Severe Weather

[cartman]

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by Kodos

He gets furious easily.

[molson]

I always liked these kinds of storms when I lived in the northeast, the ones where it's expected you'll just hunker down at home at not go anywhere. Much better than the run-of-the-mill rush hour snow that ruins your day.

[Chief Rum]

Insert usual "oh no it might fall below 80" California weather joke.

But, really, be safe, everyone. I hope no one loses power out there, and it's not as bad as they made it out to be on the weather channels.

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by molson

I always liked these kinds of storms when I lived in the northeast, the ones where it's expected you'll just hunker down at home at not go anywhere. Much better than the run-of-the-mill rush hour snow that ruins your day.

Me too. Kind of jealous of my whole family in NJ who are about to get crushed.

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by molson

I always liked these kinds of storms when I lived in the northeast, the ones where it's expected you'll just hunker down at home at not go anywhere. Much better than the run-of-the-mill rush hour snow that ruins your day.

I do too as long as the power doesn't go out.

When I lived in Minnesota I'd buy some frozen pizzas, beer, and be ready to pound through some Madden franchise mode.

[Chief Rum]

Having lived in CA my whole life, I have never had occasion to consider this.

For those of you with jobs offering normal PTO/sick days/etc., how do your jobs handle snow days? Do they force you to take a PTO? Do they give you extra PTO days to allow for the likelihood of at least 2-3 snow days or whatever the likely average is? Do they just not pay you?

[JPhillips]

In general if you can't make it to work, but the business is open, missing work means taking a personal or sick day.

[Logan]

Originally Posted by stevew

Looks like we're missing most of it. Every time I accidentally go to the weather channel page abd see that the storm has a name it makes me furious. And the worst part is that if they keep doing it, eventually it will catch on. Just think, in 35 years Logan can tell his grandkids about how winter storm Juno kept their grandmother away on her birthday!

Just heard from her. Because she's in this rotation type program and not a full employee yet, she doesn't qualify as "essential" so she can come home tonight and try to get in on Wednesday. So assuming everything goes well with the trip home, this story will not be told.

Originally Posted by Chief Rum

Having lived in CA my whole life, I have never had occasion to consider this.

For those of you with jobs offering normal PTO/sick days/etc., how do your jobs handle snow days? Do they force you to take a PTO? Do they give you extra PTO days to allow for the likelihood of at least 2-3 snow days or whatever the likely average is? Do they just not pay you?

Probably plenty of differences by company type and location, but typical NYC offices with salaried employees usually just shut down with no special time off needing to be taken. Implicit in this is that if you can do work from home, you do it. When I was with the government I had to record this time as "admin leave" or something similar but it didn't pull from my leave bank. Being private side now, I'm going to head home in about an hour most likely just to not have to encounter anything too annoying with the buses and then get back to work.

[flere-imsaho]

Originally Posted by Chief Rum

For those of you with jobs offering normal PTO/sick days/etc., how do your jobs handle snow days? Do they force you to take a PTO? Do they give you extra PTO days to allow for the likelihood of at least 2-3 snow days or whatever the likely average is? Do they just not pay you?

If I have a laptop and VPN, I'm expected to work from home, regardless of whether they close the office or not.

If I don't have a laptop and VPN, it's my manager's discretion to ask me to come in (if the office is open) or not. When I was a manager, I erred on the side of caution and told people to work from home (but then my folks had laptops & VPNs).

If I don't have a laptop and VPN, and the site closes, it's a free day off.

It's highly-highly variable, however.


When I was in Chicago for the big snowstorm we had a few years ago (you may remember, people trapped on Lake Shore Drive), they actually shut the office down and sent out a complicated email explaining how to code people's timesheets for the day they were off so that a) they didn't lose PTO and b) they still got paid. All of my folks (well, those who were in Chicago) were able to work from home, so it didn't apply to me, but it seemed a reasonable solution.

[flere-imsaho]

Looks like latest changes to the forecast are lowering the estimate for New York and upping it for Boston. We're still looking at about 2 feet here in Portland, Maine. Ironically, the mountains are looking at only a few inches.

Two feet of snow doesn't bother me. It's the wind that has me concerned. I don't particularly want to lose power for an extended period (though we'd have to go for days to be in danger of pipes freezing).

