8 am on March 14. We have about a half inch of snow. Rain fell all day yesterday and into the night, so the snow that has fallen so far is heavy and wet. Just after we got up this morning, it changed over into snow.
I’ve been following our local weather gurus and this is a very strange storm. It is shifting east, and some areas east of us, especially on the other side of the Hudson River, will get much more snow than had been expected. Of course, my county includes our local mountain range (the one I see from the front of my house,) and the Catskill mountains, so the more elevated areas will receive a huge amount of heavy, wet snow. Apparently, part of this area is in the ‘downslope’ where much less snow will fall. It looks to me like we are in the downslope. By “much less snow” I mean about 6 inches as opposed to 16 inches. (Downslope has to do with mountains.)
This is supposed to go on until 9 pm. The county has supposedly banned traffic from the roads, but there sure are a lot of cars going by on our county road!
So, in this one county there are huge extremes. The town just north of us has 4 inches on the ground; we have less than an inch.
So far, we have power. But there are outages everywhere. The outage map is full of dots indicating homes and businesses where there is no power.
So far, no winds, but I’m sure they’ll pick up as the day goes on.
I spent a lot of the day yesterday reading the ever-changing forecasts. Such a wide range of predictions! And as new models appeared, the forecast kept changing. It’s fascinating.
Hopefully, we keep our power, but if the amount of snow increases, that might change.
Keep us in your thoughts!
Stay safe.
Happy Tuesday.
Brendab says
I checked your weather often. Prayers. I love the Catskills. I have driven through there and spent a few nights.I spent a month at Shakespeare and Company one summer…another subject indeed…wanted my car so drove instead of flying…some detours…of course been to Ny many times going to Niagara…also spent a week at Mirror Lake Lodge when son did an Ironman there…and of course a million lol trips to NYC for marathons…you live in a lovely area. Not sure if you have written about your move from CA to NY…I am newer to your blog…my favorite…stay safe my friend…
Claudia says
Yes, I’ve written about it. I’ve been blogging for 15 years! Everything is here.
Stay safe, Brenda.
kathy in iowa says
hope and praying you are all spared lots of snow and the troubles such can bring, that you stay indoors, safe and warm and have peace that it will all be okay.
beautiful view, though!
kathy
Claudia says
Thank you, Kathy!
Stay safe.
kathy in iowa says
meant to tell you this earlier …
wanting to watch it ever since you said you were working on it (and even moreso when you told us the big surprise that you were in it!), i was finally able to get a copy of “spoiler alert” on dvd. great work, claudia … both as the vocal coach and with your acting! i am very proud of and happy for you!
kathy
Claudia says
Thank you for your kind words, Kathy! I’m so glad you liked it!
Stay safe.
maria dalessio says
As a Hudson Valley ….long time resident….a long time ago….I can relate to the ever changing weather systems. Now on Long Island….6 inches sends us all into a tailspin. Just hope you get a dusting and a quicki melt. Winds are picking up here and we have big fat slushy flakes. Temperature is dropping…..time to snuggle in.
Stay safe…..maybe today would be a good day to sketch…not sure . Sometimes I get the organizing bug and start a project only to poop out in the middle of it…..thus creating more chaos. I look to your blog for inspiration. If your earlier posts detail how you and Don ended up in your picturesque home….I would love to read about it!
Claudia says
I’ve written about all that before, Maria. It’s somewhere here on the blog! But I’m not sure where.
We’re cozy at the moment and we have power. So far, so good.
I hope you’re okay!
Stay safe.
Tana says
I was reading about the weather the East Coast may get! I will be keeping my fingers crossed that whatever you get, you will keep your power and have no damage to your trees and plants and home. Stay safe and warm!
Claudia says
Thank you so much, Tana.
Stay safe.
Marilyn Schmuker says
That does sound like you may not get the worst of it…fingers crossed. I know you are as prepared as possible but power outages aren’t fun.
