NoVa Storm is a Whopper!
Raining buckets & sheets, wind & lightening cracking. Power on & off. Geesh.
Holy Moly!
= new reply since forum marked as read
Last edited Tue May 15, 2018, 10:30 PM - Edit history (1)
about thunderstorms & power out in the northeast. Glad things are ok with you.
>"More than 400K without Power as Severe Thunderstorms Batter Northeast: PA, NY, NJ, CT
https://www.democraticunderground.com/10142060098
I've lived around all main areas of DC. A weather storm like the one we just had is more an inconvenience and annoyance for me since I'm not in the commuting treadmill now and don't have to regularly face the rigors of rush hour driving or dicey commuting. It's the power outages that are usually bothersome as mentioned.
As you know, Metro DC has grown tremendously in the last 20 years with a population now of around of 5-6 million including workers from 5 states- DMV, plus south central Pa., the WVa. panhandle and the expanding sprawl in Northern Va. and Suburban Md. DC isn't New Delhi or Mexico City, but with that many people from all over the US and the world in the daily workforce traveling and commuting, even minor precipitation and storms with significant snow and rain can cause havoc, mainly auto accidents and snags in the subway and train systems that many people depend on.
Friends and family who see bad weather DC news and go on with "why don't you folks go to work?" and "here, we face 10' of snow regularly and just deal with it!" are so fun! I usually try to re-emphasize DC's population and conditions. But there's only so much you can do with folks who can't grasp the situation because of their 10 minute driving work commute, with free parking!; complain if they have to do 20 mins. travel; have never relied on a subway; and are fortunate to live in smaller, less congested cities.
On weather in the Midwest, I recall a Md. friend who took a job after college with a company branch in Iowa years ago. He had a fairly scary time once which you're familiar with. When driving during daytime to another city for a business meeting, Eric noticed that the weather and road conditions were rapidly changing. In three hours the temperatures dropped about 30 degrees, it began snowing faster and heavier so much that he couldn't see to drive and had to pull over to wait it out. A healthy smart guy, he'd never experienced anything like that, was unprepared but got through it alright.
The most serious weather events I've experienced include sailing in the Chesapeake Bay with a fool captain who refused to come in out of a wild, sudden storm despite all on board urging him to heed caution (since a kid I've been on boats in the inland US, the Atlantic and Caribbean). We also faced a close call east coast hurricane at the beach when young by waiting it out in a half basement; coped with 2012 Sandy effects 1 mile inland from the ocean in Delmarva- 80 mph winds and immense rainfall, stayed in a hall closet for safety- just missed us.
~ End of 'The Weather Front' & stories. Happy Spring. 