Snow Storm In Western New York! Wheee!

Yikes! I guess its headed our way here in New Hampshire.

we only had rain and cold wind from that storm. don't need that lake effect stuff, don't like winter. how in the world do you shovel that stuff? you can only toss it so high.

---Mike Savad
MikeSavad.com

LOL, we don't even try to shovel it at our house...well, at least not yet. Our driveway is 1/8 mile long and we are stuck at home until our former neighbor kindly plows us out...but, he's too busy to plow us yet, as he is a snowplow driver for the town. Couldn't go anywhere even if we could get out of our driveway...there's driving bans in all the towns around us. As long as I know my family members are warm and safe I enjoy this...but I do worry about the homeless out in this. I don't know how they survive...and the birds have been going nuts at our feeders all day, I only hope that most survive the cold night. The pictures from the Weather Channel and local news stations are astounding. In the 1990's I remember one snowstorm where we got 7 feet of snow in 48 hours...of course it compresses down, but still...it was amazing! Drifts over roofs of buildings.

Some of these photos from our local news page are amazing...other's don't look so bad...one I had to do a double take as I thought the snow was in the house! (Another I think it is!):

http://www.wkbw.com/homepage-gallery/photos-lake-effect-snow-buries-parts-of-wny

and more from The Weather Channel: http://www.weather.com/news/weather-winter/lake-effect-snow-significant-lake-erie-lake-ontario-20141115

and another local stations viewer "report it" pictures: http://wivb.com/report-it/

We had cold this morning 37º F when we started out and still at 10 a.m. Tomorrow morning - they're talking 23º - this is supposed to be Florida.

Wow...yeah, my brother lives in Orlando...I heard it was going to get cold down there too....

BUT...I would take a blizzard over a hurricane any day!

I had to take a kettle of boiling water out to my chickens this morning to thaw out their waterer.

Rose,

I heard this on the Boston newscast tonight. That's a whole lotta snow.

I'm thankful my son is flying this holiday instead of driving from Chicago to Massachusetts. He would have been driving through Buffalo.

It's cold here in southeastern Massachusetts but no snow.

Make a snowman or build a fort. :) Stay warm and safe.

I "almost" went out to take pictures...but sanity won and I stayed in except to put one foot out the door to feed the birdies! Wow..the pictures on the National News are stunning! And, tomorrow night another front goes through to give us 2 more feet!

4inch an hour snow fall. glad i'm not there. you would need a really tall truck to drive in it if you could. as long as you keep the power in that area, people should be able to shop at my store. i bet it makes thanksgiving kind of hard.

i hope our winter isn't bad. right now all we have is the crazy temperature swings. gusty winds and 23f now, yesterday was 45f, next week is 60f something and a bunch of rain.

---Mike Savad
MikeSavad.com

Fortunately the snow compresses under the weight of the new snow ...but...that makes it even more heavily to shovel. My relative in the worst area can't open either of her doors...

Where abouts do you live Mike?

Here is my photo of the front (shot from Buffalo State College where I work)



I took this other photo just after the flickr photo above..

It was about 35 degrees this morning here in Houston. We actually had to teach gym indoors today, but no one had been in there since Sunday and honestly it wasn't all that much warmer in there.

it was 68 here veterans day... and the 10 day has us back up to 57 on monday... wild weather...

The new ice age cometh.

Fantastic shots Chris! Thanks for sharing them. I think I'll venture out tomorrow to at least take some pictures...none will be that dramatic tho! I'm hearing that there are no reports of power outages which is amazing, thanks be to God! I hate to think of elderly people freezing to death...altho Carbon Monoxide poisoning is a big threat as peoples furnace exhaust pipes, and the tail pipes of those still stuck on the Thruways are getting covered with snow.

Wow! Can you see this picture? My cousin posted this...it's his son's friends house...the snow broke down his glass doors!

https://scontent-a-lga.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpa1/v/t1.0-9/1016871_908705399148864_3683575671689169134_n.jpg?oh=3454471ce531e5366760b403962eca27&oe=54D871A1

bummer for him. hard to block up that snow now. i heard a case where there was a family on vacation. a guy was house sitting. a door was slightly open, and snow blew into that small space. it was dust snow, and it filled the house up with about 6in of snow.


