OK I'm freaking out. 8-14 inches of snow. 12 hour blizzard. 10 foot drifts, ICE

[Mr Mannn]

I did think ahead, and took today off. I requested it on Monday and got it. My company has a reputation for never closing no matter what. They did close once while I was there. I just called the company weather hotline. We are NOT closed, we have a delayed opening until noon. --I'm staying home.

Most roads are not passable. 4 wheel drives are getting stuck and blocking roads defined as "open."
The plows have all been out, but the wind is blowing snow right back onto the road.

[youtube=425,350]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3ZOKDmorj0[/youtube]

[Mr Mannn]

I thought I hear it, but the radio just confirmed it. THUNDER SNOW!

[njpines]

Update. 10:30 PM. about an inch and a half on the ground.
What gets me is the temperature: 34 degrees. Its above freezing and we still have that much snow on the ground!

I've been here 5 winters and each one has been completely different. Further I'm still amazed at what snow will do. Thunder snow is the freakiest thing I have ever encountered. You know that special "hush" during a snowstorm? Add thunder to that and you will think you're in the twilight zone. spooky...

We had a couple of thunder snows the winter of 2009/10 when the east coast had several nor'easters and a buttload of snow.  It IS freaky!! 

[NHSparky]

Ah, ain't winter wonderful?

From the 2008 NH ice storm:

[DumbAss Tanker]

I'm confused.

No brutal winters in Indiana during your earlier years?

And as a long time military professional, never stationed anywhere north?

It's good to watch Rebel endure the winter up in Alaska.  Weather builds character.

I lived in southern Indiana, in the Ohio River watershed, as a youth, not the chillier and flatter northern half of the state.  There are actually not many military installations besides USAF ones in the frozen north for several reasons, the only reason the USAF has them is as a legacy of the over-the-pole threat and counterthreat from the Cold War days, like Minot ND for instance.  The Army prefers places where they aren't going to lose 30 days of training time a year due to weather or have travel in and out cut off randomly through the Winter months.  My stay in the Quad Cities actually was due to a military assignment, but for topographical and climatic reasons the upper Mississippi valley is a trough down which the 'Polar Rollers' slide down into the upper Midwest, it had the shittiest Winter weather of anyplace I've lived or been stationed.  For a temperate zone location, I have to say New Jersey had the best, the Mid-Atlantic climate is uniquely mild, but there were plenty of other reasons I wanted to GTFO of there.

[njpines]

I lived in southern Indiana, in the Ohio River watershed, as a youth, not the chillier and flatter northern half of the state.  There are actually not many military installations besides USAF ones in the frozen north for several reasons, the only reason the USAF has them is as a legacy of the over-the-pole threat and counterthreat from the Cold War days, like Minot ND for instance.  The Army prefers places where they aren't going to lose 30 days of training time a year due to weather or have travel in and out cut off randomly through the Winter months.  My stay in the Quad Cities actually was due to a military assignment, but for topographical and climatic reasons the upper Mississippi valley is a trough down which the 'Polar Rollers' slide down into the upper Midwest, it had the shittiest Winter weather of anyplace I've lived or been stationed.  For a temperate zone location, I have to say New Jersey had the best, the Mid-Atlantic climate is uniquely mild, but there were plenty of other reasons I wanted to GTFO of there.

   Don't blame ya!

[Mr Mannn]

Now they are reporting Freezing Fog on 1-80 east (the freeway between Des Moines and Chicago).

Thats a new one to me. never ever heard of that.

[Texacon]

Freezing fog.  Freezing fog.  Wow.  What does that even mean?  Are there huge blocks of fog just sitting out there on the highway.  Waiting for some unsuspecting Texan to drive into one?!

KC

[franksolich]

Freezing fog.  Freezing fog.  Wow.  What does that even mean?  Are there huge blocks of fog just sitting out there on the highway.  Waiting for some unsuspecting Texan to drive into one?!

KC

Freezing fog is a characteristic of the Upper Great Plains states, of which Iowa may be considered "sort of" one.

Weather builds character.  Nothing like it.

[Texacon]

Freezing fog is a characteristic of the Upper Great Plains states, of which Iowa may be considered "sort of" one.

Weather builds character.  Nothing like it.

Being able to ride the Harley 12 months out of the year builds character too.  I think I'll stick to the Harley character thank you very much.

 

KC

[debk]

We are having rain.....lots of rain on saturated ground.



Wind advisory (up to 40mph) for us until 7pm TOMORROW night. High wind warnings(over 50mph) for neighboring counties because they are in the mountains.

Rain supposed to be out of here by mid-afternoon, but then getting snow showers tonight and tomorrow morning. Actural temps to be in low 30's but wind chill in upper teens. Heading to colder tomorrow night.

Need to go take 2 interiors in counties to the north....but think I may wait until tomorrow. Would rather deal with just wind and no wet stuff.

I think it was close to 60 yesterday and just a beautiful day. Much better weather to be outside taking pictures of house damage.


Noon news showed video from Kansas.    I'm really really not going to complain about MY weather....

When did the weather people start naming winter storms? This one is "Winter Storm Draco"?

At first glance, thought it said "Draino"....  

[Chris_]

We had rain last night and this morning.

Going to be cold tonight... 29º

[Wineslob]

Haven't heard anything from Manbearpig, must be hibernating........

[thundley4]

Blizzard Warning has been issued for parts of central Illinois until midnight tonight. Winds combined with snow will cause reduced visibility. Travel late this afternoon will become hazardous. Winds could gust to 60 mph.

Typical winter forecast for this time of year.

[IassaFTots]

Friggin wind pulled my fence out last night.  Snow, especially Thundersnow would have made the pain a little less, and the repair a little more justified.

