blocks of home, but our street was drifted over and totally impassible. We drove into a snow bank to get off the main road, and walked home. The next morning we brought out the snow tires on the sled, and made it down to the gas station where the guys changed out the tires. By the next day it had warmed up enough that most of the roads were plowed and clear again.

We always carried a snow shovel, survival blankets (with that space-age reflective technology,) wool blankets, granola bars, a thermos of hot chocolate, fire wood for extra weight and better traction or to help if we got stuck, and plenty of dry matches in case we needed a signal fire.

Now I enjoy snow on our local mountains and don't need a snow shovel any longer. Much

better!

CJ

------------------------------------

December 3, 2010

I forgot to mention the ice storm started on the same exact night we went to war in Iraq the first time. Imagine knowing we just went to war, looking out your window and all you can see is multiple explosions from transformers all across your city. At that point nobody really knew exactly what was going on yet and our 911 system was flooded with calls wondering if we were being attacked! The lack of power caused many peoples basements to flood...most fire districts in our area ran enough calls that first week to say that they ran their normal annual run volume. I literally livedd at the firehouse for probably a week and a half just running calls.

Ann

Re: bllizzard in Buffalo NY- OT

To: asthma

Date: Friday, 3 December, 2010, 15:51

Ann,

Those photos made me think of snow in Michigan. Twice while I lived in the Ann Arbor area, we had storms that dumped two feet or more at once. The freeway was shut down and the National Guard was called out to rescue all the stranded

motorists. One time we were driving home from my in-laws in Grand Rapids, and actually made it to within two blocks of home, but our street was drifted over and totally impassible. We drove into a snow bank to get off the main road, and walked home. The next morning we brought out the snow tires on the sled, and made it down to the gas station where the guys changed out the tires. By the next day it had warmed up enough that most of the roads were plowed and clear again.

We always carried a snow shovel, survival blankets (with that space-age reflective technology,) wool blankets, granola bars, a thermos of hot chocolate, fire wood for extra weight and better traction or to help if we got stuck, and plenty of dry matches in case we needed a signal fire.

Now I enjoy snow on our local mountains and don't need a snow shovel any longer. Much

better!

CJ

------------------------------------

December 4, 2010

Yup, I miss some things about Buffalo. In Austin I don't think people'd be

lending each other electricity. In fact it would take real work to learn if

the people across the street had their electricity on.

I noticed that the storms mostly hit the south towns. The storms almost

always selectively hit the south towns. Buffalo is on a point of land

between the two lakes that is protected by the prevailing wind directions.

Only if the wind comes up the lake the exact wrong way does Buffalo get much

snow, and if that happens, Buffalo can get alot of snow, since if the wind

aimed at Buffalo it crossed the lake lengthwise.

Buffalo customarily gets so little snow, that it can't deal with it when it

gets it, so a foot of snow is cause to call out the National Guard to bring

in plows to plow the city, and in much of the city it simply sits on the

streets all winter. I lived in the adjacent town of Amherst. They have

actual snow plows there, and they use them. One day I came out of my

apartment to find an actual snow bank in front of the garage. I said, wow,

we got actual snow. I lifted my bike over it, hopped on and headed for the

university on the city line. I got to Kenmore Avenue and Main STreet, on

the city line. The university south campus is on the other side of Main

Street. Nothing had been plowed. Two feet of snow sat in the street, and

people were skiing up Main Street. On actual skiis. The grocery store

shelves had been swept bare, by panicked people, and I got bread making

supplies and went home and made bread. The university was closed.

A " Buffalo blizzard " typically consists mostly of wind, though it can last

for two weeks if it happens in January when the wind is blowing and there is

a foot or two of powdery snow on the ground.

A " blizzard " hit while I lived there. I rode my bike to work every day.

