# Hunker down for 'snowmaggedon 2015' fellow New Englanders



## DMKNLD (Jan 25, 2015)

All Weather Channel and media hype aside, this looks to be a long duration event, with blizzard warnings posted for most of New England, and 2' or more snow predicted.

Fellow New Englander's need to hunker down through Wednesday AM and avoid any unnecessary travel risks.

If you have to be out, have a winter survival kit in your vehicle, a full tank of gas, charged cell phone, etc. http://readywisconsin.wi.gov/winter/HowToMakeAKit.asp

Most hearty New Englanders know the drill, but with no significant storms to speak of so far this winter, it is worth repeating.

Unfortunately, there will be preventable fatalities from this potentially history - making storm before it's all said and done.


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## -Nuddin'Amiss- (Jan 25, 2015)

Ha !#%! is real though...
Anywhere between 2-3ft...
That's not cool and I like snow...


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## DIrtyJersey (Jan 25, 2015)

Im in Southern NJ. We are in the path first!


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## BrotherBart (Jan 25, 2015)

Looks like we get a grazing blow from this one, unlike the three feet in Snowmaggedon. Hang in there New Englanders.


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## Doocrew (Jan 25, 2015)

Just topped off all my fuel cans giving me 4 days of generator run time. The lines are already forming at the gas stations with folks topping off their cars and gas cans. The grocery store was nuts today. At least folks are getting prepared...........


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## ChandlerR (Jan 25, 2015)

I'm good. Snowblower all set with plenty of gas. A plow guy on stand by just in case and my motorhome is full because I use the generator in it to power my house. I can run 10 days straight if I have to.  Bring it on!


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## DMKNLD (Jan 25, 2015)

One more public service message, courtesy of the 'pellet stove Paramedic'........

Check on your elderly or disabled neighbors ! We just had a 'Meals on Wheels' delivery team in our nearby community that undoubtedly saved the life of an 90 y/o gentleman, who they found outside after he fell on his porch, and was exposed to temps in the teens for at least 3 hours.

'Neighbors helping neighbors' is more important than ever when a storm like this cranks up.


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## mepellet (Jan 25, 2015)

DMKNLD said:


> One more public service message, courtesy of the 'pellet stove Paramedic'........
> 
> Check on your elderly or disabled neighbors ! We just had a 'Meals on Wheels' delivery team in our nearby community that undoubtedly saved the life of an 90 y/o gentleman, who they found outside after he fell on his porch, and was exposed to temps in the teens for at least 3 hours.
> 
> 'Neighbors helping neighbors' is more important than ever when a storm like this cranks up.


Ha! That was a relative of mine that was delivering the meals on wheels meal and found the 90 year old man.


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## LordmetalZ28 (Jan 25, 2015)

Broken pellet stove just in time. Generator still works , well till tomorrow anyway


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## bcarton (Jan 25, 2015)

Yeah it's not looking good. I've been planning for the last month to buy a generator, went out early yesterday to get it and when I got back from TSC my wife told me "they're saying there might be a blizzard on Tuesday." So, at least I can run the pellet stove and a couple of lights, even though there's no transfer switch yet.  But I am in the 'red zone" so even if the electricity stays on, it's gonna be a ton of cleanup after this one, no doubt.

And please everyone, be safe.  We had a fire fatality here in town Friday night, and the unofficial cause was combustibles too close to a wood stove. Keep your guard up.


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## tech tchr (Jan 25, 2015)

Cleaned the stove, filled the snow blowers & gas cans. Plenty of pellets on hand! Looking at 1-2'


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## DMKNLD (Jan 25, 2015)

mepellet said:


> Ha! That was a relative of mine that was delivering the meals on wheels meal and found the 90 year old man.



I was just reading one of the local on-line news feeds, mepellet, and it said this gentleman was 99 years old ! 
http://wgme.com//news/features/feat...derly-saves-mans-life-1545.shtml#.VMWtWv4n7LU

That's one tough Maine-ah ! Kudos to your relative, who I've seen at the transfer station on occasion where he works. 

Stay warm and be safe out there, brother!


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## woodmakesheat (Jan 25, 2015)

Uggh, the news people are basically telling people to panic. These storms s***.


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## CladMaster (Jan 25, 2015)

Sure glad I'm not driving for a living at the moment.

I was working for a company that does deliveries all over Maine, they refused point blank to cancel deliveries in weather like this, I was getting a little cheesed off with them over this and other things, but in the end I left there for personal reasons, but anyway, those of you that drive to make money, don't venture out, stay at home and live to fight another day.

Stay warm people, see  you all on the other side of this crap storm.


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## Jigger (Jan 25, 2015)

I picked up a couple of cans of gas to keep the generator and snow blower running. I fired off both just to make certain they are running. Picked up a couple of bags of pellets to add to the stash. Did my food shopping the other day on my way home from work. So the cupboards are full. I even called my dispatch and told them I might be able to see them on Thursday. I work on Nantucket and there's no way I'm getting stuck out there.


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## Dr.Faustus (Jan 25, 2015)

I'n right in the line of fire. 12-24 + inches. They are saying 2-3 feet and with wind we can have snow drifts of 5-7 feet. It's ugly.
But, the snowblower is all gassed up, cars in the garage. got plenty of diesel for the generator and plenty of kerosene for the backup heat (my pellet stove and generator dont get along well).
Even gave the stove an extra good cleaning today, LBT, air compressor, wire brushed and vacuumed.
also got the john deere snow plow on the tractor and ready for action. I'd say bring it on but I really dont want to have to use my arsenal. It would be nice if the whole mess just blew out to sea!


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## Fish On (Jan 25, 2015)

Omg the sky is falling. talk about hype and doom.   It's snow we live in New England deal with it!


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## Dr.Faustus (Jan 25, 2015)

Yes, its just snow but our snow is usually measured in inches, not feet. It interrupts my daily routine, work life and driving is a pain in the butt. Also try buying milk eggs or bread anywhere in the storms path. The stores are wiped out. Tuesday morning I expect thousands of people will have called out of work and be home enjoying their french toast.


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## adam6979 (Jan 25, 2015)

Fish On said:


> Omg the sky is falling. talk about hype and doom.   It's snow we live in New England deal with it!


Yep I agree. It's just snow - power outages aside - 2-3 days all will be well again. Plus the hype boosts the economy!


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## mepellet (Jan 26, 2015)

DMKNLD said:


> I was just reading one of the local on-line news feeds, mepellet, and it said this gentleman was 99 years old !
> http://wgme.com//news/features/feat...derly-saves-mans-life-1545.shtml#.VMWtWv4n7LU
> 
> That's one tough Maine-ah ! Kudos to your relative, who I've seen at the transfer station on occasion where he works.
> ...


I thought I remembered 99. Yes he loves his job there at the transfer station. His house burned down just before Christmas too... Very sad. Very nice man.


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## scajjr2 (Jan 26, 2015)

All the media hype/panic around here started after they all got the Blizzard of 1978 wrong. Woke up that day expecting to find 6" not 26" and over 3 feet in Mass. Ever since it's mega hype before every storm. No station has "weather" anymore. It's all storm center, storm tracker, storm central, etc.

Funny how on Fri there was no mention of this storm, then during the day Sat it's "a blizzard is coming!" .

Sam


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## TimfromMA (Jan 26, 2015)

I'm smack in the middle of the forecasted jackpot area. 24 - 30" of snow with winds approaching 70mph.


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## Old Spartan (Jan 26, 2015)

Looks like just a nudge here ,,, although a 30 mile westward push will be another story.