---Mike Savad
MikeSavad.com

As much as I love snow storms...I don't like the tragedies....sad....

Oh how sad, just heard on the Weather Channel...Prayers for the 4 people who have died (so far) from shoveling snow... despite the fact that I love the snowstorms, I don't love the tragedies....and now power outages...please God send "Angels" to help these people.

Wow...check out this Time Lapse of the Lake Effect Snow Squall Line:

http://youtu.be/wRXOr-_GKPk

Here's a photo from the water front

Man, I wish I had gotten some great shots over the lake...stuck at home tho...oh, and those pesky travel bans anyways.

"pesky travel bans" - how could anyone move in that much snow? Hope you have enough supplies. I can't imagine the equipment needed to clear the roads or how long it is going to take.

I don't think we're expected to get much of anything but cold.

The photos I took were from outside the snow bands... so there was no snow on the ground...

I am a first responder (Fire Fighter) and know better then to go into the driving ban areas... people that do cause the backups... no photo is worth being stuck in your car for 24 hours and needing rescue crews to risk their lives to save you...

Taking a photo of that front was very cold though... 30+ mph winds... I had to hold my camera and tripod down... and because I had to wear my thinner gloves to use the camera controls my hands went white and glossy in minutes... had to go back to my truck and warm up several times...

Okay, that's it...I did my "duty" as a photographer now back into the nice warm house! It IS gorgeously bright and sunny out there now. SO pretty, but I had to hold on to the back of my husband's coat to be able to even walk in this stuff...up to my knees. It definitely has compacted down overnight tho, so not as deep as it was yesterday...I think it was about 4 feet deep when I looked out right before I went to bed after Midnight... it's not as "impressive" looking as I was hoping for this morning. Poopies! But, thank you GOD for this beauty and for keeping all my loved ones here in WNY safe and warm.

Glad to hear you promoting people following the driving bans, Chris.... soooo many people are very thoughtlessly driving and putting their lives and other peoples lives in danger and hampering the cleanup and/or emergency vehicles getting through!

Do you all every worry about the Abominable Snow Man?

LOL, even HE couldn't get around right now!

remember to remove the snow from your roof if you can. that stuff will collapse it. soon you'll be getting the floods, but if that stuff refreezes on the roof, you'll have even more issues.

---Mike Savad
MikeSavad.com

Good advice Mike! We probably should have done that while it was light...altho our roof isn't as bogged down as it has been in the past snow storms.

A friend of mine jokingly called this "The New Toyota Meringue"... it took me awhile to "get it"....but when I did, lol! NOT FOR SALE.

on the plus side if you fall off the roof it will be a soft landing. the minus, they won't find you until spring.


---Mike Savad
MikeSavad.com

LOL, really! One of my sisters can't get her doors open....she told me, well, if I need to I can jump from a window and I'll have a soft landing.

BTW, my cousin's friends house (that I posted about above with the snow crashing through their glass doors) made it on the Weather Channel! They have 5 kids and 3 of their kids friends stuck at their house...and it's their anniversary today! Here's a link to a story about it: http://www.newsnet5.com/news/snow-breaks-down-door-to-familys-home-in-cheektowaga-ny


Here's a great Time Lapse Video which shows that Snow Squall Line better: http://fox2now.com/2014/11/19/amazing-timelapse-video-of-lake-effect-snow-hammering-buffalo-ny/

My sister was driving from Vermont to Los Angeles this week. She got as far as Buffalo. She says as soon as she finds her car, she start up again...

Oh, my! There's one of those "Memes" going around of the snow here that says: "Buffalo, you come for the Chicken Wings and stay because you can't find your car"

tell them to put 3" screws into the hinges and not the standard 3/4" screws hinges include. the glass wasn't broken in that, just ripped out. just be careful when tightening so they don't bow in the jamb.



they were saying how some places only got a few inches. its very much like this summer where one town got an inch of rain. and another like 15"


---Mike Savad
MikeSavad.com

Yes...Buffalo Airport had 6" and 6 miles away there was 60+ inches. Amazing!

