Deep snow may cause some challenges here in Connecticut into this weekend, and beyond…
I don't tend to freak out about such things, since accurate predictions tend to be rare. We were spared most of Sandy's wrath, a storm that followed a similar path. This is not to say we haven't had an interesting few years of weather, which prompted my own generator purchase. The time may come when we have to choose between things we want running versus things we need running, like the home's natural gas hot water circulation pump.
I actually kind of enjoy adventure, when it's reasonably safe anyway. Not sure about this one yet, that's just now beginning. My family is about as prepared as we reasonably can be, but gas powered generators can only be refilled so many times before we begin seeking ways to refill, covered in various related articles kept right here:
TinkerTry.com/category/power-and-disaster-preparations
Here's the latest info.
NOAA
www.hpc.ncep.noaa.gov/discussions/nfdscc3.html
STORM SUMMARY NUMBER 03 FOR GREAT LAKES AND NORTHEAST MAJOR WINTER STORM
NWS HYDROMETEOROLOGICAL PREDICTION CENTER COLLEGE PARK MD
1000 AM EST FRI FEB 08 2013
...CONNECTICUT AND RHODE ISLAND WHERE SNOWFALL
AMOUNTS HIGHER THAN 2 FEET ARE POSSIBLE. IN ADDITION TO THE HEAVY
SNOWFALL... WIND GUSTS AS HIGH AS 70 MPH ARE POSSIBLE...
Also interesting that my family got our first emergency alerts ever, on all our Verizon phones yesterday:
CNN
Whopping winter storm nearly in Sandy's path
By Ben Brumfield, CNN, updated 11:36 AM EST, Fri February 8, 2013.
The Weather Channel
Winter Storm Nemo: Historic Blizzard Arrives Tonight
Chris Dolce, Jon Erdman, Published: Feb 8, 2013, 7:44 AM EST
Nemo could go down in the history books of crippling New England blizzards
Whopping winter storm nearly in Sandy's pathBy Ben Brumfield, CNNupdated 11:36 AM EST, Fri February 8, 2013
Feb. 02, 2013 02:40pm Eastern Time Update:
Local Connecticut Light & Power automated dialing system called at 1:31pm today, informing me of safety precautions to take. Their official site has latest info, with an online version of the email they sent out yesterday over here, and status and outage map here.
Governer Dannel P. Malloy has also declared a state of emergency, at 11:45am today.
Feb. 03, 2013 12:50am Eastern Time Update:
Still have power. Looks like about 20 inches of snow so far, with drifts half-way up the back door. Cox Internet just went out, just before a movie on Netflix was about to end. No point in blowing snow yet, since it'll blow right back. So I used the time to implement "Plan C", described here, seen below.
Verizon LTE cellular speed, with full signal strength, looking nearly as Cox cable speeds, tested from my tZilla laptop. All systems on the home network test out nearly identically, as expected. Ooma VOIP lines still up, of course, since they're attached to the router.
Looks like predictions of snow depth reduced a bit, in this recent update.
NOAA
ACCUMULATIONS...SNOW ACCUMULATION OF 18 TO 24 INCHES.
TIMING...STRONGEST WINDS AND HEAVIEST SNOW NOW THROUGH SATURDAY.
IMPACTS...BLIZZARD CONDITIONS WILL MAKE FOR DANGEROUS TRAVEL
WITH VISIBILITIES NEAR ZERO IN WHITE-OUT CONDITIONS AND WINDS
GUSTING AROUND 50 MPH. IN ADDITION...ANTICIPATE DAMAGE TO TREES
AND STRUCTURES ALONG WITH WIDESPREAD POWER OUTAGES.WINDS...NORTH 20 TO 25 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH.
Feb. 03, 2013 01:33am Eastern Time Update:
Cox internet back up.
Looks like the National Weather Service hour by hour forecast is telling me this event will leave me about 5 more inches of snow. Great weather graphs, been counting on them for years.
Feb. 03, 2013 09:54am Eastern Time Update:
We have power, we have cable internet and cellular internet. It helps that the lines stayed up, since this wasn't super sticky. Nemo is done here. Or is it Charlotte. Whatever. This storm is over. No more stuff falling. Now it's time to go blow some snow. Getting out the front door is the first challenge, and drifts at the back of the house easily 4 feet high.