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## DMKNLD (Jan 26, 2015)

scajjr2 said:


> All the media hype/panic around here started after they all got the Blizzard of 1978 wrong. Woke up that day expecting to find 6" not 26" and over 3 feet in Mass. Ever since it's mega hype before every storm. No station has "weather" anymore. It's all storm center, storm tracker, storm central, etc.
> 
> Funny how on Fri there was no mention of this storm, then during the day Sat it's "a blizzard is coming!" .
> 
> Sam



The ability to more accurately predict meteorological events and impacts has certainly improved since 1978, but obviously weather prediction is still as much of an 'art as it is a science'.

Add to that an urban population that has likely doubled in the storm impacted area since 1978, and one can see why an appropriate emergency management response needs to be more than just getting people to buy more bread and milk ahead of a storm.

And when the National Weather Service (who generally stay above the fray of media frenzy), issues Blizzard Warnings from Maine to New Jersey, impacting 29 million people, and costing the large metro areas projected to be affected a million dollars for every inch of snow that falls, it certainly warrants preparation and planning, but not paranoia.

In my 30 yr EMS / rescue career, the people we invariably have to rescue in storms like this are the people who end up upside down (or worse) in a snowdrift, who were "just out driving around to see what it was like out", or someone who runs out of their home oxygen in the middle of the storm. failing to plan ahead for their medical needs.

Invariably, when we ask them if they knew a storm was coming, they say, "Well, yeah, but I didn't think it would be THIS bad."

So, if some Weather Channel hype puts some FOG (fear of God) into those who need it, and keeps them safe at home with their extra food, supplemental power source, and their medical supplies safely at hand, then the heightened media awareness was worth it, IMO.


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## Johnny_Fiv3 (Jan 26, 2015)

Finally for once my area will not see feet of snow! 1-3" forecast here for today and another 3" tomorrow. Going to be cold, but no real snow.

I wish you all the best of luck and the warmest of houses. Stay safe!


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## THE ROOSTER (Jan 26, 2015)

We get 4 INCHES of snow, and it's the lead story on all the news channels. You all will get more snow from this then we will get in 2 or 3 WINTERS


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## JD76ERS (Jan 26, 2015)

This is my 1st season burning pellets after converting from wood stove.  Worried about potential power outage.  Other than that house is warm, cupboard is full, alcohol stocked, snow-blower gassed up almost time to hunker down.  Best of luck to everyone in this storms path.


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## TimfromMA (Jan 26, 2015)

My mother in law lives by herself and she declined our invite to weather the storm with us. Our house is fully prepared for the worse and barring our house getting damaged by a falling tree, we will be ok. My concern is that if her power goes out, she will ask us to come get her when it is no longer safe or even possible to do so.


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## bags (Jan 26, 2015)

TimfromMA said:


> My mother in law lives by herself and she declined our invite to weather the storm with us. Our house is fully prepared for the worse and barring our house getting damaged by a falling tree, we will be ok. My concern is that if her power goes out, she will ask us to come get her when it is no longer safe or even possible to do so.



Might be time to pull some rank on her. Good Luck with that and let us know how that works out. LOL! If you get along with her it might be time for you and your wife to lay down the law though without ticking her off. People like being at home in their places so you can't fault her there. Better to be safe than sorry.


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## DMKNLD (Jan 26, 2015)

TimfromMA said:


> My mother in law lives by herself and she declined our invite to weather the storm with us. Our house is fully prepared for the worse and barring our house getting damaged by a falling tree, we will be ok. My concern is that if her power goes out, she will ask us to come get her when it is no longer safe or even possible to do so.



You're in a tough spot, Tim. Unlike Gen X and the Millennials it seems, your MIL's generation prides themselves on their self-sufficiency and self-reliance, so admitting to needing and being willing to accept help is a difficult thing for many of that age. Denial is a powerful emotion as well.

I would suggest an incremental approach with her - pull the 'safety card' and calmly rationalize the risks of her having no heat or water in a protracted power outage, and what could happen if you guys can't come and safely get her.

Then pull the 'guilt card' - she'd feel terrible if you got hurt or put your own life at risk coming to get her in the worst of the storm, then she would have to call rescue (putting them at risk as well), and would end up spending the rest of the storm sitting in a hospital bed (taking up beds needed for the sick and injured), until someone could come get her.

Often, that is enough to persuade them. But if she still resists, then as bags suggested, you may have to pull rank on her, especially if she has no supplemental heat source if the power goes out, making that more than just an inconvenience, but a potentially life threatening concern.

I'm sure you would gladly sacrifice some hurt feelings and some short-lived resentment on her part for avoiding a life time of potential "would I, should I, could I...... of's" if something bad should happen to her when she was on her own.

Good luck ! Let us know how you do !


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## JustWood (Jan 26, 2015)

DMKNLD said:


> and one can see why an appropriate emergency management response needs to be more than just getting people to buy more bread and milk ahead of a storm.
> 
> .


This phenomenon makes me scratch my head.
 Even in the summer we keep a few loaves of bread in the freezer and extra eggs  just in case we work long hours and cant get to the store.


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## BrotherBart (Jan 26, 2015)

In the seventies I worked for a grocery chain. We loved the mention of the word snow. Knew the shelves would be empty and the cash registers full soon.


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## ChandlerR (Jan 26, 2015)

Oh yeah, Bart!  Saw in the news at noon that some stores had lines stretching 1/4 mile from the supermarkets.  Glad I went grocery shopping when we first heard of this...three days ago!  I remember a few years ago, we had so much snow that only 6 inches of my 5 foot picket fence was visible.  Somehow we survived.  I'm on the seacoast so I'm sure the winds will be awesome!  I've had the siding blown off my house before


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## DV (Jan 26, 2015)

Good luck everyone up north. Calling for 1 to 3 inches at my house. Grocery stores have sold out.


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## alternativeheat (Jan 26, 2015)

I went out and bought a snow shovel since ours had a crack in it. I bought gas, gassed up the generator and the snow blower, test ran both even though they ran a month ago, running smoothly. The chest freezer is full, the pantry is full, pellets are in the house, the oil burner works. All appliances, heat and hot water run off the generator. Kind of like Tim here, unless it blows so hard to take out the house we should be good. And they just lowered the wind prediction here slightly..  Being on Cape Cod I'll take any reduction they give us !! Max gusts now predicted 75 mph vs 80, sustained is lowered to 30-40 instead of 35-50. Additionally several large NE side trees have been removed next to our yard that previously were close to our house.. We have several things going in our favor at the moment.

They also just announced that Cape Cods emergency program has been enacted, at 6:30 PM the shelter locations doors will be open. These are mostly at High School locations from Nauset to Falmouth, including, Dennis, Yarmouth, Barnstable, Hyannis, Sandwich etc.. It's being treated like a hurricane.


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## bogieb (Jan 26, 2015)

I always have a least a couple of weeks of food in my house so only go for my regular groceries (cream for the coffee, bananas, squash, zukes and yogurt); got a whopping $13 of groceries on Saturday and don't have to go back to "stock up" on anything.

If I am snowed in will I have everything I "want" to eat? Probably not. Will my meals be humongously varied? Nope. but I will eat plenty and healthfully. If I lose power for a long stretch, I'll start emptying out the freezer and cooking all the meat on my propane stove. Once cooked, the meat will keep for quite a while in my garage. With canned vegies and fruits, I will be just fine.


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## DMKNLD (Jan 26, 2015)

alternativeheat said:


> Max gusts now predicted 75 mph vs 80, sustained is lowered to 30-40 instead of 35-50. It's being treated like a hurricane.



The Cape is certainly exposed, sitting out there taking the brunt of this Nor'easter. With the warm gulf stream moisture being fed into the upper jet stream winds, that is driving cold air down from the arctic circle with the resulting rapid drop in pressure, it has all the signature components of a winter hurricane.

