Snow Tire-d!

January 2011: Happy Snow Year!

The first snow fall of the season is a magical event.   After that, not so much! There's an old adage (I think) that how it is on the first of the year, is a indicator of what is to follow!  So far, it looks like its going to be a snowy winter!

Our snowy season started even before the New Year.  On December 26-27 the Metro NY area saw a blizzard that dropped up to 30 inches in some parts of the area.  Here in Queens, we got about 20".   I posted lots of photos of that storm in my previous blog post, so only two repeat photos here, just for reference.  Lack of plowing and treacherous conditions for days marked that year-end infamous storm; we hope that with the advent of 2011, conditions will be much improved.

Abandoned car:

New Year's Day in Kissena Park
(leftover snow from the 12/26-27 blizzard):

January 6-7:  Another storm is predicted to drop several inches; west of us got a lot more,  but here in Queens we were lucky and got only a dusting!

January 11-12: We heard predictions of anywhere from 4-15 inches.  Official Central Park reading was 9 inches.  We got about 12 inches here in Queens.   However, no snow day, this day!  

View through my back bedroom window at dawn:

View through my front bedroom window at dawn:

By the time I went to work, the sun was shining on a beautiful white world!  I stopped at the Cypress Hills Cemetery on Jamaica Avenue and took these shots:

January 15:  Photos from a drive east to Jones Beach and Robert Moses State Park, with snow acummulations from the past two storms:

The snow fence made cool shadows on the drifted snow!

More fence shadows!

These snow drifts reminded me of frozen waves!

Parade of geese in the snow:

Winter sky:

A walk on a cold beach:

Lone gull flying

Cold Gull:

Lighthouse at Fire Island National Seashore:

End of the road, no vehicles allowed in Fire Island National Seashore!  As we made the turnaround, we saw several deer right up next to the road. They may have been hungry and looking for handouts, but no one was feeding them, just taking photos.  Nevertheless, the Park Rangers came along and made us all move, but not until I had gotten several great shots:

Hmmm . . . maybe these people have food?

 Do I smell something good?

January 21:  Another snowstorm...this storm was a fast mover, most of the snow  (3-6") fell during the night.   We got 4-5" in Queens: 

5:30AM:  The snow was still falling while Bob shoveled!

7:30AM: Shoveled out (sort of) and waiting for the snow to stop!

The Doves were hunkered down
while the snow was still falling, waiting for breakfast!

8:30AM: Snow stopped, sun shining!
What a difference an hour can make!

Morning sunshine on the new fallen snow made a lovely picture!

January 26:  more snow predicted later today, our 8th storm since Christmas!  It will start out as rain, and switch over to snow tonight.  4"-8" predicted.... 

But first, we got an unexpected 4" that morning, which made my morning commute on the Jackie Robinson Parkway an adventure:

The library closed all locations at 6:00 PM, so all staff could get home in anticipation of more snow to come in the evening.  By this time the predictions had increased to 8-12".    Around 8:00 PM we had a crazy thunder & lightning & sleet storm, followed by lots....and lots....and lots more snow!  

4-8" ??  I don't think so.  Not even 8-12" !!  We ended up with another 19" to be exact!!! And...another snow day!!! It's the second one this season, a record for NYC!!   There is so much snow now, there's no place to put the newly shoveled stuff!! 


January 27:  This is what it looked like very early morning, after starting to shovel:

Sunrise on my snowy street!

View from my front door:

A bit later, the sun came out - everything looks so pretty after the snow!  But I sure am sick of shoveling it, and driving/parking in it!

Only 4 more days left in the month!  How much more snow will we get before it's finished?


January 31: Well, we made it through January with no more snow!  YAY!  But it was the snowiest January on record!!   Watch out February!!!

*   *   *   *   *  

Snowstorm ~ December 2010

12/26/10:  Scheduled to drive home from Allegany on Sunday, we hoped to beat the blizzard home to NYC.  It had begun down south and  was predicted to move up the eastern seaboard and  hit the metro NYC area by late afternoon/early evening.  However, we discovered it was moving into our area faster than predicted - by midday we were already hearing news on the radio about drifting snow and car pileups on Route 80 in New Jersey.  We decided to take Route 17 into the city, and hoped that by coming in from the north, it would give us some precious extra time to get home ahead of the worst of it.

We hit the storm head-on about an hour north of the city, and the roads were starting to become treacherous on that last leg!  But we made it okay before the full fury began!

Early morning on the road in western New York:

 

Snow was really starting to come down
by the time we made it to the Tappan Zee Bridge:

We made it home just when the snow was starting to stick on the roads, causing slippery conditions - around 3:30PM.  This is the view from my front door, shortly after sundown the evening of 12/26:

12/27/10:  The next day was a snow day in NYC!  Official measurement in Central Park was 20".  Queens got more than that, closer to 24" with 4-5 foot drifts everywhere.

There was an abandoned car at the top of our block, so things didn't look good for getting plowed out anytime soon!  By day's end we were hearing reports of abandoned cars everywhere, and a general shortage of snowplow sightings in all outer boroughs!

View from our bedroom window, looking down:

Cold birds, waiting to be fed:

Feeding Frenzy:

View out the back bedroom window:

12/28-12/29/10: But the fun was just beginning!  It took DPS two days to plow our street, and many other streets ~ especially in East New York (Brooklyn) where I work ~ were still not plowed after four days!  It was treacherous trying to get to work during the week between Christmas and New Years.   On Wednesday, I got stuck on Cleveland Street near Sutter Avenue, and while trying to dig myself out (I was smart enough to take a shovel in the car with me), a Good Samaritan came along and helped me get out.  I gave him $20 for his trouble!  He evoked God's blessings on me, which,  as it turned out,  I really needed to actually get to work that day!

12/31/10: Bob and I were both off on Friday, New Year's Eve!  It was a beautiful, sunny day and some melting had already taken place.   We took a walk in the park and got some photos:

My Snow Angel!

 

 What a way to end the year!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
  *     *     *     *     *