In Amherst, of course. Until the blasted wind turned the cold I had into

bronchitis, which rather put an end to getting to work, because cars were

banned and there was no other way to get to work. Most employees simply

lived out there for two weeks. Now, you had to see it to believe it. We

got two to four inches of new snow each day. At ground level there would

be zero visibility. Two stories off the ground there was no snow, and you

could see clear blue sky and bright sun shine above the snow. The roads

were polished into glare ice, and no sand or salt would stay on them, which

is why they banned traffic. I found I could ride carefully in the fresh

powder between the edge of teh road and the snow banks, and of cousre when I

fell into the snow bank I could easily pull my bike out again, far easier to

manage than a car.

Typically the Buffalo area gets alot less snow once the lake freezes, but in

recent years that sometimes never completely happens.

Once you get east of Buffalo, it no longer matters where you are relative to

the lakes, and a band beginning at Rochester and Utica and going north to

the Canadian border often gets enough snow in the winter to bring out the

sled dogs. '

This storm was not a " blizzard " ; it was a single if slightly long snow event

with wet snow. That snow isn't flying around. And the big winds don't

pick up until January.

Yours,

Villandra Thorsdottir

Austin, Texas

Re: Re: bllizzard in Buffalo NY- OT

The main portion of the actual city of Buffalo did not get as much snow, but

the outlying areas got dumped on. I can totally see where it would cause so

much trouble within the city when that happens. Back in 1991 we had a major

ice storm that paralyzed our city for up to 3 weeks in some areas. My

husband lived in the inner city where there wasnt so many trees....when he

got up, he had cable, power and no idea of what had been going on all night.

My parents house, on the border of the city/suburbs, lost power at 330am and

forget about cable (not that it mattered since we didnt have power). The

funny thing was that b/c the opposite side of our street was fed by a

different transformer that was unaffected by trees they never lost power.

The beauty of this was that between all the neighbors we had enough

extension cords to run from one house to another and nobody on our stree t

actually lost any food.

Ann

this is a video someone took the morning after the ice storm...he drove to

work during a state of emergency. He started out in the fire district where

I used to volunteer. One of the things that really struck alot of the

firefighters is that despite so much damage to the trees, very few actually

fell on houses...the vast majority fell away from the structures. One

theory is that there was just enough heat coming off the structures to keep

the ice thinner on that side. In this video, there was not actually any

snow on the ground. All the white shown on the trees was ice. It was about

1/4 to 1/2inch thick depending where one was. This is kind of long, but it

really shows how badly the area was hit.

December 4, 2010

That is completely opposite of my experience. My sister has lived there for 10 years. While it is true that the outlying areas get a lot more snow, Buffalo gets it's fair share. 'They generally start getting snow in early November and keep it through 'February and into March.

Madeline

To: asthma Sent: Sat, December 4, 2010 5:57:26 AMSubject: Re: Re: bllizzard in Buffalo NY- OT

Yup, I miss some things about Buffalo. In Austin I don't think people'd be lending each other electricity. In fact it would take real work to learn if the people across the street had their electricity on.I noticed that the storms mostly hit the south towns. The storms almost always selectively hit the south towns. Buffalo is on a point of land between the two lakes that is protected by the prevailing wind directions. Only if the wind comes up the lake the exact wrong way does Buffalo get much snow, and if that happens, Buffalo can get alot of snow, since if the wind aimed at Buffalo it crossed the lake lengthwise.Buffalo customarily gets so little snow, that it can't deal with it when it gets it, so a foot of snow is cause to call out the National Guard to bring in plows to plow the city, and in much of the city it simply sits on the streets all winter. I lived in the adjacent town of Amherst.