Snowfall amounts have gotten most of the media coverage, but the wind and storm surge induced coastal flooding, particularly during the high tides, are what the Weather Channel is reporting as the over looked threats in this storm.

Batten down out there, brother !


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## deercamp (Jan 26, 2015)

We are just south of Boston and in our area they are saying possibly 30-36".  A couple things I find amusing when this stuff happens.
Everyone has to fill there gas tank in their car.  Why is that?  You shouldn't be going anywhere in this weather if you don't have to. The other one is that you need a cooler in case you loose power. What is wrong with sticking it outside?   I could  go on but this is just a few things I find funny when we have a storm. Stay safe.

GO PATRIOTS


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## SXIPro (Jan 26, 2015)

All 4 vehicles are topped off, 20 gallons of gas for snowblower and generator, plenty of food, and most importantly stocked the liquor cabinet yesterday. Snowshoes are ready and I hope to do a 10 mile hike across the lake and through the trails on Wednesday.


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## SXIPro (Jan 26, 2015)

deercamp said:


> We are just south of Boston and in our area they are saying possibly 30-36".  A couple things I find amusing when this stuff happens.
> Everyone has to fill there gas tank in their car.  Why is that?  You shouldn't be going anywhere in this weather if you don't have to. The other one is that you need a cooler in case you loose power. What is wrong with sticking it outside?   I could  go on but this is just a few things I find funny when we have a storm. Stay safe.
> 
> GO PATRIOTS


 

Best thing about the storm is it knocked Deflate Gate off from being the top news story.....


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## DMKNLD (Jan 26, 2015)

deercamp said:


> We are just south of Boston and in our area they are saying possibly 30-36".  A couple things I find amusing when this stuff happens.
> Everyone has to fill there gas tank in their car.  Why is that?  You shouldn't be going anywhere in this weather if you don't have to.



The thought is that for those without alternative heat sources, their only way to warm up may be the heater in their idling vehicle. If the power is out for days, when gas pumps can't pump what's left in their holding tanks, one could easily idle a half tank of gas or more in a prolonged power outage, hence the recommendation of at least a half full gas tank.

Unfortunately, if people can't get their car out of the garage due to the snow, they often think idling it with the garage door open will disperse the CO, which it doesn't. We had a fatality in Maine in my response area from this in the blizzard of 2013.

If the vehicle is running outside, but the exhaust pipe is blocked with snow, the exact same thing can happen.

So, be particularly careful with running generators and vehicles alike !  CO kills !


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## hossthehermit (Jan 26, 2015)

Just called my former boss and left him a message that I won't be in tomorrow .................................


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## alternativeheat (Jan 26, 2015)

DMKNLD said:


> The Cape is certainly exposed, sitting out there taking the brunt of this Nor'easter. With the warm gulf stream moisture being fed into the upper jet stream winds, that is driving cold air down from the arctic circle with the resulting rapid drop in pressure, it has all the signature components of a winter hurricane.
> 
> Snowfall amounts have gotten most of the media coverage, but the wind and storm surge induced coastal flooding, particularly during the high tides, are what the Weather Channel is reporting as the over looked threats in this storm.
> 
> Batten down out there, brother !


We are as ready as we are going to be ! An that's about that..


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## St_Earl (Jan 26, 2015)

http://i.imgur.com/eJB1DiF.jpg

mild profanity. severe lols


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## JD76ERS (Jan 26, 2015)

St_Earl said:


> http://i.imgur.com/eJB1DiF.jpg
> 
> mild profanity. severe lols


That is hilarious


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## alternativeheat (Jan 26, 2015)

hossthehermit said:


> Just called my former boss and left him a message that I won't be in tomorrow .................................


Hey, I should have done that considering the times I blew out my driveway at 4 Am so as to be at work for 6 just to find nobody there, no messages on my phone and no Email saying work was cancelled. Nice, office people don't think of mechanics till their car doesn't run and then it's not a good thought at that.. But since we are signing Friday the agreement for the lump sum of my severance package, which triggers my retirement in benefits in May 9 of those not received as yet or tghus far) guess I'll pass on that idea.


DMKNLD said:


> The thought is that for those without alternative heat sources, their only way to warm up may be the heater in their idling vehicle. If the power is out for days, when gas pumps can't pump what's left in their holding tanks, one could easily idle a half tank of gas or more in a prolonged power outage, hence the recommendation of at least a half full gas tank.
> 
> Unfortunately, if people can't get their car out of the garage due to the snow, they often think idling it with the garage door open will disperse the CO, which it doesn't. We had a fatality in Maine in my response area from this in the blizzard of 2013.
> 
> ...


I've known of people who check into motels in these situations. That's all well and good but make sure they have generator backup. I know of a pharmacist who rather than traverse the Sagamore Bridge and 30 miles north in the big storm in 2013 checked into the motel down the street from our house when she got off work... Well they don't have a generator and we lost power here at about 8:20  PM that night for three days. She paid to stay in a dark frigged room over night..  She said the power went out almost as soon as she got settled into her room.

That time we lost major trunk power lines leading onto the Cape which they since have upgraded. I have higher hopes for this storm to not put us out as long. Those trunk lines didn't even have good access to them so they first had to clear a way in that time. But we shall see. Prime time approaches !


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## ChandlerR (Jan 26, 2015)

For you weather junkies....

http://earth.nullschool.net/#current/wind/surface/level/orthographic=-85.88,34.68,1104


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## chken (Jan 26, 2015)

It's supposed to be 20 to 34" around here, but it'll be cold so that means light and fluffy. I'm thinking and hoping this will be a big to-do about very little. It's the ice storms that worry me.


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## St_Earl (Jan 26, 2015)

ChandlerR said:


> For you weather junkies....
> 
> http://earth.nullschool.net/#current/wind/surface/level/orthographic=-85.88,34.68,1104


It's... it's... beautiful


chken said:


> It's supposed to be 20 to 34" around here, but it'll be cold so that means light and fluffy. I'm thinking and hoping this will be a big to-do about very little. It's the ice storms that worry me.



yeah. or the 31- 32 degree wet cement snow that pulls down trees.
nevertheless, i have my power outage clothes gathered and ready to go. and i will be clearing the steps and the spot where genny goes as the snow accumulates.


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## bcarton (Jan 26, 2015)

In an odd twist, my 88yo mother-in-law is sleeping on our living room couch, but I just dropped my wife off so she can spend the night in a fancy room at an old folk's home She has to be there to serve breakfast at 6:45 tomorrow, right when the roads will be getting really bad. I'm hoping chken is right, and the snow stays light and fluffy.


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## SidecarFlip (Jan 26, 2015)

Mostly sunny here tomorow and 31 degrees.  Have fun....  Stay warm


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## LordmetalZ28 (Jan 26, 2015)

Here we go. Hold onto your butts


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## chken (Jan 26, 2015)

I am going to use my new 500cfm leaf blower on the light fluffy snow tomorrow morning!


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## whitetailscout (Jan 26, 2015)

So, rookie question here, but will a pellet stove be damaged by the power going out?


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## St_Earl (Jan 26, 2015)

it should not if you have it on a good surge suppressor.

and even if not, probably (possibly) not.
but always have a good surge suppressor.


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## whitetailscout (Jan 26, 2015)

St_Earl said:


> it should not if you have it on a good surge suppressor.
> 
> and even if not, probably (possibly) not.
> but always have a good surge suppressor.



And will the smoke clear itself through the chimney?


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## Jack Morrissey (Jan 26, 2015)

ChandlerR said:


> For you weather junkies....
> 
> http://earth.nullschool.net/#current/wind/surface/level/orthographic=-85.88,34.68,1104


 very cool


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## TimfromMA (Jan 27, 2015)

About 4" of snow here as of midnight.


