*****UPDATE****
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IS WARNING OF 7 TO 14 INCHES OF SNOW. 4:07 PM 2/8/10
The weather forecast is becoming more ominous for our area. 2 storm systems are converging. One storm is coming in from the north and the other from the south. They are predicted to meet over the Atlantic Ocean, right off the coast as 2 low pressure systems. The end result doesn’t sound good at all.
Between 5-10 inches of new snow is predicted from this storm. While not carrying the moisture that Snowmaggedon contained, this storm is predicted to be more meteorologically intense with much higher winds. According to the Capital Weather Gang at the Washington Post:
FREQUENT QUESTIONS
When will the snow start? Between mid-day and mid-afternoon tomorrow.
When it will end? Probably around late afternoon Wednesday — later north and east.
How much?: Our best bet is 5-10″ in the metro region, but 8-14″ as you head north and east towards Baltimore. South and southwest of the Fairfax County, 3-6″ is most likely.
Could it be more or less? Yes. Double digit totals (10″ or more) remain a possibility throughout the metro region (25% chance). By the same token, if the coastal storm forms too far north, lighter amounts from 1-5″ or so might do it.
How bad will the winds be? By very late Tuesday night and into Wednesday, sustained winds may reach 25-35 mph, with higher gusts. Assuming there is falling snow, this could create blizzard conditions.
This new storm spells trouble and danger, People will be out of work, kids will be out of school. People who work hourly will not get paid. High winds put power lines and trees at further risk. Roofs will be further stressed. Municipalities and VDOT will be further strapped with snow removal costs as crews continue their round the clock pushing, digging and scraping. Power workers will continue to work to get electricity back on. Some folks will be a week without power when all of this is over. It is a dangerous time of year to be without electricity. Even those with gas heat won’t have it because there will be nothing to run the fans.
Let’s hope this prediction is wrong.
On a sad note, Rep. John Murtha has died of complications of gall bladder surgery. He was 77 years old.
When all this melts, it’s gonna flood the local streams and rivers. Fishing is gonna suck for a long time. Better head South.
Accuweather keeps ‘inching’ up the projected totals. I’m not comfortable with this at all!!!
I was told that if I couldn’t say something nice about someone, I shouldn’t say anything at all. I dedicate this moment of silence to Murtha.
Juturna, I agree and I just updated the post.
Slowpoke, your mother raised you well. Thank you Mrs. Slowpoke’s Mom.
http://www.vaemergency.gov and http://www.readyvirginia.gov both have everything you need to know to be prepared for the second round of Snowzilla (Son of Snowzilla?). My weather radio has been bleating messages this afternoon and when that thing goes off, it means business. We have a flat roof addition to our house and my husband has been clearing 29″ of snow off of it to make room for more. Today Virginia Guard soldiers transported a woman in Fairfax County who needed to go for kidney dialysis and had no way there. Check on your elderly/disabled neighbors and make sure they have what they need.
M-H, a good weather/possible impact overview. Schools may not
reopen this week.
I think they are afraid to tell us. Not a conspiracy!! Just afraid to tell us. 🙂 Never thought I’d say Florida looks good to me, but Florida looks good to me.
Ivan, fishing won’t suck…you just have to change technique…In cold, muddy high water, fish migrate even in winter to the warmest areas of the river, stream or lake. Since the surface water is typically the coldest when it is above 38 degress, the heaviest water at 38 degrees will be on the bottom. So will the fish, about 1 foot above it, typically wherever the food is not necessary thre deepest part of the lake. They will still liw in ambush (near logs, roots and rock boulders, but much closer and tighter to it than usual (within 1 foot) Because the water will be muddy and fast, you have to use a techniques that presents bait or lure steady over a long period of time (weight that can resist the current), like a heavy drop shot. Because of the lack of visibility, the lure or bait should be as visible as you can make it in deep dark water (white or yellow), as small as you can make it (fish won’t eat if stuff in winter, because little stuff is their food source).
This is cross species behavior…bass…yellow perch, crappie, walleye, trout, white bass, catfish, sunfish, etc…
The usual problem is the fisherman getting cold, and not patient enough to search for the right place (which will typicall hold all the fish in the stream, river or lake in one area or several regional areas most suited to the local non-migrating species.
