This ice storm in New England is scary!

[Atman]

I just went out to start up my car to allow time for the coating of ice to melt off it. Everything has coating of ice on it. It's pretty, but scary as hoo-ha! While I was leaning into my car small branches started falling on top of it. I stayed inside for a second just in case, then, just as I was getting out, I heard a massive crunching. Couldn't see where it was coming from, but I figured it was the same tree dropping branches on my car. I jumped back inside just as a massive tree branch broke off the top of a 50 foot pine tree and landed twenty feet away on top of my neighbor's garage! Holy schnikees! My heart is still a'thumpin.

.

[bdamomma]

1. be careful you guys.

[Teaser]

2. how scary is hoo-ha, anyway?

.

[Atman]

5. When you have to wear a hard hat in your own back yard!

Not that it would have helped much if that tree top had fallen on me ol' melon. Now I have to go driving in this shit!

.

[KittyWampus]

6. more scary than "all get-out"

[Virginia Dare]

3. We're used to those down here in Virginia..

get them every few years or so. They're awful. I'd much rather have snow. Calling for 50 mile an hour gusts here today. I hope it blows the chimp to Oz. Doubtful though.

[Breeze54]

11. We get ice storms in New England on a regular basis.

;)

But this is the first 'real' ice storm this winter. (we had a little snow last week)
It's not that bad where I am but NH and ME are still getting snow and ice and parts
of Northern and Western Mass.too.

[PeaceNikki]

4. Hey, let's be careful out there!

[Breeze54]

7. Yikes ! Glad you're OK! - That high wind the other night

brought down two huge pine tree branches where I live in MA. and with the fall of those branches
broke off limbs of another tree below it. I didn't hear the crash when they fell but saw them lying
in the driveway in the morning. My car is parked about 20 feet away from where they fell. The ice
is all over my car too, as well and my driveway is still covered in ice and snow but the streets
here are just wet. The sidewalk plow is working to clear the way for the kids, as I type.

[madokie]

8. good luck man cause with Ice luck is important we must never forget

last winter we had that here somewhere around two to three inches of Ice on everything, power out the whole nine yards. It sounded like we were in a small arms battle with all the trees breaking and when it was all over it did look like a war zone around here too. theres still some tree limbs up too high for me to get to in some of our trees that need to be cut out.

[mmonk]

9. Welcome to our nightmare.

Ice storms are a regular fixture in NC. Snowy state transplants always ridicule our driving in "wintry weather" until they drive in an ice storm and their car slides off the road.

[gateley]

21. I'd never experienced an ice storm - nor really understood what one was - until

I moved to NC. It was breathtakingly beautiful, but absolutely treacherous.


TAKE CARE EVERYONE!

[mmonk]

42. Yep.

I've had to spend some nights before into hotels until the damage to power lines was restored. Best of luck to those that experience it.

[cali]

10. on the up side, you'll be happy to hear

we're getting dumped on here with a major snow storm- 12 to 15 inches forecast with snow lasting until tomorrow. It's really coming down. We've already gotten approximately 6 inches. Skiing should be great.

[Breeze54]

15. Aren't the higher levels of snow in the mountains though?

:shrug:

According to the Weather underground, it's just snowing lightly or not at all in ME right now.

http://www.wunderground.com/US/ME/

Augusta, Brunswick, Portland & Bangor etc. have light snow.

All the rest seem to have overcast or some fog.

But all the temps. look to be below freezing there! Keep warm!

It's around 34 degree's here and overcast.

[cali]

19. Yep. As usual the highest totals are in the mountains

It's in the twenties here, and snowing to beat the band. We may well end up 15+ inches in the Northeast Kingdom.

[Atman]

25. In the mountains is where you want it!

I'm holding off for a day or two. They're calling for 50 mph gusts up north, and that kind of wind shuts down chair lifts. It's supposed to calm down by Wed-Thurs, with more snow on Friday. I'll probably make a snowboarding trip mid-week, then hit Stratton for the weekend. It's gonna be SWEET! Jay Peak and Stowe are getting huge amounts, but that's not a day trip.


.

[malaise]

12. That was close.

Stay safe

[stellanoir]

13. Just raining on the southern coast.

Travel safely.

[HughMoran]

14. I couldn't even stand up easily when got out of my car at the gas station or

in the driveway. Slippery as hell! Car was sliding coming up to lights. I saw one oblivious soccer mom with a van full of kids driving 50 MPH on a slippery ice covered back-road last night - thankfully she didn't wipe out before she turned onto her road. Hopefully she felt the slipperyness when she went to stop & turn - yikes!