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## Dr.Faustus (Jan 27, 2015)

about 1 inch here. looks like the storm is a bust.


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## LordmetalZ28 (Jan 27, 2015)

So much for that. Thankfully


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## alternativeheat (Jan 27, 2015)

At midnight we had 6-1/2 inches here on the upper Cape, the winds right now @ 4:50 AM are 36- 45 MPH sustained, top gust thus far 60 MPH. Looking outside ( with lights on so far anyway) the snow looks to be maybe a foot deep with  2-3 ft drifts.  Supposed to be like this all day down here, around 6 or 7 PM we get a little tapering it appears with winds dropping back to the 20's.. Tomorrow partly cloudy, sunny. I've been up for over an hour and have not seen the lights of a plow truck go by yet, I think they stopped plowing for a bit here. I imagine it blows back in as fast as they plow it out. I can remember that happening from my years plowing and when the winds were high..


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## Lake Girl (Jan 27, 2015)

NYC area was trying to be prepared after the mess that Buffalo had this winter...  but Mother Nature can be a fickle mistress!  Looks like Mass. will be hit harder by this...

alternativeheat - hang in there, stay warm and safe inside!


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## Lake Girl (Jan 27, 2015)

Jack Morrissey said:


> very cool



Impressive - hardly a puff of breeze in my neck of the woods (northwest of lake superior).  Glad I'm not on the east coast...


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## alternativeheat (Jan 27, 2015)

Lake Girl said:


> Impressive - hardly a puff of breeze in my neck of the woods (northwest of lake superior).  Glad I'm not on the east coast...


We presently are in the 12-18" zone according to the whiz bang meteorologists.. It's the wind and drifting. The wind blowing like this drives me nuts just waiting for the wham of a transformer blowing ( we have about three of them near our house, they blow like a small bomb, blue flash, smoke show and that's that.). I'm amazed the power didn't go out overnight. We shall see how the day goes. Supposed to get a mix of rain and snow for a short time this afternoon. I'd love to blow out the driveway before that happens but it would be a fruitless venture in this wind and still more snow to go.. I'd come in looking like a snow man and the driveway looking untouched an hour later !


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## Paul Breton Jr (Jan 27, 2015)

Weather man realy screwed the pouch on this one. How can they be wrong so many times and keep there job. I want to be a weather man


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## Bridgeman (Jan 27, 2015)

Nice public hysteria. I think we need to get a grip. Is this what we do now when it snows? A little less panic and little more preparation goes a long way. This light, dry snow is easy to deal with. Relax this will be over in a few hours.


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## alternativeheat (Jan 27, 2015)

Paul Breton Jr said:


> Weather man realy screwed the pouch on this one. How can they be wrong so many times and keep there job. I want to be a weather man


I'm glad it missed you guys ! I'm personally sick of listening to the wind here, it came up last night just about 7 PM when they said it would. We have a respectable dumping of snow out there thus far as well. Still snowing , still blowing here. You are lucky. But the wind has turned into the north here presently, blew NE all night. When it swings NW this thing is over. And good bye !


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## MadMax31 (Jan 27, 2015)

Dusting NE of Albany... My work sent out an email telling Albany area Techs to stay home unless the Boss calls... Kids are off but Wifes School isnt.... Just Daddy and the Kids today..


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## NHcpa (Jan 27, 2015)

Still calling for high winds and single digit temps here.  Call me crazy or just overly prepared,  I closed all the windows and turned the heat on. Also have both stoves going, mostly for ambiance.


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## bogieb (Jan 27, 2015)

deercamp said:


> We are just south of Boston and in our area they are saying possibly 30-36".  A couple things I find amusing when this stuff happens.
> Everyone has to fill there gas tank in their car.  Why is that?  You shouldn't be going anywhere in this weather if you don't have to. The other one is that you need a cooler in case you loose power. What is wrong with sticking it outside?   I could  go on but this is just a few things I find funny when we have a storm. Stay safe.
> 
> GO PATRIOTS



My car is the biggest gas can I have. If I have to, I can syphon gas out for the generator, or if the generator bites it, I can run the car to warm up a bit and charge the phone.

The cooler is to keep everything in one spot. Also, some of that stuff shouldn't freeze, so keeping in a cooler makes it easier to move into and out of cold areas. One year I rotated coolers of stuff for 4 days keeping lettuce and stuff from freezing, but cold enough not to go bad - coolers just make it easier - and keeps animal out - except bears.


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## Pellet-King (Jan 27, 2015)

Storms a bust maybe 6" here, eastern ct all the way up to maine coast seeing heavier band of snow on radar, NY you should all go to work, It's over


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## TimfromMA (Jan 27, 2015)

Its 7AM.

Wind has really pick up the the snow is drifting quite a bit so getting an accurate measurement of the snow is difficult. It appears that about a foot has fallen so far.


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## alternativeheat (Jan 27, 2015)

I went outside to brush off and re- cover over my snow blower. There are drifts of up to close to 4' out there in places, especially the south side of the house where the snow has dumped in from around the sides and over the roof and settled there. it's gonna be a bit longer snow blow job this time, though at least so far the snow isn't very heavy and wet. Actually the temp dropped to 25, a good sign for fluffy snow.


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## moey (Jan 27, 2015)

about 6 inches by me started only a couple hours ago though


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## JD76ERS (Jan 27, 2015)

The wind is gusting around 45mph, lots of very high drifts.  Avg measurement is just under 13 inches so far still white out conditions looks like still have heavy bands on the way throughout the day.


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## Harvey Schneider (Jan 27, 2015)

I was ready to wake up to 12"+. Imagine my surprise when I opened the front door this morining and I could see the pavers of my front walk. We got a few inches at most. 
There is still some snow coming down, but I think we can laugh at the blizzard of '15.


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## alternativeheat (Jan 27, 2015)

Harvey Schneider said:


> I was ready to wake up to 12"+. Imagine my surprise when I opened the front door this morining and I could see the pavers of my front walk. We got a few inches at most.
> There is still some snow coming down, but I think we can laugh at the blizzard of '15.


Another lucky one !! We aren't hearing from any SE Ma people though but me. Right now it's pretty close to white out conditions here.


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## TimfromMA (Jan 27, 2015)

8:30AM.

Here what it look like in my driveway.


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## the cug (Jan 27, 2015)

Bridgeman said:


> Nice public hysteria. I think we need to get a grip. Is this what we do now when it snows? A little less panic and little more preparation goes a long way. This light, dry snow is easy to deal with. Relax this will be over in a few hours.


cnn needed something to talk about. what a bust it was for them.


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## bcarton (Jan 27, 2015)

My house looks a lot like Tim's. About 20+ inches, so much drifting there's no way to measure.  At 4 AM there was maybe 6".  Pilgrim Power Plant in Plymouth, MA is offline, two of their main lines that carry power from the plant went down so they shut the plant down.  NE's electricity grid just got a lot less powered.


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## Brian L (Jan 27, 2015)

About 18" so far in northwest ri. I wish this wind would die down a bit so i can start clearing. I only have one place to move the snow and of course that is into the wind.


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## scajjr2 (Jan 27, 2015)

About 21" so far here in Kingston, NH and still snowing. Went to take the dog out this morning (and Miles is a 140lb St. Bernard/Great Pyrenees mix) and the poor dog could hardly move.

Sam


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## ChandlerR (Jan 27, 2015)

About 20 inches here in Hampton, NH. As much as I don't want to, I have to go out and make an attempt to clear the driveway and walks. If I wait until the snow stops, my snowblower will not be able to clear it.