If you try this, you will see you can catch fish even in a 50 mph winter blizzard (I have used this to do so and can verify with proof by pictures and video)
PR, I think I am trying for the doom and gloom award. It sounds like we might be in the lesser of the evil places, south and west of Fairfax.
MH – Not sure about luck…. looks like we will get ice first then snow. 🙁
I guess those who are afraid of snow have never enjoyed the beauty of Alaska….
I’m glad that global warming has made the large polar and tropical systems over the poles and equatorial belts unstable all summer and winter…I like the weather variety…that’s about the only thing I like about continued global warming impact on our weather systems…wait until the oceans rise, methane releases and we start something we can’t stop…my advice is to study history diligently, and study archeological records for this area (Virginia once used to be a cold barely inhabitable desert of -20 degrees, only 6000 years ago, and the entire planet was frozen solid over 650 million years ago, and had no oxygen above 5000 feet, 39 million years ago with temperatures typically at the equator 130 degrees and an average change only 2.5 degrees above what it is today, all changes no where near and occuring more rapidly now than at any other time in history, with the same conditions and extremes of the past only about 50 years into the future if we do not stop…we will finally learn when we first experience a global heat approaching that of the Eocene Epoch of 130 degrees (only a few more hundred PPM of carbon away from where it was then), and then a rapid dive to a period colder than the last ice age if the ocean deep currents stop due to fresh water melt of the ice caps…last proved as the Younger Dryess…
And of course “some” of you and probably “most” of you don’t believe this weather has anything to do with that Global warming crap, its COLD right?
I love the snow, bring it on please….more skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, and ice climbing….
Less of it is the only plus I see and even that is iffy.
poor form moon “comment awaiting moderation”…
Bye, bye Democracy…hello hypocrisy…
Michael, I’m a fly fisherman and I “wet wade” during the warm weather months for smallmouth bass. When the river levels are high, it’s too dangerous to wade. When the water is muddy, fish don’t take flies off the surface very well. Thanks for the info anyway.
I thought you (antibvbl) were better than most blogs, obviously not…so I won’t forget…just go more mainstream than local, to spread what I want to say over a broader base…I’m sure there are other blogs less likely to be moderation happy…but first I’ll invite the anti-anti to judge who is worse for themselves (I don’t support either of you politically), then I’ll take it up (my same anti-class issues) with a Virginia regional blog I guess…may actually be a blessing in disguise, you might actually find my voice at the state level is even louder and more appealing to an even broader audience..time will tell who is right and wrong on this one…
Got to love a blog that moderates free speech….thats real intelligent….
Oh I take that back…moderation has a time-out limit…can I get out of the corner now? Have I behaved enough for you to understand I’m simply writing what I believe in as “my” opinion of truth for all to evaluate as they see fit?
Such power…such control… yep I really said a lot that needed to be moderated in the first place…not…
They take them from the shore IVAN too, I fly fish too, use a heavy sinker and wet fly, it works…try it you’ll like it…
Ivan, For the SMbass, cast behind the 1st two river ledges below the pool…on the edges of the rock pillow and current V…just like in a smaller trout stream..they will take it…just find the deeper/deepest pools…
Another reason to keep schools closed until after this snow event is over:
http://www2.insidenova.com/isn/news/local/manassas/article/manassas_schools_roof_deemed_unstable/51912/
Name me a school in the area that doesn’t have a flat roof. I can’t think of one.
Will all the roofs be checked?
Michael, I don’t beleive in Global warming but I do believe that we should be more considerate in our waste/recycling. Otherwise, it’s hype to me and the only warming going on is Al’s pants on fire for being a liar 😉 (joking of course) What do you think about the cap & trade/carbon tax? I call bull…
Who is willing to bet the entire ranch on there being no such thing as global warming?
@michael I don’t deny that climate change is occurring. There have been cooling/warming cycles for millenia. What I do question is the idea of man-caused warming, and even more the idea that we can actually arrest the process. And people who jet around in private aircraft spreading gloom and doom about climate change while pocketing $175,000 speaking fees and enjoying first-class accommodations don’t exactly inspire my trust in the “science.”