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by Chief Rum

Having lived in CA my whole life, I have never had occasion to consider this.

For those of you with jobs offering normal PTO/sick days/etc., how do your jobs handle snow days? Do they force you to take a PTO? Do they give you extra PTO days to allow for the likelihood of at least 2-3 snow days or whatever the likely average is? Do they just not pay you?

Unless there is a state of emergency I am required to go to work. This is the one area I really despise my company, they have zero sympathy about it. If we are shut down, and we never are, then I don't have to take the time off.

[Honolulu_Blue]

I guess one good thing about being a lawyer, both at a law firm and in-house now, was that I've always had a decent amount of flexibility when it comes to working from home. If I really need to be in the office and it's horrible out there, then I do need to be there. But that's the exception not the rule.

In most cases if the weather is super crappy, I can just let people know that I'm working from home and that's it, whether the office is officially closed or not.

[claphamsa]

Originally Posted by Chief Rum

Having lived in CA my whole life, I have never had occasion to consider this.

For those of you with jobs offering normal PTO/sick days/etc., how do your jobs handle snow days? Do they force you to take a PTO? Do they give you extra PTO days to allow for the likelihood of at least 2-3 snow days or whatever the likely average is? Do they just not pay you?

Obama declared after snowmagedon that the gov would never close due to snow again, so we all have telework agreements, and get to work from home the second anyone thinks about a flurry!

[Suicane75]

So thankful we aren't getting it as bad as predicted. I'm too old for this shit.

[flere-imsaho]

Looks like it was a dud for anywhere south of Boston but I can tell you in Maine we're getting pounded. These are some of the worst blizzard conditions I've seen since I was a kid. I don't know how much snow we have yet, but it's coming down pretty fast and that plus the winds is causing definite white out conditions. I walked the dog this morning and lost sight of the house from 50 feet away, for instance. And that was wearing ski goggles! With this visibility and drifting it would be very hard to drive safely today.

Will try to upload pictures later.

[Kodos]

We've had a foot or so so far.

[jeff061]

I'm right outside Boston(west) and I could have driven into work with relative ease. It's a bit windy but the snow seems very light, compared to most northeasters. I've seen tougher conditions in non blizzard warning scenarios every year.

Media and politicians call fire and nothing happens, yet again. People should be held accountable. One of these times we really will be hit and no one is going to believe the people warning them.

[JPhillips]

What more can they do but base policy off of models and past storms? Basically everyone was calling for an historic blizzard, and that blizzard developed, but it was a little to the east of where it was expected and it didn't stall and that made a huge difference for some people.

[flere-imsaho]

It's better to warn strongly and be wrong than take it lightly and be wrong.

The former results in inconvenience and lost productivity. The latter results in deaths.

[jeff061]

Originally Posted by flere-imsaho

It's better to warn strongly and be wrong than take it lightly and be wrong.

The former results in inconvenience and lost productivity. The latter results in deaths.

There's a balance. Eventually the message loses it's intended effect if it's always wrong.

Originally Posted by JPhillips

What more can they do but base policy off of models and past storms? Basically everyone was calling for an historic blizzard, and that blizzard developed, but it was a little to the east of where it was expected and it didn't stall and that made a huge difference for some people.

I don't know. I guess I'm looking for less dramatization and effects intended to make people money and gain voter support, not necessarily to keep them safe.

I just know I was assuming this was going to be underwhelming due to my cynicism around all the people hyping this thing up and I was disappointed to be correct.

[Comey]

Eastern CT, from all accounts, got slammed. I live in Mystic (am at my gf's in Woonsocket now), and reports are they got two feet, with blizzard conditions still going strong. In Woonsocket, there is close to two feet, and it's blowing around everywhere.

[Alan T]

Originally Posted by jeff061

I'm right outside Boston(west) and I could have driven into work with relative ease. It's a bit windy but the snow seems very light, compared to most northeasters. I've seen tougher conditions in non blizzard warning scenarios every year.

Media and politicians call fire and nothing happens, yet again. People should be held accountable. One of these times we really will be hit and no one is going to believe the people warning them.

Wow.. totally different here. I can't even open my front door with so much snow, and the wind gusts of 50mph means I can't even see the street.

My latest measurement shows I'm at 2 feet of snow in the last 12 hours and its still snowing like crazy here.