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## alternativeheat (Jan 27, 2015)

About as even a spot as I can see out. onto a corner of the deck, the gas grill.


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## alternativeheat (Jan 27, 2015)

Brian L said:


> About 18" so far in northwest ri. I wish this wind would die down a bit so i can start clearing. I only have one place to move the snow and of course that is into the wind.


I hear ya there, I want to get clean up under way too !! But futile in this wind with a snow blower. I have a feeling it's going to happen tonight or later afternoon, not now..


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## bogieb (Jan 27, 2015)

scajjr2 said:


> About 21" so far here in Kingston, NH and still snowing. Went to take the dog out this morning (and Miles is a 140lb St. Bernard/Great Pyrenees mix) and the poor dog could hardly move.
> 
> Sam



You guys are getting hammered. 8-9" in Hillsboro, NH so far. Went out and cleared at about 6". Snowing a bit heavier now, but we only have had a few gusts of wind. Still have quite a few hours to go, so it could change for me later.


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## jatoxico (Jan 27, 2015)

Not a bust here, still snowin' and blowin'. Doubt it will be 30" but there's prob >20" not counting the drifts.


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## alternativeheat (Jan 27, 2015)

ChandlerR said:


> About 20 inches here in Hampton, NH. As much as I don't want to, I have to go out and make an attempt to clear the driveway and walks. If I wait until the snow stops, my snowblower will not be able to clear it.


Good luck with that ! I'm waiting a bit longer, my blower has drift cutters. I have a lot of driveway though for a walk behind and I'm sure the plows have left a hell of a banking down there. Haven't looked, don't want to !! Actually a bit later I may just cut a path through  so the tenant can get his truck out and do the rest tomorrow when this all dies down. I hate this crap !!


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## infinitymike (Jan 27, 2015)

I haven't been outside yet, but from what I can see in my back yard in Northport, LI, maybe 10-12"
The way the wind was blowing, part of my deck is completely clear.


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## woodmakesheat (Jan 27, 2015)

Both front and rear screen/storm doors have 3' of snow pushed up against them, so much fun having to force your way out of your own house 

20 - 25" so far, 18-24" predicted. May get another 6-12" by 8PM. I wish it was a bust!!


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## DMKNLD (Jan 27, 2015)

^ Similar here in Central Maine - blowin' like stink and 7 degrees F temps with - 25 F wind chills and whiteout conditions.

The pic is the view out my rear slider to the back deck, which part of is wind blasted down to the deck boards, with the rest buried in a 3' snow drift. My teen girls will be crawling out the side window to get out to shovel it !

Notice I still have my slider door's screen in - the bitter irony !


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## bcarton (Jan 27, 2015)

You all probably know this, but please make sure your vents are clear!


----------



## woodmakesheat (Jan 27, 2015)

bcarton said:


> You all probably know this, but please make sure your vents are clear!



Great advice, please make sure yours is clear! My OAK wasn't, the screen was frozen over.  Found out when burn pot was almost overflowing. I removed the OAK hose and reversed my vacuum to blow it out - saw some black ice crystals blown onto snow as I looked out a window (I can't get out of house yet - still snowed in.) It took a while running the stirrer continuously, air on max and setting the stove on minimum feed before I could burn off most of the pellets. Cleaned it out, blew out the OAK again and started it - it's running fine now - whew! I'm going to blow out the OAK periodically from in here until I can get out there and clean the snow, although blowing it out from the inside is actually better than wiping it from the outside.


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## ChandlerR (Jan 27, 2015)

bcarton said:


> You all probably know this, but please make sure your vents are clear!



Good reminder!  Just cleared mine.


----------



## snocross1985 (Jan 27, 2015)

Over 2 feet in Stratham NH and it's still snowing hard. Supposed to pick up another 6 inches before it wraps up tonight.


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## newf lover (Jan 27, 2015)

In North Windham CT we got about 2 feet. Hasn't stopped snowing yet. The dog is happy, we are not. No garage, no snow blower, rocks for a driveway. Need to do something about that this summer as we are too old to shovel. No kids on the street to hire. Everyone here is either over 60 with no kids at home, or young with kids under 8. We had kids home until this year, but now we're on our own. It is pretty light so we will be fine. Be happy if it you missed it!


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## Lake Girl (Jan 27, 2015)

newf lover said:


> In North Windham CT we got about 2 feet. Hasn't stopped snowing yet. The dog is happy, we are not. No garage, no snow blower, rocks for a driveway. Need to do something about that this summer as we are too old to shovel. No kids on the street to hire. Everyone here is either over 60 with no kids at home, or young with kids under 8. We had kids home until this year, but now we're on our own. It is pretty light so we will be fine. Be happy if it you missed it!



Time to get some money tucked away for a snow blower ... worth the price to let it do the heavy lifting.  Just keep some shear bolts handy for the errant rock


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## alternativeheat (Jan 27, 2015)

newf lover said:


> In North Windham CT we got about 2 feet. Hasn't stopped snowing yet. The dog is happy, we are not. No garage, no snow blower, rocks for a driveway. Need to do something about that this summer as we are too old to shovel. No kids on the street to hire. Everyone here is either over 60 with no kids at home, or young with kids under 8. We had kids home until this year, but now we're on our own. It is pretty light so we will be fine. Be happy if it you missed it!


I don't know , there might be a kid out there today that would shovel snow for a few buck but it would be a rare one from my observation.


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## alternativeheat (Jan 27, 2015)

Lake Girl said:


> Time to get some money tucked away for a snow blower ... worth the price to let it do the heavy lifting.  Just keep some shear bolts handy for the errant rock


Or sticks, that's what usually gets mine ! But ya a snow blower. I have stone over macadam and an Ariens Pro, I haven't had a stone blow out a pin yet, it's always some stick buried under the snow came down overnight or what ever .. Anyway, raise the skids an inch or so, good to go.  It will toss a few stones now and then, not bad they move a lot of snow if you get a decent machine.!.


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## scajjr2 (Jan 27, 2015)

Up to about 27" inches now. Wife and I had the day off, power has never even flickered, P43 keeping the house a nice 71. 
Shoveled out a small area for the dog near the back door. We usually take 3-4 1/3-1/2 mile walks every day. He goes out, looks at the now higher than him wall of snow and looks at me like WTF?

Sam


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## alternativeheat (Jan 27, 2015)

scajjr2 said:


> Up to about 27" inches now. Wife and I had the day off, power has never even flickered, P43 keeping the house a nice 71.
> Shoveled out a small area for the dog near the back door. We usually take 3-4 1/3-1/2 mile walks every day. He goes out, looks at the now higher than him wall of snow and looks at me like WTF?
> 
> Sam


Just tell him, ya it sucks pall take your squirt and lets get back inside ! Our tenant did the same thing with his dog!! And I dug my way to the snow blower at daylight this morning but no sign of let up to actually blow it out yet. There is a lot of snow to remove.


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## alternativeheat (Jan 27, 2015)

Ah a brighter sign. Still snowing but the wind has died back to 22 MPH, been like that for close to a half hour now. This might be real and I can go snow blow before full darkness sets in. I can finish up in the morning. I'd like to get this deep stuff out of there.


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## woodmakesheat (Jan 27, 2015)

My back hurts. Can only get to the back by cutting a path around the house.That door opens outward.


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## alternativeheat (Jan 27, 2015)

woodmakesheat said:


> My back hurts. Can only get to the back by cutting a path around the house.That door opens outward.
> View attachment 151868


same here, i have about 4' on the deck, I'll snow blow around to it. But the long way around because of the fence the short way, can't get the gate open. That will be tomorrow, if I can get the driveway passable tonight I'll be happy.