WOW! Lots of lightning and thunder and it is snowing and blowing like a raging blizzard outside! So much for "round 2" being calmer! Please pray for people's safety...especially from roof collapses, CO poisoning from blocked furnace vents, freezing to death in their stranded cars/unheated houses, heart attacks, etc...

Buffalo, New York has set a new record; 76 inches of snow! The most snowfall EVER in a 24-hour period in the US!! https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10152613543184775&set=vb.80100579774&type=2&theater

Lucky for them to be a record holder, and I'm glad to let them win it... I don't want to be in that contest...

Its funny because we are always trying to push an image that we are not all that snowy... and then something like this...

Most winters are not this bad... and we are used to handling storms with 2-3 feet of snow...

we'll have to send you a snowman kit to celebrate that achievement...


---Mike Savad
MikeSavad.com

LOL, thanks Mike! And yes, Chris, we need coverage of all our GOOD weather too!

SNOWPOCALYPSE VIDEO 1: https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10205636243448397&l=8198893834516489347

SNOWPOCALYPSE VIDEO 2: https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10205636227968010&l=8407086110456919544

Just got back... we got called out to cheektowaga after a nursing home collapsed... long day... we are only 10 miles away but it is worlds apart right now...

soon you'll have the great floods when the warm comes over to you.

which will be followed by the great ice dam of aught 14

---Mike Savad
MikeSavad.com

We will probably be called back in... there are areas that no outside groups have not been to... trailer parks are collapsing... we had to rescue someone out of one... going to be a long weekend...

if anyone is interested here are some photos I snapped while out in the affected area today : https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10100570037846815.1073741884.43409735&type=1&l=9f99ad301b

Chris, THANK YOU for all you are doing to help others! You all are a GODSEND! My sister used to help out giving out Holy Communion at the Nursing Home and almost got a job there too....so sad for the residents, but glad they are safe.

Mike, I know....I hope the rains will melt the 5+ feet of snow in my driveway at least...otherwise we will need somebody with a backhoe to get us out...our basement will take on water, but fortunately we live near the top of a hill and won't get otherwise flooded. BTW, we got about 2 ' more of snow then when I took those videos this morning...feeling "trapped" now... Prayers for those who have had tragedies: 10 deaths, roof collapses, etc...

problem is, while monday will get warmer, its going to get colder again, up and down over the next few weeks, which means flooding then ice over and over. it would be "easier" if it was shoveled while fluffy. how one moves that much snow is beyond me. even plows have a hard time with it. you may want to reinforce doors some how, or at least push it away from the doors. no need adding extra pressure to them.

---Mike Savad
MikeSavad.com

yup... they are calling for rain tomorrow... should get even more interesting... we might be re-deployed tonight for a 24 hour shift to relieve the locals... once that rain starts...

We can't even get around our house...the snow if 5 feet tall...my husband just went a few feet to check our furnace vents and almost couldn't get out of the snow....I was scared watching him try and the snow is about over my head so I was helpless....we did go in the basement and try to seal up a few cracks where the sealant came out...hoping it helped. We are completely trapped and couldn't even get help down here if we needed it....its a waiting game...sadly more people have died and more will be found dead after the snow is cleared out, I fear.

I wish I could edit the "wheee" out of my title...this is NOT fun anymore...it is deadly...sigh.... maybe I can edit that title, I'm going to try.

PLEASE ANYONE READING THIS, KEEP THE PEOPLE OF THIS AREA IN YOUR PRAYERS...AND THOSE WHO ARE HELPING US AS WELL!

Yes..we too are effected...right now we have a flood alert because all the snow we got is gonna melt.I am glad we did not get it as bad as Buffalo did but we are close enough that we got a good whack of that storm...my husband and son were on their way home from work yesterday and stopped at the gas station to get gas (they had to go 15 mph the whole way) and they were stuck in the parking lot...not because of the snow but because 20 other cars got stuck and they had to help get these other cars out just so they could get themselves free.

So far this storm has claimed 12 lives which is so sad..I am showing 2 pics from my backyard yesterday..before it got worse..

Whereabouts do you live, Rhonda? Stay safe!

