http://www.norfolkdailynews.com/main.asp?SectionID=3&SubSectionID=104&ArticleID=20630The last sentence of the article gives the statistics; for those living in New England or upstate New York, how do they compare with yours?
Of course, out here on the roof of Nebraska (I live north of Norfolk, the nearest big city), it's usually not the inchange of snow, but the per-hours mileage of snow. Plus the fact that there's fewer people in this part of Nebraska than there are in most neighborhoods of blue cities.
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Winds create havoc in trying to remove 18 inches of snowThe blizzard that struck Christmas eve and lasted all of Christmas day finally showed signs of letting up Saturday morning.
As a result, Saturday was expected to be a day of digging out for Norfolk and most of Northeast and North Central Nebraska.
The Nebraska State Patrol was not recommending travel in Northeast Nebraska on Saturday morning.
At one point on Friday night, nearly every major highway and other roads in Northeast Nebraska were closed, including Highway 81 from Yankton to Columbus and Highway 275 from Pilger to Norfolk.
In cities and towns, such as Norfolk, conditions weren't any better.
Norfolk Mayor Sue Fuchtman said it was one of the more memorable blizzards in years, mostly because of the wind. Probably the most fortunate thing was that it occurred on Christmas eve and Christmas when travel was not essential for most people.
"I don't know that we've experienced winds this consistent," Fuchtman said. "It seemed like it was consistently blowing. I can remember winds blowing hard four to six hours or eight hours, but this has been for a couple of days."
Fuchtman said she appreciated the businesses that closed and people who stayed off the streets, giving street crews a chance to do their jobs. After a blizzard like this, it will take some time to get all the streets cleared, she said.
The winds caused severe drifts, even in town. In some residential areas, drifts reached the roofs of some houses or were in excess of five feet on the street.
Al Roder, Norfolk city administrator, said all city snow removal crews were out at 2 a.m. on Saturday and were still working at 9 a.m. to clear the major arterial streets. Usually those streets can be cleared in three or four hours, but it was taking much longer because of the wind.
"Pushing the snow is not an issue," Roder said. "We got a foot of snow on Christmas and about six inches the day before that. That's not a problem. It's the 30 to 40 mph winds that keep blowing it back."
Roder said he anticipates that it will be 9 or 10 p.m. Saturday before Norfolk streets are cleared. Then with forecasts for winds to remain in the 20s over the next few days, it could be several days of work for street crews to keep the streets open, he said.
On Christmas day, crews were out just trying to keep the main routes available for people in case of emergencies. Because of the winds, that often meant that streets blew shut within about an hour after plows went through, he said.
Another thing hurting snow removal efforts on Saturday were stranded or stuck vehicles, Roder said. Snow plows were having to slow down or stop in some places because of abandoned vehicles, he said.
A snow emergency that was declared Thursday night in Norfolk remained in effect on Saturday. That means in areas where parking is normally allowed on both sides of streets, it is restricted to the even-side only. Better yet, crews were asking that all vehicles be removed from streets if possible.
Gary Sudbeck, manager of the Sunset Plaza mall, said efforts were to try and have the mall open at 10 a.m. Saturday, with noon being the latest planned opening. Snow plows had been working since 3 a.m. and had many of the parking lots cleared by 8 a.m. Saturday.
"That's the plan right now (for an opening at 10 a.m.)," Sudbeck said early Saturday morning.
note by franksolich: it didn't openThe day after Christmas typically is busy for merchants, with may businesses trying to help customers with exchanges or to be available to redeem gift cards, he said.
A trooper who drove Saturday morning before sunrise from Madison to Norfolk on Saturday morning said travel was treacherous.
The wind was still blowing, roads were 100 percent snow and ice covered and there were areas where white-out conditions existed, leaving drivers unable to tell where they were going, the trooper said.
The Nebraska Department of Roads sent plows out at 5:45 a.m. Saturday, but it would be hours before they would be able to get roads cleared, the trooper said. Until the winds let up later on Saturday, some roads will have to be replowed, he said.
Snow plows were pulled of the highways about 4 p.m. Friday. The only exception was when the patrol received calls of stranded motorists.
In those cases, a plow would lead the way to try and reach the motorist. About 35 to 40 people were rescued from their cars around Northeast Nebraska, the trooper said. Some people were able to get their vehicles pulled out, while others had to leave them on the highway, the trooper said.
Along with white-out conditions, the snow plow operators will have to avoid some abandoned vehicles on roads, which were expected to be towed into towns later on Saturday, the trooper said.
Efforts were being made to clear Highways 81 and 275 first then other highways such as 91, 32 and 13. Next, other roads will be plowed, the trooper said. Even with four-wheel drives, travel was expected to be difficult on Saturday, he said.
So far during December, Norfolk has received 28.4 inches of snow and more than 32.6 inches this season. That's more than three times the usual 10.4 inches of snow the city usually receives so far this early in the season.