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## Lake Girl (Jan 27, 2015)

scajjr2 said:


> Up to about 27" inches now. Wife and I had the day off, power has never even flickered, P43 keeping the house a nice 71.
> Shoveled out a small area for the dog near the back door. We usually take 3-4 1/3-1/2 mile walks every day. He goes out, looks at the now higher than him wall of snow and looks at me like WTF?
> 
> Sam



My girl, german shepherd, really hates blowing snow ... does her thing and then wants back in.  We normally do a mile or mile and a half for one walk with a couple shorter ones ... mainly likes her doggy crack - fresh critter prints to smell.   Only prints that are of no interest are the fresh wolf ones we had in November...


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## Brian L (Jan 27, 2015)

All clean here. About 24" and some huge drifts. Snowing good again so another round after dinner.


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## linc1216 (Jan 27, 2015)

South Jersey, dodged the predicted possible 2' of snow. There's just a dusting on the ground.


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## alternativeheat (Jan 27, 2015)

Just got done, at least the big bulk snow and drifts are out of the driveway. My driveway on most average storms takes me 30- 40 minutes . This was 1-1/2 hours. Drifts coming over the front of the machine above my drift cutters, had to go slow in those areas. Plus I did the tenants parking area as well and a path out to my generator. I'll dig that out tomorrow.. I still have our side parking to do but we all can get out now if need be at least. It's gonna snow more anyway, I'll probably be doing this again minus the depth !


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## Flammam (Jan 27, 2015)

No 30 inches here as predicted. Maybe 8 inches of fluffy stuff the snowblower blew right through. I'm glad the Governor closed down the roads so I could lose a day of pay. Should I file for one day of state forced unemployment??


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## alternativeheat (Jan 27, 2015)

Flammam said:


> No 30 inches here as predicted. Maybe 8 inches of fluffy stuff the snowblower blew right through. I'm glad the Governor closed down the roads so I could lose a day of pay. Should I file for one day of state forced unemployment??


Sure let us know how that turns out lol !


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## earl764 (Jan 27, 2015)

The good part about the drifts are that the snow makes a great extra layer of insulation. 

I can turn the stove down one setting in this old leaky joint.


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## bcarton (Jan 27, 2015)

We had at least 30".  I've been in this house 18 years and have never seen this much snow at this location.  Thankfully it's not going to warm up or rain within the next few days, or I'd be panicking about the roof.  For a while I thought the drifts were going to bury my vent- which goes up through the chimney.

Stove is in a one story family room that connects the garage to a 2-story colonial.  The bottom of this window is about 6" above the peak of the family room's roof. Sorry for the thumb.


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## JD76ERS (Jan 27, 2015)

Just finished shoveling, huge drifts around vehicles.  Back killing me, luckily nice and warm in the house.  Glad this is over.  Hope everyone is safe.


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## Harvey Schneider (Jan 27, 2015)

bcarton said:


> Thankfully it's not going to warm up or rain within the next few days, or I'd be panicking about the roof.


That's not a good thing. Snow will soak up water like a sponge. The weight can bring down a roof. Wet snow can weight 200kg/m3. That's four time the weight of dry snow.

Edit
I am referring to rain water being soaked up, not the melt.


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## packofqtips (Jan 27, 2015)

if i had to go to work  no state driving ban would stop me.  While the idea may be good, i dont like the government telling us what to do in the name of personal safety.
If i want to go drive in a blizzard thats on me.  i also understand that in poor conditions if i get into an accident  help may not arrive on time.


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## mepellet (Jan 27, 2015)

27" as of a couple hours ago and we still have quite a few more hours to go. Going to be a long day of cleanup tomorrow....


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## Lake Girl (Jan 28, 2015)

packofqtips said:


> if i had to go to work  no state driving ban would stop me.  While the idea may be good, i dont like the government telling us what to do in the name of personal safety.
> If i want to go drive in a blizzard thats on me.  i also understand that in poor conditions if i get into an accident  help may not arrive on time.



At least one person ended up dead in Buffalo trying to get to work and trapped in vehicle... may have been more.  Government caught in a tough spot - trying to protect people from being their own worst enemy and if they don't do something like that you can bet someone would be talking to an attorney. 

Abandoned vehicles can become a real issue for emergency services and snow removal ... think about it ...


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## packofqtips (Jan 28, 2015)

I agree people shouldn't be out. But you can't legislate the stupid out of people.   Otherwise they never learn to think for themselves.


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## St_Earl (Jan 28, 2015)

whitetailscout said:


> And will the smoke clear itself through the chimney?



if you have a vertical rise and proper venting, it should.
i have also read of people who have direct vents (straight out w/ no vertical rise) who said they had the smoke clear.

even a direct vent should have an upward angle.
personally, i would always choose  to have a vertical rise.

people use ups units to have the stove run on battery power for a short time after an outage.
i've never thought through specifically how that helps unless you are there to stop the stove from feeding.
or if it's just to keep it running till you get the generator fired up.
but i know i have read that the ups serves to insure the smoke is cleared.

perhaps someone with experience with a ups can detail the exact process.


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## alternativeheat (Jan 28, 2015)

packofqtips said:


> if i had to go to work  no state driving ban would stop me.  While the idea may be good, i dont like the government telling us what to do in the name of personal safety.
> If i want to go drive in a blizzard thats on me.  i also understand that in poor conditions if i get into an accident  help may not arrive on time.



I suspect  that if you told the officer that your boss called you into work they would clear you but then again I can't say that for sure, I just suspect so in working road details plowing.. In a more general thought ,  If your vehicle isn't wearing marking lights and or commercial or state plates, fire rescue, private plow contractor etc. you run the risk of $500 fine here in Ma.. But you know what ?  I've seen the idiots during bans when I was plowing in my younger years, that element of the public has earned the ban quite frankly. Unless you witness what goes on you can't  fathom the stupidity. So blame them and the storm itself. I'm no fan of big government but on this one I fully understand. I don't like being stuck any more than the next person incidentally.

Hey we had a couple here yesterday morning at 3 am that had to go watch the waves at the beach. Well the waves took their SUV and flipped it into the Eel river. They managed to get out of the car and crawl up the banks of the river. Fortunately no kids in the car cause the SUV is still missing. It's probably out in the bay someplace. But now rescue had to respond for a couple of idiots who shouldn't have been out in the first place. People like this are why the bans are put in place. I think I'll go do something stupid, Oh no I'm in trouble come help me ? Those are the ones who generated "your"ban, get mad at them.


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## TimfromMA (Jan 28, 2015)

Final snow tally for my town was 34"


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## woodmakesheat (Jan 28, 2015)

TimfromMA said:


> Final snow tally for my town was 34"



Damn, I don't think I got that much, will wait for "official" totals as I got a lot of blowing and drifting at my location. Are you in the "Worcester Hills" area?


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## TimfromMA (Jan 28, 2015)

woodmakesheat said:


> Damn, I don't think I got that much, will wait for "official" totals as I got a lot of blowing and drifting at my location. Are you in the "Worcester Hills" area?



Im about 15 miles SE of Worcester


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## branchburner (Jan 28, 2015)

alternativeheat said:


> Well the waves took their SUV and flipped it into the Eel river.



Not to worry, our insurance premiums will buy them a new SUV.


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## Brian L (Jan 28, 2015)

branchburner said:


> Not to worry, our insurance premiums will buy them a new SUV.


It sure will. Stupidity is covered by insurance.


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## DMKNLD (Jan 28, 2015)

Here's our back deck snow drift at the end of the storm - about 4 1/2' tall . My daughters are out there in the their snowshoes digging it out as we speak, before the next of two more storms come in, that are predicted to dump another foot or more for Friday, and then again on Monday. Enough already ! 