They have actual snow plows there, and they use them. One day I came out of my apartment to find an actual snow bank in front of the garage. I said, wow, we got actual snow. I lifted my bike over it, hopped on and headed for the university on the city line. I got to Kenmore Avenue and Main STreet, on the city line. The university south campus is on the other side of Main Street. Nothing had been plowed. Two feet of snow sat in the street, and people were skiing up Main Street. On actual skiis. The grocery store shelves had been swept bare, by panicked people, and I got bread making supplies and went home and made bread. The university was closed.A "Buffalo blizzard" typically consists mostly of wind, though it can last for two weeks if it happens in January when the wind is blowing and there is a foot or two of powdery snow on the ground.A "blizzard" hit while I lived there. I rode my bike to

work every day. In Amherst, of course. Until the blasted wind turned the cold I had into bronchitis, which rather put an end to getting to work, because cars were banned and there was no other way to get to work. Most employees simply lived out there for two weeks. Now, you had to see it to believe it. We got two to four inches of new snow each day. At ground level there would be zero visibility. Two stories off the ground there was no snow, and you could see clear blue sky and bright sun shine above the snow. The roads were polished into glare ice, and no sand or salt would stay on them, which is why they banned traffic. I found I could ride carefully in the fresh powder between the edge of teh road and the snow banks, and of cousre when I fell into the snow bank I could easily pull my bike out again, far easier to manage than a car.Typically the Buffalo area gets alot less snow once the lake

freezes, but in recent years that sometimes never completely happens.Once you get east of Buffalo, it no longer matters where you are relative to the lakes, and a band beginning at Rochester and Utica and going north to the Canadian border often gets enough snow in the winter to bring out the sled dogs. 'This storm was not a "blizzard"; it was a single if slightly long snow event with wet snow. That snow isn't flying around. And the big winds don't pick up until January.Yours,Villandra ThorsdottirAustin, Texas Re:

Re: bllizzard in Buffalo NY- OTThe main portion of the actual city of Buffalo did not get as much snow, but the outlying areas got dumped on. I can totally see where it would cause so much trouble within the city when that happens. Back in 1991 we had a major ice storm that paralyzed our city for up to 3 weeks in some areas. My husband lived in the inner city where there wasnt so many trees....when he got up, he had cable, power and no idea of what had been going on all night. My parents house, on the border of the city/suburbs, lost power at 330am and forget about cable (not that it mattered since we didnt have power). The funny thing was that b/c the opposite side of our street was fed by a different transformer that was unaffected by trees they never lost power. The beauty of this was that between all the neighbors we had enough extension cords to run from one house to another and nobody on our

stree t actually lost any food.Annthis is a video someone took the morning after the ice storm...he drove to work during a state of emergency. He started out in the fire district where I used to volunteer. One of the things that really struck alot of the firefighters is that despite so much damage to the trees, very few actually fell on houses...the vast majority fell away from the structures. One theory is that there was just enough heat coming off the structures to keep the ice thinner on that side. In this video, there was not actually any snow on the ground. All the white shown on the trees was ice. It was about 1/4 to 1/2inch thick depending where one was. This is kind of long, but it really shows how badly the area was hit.

December 4, 2010

DORA you are clueless. Buffalo NY averages quite a bit of snow and rarely is the National Guard called in. The last time the National Guard was called out in Buffalo was about 10 yrs ago when 7feet of snow fell in less than a week. Im not sure where you think it is, but the prevailing winds come directly off Lake Erie and it is right in line with the Lake Effect snow off Lake Erie...just as Watertown NY gets pummelled off the Eastern end of Lake Ontario. The average annual snowfall in Buffalo is 97 inches a year. Two to four inches of snow is average. And, being that I lived in Rochester for 28 years, I think Id know that its VERY RARE that a foot of snow even phases our city. You know not what you speak of. The ONLY times I remember the city being shut down were for the ICE storms in 91, 07, and the blizzards of 77 and 98 which dropped 4 foot of snow in 36 hours. Those are the only times the national guard has EVER been brought to Rochester. Utica averages about the same as far as snowfall goes.

Anyone interested in finding out the REAL snowfall averages can check out the Golden Snowball contest held between the 5 largest cities in Central NY. http://goldensnowball.blogspot.com/

Between december 1-3, buffalo has had 39.0 inches of snow...a little over a third of their annual average snowfall. Their all time record snowfall was 199 inches in 1976-1977.