Thank you Rose! I live in Pavilion, a small town in Wyoming County in Western NY and about 35 miles from Buffalo.It has been a scary last couple of days that's for sure! My husband and son both work on the same small dairy farm as milkers and had no choice but to go in..what is usually a 15 min drive took over 30 mins but better safe then sorry.

Right now we are not looking forward to the snow melting...it will be a mess for sure!

Rhonda, How much snow do you think you got there total? I think we got 7 Feet here in my yard, but since it's thawing its compacted to about a heavy 4 foot wall of snow today. Stay safe!

I used to love the snow, too, but that was when I lived in a world where the electricity stayed on most of the time. Try living in a hot box in the summer for over a week with no electric ... and oh, by the way, be on a well which is driven by electricity. That includes potties. Oy!!

And I can't tell you how much that hot cup of tea my husband brought meant to me, days after an unreal ice storm came through a few years ago.

Just read your more recent post about how you're doing ... Rose and Rhonda and all experiencing this onslaught ... wishing you well and sending prayers to all of you guys up there!!!

you have an electric potty? isnt' that a shock hazard?


---Mike Savad
MikeSavad.com

BHAHAHAH!!! No, Mike ... but the pump is electric!!! We're on a well and septic. We've got a generator now, but this was pre-generator days. Still, the generator doesn't work the heat and air conditioning or all the lights ... or the stove ... or the ovens ... or the hot water heater ...

I think we had the same amount Rose..about 7 feet..give or take a couple of feet.We had a travel ban on Tuesday cause as my husband told us,on his way to work, they had to constantly go around abandoned cars right in the middle of the road and there were cars in ditches everywhere.And we live out in the country so that is scary in itself.I can't believe how heavy the snow is..omg..shoveling it is like shoveling cement..:/

We finally were able to get to the store today..and they actually had food!..You would not believe how little was left on the shelves when we went on Wednesday...the delivery trucks couldn't get through to restock the shelves so we had to get what we could..and that was after going to 3 different stores...so glad the worse is over....now on to the flooding..:(

oh, i thought you had to use one of those old crank toilets. the old type where you had to get out, crank the handle and quickly sit down. it was exhausting.


---Mike Savad
MikeSavad.com

Spent 12 hours in cheektowaga today letting the locals rest... 28 calls in all. ... several people fell off their roofs... lots of slips and falls. .. some broken bones. .. collapsed parts of homes and one person coded and we brought him back to life. .. busy day. ...

I almost made it home when the call went out to fill in at another station that was working a house fire. .. so that's were I am now. .. long day

Wow Chris ... you posted this 2 hours ago ... I hope you're home and warm and safe now!!!

@ Mike, no, thank heavens!! But when this happened in the summer, pre generator, I'd have been happy for the "necessary" that was at my Grandma's!!

Just got in.... out for 18 hours today... heading to bed... long good day...

Goodnight, Chris and thank you!

We too have a well and septic tank....our well water has been pretty undrinkable for years so we get those big bottles of water...only have a few gallons of that left so we used the well water and we lived! Yeah! I hate water so I used mine for tea. I am diabetic and am on my last big packet of sugar free drink mix...I am so thirsty right now! We are still trapped...haven't been out in 4 days now...tomorrow me and my husband are going to try and exhume the car so the roof of it doesn't collapse...but, we still can't go anywhere. I've been asking for help of somebody with a frontloader on a FB group set up for people who need/can give help...but no luck...we will be trapped for awhile but am hoping the 60 degree weather forecast for Monday will melt enough for us to get to the road and get a few supplies.

Good luck. .. we just drove from kenmore to the southern tier and the main roads were clear. .. I know the sides are still mostly blocked... drove on lots of them yesterday. .. almost got the fire engine sick a couple of times. .. good luck

Hey Rose ... thinking of you and your compadres ... hope today was better for you!!

Thank you so much, Lois.... lots of flooding potential from the ice jammed streams and rivers in towns around ours....but so far so good. Me and my husband can *almost* make it out of our driveway...should be able to tomorrow as much of the snow has/will melt due to rain and temps due to be in the 60's today. Thank you for your concern. God bless!