I am all for recycling, reusing and conserving. That just makes good, common sense, and I prefer a clean planet to a trash dump like some parts of Mumbai.
Years ago, the rivers and streams of most communities (even the Bays) were polluted though years of dumping and no regulation. For many, they did not believe the river that looked clean was actually polluted, and many refused to believe that pouring pollutants into the river was harmful. Well, have we not proven that this was occurring? THe Chesapeake and the Potomac are much cleaner today then they were just 5 or 10 years ago.
How come, it is so hard to have some believe that maybe, just maybe, we are polluting our air the same way that we were polluting our waters? Removing over 150 acres a minute of the Amazon must have an impact. Lets assume that global warming is not happening. Cleaner air to breathe – why is that not a good thing? I can tell the difference in air quality from a major city, and middleburg.
“Who is willing to bet the entire ranch on there being no such thing as global warming?”
Iam! LOL!!! Upsidedown on it anyway, so what is there to loose? I am sure there would be a bail out for somewhere… but I do not buy into more regulations, etc., trying to save what we do have and making the fatcats richer…
I guess if one takes the attitude that they will be dead and gone by the time climate change has any real impact on the earth, all is fine.
I think it is absurd to think that man, plant or animals can live on the earth and NOT have some impact on its climate. It’s all inter-dependent. It seems that the nay sayers are basing their opinions on who they don’t like spreading the word, rather than on science.
Good point but look at WHO is spreading the word and for WHAT cause…LOL
Adversity should make you stronger. Your heart gets stonger by working harder (exercise). Your brain gets stronger by working harder (mental challenges). Why shouldn’t your will, through adversity, do the same?
Bad weather gives you a chance to test yourself. It’s a good test of character.
Are you going to b|tch and moan about it, or are you going to face it head-on and work through it?
That concludes the self-help diatribe for the evening. 😉
p.s. In my personal opinion, NEVER believe the forecasts from NWS (National Weather ‘Service’), WTOP or WJLA. They’re hype-meisters and always predict gloom-and-doom. Better to view intellicast.com, accuweather.com and/or wunderground.com. The latter are more accurate. Again, my personal opinion. 😉
p.p.s. I’m in not affiliated, in any way, with those sites I recommended. 🙂
I have finally figured out that I am not going save anything by doing what people say to do. That changes everyday….I have just learned that it is better to ASK the basic questions, of: who, what, why, when and how. Until ALL of those questions are answered, I can MAYBE start to AGREE .:)
Global warming or not, being either wasteful and/or excessive is bad.
I thought there were spam filters on this blog? If Michael doesn’t like the way things are run this blog, he need not visit.
Hard for us unwashed to know WHAT to believe anymore:
Eggs are a nutrient-rich, perfect food. No, wait, eggs will clog your arteries and kill you. No, wait, they’re not all that bad.
Working moms are evil and bad for children. No, wait, children actually benefit from daycare. No, wait, it’s all evil. No, wait, as long as Mom does a good balancing job and projects happiness and contentment. No, wait, Mom really needs to get her priorities straight…..
Red wine is good for you, red wine is now bad for you, especially if you’re a woman, and even in small amounts–no, wait, it’s good for you.
Coffee–bad, bad, bad. Wait, actually it’s a great mood-enhancer. No, it can cause breast cancer. No, wait….
Drink milk for strong bones and teeth! No, don’t drink milk–too many hormones. You have osteoporosis? You should have drunk more milk when you were younger!
Depression drugs can save your life. Depression drugs (per Newsweek a few weeks ago) really don’t work.
The Surgeon General (a federal officer) says smoking is bad for you, but the federal government subsidizes tobacco growers.
Health care is the biggest crisis in America. Terrorism is the biggest crisis in America. Global warming is the biggest crisis in America. The economy is the biggest crisis in America.
The “stimulus” was absolutely necessary in order to prevent unemployment from climbing over 8 percent.
LOL, Emma!!!! You were more “artistic” in your choice of words than I. 😉
And I forgot about breast cancer–self-exams will save your life! No, actually, by the time you feel a lump, it’s too late, so be sure to get mammograms in your 40’s. No, wait, mammograms really aren’t cost-effective for women in their 40’s, despite all the women you know who would have died without that screening mammogram. Oh, wait, the voters are getting pissed, so let’s tell them to go ahead and keep getting their mammograms.