Anyone on the roads out here is certifiably insane.

[flere-imsaho]

I can agree that the use of hyperbole has been pretty egregious. OTOH, people are pretty dumb: witness every year people frolicking outside in the middle of hurricanes.

[jeff061]

I'm in Watertown, due to the wind the drifts at my door are at 2 feet. But large parts of my shoveling areas are literally bare, I see pavement. And the snow is light as hell. I was reading yesterday it was going to be heavy/wet, which was my main concern.

[flere-imsaho]

No letup here in Maine, though I did just see a snowplow come through.

If I had to, I could make it somewhere like the hospital, but no one should really be on the roads right now. It's not particularly slippery, but some of the drifts are pretty huge and visibility is ranging between maybe 100 feet and zero.

[Butter]

I'm trying to imagine a New York City Super Bowl with this weather looming or in progress.

[Alan T]

Here is what my front porch looks like in central mass right now.

Picture in spoiler for those who are interested.

Spoiler

[Logan]

Originally Posted by jeff061

I'm right outside Boston(west) and I could have driven into work with relative ease. It's a bit windy but the snow seems very light, compared to most northeasters. I've seen tougher conditions in non blizzard warning scenarios every year.

Media and politicians call fire and nothing happens, yet again. People should be held accountable. One of these times we really will be hit and no one is going to believe the people warning them.

It goes the other way too. I was hearing and reading people legitimately downplay Sandy as the first advisories were starting. That's because a year before, Irene was expected to do similar damage to the area and while it was definitely terrible in some parts, it didn't impact the entire tri-state area like the majority were warning. So fast forward and that's what people were bringing up when the Sandy warnings and cautions were going out.

The "backlash" to this is astounding to me. I would get it if all of the east coast got a few inches. But New England and Long Island got and are getting pounded. It doesn't take a meteorology degree to look at a map and understand that a small (relative) shift west for such a large storm would have resulted in something entirely different. It's fucking weather. It's really shocking that we don't know exactly where something would be and how it reacts to going over land?

[Lathum]

Not to mention, if authorities downplayed it and there were casualties they would get roasted.

[panerd]

Originally Posted by Lathum

Not to mention, if authorities downplayed it and there were casualties they would get roasted.

Yep. I think the balance is best left for us. We know the media is going to hype the shit out of everything so the best bet is to go to trusted weather websites and follow their prediction models. Expecting the media to downplay any weather event is a pipe dream.

[jeff061]

There is downplaying it and then there is not call it historical, cripppling, disaster, hurricane, snowmeggedon etc. That's just all straight hyperbole with zero good intentions at heart. None of that is needed to set proper expectations.

[ISiddiqui]

Originally Posted by Logan

The "backlash" to this is astounding to me. I would get it if all of the east coast got a few inches. But New England and Long Island got and are getting pounded. It doesn't take a meteorology degree to look at a map and understand that a small (relative) shift west for such a large storm would have resulted in something entirely different. It's fucking weather. It's really shocking that we don't know exactly where something would be and how it reacts to going over land?

+1

[ISiddiqui]

Originally Posted by jeff061

There is downplaying it and then there is not call it historical, cripppling, disaster, hurricane, snowmeggedon etc. That's just all straight hyperbole with zero good intentions at heart. None of that is needed to set proper expectations.

I read AlanT's posts and see his pictures and realize he's not all that far away from you, and wonder what are you are smoking. A small change west and that's what you'd be experiencing and you are complaining about all the warnings? Central MA looks horrible!

[jeff061]

I wonder how bad it is where it's not drifted up.

I literally have plows going down my road every 5 or 10 minutes, so roads may be better around me. But bottomline is this "storm" is more minor than 2 or 3 I get every year.

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by jeff061

There is downplaying it and then there is not call it historical, cripppling, disaster, hurricane, snowmeggedon etc. That's just all straight hyperbole with zero good intentions at heart. None of that is needed to set proper expectations.

If you lived in New Orleans during Katrina you would probably have been stranded on your roof.

[jeff061]

Let's Godwin this thread next.

[Alan T]

Originally Posted by jeff061

I wonder how bad it is where it's not drifted up.

I literally have plows going down my road every 5 or 10 minutes, so roads may be better around me. But bottomline is this "storm" is more minor than 2 or 3 I get every year.