I think Don should bake an ’emergency pie’ while you’ve got power.
Will be thinking of you today.
Take care
Claudia says
He baked one on Sunday! We have two pies at the moment.
Stay safe, Marilyn.
jeanie says
Maybe you are on the same kind of “line” that we are. It seems things here break at I94 to the south and St. Johns to the north. We may or may not be in the hit area but as often as not, get it a little bit lighter. At least, I like to think so! Hope that happens with you. So far, so good! Hang in.
Claudia says
This line is because of the mountains that surround us. In this case, it’s been a blessing!
Stay safe, Jeanie.
Barrie says
Claudia, glad to hear that so far the snow is less than expected and your power is still on. In the Bay Area we’re getting another Atmospheric River. Areas just an hour from us, and a bit closer, have been devastated….lots of flooding. Hoping your power stays on and all is safe!
Claudia says
I’ve got to read about the atmospheric river, Barrie. I’m so sorry for those who have suffered from the floods.
Stay safe.
Donnamae says
Here’s hoping you keep your power! In the meantime, might as well enjoy the snow…and eat pie. After all…it is Pi day! Stay safe! ;)
Claudia says
We will definitely have Pie/Pi.
Stay safe, Donnamae.
Nora Mills says
Very strange pattern here too. We’re in a valley, so often we have a different experience than 3 miles down the road. Right now very light but wet snow, only a few inches, supposedly more to come. Friends not far away but higher elevations have 17”. I’m getting a miserable headache which indicates an atmosphere change, so maybe we will get more. You and Don stay safe, be careful if you have to shovel heavy snow, and I hope you have some pie left to go with some nice tea.
Claudia says
I had a headache last night, which told me a change in the barometric pressure was coming!
You stay safe, as well, Nora.
Terri says
Up here in Saratoga Springs we woke up to about ten inches of very wet snow. It still snowing lightly here at 1 pm.
Claudia says
Don’t shovel it, Terri! Stay in the house and let it melt…
Stay safe.
Roxie says
I checked your weather first thing and I’m so happy it’s not spending its fury on you! Hopefully your power will stay on as you and Don settle in for a cozy day.
Could springtime get here already?!
Claudia says
It’s getting windy out there now, but I can’t really complain because all of the heavy snow on the branches has melted away.
Stay safe, Roxie.
Vicki says
You are definitely on my mind out there on the East Coast. What a winter, as I’ve repeated to everybody and myself like a hundred times.
An hour ago, my husband’s ‘boss’ (the part-time job) called and told my husband not to come into work today due to the rain and this forbidding storm starting in today in SoCalif (husband was just about to leave; had on his raincoat already!). The other employees en masse had already called and said they were staying home. (Part of the work for these people including my husband is outdoors, so it’s kinda pointless.) The boss had decided to only work the morning, but then get home before we get worse with rain as the day progresses. Wow.
Parts of my county are under evacuation warning and they’re also, like you (city/county officials and CalTrans [Calif Dept of Transportation]), asking people to stay off the roads if possible today and tonight. I’m so relieved my husband can stay home even though his work is not far from home. We are supposed to be inundated this afternoon with blanket/hard rain, continuing into tomorrow morning. I keep hearing a lot of sirens which is freaking me out. I’m just glad I’m not alone; I mean I could handle it if I WAS alone, it’s just that when under weather threat, I’m glad we can all be sheltered together (in one place!) as a family, hubs-me-dog.
Yesterday, since we’ve known the rain was coming (days and days of warning about it as the threatening seemingly-endless happenings of these ‘atmospheric rivers’ persist), I got an appointment out of the way, we did some errands and took a little drive home thru our local mountains which is a fave thing we like to do, traveling inland from the beach (which was mostly overcast/foggy-wisps at the shore [but sun in and out] although the yellow ‘flower’ growth on the greened-up coastal cliffs is so lovely with the backdrop of the blue Pacific ocean [it’s not mustard; I don’t know what it’s called; I think it’s a weed, maybe called oxalis or sneezeweed]).
