Weather Report & Forecast

Today's High: 77
Forecast snow possible for Friday night-Saturday morning: 2"

Thus is Spring in Maryland.

That North Dakota Blood

So, last night the mercury dipped down to near zero in Frederick, MD. It was close to 15 in Germantown. There was some thick fog last night, and up north, some amazing hoarfrost. Don't usually get that down here, so it was cool to see a familiar sight.

Anyway, so I tease my co-workers here about their reactions to the cold. Like the other day, we were up to 55 degrees, and someone remarked about how we were going to go below freezing again. So I made a sarcastic comment about that being the end of the world. It was all in good fun, of course. They called me "Miss North Dakota".

Oops, it wasn't a "blizzard"!

The blizzard criteria weren't quite realized back "home". Now THAT is what I remember. However, I am impressed by the amount of snow on the ground.

The Blizzard Back Home

I'm shaking my head at the recent blast of snow that has fallen over the RRV in the past couple weeks. In particular, this latest blizzard is the kind of epic storm I had expected to experience but didn't.

There was a storm that dumped about a foot of snow in October 2001, but I was out of town for that one and the snow all melted. It wasn't a blizzard anyway. Another storm did bring about 14 inches in February, I think it was 2003 but don't quote me on that. That was probably the closest thing to the epic

Then there was the morning I woke up in Winter 2005 where we had 2-3 foot drifts in the driveway but hadn't really had much snow. It was almost 100% the stuff from the yard (and other nearby yards).

Word is that the BSA is back in action. The BSA is the "Benevolent Snowblowers Association", and consists of neighbors who take turns clearing the sidewalks. While they're at it, they'll take a trip up and down your driveway.

Slushy Snow Today

It had looked like a freezing rain and sleet event, but it turned into snow today. When I left for work this morning, there was light freezing rain. A band of heavy precipitation dynamically cooled the atmosphere swiftly during the morning, allowing for all snow to fall. It was close to an inch-per-hour snow rate. Visibility was less than a mile at times.

When I went for lunch, there were already 1 to 2 inches accumulated. Streets were in pretty good shape for the most part. A few slick spots made for some interesting maneuvers. By the time the snow had ceased, we had anywhere from 4 to 6 inches on the ground. Deep enough for the dog to romp around some and deep enough to break out the big boots.

Parking lots became mushy piles of slush this evening. We also had some additional light rain (close to freezing rain... temperatures were hovering around 32) that helped create those puddles. It has stopped precipitating, although there may be a few sprinkles or flurries hanging around tonight.

So, we have snow cover once again! It will probably stay around for a while, but it has a much higher water content than the last snow, so if we really do hit the 40s this week, more puddles of water are in store.

Goodbye snow!

All that snow and sleet is still hanging around this morning, but after today and tomorrow, I suspect that it will disappear except for the very high piles in parking lots. People around here aren't used to seeing snow stick around for this long. This snow had a high water content, so I'm betting it's gonna be a wet soppy mess around town as the stuff melts this week.

Snow and Sleet

It snowed and sleeted several inches up here. I don't know if I've ever seen such deep sleet. It holds you up above the ground whereas you'd sink in snow. Some spots, I'd guess 6" deep easily. I was able to walk with the dog on top of the stuff and only occasionally break through about a half inch worth of shoe.

It took a while to dig out the car this morning. A thin layer of ice on the windows and on the front windshield about 1-3" of snow/sleet piled on. I'm happy we avoided the major ice storm, and it was interesting to see how road crews work around here.

I took some photos, so maybe later I'll post some here.

More interesting times

Work is getting more involved now that I've been here a full 2 weeks. It snowed again about an inch. It was the light powdery snow like in North Dakota. Temperatures dipped into the single digits here (low of 5), so it's not like I'm getting a free pass on winter here. Today's temperature got up to 25. Not bad!

I went to watch the Caps play the Bruins last night. It was my first time into the city on the Metro red line. I enjoyed the experience. One of these days, it'll be real nice and I'll go down to the Capitol, White House, and the Mall. I'm looking forward to the cherry blossoms... I'll definitely go during that time frame... sometime in March is what I hear.

