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 Washington, D.C. just broke their 100 year record for snowfall. Over 55 inches.
For those of us up here, that's a nice pile of snow but nothing too worrisome. We plow, we shovel, and we go on. We're used to snow. Heck, we'd gladly take a foot or two for the ski jump this weekend.
For DC, though, this is extremely unusual. It's climate change in action. I'd like to try to put it in perspective.
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First of all, DC is a town that typically shuts down on the forecast of snow. No actual snow is required. Just the though of the possibility of snow can throw the town into a tizzy.
I'll never forget my first DC snowfall. I had started working at the Children's Museum. One Thursday evening, it snowed. It was about half an inch of dry powder.
Friday morning I got ready and walked to work. When I got there, the guard at the gate asked me what I was doing. I told Doc that I had come to work, and to get my paycheck.
He started to laugh. 'Nobody's coming today. There's snow..."
I walked home and had to wait three extra days to get paid, but learned that DC was not a city that can deal well with snow.
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It makes sense. It's a southern city, with residents from all over the globe. Some familiar with snow but others familiar with the tropics. And snow in DC is an unusual winter event. It doesn't always happen, and when it does it is usually a dusting, or some sloshy ice.
Fast forward to the recent DC storms. Put yourself in their place. Half an inch cripples things. They got 55 inches.
That would be similar to a series of storms dropping, oh, I don't know, 15 to 20 feet of snow on Brattleboro in a matter of days.
DC residents don't generally have snowblowers. I've heard stories of DC folks pouring hot water on icy steps to "melt it" - not realizing that it refreezes.
Their plows are wimpy. They don't get a lot of practice. Many side roads don't get plowed at all. I've seen streets near the Capitol get covered with snow, then left to melt and refreeze until it went away. Imagine if we only plowed Main Street and Western Ave.
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Lise and I both have relatives down there. We're enjoying their photos and stories, and laughing that if they want to escape the snow they can always drive north to visit us in Vermont.
The DC area is expecting another small storm early next week.
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No it's not.
http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/features2/article_51bd0652-16b5-11df-a47e-001cc4c03286.html