Twenty Year Storm

January 30 - 31st, 2010. Chesapeake, Virginia
(Click picture to enlarge)

"Out of the bosom of the Air,
Out of the cloud-folds of her garments shaken,
Over the woodlands brown and bare,
Over the harvest-fields forsaken,
Silent, and soft, and slow
Descends the snow."
~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Snow-Flakes

We actually had a large snow storm... not this last weekend with all its hype but the week before. The first large snow storm across the mid-Atlantic that stretched across Arkansas, Tennessee and Virginia. The news said this was a 20 year storm. Here so near the ocean we have the Gulf Stream that keeps most of these storms at bay... it is just a bit too warm for snow and even when cold, the clouds seem to trap the heat and things just heat up. Take this past weekend... DC and Philly were getting 2 feet and some places 3 feet. Yet here, just a five hour drive away we got an inch... yes, an inch.

But, the last weekend in January... well. It started snowing and snowing and then sleeting and snowing again and when it finally ended up overnight on Saturday, we had 10 inches. It was not a very good snowman snow but it did pack down and slush a bit and then when the temps took a nosedive it made horrible ice on the streets and walkways. This part of Virginia is not ready for this kind of snow. We never did see any salt or plows in the side streets and it remained cold most of the week. In fact, the last of the snow on our roof (in the shaded areas) didn't slide off until the rain of this past weekend started.

Daisy made it very clear... she doesn't like snow at all.. especially snow that comes up past her chest. Very unhappy cocker spaniel. She didn't mind the inch but that thick stuff... no way!

So this was our snow storm for the next 20 years... it looks like the ice and snow will miss us again tomorrow... just rain. Oh well!

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