I tried to take this one so it is easier to see the non-drift. (non-drift measured 24 inches just now. drifts are over 3 feet). This is my drive way, the walls on either side are 5-6 foot walls and you can see the snow packed on top of them. You can't really see the street in this one, but we did just have a bunch of people riding snowmobiles up them a few minutes ago which was kind of funny.

This is maybe the most snow I've had in one single snowfall in my 15 years of living in Massachusetts. (We did have about 6 feet of snow piled up a few years ago from one January where we got back to back to back blizzards like this, but that was not from just one storm).

So this is pretty much the biggest single snowfall I've ever seen at least.

Spoiler

[Alan T]

Dola, on the other side of the wall by the way is my SUV which you can't see as the wall + snow is higher than it now.

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by jeff061

I don't know. I guess I'm looking for less dramatization and effects intended to make people money and gain voter support, not necessarily to keep them safe.

I just know I was assuming this was going to be underwhelming due to my cynicism around all the people hyping this thing up and I was disappointed to be correct.

I have found most people see what they want to see.

[BillyNYC]

Looks like maybe a foot out here in eastern Queens.

Problem with most TV weather folks is they usually don't present probability ranges of their models. Instead, they predict the most likely scenario and then trumpet it as a forecast with confidence/certainty. Maybe that's due to the hyperbolic nature of TV or (perhaps correctly?) assuming the masses are too dumb for details.

By comparison, Nate Silver is not perfect on all his predictions (nor can he be). When he's wrong, detractors...detract, but usually he expresses the level of confidence in his models' predictions. If a candidate has a 10% chance of winning, then guess what? 1 out of 10 times, he'll still win and the prediction will be wrong.

TV weather guys (especially here in NY) take scientific models that might have 70-90% accuracy and express it as 100% (especially with bad weather), and then look like fools when the 10-30% happens. It's dangerous when the next big storm comes and people don't care as much.

[ISiddiqui]

Well, the problems is with those folks who go... oh, only a 70-90% chance? Well that's plenty of chance it won't happen! Might as well go to work...

[Eaglesfan27]

We got about an inch or two by the morning with light snow fall. Not bad at all and I am very happy all of the forecasts being wrong. It was an easy ride into work.

[Warhammer]

Let me ask this, how bad is it in CT and NY? I have my truck in Boston and am trying to decide which way to head back to Dayton. Not sure if the Thruway or I-84 to I-80 would be better.

[EagleFan]

Way to go weathermen, you really "nailed" this one.

[Comey]

Originally Posted by Warhammer

Let me ask this, how bad is it in CT and NY? I have my truck in Boston and am trying to decide which way to head back to Dayton. Not sure if the Thruway or I-84 to I-80 would be better.

I think you're better off 95 to 80, from what I hear about NECT (30" or more there). There are still travel bans all through eastern CT.

[BishopMVP]

It really ia a textbook nor'easter. Southeast MA hammered especially with the storm surge, a foot+ in Boston, Central Mass and between the 495/95 belts getting crushed, Western Mass light snow. 2 feet and still snowing hard in Concord, meanwhile out here in Northampton there's maybe 3 inches? Hard to tell exactly with the wind.

I think the problem is that all along they've known it would be in bands where even town to town you could see wide variation yet they put up graphics showing all of New England with 20-30 inches, or they say definitively areas "will" be getting that much instead of saying some places will and some places won't even within that large area. I mean, I think we still technically have a statewide driving ban and I dont mind it because they can do complete snow removal downtown here but the roads are clear and it's actually sunny.

[Alan T]

Originally Posted by BishopMVP

I mean, I think we still technically have a statewide driving ban and I dont mind it because they can do complete snow removal downtown here but the roads are clear and it's actually sunny.

I think they removed the ban for western mass. But still in effect for the rest of us. Mass Pike still has a travel ban too.

Here they've already cancelled school for tomorrow.

[SirFozzie]

28" in Franklin, and DT (out in Natick) was reporting 32" so far.

[sabotai]

I must have woken up this morning at just the right time to get off work. I looked out the window at, I think, 7:30 am. Saw nothing but white (hard to tell how deep) and it was snowing heavily. Go back to bed, wake up around 11am, look outside and see about an inch of snow and the road cleared.

Oh well, at least I got the waste the entire day away looking at fumble statistics...