Most of the birds I see around here are Canadian geese. They hang out in flocks on the lakes around town. There is some sort of hawk that flies around nearby. Crows like to hang out on the tree in the parking lot at the apartment complex. There's also a squirrel and a homeless black cat. Honestly, though, I haven't really tried to go bird watching yet.

Awesome!

It's a new month and we got some wet snow. Last night, it was wintry mix. A thin layer of ice was on the car, but with temperatures near freezing, it was pretty easy to get it off. This weekend will be my first Saturday-Sunday at my new job. I'll be getting my first paycheck next week.... yay!

I loved listening to the Sioux Hockey game on webcast last weekend. Beat the Gophers! Hope I can listen again soon!

Short Cold Snap

Well, that cold I talked about the other day didn't last long. Saturday, our temperatures were back up to nearly 50 degrees! I love it! The inch of snow we got here on Sunday night the 21st is long gone.

Too Busy to Think!

I finally got my DSL hooked up in Maryland. I'm thinking about changing the name of this blog to something more representative of my new location, but I will hold off for now. Not much snow to talk about in these parts. The way the weather pattern is shaping up, it'll be colder here than in ND later this week.

While I was gone

Boy, not only did it snow, but the temperatures are outrageously warm. Slush is everywhere. Interesting how the quality of street clearing dropped off as soon as I hit the city limits last night, and today is a slushy nightmare in many places.

Time to talk snow again?

Last time I talked about our lack of snow, we started December with 5 consecutive days of measurable snow. We haven't had measurable snow since, so maybe I should talk about it again! For what it's worth, there is a slight chance of snow by Thursday. I don't see it being measurable though. In many areas around town, the grass is showing again. A non-white Christmas is becoming more likely as the snow-free sunny days continue.

Winter rears its snowy head

Unless you've been living in a cave since Thanksgiving, you've probably noticed that winter has arrived with a vengeance. Our temperatures went below zero for the first time. Snowy weather this morning. I haven't seen any outdoor ice rinks yet, but they can't be that far off. It wouldn't be North Dakota without that sub-zero air.

Snow and Ice

What a doozy storm that just went through! Most of the snow fell to the north and west, but the ice storm in northwestern Minnesota was interesting. Bowbells received 7" of snow... Grand Forks only got 0.8". For the snowmobilers out there, maybe next time.

Where's the snow?

I haven't had to add a snow event since October 30. Hmmm.... when will our next measurable snow occur? Maybe Friday morning the 17th. Perhaps Tuesday the 21st or the following Saturday/Sunday the 25th/26th?

Winter this week, Summer next!

We didn't quite get 4" here in the Grand Cities, but 2" and howling winds was still enjoyable. So we get to put up with this cold for most of this week. By next Tuesday or Wednesday, we could see a return to 60s statewide, possibly some 70s west. A nice taste of "Indian Summer" for everyone who wants to pull out the grill a few more times.

Snow flakes!

The snow has arrived. It's 2:40 PM and I just noticed the flakes flying.
Local Doppler Radar

New feature

Please be patient with my template changes. I'm trying to find the "right one". In the meantime, I've added a new feature to the bottom. I will be chronicling Grand Forks snow events. I am using the measurement taken at the NWS office. I could use the airport, but I prefer to pick the measurement closest to town.

In case you aren't paying attention to the weather forecast, we're gonna get some snow Monday. I had predicted 4 inches during my most recent shift, and that still looks on track. So, be sure to check the Snow Total Diary at the bottom of the blog throughout the winter. I am considering adding snow depths.

Snow and cold looming

Any takers on guessing how much snow we'll get with the first Arctic blast of the Fall due this Wednesday? I'm thinking perhaps an inch, because it looks like a STRONG front that will zip through, and some snow showers behind with the upper-level low lingering for a day or two afterwards. It will be a shock to the system after that great 78 degrees yesterday to drop down to lows in the 20s. Yeah, baby... Fall in North Dakota!