[Beelzebud]

16. Last year in IL we had an ice storm that left us wihtout power for 8 days.

[AngryAmish]

17. We had an ice storm on Saturday

I sat inside, made pot roast and watched football.

[IndianaJones]

20. we had the power flicker a couple of times in NWI, but it wasn't as bad...

as I thought it would be.

[shadowknows69]

18. We're getting similar weather in Upstate NY right now

and we went through a really bad one several years back. Destroyed the county basically. Be careful Atman. How's the tree situation around your place?

[hedgehog]

34. Hey shadow knows - tell me what you think - but my opinion is that

in upstate New York we try to stay off the roads during the worst of a storm and never drive on ice. When the snow comes in overnight, the plows are out at 3AM to clear the roads for commuters and during the day they work to keep up with storms. If it's an ice storm, I stay home until the road is down to wet pavement. I think knowing how to drive in the snow boils down to slwoing way down if you're driving on packed/plowed snow and don't go out at all if the roads and/or visibility are really bad.

[shadowknows69]

36. I'm not afraid to drive in much but ice is where I draw the line

I've been in some close calls on black ice, not the least of which I almost hit an airport terminal once (long story) in my taxi. Doesn't matter how good a driver you are if you hit that shit the wrong way it's out of controlville.

[Atman]

39. We just got a new car with AWD, ESC, ABS and side curtain airbags...

So I can drive just like a normal idiot, right?

:sarcasm:

.

[hedgehog]

40. I commuted for years in a 1976 Chevette down the 690 and the 481

The 690 had something like 14 bridge decks and the 481 north of 31 is notorious for whiteouts. I can't tell you how many times someone in a big 4 wheel drive unit zoomed past me to end up in the ditch around the next bend!

[hedgehog]

41. The dreaded black ice! I remember one spring morning on which conditions

at sunrise were just right to instantly glaze every bridge deck in Onondaga County! I was the first czar to get wave over once the salt trucks came through and the police decided the road was OK. They were a little premature. I'm glad I had the road to myself. I ended up taking a bridge over the Oswego River sideways across two lanes. Spectacular view of the river at sunrise, but once is enough!

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

22. Ice storms are no joke. We went 4 days w/o power and were the lucky ones.

We live in SW Washington. A bad ice-storm hit Portland (where I worked) and the surroundings. I couldn't get out of the driveway for 3 days because of the branches there and on the road. We have a lot of BIG trees on our property. We only lost a few trees (out of hundreds) but it took weeks to clear the fallen branches. We were "lucky" because we live high up where, for some reason, it wasn't as bad. Portland was a disaster area.

Fortunately, we have a wood stove we used to keep the place warm and cook on. Some of my co-workers who lived in Portland were without power and water for 2 weeks.

But, right now, we just have rain and rather warm weather. high 40's.

[MiniMe]

23. It doesn't take much ice to cause a lot of damage

Be careful. Be careful walking too.

[Breeze54]

24. Wind Advisory for New England until 7 AM tomorrow!

Wind Advisory: Severe Weather

19 counties are now under advisories, watches, or severe weather warnings.

http://www.thebostonchannel.com/severeweather/946896/detail.html

Issued at: 4:59 AM EST 12/3/07, expires at: 1:00 PM EST 12/3/07

Wind advisory remains in effect from 4 pm this afternoon to 7 am est Tuesday,

The wind advisory is valid for all of southern new england.

Low pressure developing over long island early this morning will intensify into a powerful storm tonight as it moves across the gulf of maine. Strong west winds will develop across the area between 4 pm and 7 pm this evening, and continue tonight. Wind speeds of 30 to 40 mph with gusts to 55 mph are expected across cape cod and the islands. Winds will be slightly less for the remainder of the coastline and the boston to providence corridor. Nevertheless, very windy conditions are expected.

Farther inland, mainly northwest of the boston to providence corridor. Wind speeds of 20 to 30 mph with gusts to 45 mph are expected. These wind speeds are just below wind advisory criteria, however ice on trees and power lines combined with strong west winds will likely result in some down tree limbs. Therefore, there is a risk for isolated to scattered power outages this evening and overnight. Strong west winds are expected to continue into early tuesday morning.