The credibility gap is becoming wider than the Grand Canyon anymore.
“The credibility gap is becoming wider than the Grand Canyon anymore.” and somehow, someway, that is our fault too…..maybe someone, along the way, got ticked off when they pulled a prick off…by bumping into a catus…. 😉
cactus…whatever..lol 🙂
Look at the theories about the earth. Continental drift eventually turned into plate techtonics. I suppose that will be even more finely tuned as more is learned. One theory grew on another.
We will continue to learn more about all these things.
I am not ready to say there is no such thing as global warming. Freud was wrong but he certainly brought theories about psychology screaming and kicking out of the dark ages. Incremental steps.
Ican’t believe the Federal Government and most local jurisdictions’ courts and government is closed tomorrow. Yet good ole PW will be open with liberal leave. We must really be broke here. Oh, and more snow coming early afternoon to boot. UFB!!!
I wish the idiots that have left their cars on Snow Emergency Routes such as Lomond Dr, Sudley Manor Dr, and Strasburg St. understood DON’T park your cars here when snow’s coming. I saw people on Lomond Dr digging out Lomond Dr because the road was barely passable for cars parked on the side of the Snow Emergency Route. Too bad there’s so much snow. I would LOVE to see these cars towed and fined for impeding traffic. Grrr.
“Look at the theories about the earth” Key word…THEORIES and I do. I have stood in front of the globe and have been in awe of how it looks like a puzzle. I have also been that way when it comes to Biblical scripture. Somehow, without all the technology and government we have now, we are all still here.
I am very open minded but not willing to give up my freedom and think that everything is “unprecedented” and has never been done before for ultimate control and emptying of pockets without giving the Bible or similar EQUAL debate.
My next-door neighbors STILL have their cars parked perpendicular to the curb on our cul-de-sac. I felt sorry for the snowplow driver trying to plow our cul-de-sac yesterday, and it left us with an awful lot to shovel at the foot of our driveway because of the obstruction. It’s a good bet those cars will be right back there again tomorrow night.
When did that kind of parking become legal, anyway?
Silly, stupid scientists! What do they know? Since numerous changes in thought have occurred through the years, they must all be crazy and we should mistrust them all. I mean, shouldn’t they just do an experiment and have it hold true for everyone for all time? New technology and advances in scientific testing be damned…they should have anticipated all that ahead of time, right? Come on everyone, let’s throw out the baby with the bathwater!
Sorry for the sarcasm…I agree that it gets old and frustrating when there are constant changes in what is good/bad for us and the environment; of course, science isn’t infallible by any means. However, I find it equally funny (or probably horrifying) that there is a growing anti-academic/scientific sentiment encouraged by some in society. As a former elementary science teacher, I find that more than a little disturbing…
“Yet good ole PW will be open with liberal leave. We must really be broke here. Oh, and more snow coming early afternoon to boot. UFB!!!”
LOL..Next Monday is a PAID holiday (horse trading for snow days)
The problem with the climate change issue is that the people who promulgate it the most stand to gain the most by the implementation of the taxes needed for “green” technology that will allegedly reverse the process. It’s hard not to be cynical when there is such a huge profit at stake.
Again, no one denies the existence of planetary heating/cooling cycles, and I think most people believe in being good stewards of the planet. But policies that could lead to economic suicide don’t do the country (or the planet) any good, either.
@Red Dawn
Check out my FB wall it’s hopping with comments about the closings.
I believe the scientific thought process continually corrects and reevaluates. I am just not ready to discredit major scientific thought quite yet because of politics.
I also resent having to see books in a National Park talking about the Grand Canyon being built by the great flood that happened 6,000 years ago. Now there is where I will rise up and start saying ‘not with my tax dollars….’
DG.
“Silly, stupid scientists! What do they know?” LOL! gotcha on the sarcasim and I am not knocking them. they are the ones caught in the middle of politics, religion and self gratification.
@Red Dawn And that’s EXACTLY the problem. The science is all tangled up with politics and greed. Al Gore wants me to part with my hard-earned money because it will result in a cataclysmic planetary climate shift if I don’t pony up the cash? The Great Flood is easier to swallow than that whopper.