artie_fufkin wrote:

I'm not sure how much people in other parts of the country care about our weather, but after a mild and almost snow-free December and early January, in the past two weeks, eastern Massachusetts has gotten between 48-56 inches of snow. Some communities got more than two feet during the "Blizzard of 2015" last Monday and Tuesday, and yesterday we got 16-18 more inches from a storm that was supposed to give us between 6-12. It's more snow than we've ever gotten in an 8-day period since the National Weather Service began keeping records. On top of the snow, it's been bitter, bitter cold, so nothing from last week has melted and what we got yesterday has piled on top. I have a pair of 8-foot snow piles at the end of my driveway.
Today might have been the worst traffic day ever in the infamous history of Boston traffic, which is somewhere between infuriating and meltdown-inducing even on a day in June when it's 70 degrees and sunny. The frigid weather has knocked out one of the lines on the subway system, which put even more people on roads that are already narrowed because of the snow. The area around the downtown hospitals was gridlocked for seven hours, and an ambulance going to Mass. General had to go the wrong way down a 1-way street to get a patient to the emergency room. My wife works in a building on the Cambridge/Boston line and it took her three hours to get home tonight. Her commute is 11 miles. My math skills are always suspect, but I believe that's less than 4 mph.
So, my point is, I'm watching the late news tonight, and the Mayor of Boston - who was elected last year and has proven thus far to be an utter jock-sniffing clown - has made his number one priority clearing the streets along the route of this stupid parade the city is having tomorrow for a team that doesn't even play in Boston, instead of the roads people use to get to work.
Memo to Mayor Walsh - you'd better be using all city funds and equipment for this nonsense, because if you go over your snow budget and start using state funds, I'm calling the governor and demanding an abatement on my state income taxes.

One other thing - one of the people on the street that was interviewed by the news station I was watching tonight breathlessly gushed she's a "diehard fan" of the Patriots who is looking forward to the parade tomorrow.
On her head, she was wearing a touque that was embroidered with a replica of a Cleveland Browns helmet.

Jesus, can't imagine.  Be careful up there and be safe.  I'd wish for a sudden warming pattern, but that would likely lead to mass flooding.

well if it makes you feel any better, we had about 1/4 inch of clear ice on everything and I did a few 180's in my Jeep getting out of my untreated subdivision. 

St. Louis can't even begin to understand weather on that level. I remember it from Oregon, but here? 12 inches shuts us down for a day. 48-56 inches with more on the way? We'd be closed until May.

When i hear someone say they like snow i figure that person either has no schedule or likes a sore back.

Damn maroon's

JV wrote:

Geeze, Artie...when are you guys gonna catch a break?

We're supposed to get another one on Tuesday. Even the weather people, who ordinarly love this stuff, are saying things like "It has to end sometime ..." Never seen anything like it.
 

Got 6 inches last night.  By arties standards, a light dusting.

A friend from high school lives in Maynard (not sure where that is from you, Artie), Massachusetts.  He posted on Facebook that his neighborhood was now at 100 inches in 3 weeks.  That's crazy.

forsberg_us wrote:

A friend from high school lives in Maynard (not sure where that is from you, Artie), Massachusetts.  He posted on Facebook that his neighborhood was now at 100 inches in 3 weeks.  That's crazy.

Maynard is about 35 miles west of Boston. I'm about 10 miles northeast. 100 inches seems like a lot, but it's possible. Boston proper has gotten more than seven feet, all since Jan. 23. Until then, we had bare ground, which is rare.
 

artie_fufkin wrote:

APIAD wrote:

artie_fufkin wrote:

Official count in my town is 62 inches of snow in 17 days. .

 

I cant wrap my brain around how things function. How are roofs holding up with that kind of weight? I know they build them better out there but still. What does everyone do with the snow? If i tried to piled 5 foot of snow to the sides of my driveway there wouldnt be room.

The roofs are a real problem. I've shoveled mine twice. And we have these things called ice dams which are problematic. The heat from inside the house wafts up and melts the snow outside on the roof, but the doesn't get to the gutters because they're frozen, so it seeps into the walls. We haven't had that problem yet at my house, fortunately.
And you're correct, there's no place left to put it. Yesterday may have been the worst, because you're trying to throw snow up and over 6-8 foot banks. Between the elevation and the wind that blows it right back where you just shoveled, it's maddening.
 

I ended up with about 10 inches.  Thats about as big of snow as it comes around here and im sure it will be gone in a week or so.  I went coyote hunting this morning and it was a pretty setting.  I came home and scooped about 6 inches and scooped about 4 more this evening.  Im pretty done with it.  If i got another 10 inches tonight id be pissed.  If i had to shoved my roof id be pissed.  I guess when i fell off it there would be snow to land in. 

This was a dry snow.  The leaf blower was the proper tool once the majority was scooped.  Easy to scoope but if the wind picks up my driveway will drift back shut and ill be clearing the same snow again. 
 

"The leaf blower was the proper tool once the majority was scooped."

I think I need to try that.

artie_fufkin wrote:

"The leaf blower was the proper tool once the majority was scooped."

I think I need to try that.

 

What does your street dept do with all the snow?  It would be semi load after semi load i would think.

See, now this is the reason the Patriots drive me bonkers. There's an article in today's Boston Herald about the NFL scouting combine, and one of the bullet points is whether the Patriots would be interesting in drafting Green-Beckham. The author of the story suggests Robert Kraft might not "allow" the Patriots to take him, presumably because of his character issues. I know that didn't come from anyone affiliated with the team, but I'm sorry, but once you've had to cut a guy because he's been arrested for murder, you've lost the right to claim the moral high ground.

Last edited by artie_fufkin (2/18/2015 1:45 pm)