A wind advisory is issued when sustained winds are forecast to be 31 to 39 mph or gusts will range between 46 and 57 mph. Winds this strong are capable of downing small tree limbs and branches, possibly causing isolated power outages. Driving can also be difficult, especially for high profile vehicles.

[Atman]

26. I just got back and there are tree limbs falling all over the place.

It's amazing...two guys down the street were chain-sawing some limbs that had already fallen and another half the tree came down and nearly took 'em out! This is as bad as I've seen it in quite some time, because the rain keeps coming down and layering on more ice. When the wind hits it's gonna be bad! I made sure to park my car out in the open, far from any trees.

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[Breeze54]

32. Good idea moving your car ! ~ Don't forget this!

Strong cold front sweeps through Northeast

http://www.thestormtrack.com/2006/02/strong_cold_front_sweeps_throu.php

February 18, 2006 - 12:07 PM UTC (subtract 4 hours for EDT)

A strong cold front pushed through the Northeast on Friday leaving three dead in its wake. Strong winds were reported across the entire region, especially in upstate New York. In Massachusetts the high winds were accompanied by multiple reports of small hail. Even in New Haven, CT, my home was damaged when the awning on the porch was ripped off.

From the Associated Press:

Thousands of people remained without power Saturday after a winter storm packing wind gusts of up to 77 mph rolled across the Northeast, downing trees and power lines. Three people were killed.

In New York, officials said it could take two days for utility crews to fully restore service to as many as 300,000 customers. Shelters were opened in hard-hit areas as temperatures plummeted.

"You don't want to fool around without heat in these kinds of temperatures," local American Red Cross director Elaine Reardon told The Saratogian. "People don't need to call ahead. They should just come down."

The storm swept up from the Midwest to the Northeast Friday, causing temperatures in some parts of western New York to plunge from 60 degrees to below freezing within a few hours. Schools either did not open or closed early, and at least 328,000 people were without power in the afternoon.

A falling tree crushed a passing car in suburban Rochester, killing a 52-year-old woman, and another crashed onto a truck at Saratoga Spa State Park, killing a state worker.

In Massachusetts, a tree fell onto a pickup in Billerica, killing the driver.

My car is not under any tree's but they are close by.

[shadowknows69]

37. If your neighbors have any common sense left

they'll wait until things pass before continuing the chainsaw use. Any number of unsavory accidents could possibly happen.

[catnhatnh]

27. Much better in southern NH....

Currently 30 degrees and snowing....snow began about 2AM. 4" down and 1-3" more predicted.I watched the icestorm bloom in size on a radar loop and was worried, but we're getting nice fluffy stuff instead.

[mikeytherat]

28. Come to Central Virginia - we are Ice Storm Central.

We are always on the "borderline" of snow or rain, so we get both! One Christmas Eve we had a great storm - huge lightning strikes, gale-force winds, snow, and a thick, slushy ice that rained down, coating and freezing everything. By morning, we had about 3" of solid ice coating EVERYTHING.

mikey_the_rat

[Breeze54]

35. Ice storms commonly develop from northern Texas to Newfoundland

ICE STORMS: HAZARDOUS BEAUTY

http://www.islandnet.com/~see/weather/elements/icestorm.htm

snip-->

Periods of freezing rain like this one may fall in any winter storm crossing eastern North America.



Residents of the eastern United States and Canada may experience freezing rain any time between
late October and early May. Storm systems that produce freezing rain generally move across eastern
North America from the southwest bringing warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico into collision
with the very cold Arctic air of a high-pressure ridge to the north.

Ice storms most commonly develop along a line stretching from northern Texas to Newfoundland
in slow-moving low-pressure systems where there is a large temperature difference between the
warm Gulf air and cold Arctic air. Local accumulations of ice may be heavy if the storm stalls
over a region for an extended period."

[lazyriver]

29. I'll take the 18+ inches of snow expected here in Maine over

ice any day. Good luck to you. Ice storms suck.

[eShirl]

30. Where in New England are you? In Maine it's nothing but snow.

12-18 inches predicted total.

[Atman]

31. I'll be there!

I'm waiting it out. Today isn't the best day.

I'm down in CT, btw.

.

[Breeze54]

33. Looks like the worst snow is heading to NY, ME, NH & VT

[uppityperson]

38. Weather weather everywhere. Stay safe all.

Ice sure is pretty and dangerous. Winds scare the hoo-haw out of me. Flooding going on here. Much snow elsewhere. Time to hunker on down, drink cocoa, dodge branches. Glad you parked out in the open for now.