Several road crews over 30 miles inland from the sea (two-lane road, mostly), cleaning up rock slide STILL after all this time since the continuing rains (January) although, what am I saying, we just had rain a few days ago and it doesn’t take much right now to send our locale into bulging river-creeks-streams and mountain/hillside slippage, creating much road damage. At one point during a stop in traffic flow with a flagman, we talked to him and offered our thanks and worry for him and the others today with all the rain and he said, “Oh, we won’t even be here; CalTrans will probably close the highway early tomorrow; it’s the day AFTER the rain which will have us working overtime.” Which of course is true. They left several pieces of heavy equipment along the highway shoulder over several miles of mountain pass, knowing they’ll be coming back.
He said something to the effect, not really joking, with a shrug to his shoulders, “The mountain is so wet, and wet so deep, that it’s amazing it doesn’t just fall into the lake.” Yikes. This is an area above a local lake (maybe 1000-ft elevation). The lake overflowed due to abundant rain 30 years ago. I think my husband’s and my little fave drive is on hold for awhile; don’t want to be anywhere near these areas of mudslide, rock/boulder slide, debris flow! It can happen even after weeks of rain are over, when we’re dryer and think we’re out of the woods, according to meteorologists.
I don’t understand rainfall and what other people would think from other parts of the U.S., but our rainfall totals over the past five months seem like a lot to me, since we don’t normally hear about anything but a LACK of rainfall here in SoCalif, at least not for a long time. But the L.A. news said today that along with their 21 inches (before today’s storm), my area north has had 25 inches, but into San Luis Obispo county above Santa Barbara, they’ve had 40 inches of rain in that same time period. Sounds water-logged. Then, on the nat’l news, I saw a no-drama guy interviewed on the street in Monterey County who said rather matter-of-factly, “I’ve lived here all my life; we get deluged with storms once every ten years, then we have drought for ten years.” Apparently he doesn’t consider climate change a factor; but sometimes I feel like he’s kinda right, as I’ve read about my area’s terrible droughts and wildfires of the 1800s.
Claudia, your snow pix are always so beautiful but I know this is legit worrisome for you and Don. It’s good you had the foresight to prep and bring in that xtra water. I hope you get the ‘extreme’ where there’s less snow for you two; and let’s hope the winds keep tame. I hate the wind like you do. It’s so damaging and scary. My best prayers winging your way and to everybody else here who are in the path of bad weather. We’ve just gotta get thru it. Better, warmer, dryer weather just around the corner!
Vicki says
(Is anybody else having trouble coping with the time change? I feel like I’m late for everything, constantly behind schedule; time slipping thru my hands; is driving me nuts!)
Dottie says
Yes, Vicki, I am having a terrible time adjusting. I am constantly tired. My whole family has commented on this.
Claudia says
Oh my god, yes! Every day we think it’s earlier than it is. I wake up at the same time as before, but it’s an hour later. It throws everything off, the blog, chores, everything.
Claudia says
Sending prayers your way and to everyone in California. What extremes you’ve had this year! I have to read up on ‘atmospheric rivers’- I’ve seen them mentioned but I’ve been so worried about our weather that I didn’t read further. Stay safe, my friend.
We lucked out. Just about an inch and much of it has already melted. We were indeed in a downslope because of the mountains that are so near to us. Some people just down the road got 8 inches of snow, and a little further north – over 16 inches.
Sigh of relief.
Stay safe.
Elaine in Toronto says
Good news, Claudia, that you were spared the worst of the storm. Hope it continues that way. The time change is kind of like jet lag. When my husband asks me what time it is and I tell him, he always asks if that’s old time or new time, lol. Stay warm. Stay safe. Hugs, Elaine
Claudia says
I understand. It is sort of like jet lag!
Stay safe.