Tough to guess what we ended up with for snow total from this storm with all the drifting - our nearby towns got 25 and 27 inches, and typically we get 3 or 4 more inches here given the local topographic ridge feature that rings out a little more uplift moisture.

Luckily we didn't need our emergency water rations from the water jug in the pic - amazing that there were very few power outages considering the sustained veracity of the wind gusts we had, and the cold temps for the foreseeable future.

I'm envious of you NY'ers and CT folks, where the snowfall predictions were a bust. Hope all you fellow New Englanders who got hammered like us in Maine are fairing OK.


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## woodmakesheat (Jan 28, 2015)

TimfromMA said:


> Im about 15 miles SE of Worcester



That's pretty close to where my woman lives (Milford).



> By the end of the blizzard of 2015 snow totals in Milford reached three feet and with winds, some snow drifts had that amount doubled.



and...


> It was a snow storm for the record books in Worcester when the blizzard of 2015 dropped more than 33.5 inches of snow, surpassing the previous record of 33 inches from the April Fool's Day storm in 1997.



Yep, this was one for the record books. Or a "bust" depending where you were at.


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## TimfromMA (Jan 28, 2015)

woodmakesheat said:


> That's pretty close to where my woman lives (Milford).



That's where I am.


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## alternativeheat (Jan 28, 2015)

DMKNLD said:


> Here's our back deck snow drift at the end of the storm - about 4 1/2' tall . My daughters are out there in the their snowshoes digging it out as we speak, before the next of two more storms come in, that are predicted to dump another foot or more for Friday, and then again on Monday. Enough already !
> 
> Tough to guess what we ended up with for snow total from this storm with all the drifting - our nearby towns got 25 and 27 inches, and typically we get 3 or 4 more inches here given the local topographic ridge feature that rings out a little more uplift moisture.
> 
> ...


Yep, it's coming. I just went out and blew back the driveway, made a wider swath than yesterday. My deck has about 4' on it as well. Not sure what I'm doing with that yet but it's not happening today what ever it is. I've had it for now. Not getting any younger  !! The deck is ground level pavers, so guess I'll run the blower out there tomorrow.


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## alternativeheat (Jan 28, 2015)

Brian L said:


> It sure will. Stupidity is covered by insurance.


Insurance companies should come up with the ultimate "Stupid Policy". You want to be stupid buy this policy and leave the rest of us alone.


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## DMKNLD (Jan 28, 2015)

alternativeheat said:


> Yep, it's coming. I just went out and blew back the driveway, made a wider swath than yesterday. My deck has about 4' on it as well. Not sure what I'm doing with that yet but it's not happening today what ever it is. I've had it for now. Not getting any younger  !! The deck is ground level pavers, so guess I'll run the blower out there tomorrow.



I hear ya, brother ! Blowing 3'+ of windblown snow with my Simplicity garden tractor and the 42" blower was the hardest I've ever pushed it to get the driveway open for the wife to get to work this morning. I really needed some snow drift cutter bars on the edges of the snow blower to be able to cut the banks back.

So I'm flying the white flag and paying my next door neighbor to come finish my driveway and front yard. His 4WD Kubota with a front end loader and his rear PTO snow blower will make a lot quicker and easier work of it than I could !

Stay safe out there on the Cape - 'after storm' cleanup hazards can be dangerous and deadly. There will be some heart attacks no doubt trying to move this stuff, or people falling off their roofs trying to shovel them before the next storm(s) come in.


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## Lake Girl (Jan 28, 2015)

NYC and CT should be glad the predictions were wrong - stayed off shore.  If NYC had gotten the predicted snow, removal would have been a nightmare...


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## alternativeheat (Jan 28, 2015)

DMKNLD said:


> I hear ya, brother ! Blowing 3'+ of windblown snow with my Simplicity garden tractor and the 42" blower was the hardest I've ever pushed it to get the driveway open for the wife to get to work this morning. I really needed some snow drift cutter bars on the edges of the snow blower to be able to cut the banks back.
> 
> So I'm flying the white flag and paying my next door neighbor to come finish my driveway and front yard. His 4WD Kubota with a front end loader and his rear PTO snow blower will make a lot quicker and easier work of it than I could !
> 
> Stay safe out there on the Cape - 'after storm' cleanup hazards can be dangerous and deadly. There will be some heart attacks no doubt trying to move this stuff, or people falling off their roofs trying to shovel them before the next storm(s) come in.


My Ariens has drift cutters, in some places the snow was over them. And this morning the banking the state left was frozen so in widening that out I had to take 1/4 and 1/2 swipes from where I left off yesterday. The good news is we only had an additional 3" of fluff over night. I'm done for now I need to rest.
Edit:: I've said it before, this is too much driveway for a walk behind. I have a Garden tractor now with locking diff. I think that's getting a blower in the not so distant future. Maybe a Berco ?


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## Lake Girl (Jan 28, 2015)

The only complaint I have using the Kubota with the blower is that hands and feet get cold before I get all the cleaning up done.  I always forget to put the warm packs in my boots.  We usually have a lot colder temps here though ...

We have a long enough driveway and shared laneway that it takes awhile.  Then I do a quick pass on the neighbours drive to make sure they can get out in case of emergency (2 little ones in the house).  Leave the rest of his snow removal to his snowblower.  The other neighbour`s drive I would have a hard time doing as it is all up-hill and steep.  He prefers to snowblow his anyway.


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## alternativeheat (Jan 28, 2015)

Lake Girl said:


> The only complaint I have using the Kubota with the blower is that hands and feet get cold before I get all the cleaning up done.  I always forget to put the warm packs in my boots.  We usually have a lot colder temps here though ...
> 
> We have a long enough driveway and shared laneway that it takes awhile.  Then I do a quick pass on the neighbours drive to make sure they can get out in case of emergency (2 little ones in the house).  Leave the rest of his snow removal to his snowblower.  The other neighbour`s drive I would have a hard time doing as it is all up-hill and steep.  He prefers to snowblow his anyway.



Yes that is a concern. One thing you don't do with a walk behind is get particularly cold, I usually come in soaked, especially if the sun pops out like today.


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## cybex (Jan 28, 2015)

My neighbor opened up my driveway. I walked up to the cab to thank him, he swings open the door and I get hit by a blast of heat and classical music. Lol
I'd say he's enjoying using his machine.


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## DMKNLD (Jan 28, 2015)

cybex said:


> My neighbor opened up my driveway. I walked up to the cab to thank him, he swings open the door and I get hit by a blast of heat and classical music. Lol
> I'd say he's enjoying using his machine.



Now that's a sweet rig worth some serious 'seat time' in !


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## Lake Girl (Jan 28, 2015)

cybex said:


> My neighbor opened up my driveway. I walked up to the cab to thank him, he swings open the door and I get hit by a blast of heat and classical music. Lol
> I'd say he's enjoying using his machine.



We've got his little baby brother   Soft cab, no heater and no radio but my back sure appreciates it!!


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## cybex (Jan 28, 2015)

Lake Girl said:


> We've got his little baby brother   Soft cab, no heater and no radio but my back sure appreciates it!!


  Sheltered from wind and blowback is key. And you could use your ipod for tunes.


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## DMKNLD (Jan 28, 2015)

cybex said:


> Sheltered from wind and blowback is key. And you could use your ipod for tunes.



My best tool toy purchase, hands down, was a Craig's List cab for the garden tractor - no more abominable snowman ! Even without a heater, the shell keeps in enough engine and tranny heat to keep it comfortable enough in single digit temps for the 3 hours I was in it last night trying to bust 3' snow drifts ! I'm buying some drift cutter bars to put on the blower tomorrow.