[CG6468]

Winds are increasing here - about 25 MPH now, supposed to go to ~60 MPH later. And I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow morning! 

[Airwolf]

I'm from AZ. Been in Iowa for 5 years. I've learned to fear a certain phrase: "rain mixed with snow."
That means Ice on the roads covered with snow...even an ice storm!
All week the weather men have been predicting worse weather. 2-5 inches. 4-6. 6-12, now its 8 to 14 inches!
Further we will have blizzard conditions for 12 freaking hours. The conditions will be life threatening for those on the road tonight. The people at WHO radio are simply staying at the station overnight--even the morning people!
Oh and there will be 10 foot monster drifts rampaging through the city. TEN freaking feet! traveling faster than a grown man can run on the ice!

Course now the Mannn saw the doom coming. On Monday, I bought two weeks worth of food. Yeah things ought to be fine by the weekend...but ya never know when a Hooters gal will show up at your door in need of food and warmth.

In any case, if the Mayans are right (and they couldn't predict their own civilization's demise, why should we trust them with the world's end?), then it just might be a frozen doom for us all.
--I'll try to stay online until the end.

Is it bad when you look out the window and see this?

[CG6468]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Issued by The National Weather Service
Chicago, IL

Thu, Dec 20, 2012, 12:21 PM CST

Updated Dec 20, 2012, 1:50pm CST


... WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 3 AM CST FRIDAY...

* TIMING... RAIN WILL CHANGE TO SNOW FROM WEST TO EAST LATE THIS AFTERNOON OR EARLY THIS EVENING... WITH SNOW BECOMING HEAVY AT TIMES. THE HEAVIEST SNOWFALL AND LOWEST VISIBILITY SHOULD OCCUR IN THE IMMEDIATE CHICAGO METRO AREA BETWEEN 5 AND 9 PM. SNOW WILL LINGER THROUGH THE NIGHT TONIGHT. VERY STRONG WINDS WILL DEVELOP AS THE SNOW ARRIVES AND CONTINUE THURSDAY NIGHT.

* SNOW ACCUMULATION:CURRENT INDICATORS SUGGEST THAT TOTALS OF 2 TO AS MUCH AS 6 INCHES ARE LIKELY... WITH THE HIGHEST AMOUNTS FAVORED ACROSS THE FAR NORTH AND NORTHWEST SUBURBS OF CHICAGO... AND ACROSS NORTHEAST PORTER COUNTY INDIANA. LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS ARE POSSIBLE IF HEAVY SNOW BANDS WITH THUNDERSNOW OCCUR.

* WIND: WINDS WILL BECOME NORTHWEST AND INCREASE TO 30 TO 40 MPH BY LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND CONTINUE THROUGH THE NIGHT WITH GUSTS TO 50 TO 60 MPH EXPECTED. WINDS NEAR THE LAKE AND PORTER COUNTY SHORELINE COULD EXCEED 60 MPH AT TIMES.

* IMPACTS... THE COMBINATION OF THE INTENSE SNOWFALL AND VERY STRONG WINDS WILL RESULT IN GREATLY REDUCED VISIBILITIES AND POSSIBLY NEAR BLIZZARD CONDITIONS. FALLING TEMPERATURES WILL CAUSE ROADS TO BECOME SNOW COVERED AND TRAVEL TREACHEROUS. THIS WILL LIKELY IMPACT THE EVENING RUSH HOUR. THE STRONG WINDS MAY ALSO RESULT IN MINOR DAMAGE AND SPORADIC POWER OUTAGES. THE GREATEST CHANCE FOR NEAR BLIZZARD CONDITIONS IS NEAR THE LAKE AND PORTER COUNTY INDIANA SHORELINE.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR HEAVY SNOW MEANS SEVERE WINTER WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF SNOW ARE FORECAST THAT WILL MAKE TRAVEL DANGEROUS. ONLY TRAVEL IN AN EMERGENCY. IF YOU MUST TRAVEL... KEEP AN EXTRA FLASHLIGHT... FOOD... AND WATER IN YOUR VEHICLE IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY.

[Ralph Wiggum]

Power is out in parts of my suburb.  The lights have been flickering over the past half hour.  I guess if the power goes completely off, I'll venture to a nearby watering hole.  Snow is over, but getting consistent winds of 25 mph, gusts to 50 mph.

Welcome to winter my fellow midwesterners!

[BEG]

I have lived in Omaha and Tulsa. Both had Auntie Em tornados and ice storms. So did Dallas but not as bad as Omaha or Tulsa. But the only place we have had to dig out of our house was in Omaha. HUGE snow drifts and blizzards. I kinda miss it, for a second.

[BEG]

But ice storms can be beautiful.

[Ralph Wiggum]

I have lived in Omaha and Tulsa. Both had Auntie Em tornados and ice storms. So did Dallas but not as bad as Omaha or Tulsa. But the only place we have had to dig out of our house was in Omaha. HUGE snow drifts and blizzards. I kinda miss it, for a second.

Yeah, probably just a second. :P

[Ralph Wiggum]

But ice storms can be beautiful.

The trees are beautiful here right now, I must say.

[Wineslob]

I have lived in Omaha and Tulsa. Both had Auntie Em tornados and ice storms. So did Dallas but not as bad as Omaha or Tulsa. But the only place we have had to dig out of our house was in Omaha. HUGE snow drifts and blizzards. I kinda miss it, for a second.

Hi Dorothy!



 

[jtyangel]

Winds are going to be our biggest issue here. Might get 2-4 inches of snow. shrug. Got dumped on with rain today though..enough to flood the backyard near the fence