Snomageddon....

We made the national news!


As if I haven't made the scope of this clear yet.....

Weather Update....

I woke up this morning and couldn't believe what I was reading. School is closed, again, because of the snow....melting. The temperature today is going to be 50 degrees, and the massive amount of snow we've accumulated is melting and flooding everything in site. They are literally predicting that all three feet of snow will be gone by the weekend. I think maybe one too many prayers for the snow to stop and go away have been sent up from Spokane lately, because God seems to have shifted us into spring overdrive! This day last week was below freezing, snowing heavily, and the three feet of snow lay on the ground. Today it's already 40 degrees (it's 7:42 AM), the sun is starting to peek out, and slush and puddles are beginning to take up more room than the snow. I thought it was raining until I realized that it was the snow on my roof melting off so fast it simply gave the illusion of rain.

Here is the forecast from this morning:
"What a mess! I want to say good morning but I don't think this qualifies. We have wind advisories and winter storm warnings and flood watches. It is UGLY out there and it's not going to get any better anytime today.... anywhere. O.K I've got to qualify that. It is and will be unseasonably warm. In Spokane you wake up to around 40 degrees and before the day is over you will be pushing 50. That's not a typo.... it's going to be around 50 degrees today in the Spokane area. The record is 54 degrees set back in 1945. With all the snow on the ground, with winds gusting to 30 miles an hour (these strong winds will be with us through tomorrow) .... and with temperatures near record highs.... it can't stay snow much longer. It is and it (the snow) will continue to melt and to run. You are driving through puddles and slosh. You may even be cursing your local weather person (you're not like that are you?). Look at it this way.... we have one more day after today and then we calm down.... get back to near normal (whatever that is anymore) and most of the snow will be gone! This is not the kind of hand you fold on.... not after all we've been through. The weekend will be cloudy with near normal temperatures, calm winds and a snow flurry here or there. I'm George Maupin and I'll see you on the Q6 Morning Show."

Snowville

As promised, the photos!

:aidyn and ely, bundled and ready to brave the snow:

:you can just see the top of the neighbors three foot fence next door sticking up:

:our six foot fence reduced to three:

:that's a playstructure of the kids' behind them, you can see the layers from the different storms:

:aidyn by the arbor, which is normally seven feet tall:

:the neighbor's tree:

:trying to clear a path yet again:

:the berms left from the plows:

:aidyn enjoyed them:

:king and queen of the mountain:

:bella was happy that the snow finally packed hard enough she could run on top of it:

:ely sinking a little:

:that's the rail of our porch behind her, sunk into the snow:

:another shot of the poor fence:

:the bushes that are so gorgeous in spring, hopefully they'll come back for us:

Is it Spring Yet?

For those who don't follow the news in my neck of the woods, let me fill you in on the headlines of the past month...

Statewide emergency declared by Governor Gregoire
Clear and cold for Saturday, snow moves in Sunday night
Winter Blast 2008: Snowed In
Poor Visibility Closes Several Highways
Snowy weather cancels and delays flights
Is my roof safe?
When will snow removal crews finish?
Falling ice is rupturing gas lines
Trucks, buses get stuck in downtown Spokane
Another snowstorm hits the Inland Northwest
Roof collapses keeping emergency crews busy
Avalanche danger closes passes
Girl trapped under snow transported to the hospital
Five mile Rosauer's loses 35 percent of roof
Woman killed after being buried in snow while shoveling
Adopt a fire hydrant
Traffic in Spokane going 'absolutely nowhere'
Keeping yourself safe in freezing temperatures

Let me paint you a picture. In the second week of December the snow started. The first storm dropped 17 inches on us. They had predicted about 10. Snow removal crews started working 24 hours to try and clear roads, but as it was still snowing they could hardly keep up with the main roads, let alone side roads. Alleys and residential streets were completely snowed in. The first day it was reported that after the first 100 wrecks they had stopped counting and that emergency crews would not be responding unless there were dire injuries; they couldn't keep up and in many instances, couldn't get through. I myself got stuck downtown, and a trip that would have taken 15 minutes to get home took 3 hours. Traffic was at a standstill because of wrecks and people getting stuck. Cops were everywhere trying to sort out traffic. Finally the snow stopped, to resume 2 days later. By the end of that storm a solid two and half feet was on the ground. Cars were left abandoned, crews struggled to keep even one lane of main roads open, and many highways and roads started to close. People were advised to stay home, businesses started closing, and with Christmas less than a week away, people began to get desperate to get out and finish their present and grocery shopping.

And the snow kept coming.

New Year's dawned bright and snowy, and the first few days of January brought some of the first sunlight folks around here have seen in weeks. The count came in that December had dropped 61.5 inches of snow on us, and roughly 3/4 of that is still on the ground. The crews have managed to finally plow residential streets; problem is the five feet of snow left behind caused seven foot berms that leave a narrow space big enough for only one car to pass. And with the glorious sunlight came a new problem. The snow finally began to melt, but the freezing temperatures at night mean icy roads and heavier and more compact snow. Shoveling has almost ceased as people are forced to move the icy chucks of snow by hand. Mail and garbage services have stopped in many places - the mail carriers can't get through and most people's garbage cans are buried in snow, even if the trucks could make it through the alleys. Schools remain closed today, what should have been the first day back after the Christmas holiday.

The newest problem is the sheer weight of the snow. Roofs everywhere are collapsing. WalMart and Costco have been shut down for the last three days while crews work to lighten the snow load. One supermarket roof collapsed while people were still inside. Residential homes are having the same problem, and people are being forced to climb up onto their icy roofs to shovel the snow off. Evan made the trip up to ours and spent well over an hour pushing the heavy snow off. We're simply praying that the garage will hold up, as there is no way possible to climb up to those heights onto a tin roof.

And this morning, we woke to the familiar sight of swirling snow. My beautiful city of Spokane is lost under the blankets of snow, and the forecast remains snowy and dreary. I plan to post pictures later today when we get back, we're venturing out for the first time in a week to escape the house and try to get some errands done in case we're snowed in again. Wish us luck!