My vintage K-series Kohler engine is so loud and rattly that whenever I run it on WOT (wide open throttle) it sounds like it could 'grenade' at any minute ! So even with ear buds inside my ear protector muffs it's not a particularly good music experience. 

Certainly not appropriate decor for a 'man cave', please excuse what my teen daughters razz me for - my 'girly man'  pink roll cart tool box in the right background - it was formerly a pediatric 'crash cart' that was a freebie from our local hospital, just never got around to re-painting it.


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## alternativeheat (Jan 29, 2015)

DMKNLD said:


> My best tool toy purchase, hands down, was a Craig's List cab for the garden tractor - no more abominable snowman ! Even without a heater, the shell keeps in enough engine and tranny heat to keep it comfortable enough in single digit temps for the 3 hours I was in it last night trying to bust 3' snow drifts ! I'm buying some drift cutter bars to put on the blower tomorrow.
> 
> My vintage K-series Kohler engine is so loud and rattly that whenever I run it on WOT (wide open throttle) it sounds like it could 'grenade' at any minute ! So even with ear buds inside my ear protector muffs it's not a particularly good music experience.
> 
> ...


Wow that's an oldie but goodie if I ever saw one. Well I have the GT but no blower or cab for it. Is that the old single cylinder Kohler ? I don't remember them rattling so bad as you describe.


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## DMKNLD (Jan 29, 2015)

alternativeheat said:


> Wow that's an oldie but goodie if I ever saw one. Well I have the GT but no blower or cab for it. Is that the old single cylinder Kohler ? I don't remember them rattling so bad as you describe.



Yes, it's a 1984 Sovereign 7114H, with the single cylinder 14 hp Kohler. They have great torque, so even with a single stage snow blower it will throw the snow 35 - 40'.

After we bought our 1870's farmhouse 7 years ago, I found it on Craig's List for $600, which included the belly mower and snow blower, so I've gotten more than my money's worth out if blowing our 7000 sq ft driveway and mowing our 3 acre yard over the years.

It's mostly the muffler that makes it so loud, which is original, exacerbated by a couple of rust holes in it. But even after an engine rebuild it is still a noisy beast. Kohler quit making the K-series engines I believe because they couldn't meet EPA exhaust specs.There's allot of them still out there, so it is easy to get parts for, but pricey. My local Simplicity dealer 5 miles down the road has had most every part I've needed for it in stock.


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## alternativeheat (Jan 29, 2015)

DMKNLD said:


> Yes, it's a 1984 Sovereign 7114H, with the single cylinder 14 hp Kohler. They have great torque, so even with a single stage snow blower it will throw the snow 35 - 40'.
> 
> After we bought our 1870's farmhouse 7 years age, I found it on Craig's List for $600, which included the belly mower and snow blower, so I've gotten more than my money's worth out if blowing our 7000 sq ft driveway and mowing our 3 acre yard over the years.
> 
> It's mostly the muffler that makes it so loud, which is original, exacerbated by a couple of rust holes in it. But even after an engine rebuild it is still a noisy beast. Kohler quit making the K-series engines I believe because they couldn't meet EPA exhaust specs.There's allot of them still out there, so it is easy to get parts for, but pricey. My local Simplicity dealer 5 miles down the road has had most every part I've needed for it in stock.


I came close to buying a Wheel Horse with that engine once, I remember the muffler being loud and it was not rotted, this was a new machine. I have a  MIghty Mac chipper I think has the same muffler on it ! Anyway in looking at that Wheel Horse I was devising ways in my mind to quiet the thing down. Something came up and I ended up not buying that machine and today I believe they no longer make that model ( probably 12 or 15 years ago now).


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## cybex (Jan 29, 2015)

DMKNLD said:


> My best tool toy purchase, hands down, was a Craig's List cab for the garden tractor - no more abominable snowman ! Even without a heater, the shell keeps in enough engine and tranny heat to keep it comfortable enough in single digit temps for the 3 hours I was in it last night trying to bust 3' snow drifts ! I'm buying some drift cutter bars to put on the blower tomorrow.
> 
> My vintage K-series Kohler engine is so loud and rattly that whenever I run it on WOT (wide open throttle) it sounds like it could 'grenade' at any minute ! So even with ear buds inside my ear protector muffs it's not a particularly good music experience.
> 
> ...


 
Lol. I'm color blind so it looks gray too me.

When I put the door on my skid steer, it seems so much louder. Resonates(?). Hmmm, I have a sound meter. I'll check to see.


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## cybex (Jan 29, 2015)

Nothing like roof raking early in the morning when its -4. Be back at tonight when I get home. Just trying to stay ahead. Yesterday was snow blowing all around the house to get to the house.


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## Doug MacIVER (Jan 30, 2015)

a lot of talk on twitter bout sun. nit-mon . interstate 90 storm. most models kickin up to another foot Chicago to Boston. then just a tad chilly after. time will tell.


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## alternativeheat (Jan 30, 2015)

Doug MacIVER said:


> a lot of talk on twitter bout sun. nit-mon . interstate 90 storm. most models kickin up to another foot Chicago to Boston. then just a tad chilly after. time will tell.


We got rain today, they are saying 2-4" of snow overnight into mid morning tomorrow. Sunday-Mon  is not really being discussed on the local weather yet. Between the sun yesterday and the rain today we need another foot to get our snow piles back up to snuff. NOT!


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## Doug MacIVER (Jan 30, 2015)

alternativeheat said:


> We got rain today, they are saying 2-4" of snow overnight into mid morning tomorrow. Sunday-Mon  is not really being discussed on the local weather yet. Between the sun yesterday and the rain today we need another foot to get our snow piles back up to snuff. NOT!


your rte 6 not interstate 90? who knows? enjoy the weekend.


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## cybex (Jan 30, 2015)

Weather just aired, 6 to 12" for the Cape. Mass Pike on south receives the most, as for now.  I catch a break.


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## scajjr2 (Jan 31, 2015)

cybex said:


> Weather just aired, 6 to 12" for the Cape. Mass Pike on south receives the most, as for now.  I catch a break.


Manchester NH Ch 9 now saying 10-18" for southern NH during the day Mon.

I grew up in Leominster BTW. Family moved to NH in summer of 67 when I was 13.

Sam


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## cybex (Jan 31, 2015)

scajjr2 said:


> Manchester NH Ch 9 now saying 10-18" for southern NH during the day Mon.
> 
> I grew up in Leominster BTW. Family moved to NH in summer of 67 when I was 13.
> 
> Sam


 
You know, I hesitaded on the that last post. Sure enough, snow totals have gone up.  Looks like alternativeheat receives less now.


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## DMKNLD (Jan 31, 2015)

I don't know about you fellow tractor guys, but I enjoy some winter 'seat time'  as much as anyone. But what sounds like will be our 2nd storm this week with temps in the single digits on Monday, with another one apparently right behind it on Wednesday, that will make it what - the 6th plow-able storm in 10 days ?

After doing more hours this week on the tractor than I did in the entirety of either the past 2 winters, I say enough already, at least with the storms in such close proximity ! Only saving grace with the high winds and frigid temps we've had here in Maine has been that the powder snow got wind blasted off all my roof lines, so I haven't had to roof rake yet.

I have a feeling that if the remainder of the winter continues on as it has been the past week, that I'll never be so happy, come spring, to put the belly mower on and be able to run the tractor over something that isn't white or frozen !! Hang in there everybody, it can only get better as the days get longer in February and beyond !


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## cybex (Jan 31, 2015)

Be nice if they could be spaced out at 2 week intervals. One after another sucks up alot of time.


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## firefighterjake (Feb 1, 2015)

My ATV's front drive went out yesterday ... fortunately I was just finishing up plowing. The bad news is ... a coming storm ... and the time and expense to fix this.


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