MASA ["May-sah"]
Promoting severe weather Identification, Evaluation, & Reporting.
The following is a brief personal account how
bad it was with this past weeks' Central Plains
blizzard. It was written by an off duty National
Weather Service employee and subscriber to the
MASA Newsletter.
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Skip!!
> BLIZZARD WARNING/ GROUND BLIZZARD WARNING
> Issued for winter storms with sustained winds or frequent gusts
> to 35 miles per hour or greater and considerable falling snow
> (Blizzard Warning) and/or blowing snow reducing visibility to
> less than 1/4 mile. If there is only blowing /drifting snow
> occurring, then it is called a Ground Blizzard Warning. These
> conditions are expected to last at least 3 hours.
How apropo!! (I hope I spelled that right!)
Let me tell you, this is probably the worst winter storm of my
memory... Let me quickly recount what has gone on here.
The rain started early friday morning, and lasted all day - only
light rain and drizzle, but enough to wet the ground pretty
thoroughly. Then the winds picked up and the temperatures started
dropping... the rain changed over to snow here between 1 and 2 am
MDT. It's now almost midnight MDT... that's a Blizzard!
Since that time, we have had snow, fairly heavy for most of the time.
The winds have been sustained here at about 35-40 mph, gusting to
around 50 for most of the day. I was out in the stew early this
morning (saturday) in a 4x4. The Jeep handled the snow pretty well
(much better than I really expected it to), but the wind! It was
damn difficult to see, 'cuz the wind kept packing the snow (and ice,
the truck was pretty warm inside) on the windows.
I was -supposed- to go to work at 4pm. When we came back in this
morning, we parked the Jeep in the garage to keep it warm and
ice-free. (We being my fiance and I...) When we pulled out of the
garage so I could go to work, the Jeep got high-centered on a drift
we couldn't see! When I called the office to get them to call the
sheriff's department for a ride (station policy - we're considered
emergency personnel), I found out that they had closed the road out
to the airport to even 4x4s; a deputy was in a head-on collision, and
they couldn't get him to the hospital; the guy that plows the parking
lot at the NWS was going to go pick up the forecaster for the evening
shift, and put the Cat in the ditch 4 times, the last time he gave
up. So, I'm on admin leave, and the day shifters are stuck there
until the storm gives, which is supposed to be sometime tonight.
Skip, there is a drift outside the house that goes from the ground,
up to the landing, and up to my head (standing on the landing)! The
snow is being driven through the seals around the windows, now I
know what the dust-bowlers must have felt like! When the wind picks
up, you can't see 10 feet in front of you...
THIS is one hell of a storm, AND I'M ENJOYING EVERY MINUTE OF
IT!!!!!!!
You've probably heard already, but the state of Colorado has been
shut down, and the Governor has declared it an emergency... I'm sure
parts of western Kansas will follow suit.
More information when I can get it from the office... when I can GET
to the office!!
END OF FEED