Second Polar Vortex?

[VentureForth]

We may actually get affected by PV-II. Though not as cold as PV-I, we could be getting down to 32 degrees with an off chance of SNOW. MAYBE even an INCH! Last time there was snow in Savannah was about 3 years ago - a light dusting that froze (ha ha) the city in its tracks (more ha ha).

 

[jis]

NERs don't have diners, do they?

Poor souls - no Acela, no food.

NERs have Cafe cars just like Acelas do. Neither have Diners. Food is served at your seat, airline style in Acela First Class.

 

[Bob Dylan]

Strong Norther blew into Centex about 2AM, Temp was 60 F! Now its 44 and dropping to a Low in the 20s with a Wind Chill in the Single Digits and another Dusting of Snow and Ice Tonight and in the Morning! All the Freeways and Bridges will be Iced/Closed, Schools Cancelled, Usual Hundreds of Fender Benders and then it will Warm up into the 40s/30s for the rest of the Week!

Doesn'r sound Bad to Northerners, but after yesterdays Sunny 70s we're ready for Spring to be Sprung! Everyone stay Warm and Safe and if riding Trains have plenty of Food to eat and be Semi on Time!

 

[jis]

And it is raining/drizzling here in NJ with temp at 38F, first time it's been above freezing in over a week! But it will go down to single digits tonight. Hope things dry out a bot before the freeze comes.

 

[jis]

Today (Tuesday 28th Jan) on the NEC, 3 Acela pairs canceled between New York and Washington DC, and 4 Acela pairs canceled between New York and Boston. 3 canceled ones are Washington - Boston through service.

 

[SarahZ]

I'm shocked right now. WMU is open, despite it being 30 degrees colder than it was yesterday (when they closed). Students and parents are freaking out all over their Facebook page and calling the University hotline. There are frostbite warnings all over the news.

I drive to class and only have a five-minute walk to Brown Hall (where all three of my classes are), but some students use the city buses or walk from the dorms, which is a 20-minute walk. Additionally, walking from one end of campus to the other takes about 15 minutes, so those with classes in multiple buildings are risking exposure.

This is ridiculous. Even UM closed, and they haven't closed since 1978.

They did put up a big announcement stating we can email or call our professors if we don't feel it's safe to come to class, but that isn't an option for me. Not only do I hate missing class, but I have a quiz and two assignments due today.

 

[Ryan]

Here's a snowfall map you won't see often.

 

[PRR 60]

Today (Tuesday 28th Jan) on the NEC, 3 Acela pairs canceled between New York and Washington DC, and 4 Acela pairs canceled between New York and Boston. 3 canceled ones are Washington - Boston through service.

I have the suspicion that multiple Acela sets were damaged by the powdery snow and are out of service pending repairs. That would explain the Acela service still being seriously impacted a week after the storm.

 

[jis]

Yeah, I think they may have only 12 or 13 sets available for service now, instead of the 16 necessary for the full schedule.

BTW, around Chicago the scuttlebutt is that Mendota Sub (BNSF) is shut down till late Tuesday. So both 3 and 5 will be operating via Chillicothe Sub, with 5 doing the switchover in the opposite direction to what 3 normally does. This is what happened yesterday too. Here is a chance for folks to travel the original route of the Chief!

 

[OBS]

Today (Tuesday 28th Jan) on the NEC, 3 Acela pairs canceled between New York and Washington DC, and 4 Acela pairs canceled between New York and Boston. 3 canceled ones are Washington - Boston through service.

I have the suspicion that multiple Acela sets were damaged by the powdery snow and are out of service pending repairs. That would explain the Acela service still being seriously impacted a week after the storm.

You are correct, they did have 5 sets out of service as of 2 days ago. Now it looks like a couple may be back.

 

[jis]

No change today (Wednesday Jan 29th) on the NEC as far as cancellations go. Still 3 Acela pairs between Washington and New York and 4 Acela pairs between New York and Boston remain cancelled.

 

[OlympianHiawatha]

WNBC reported last night on the 11 an Amtrak train was stuck in the West Side Tunnel coming in from NJ and wires were down. A rescue train was on the way and this morning I read pax were stranded for 4 hours. But no details on if this was weather related or just a mishap. Either way the Corridor just can't win for losing this Winter and we have a lot more of it to go.

 

[Nathanael]

The college I went to in Minnesota never officially closed for any reason. I remember several days when the roads were closed, however -- since none of the professors were able to get to class, we all knew that there wouldn't be any classes.

 

[FriskyFL]

2 inches of snow brings Atlanta to its knees...frightening to think of what would happen during a REAL crisis. Zombie apocalypse? Alien invasion?

 

[Ryan]

You must be using some archaic definition of the word "REAL" that I wasn't previously aware of.

 

[SarahZ]

2 inches of snow brings Atlanta to its knees...frightening to think of what would happen during a REAL crisis. Zombie apocalypse? Alien invasion?

When you've never driven in snow before and don't have the equipment to clear it, yes, it's a crisis.

 

[SarahZ]

Meanwhile, this is Harbor Drive in Grand Haven, MI. They closed it to allow crews to get out there and clear it. Some areas along the coast had 7' - 10' snow drifts.

(I'm not comparing to Georgia. I'd been meaning to post this all day. I truly feel for everyone down there. I remember the first time I drove in snow and ice; it was pretty scary, and I'm glad my dad was there to coach me.)

 

[June the Coach Rider]

2 inches of snow brings Atlanta to its knees...frightening to think of what would happen during a REAL crisis. Zombie apocalypse? Alien invasion?

When 2 inches of snow fall and everyone gets out of work and school at the same time, it can cause a crisis. We have it here in New England all the time, the snow falls at just above freezing, but the ground is colder, it freezes on contact and instead of having fluffy snow, they have slick ice.

 

[guest]

We here in Northern New England takes things like studded snow tires as a given between Nov. and May... I doubt if they even sell them in Altanta.

 

[the_traveler]

We had the same thing happen in RI last week. When the snow started falling, schools and businesses closed and everyone headed home. The trouble was that everyone headed home at the same time!

Even though the northeast is used to snow, we also have traffic problems during storms.

 

[pennyk]

We are having cold rain here in Orlando and drivers are not doing well. I heard that classes were canceled at Florida State in Tallahassee today due to snow flurries and ice. I heard one end of a phone conversation between my yoga instructor and her daughter instructing the daughter NOT to drive today.

I agree that Atlanta is a mess. The city has no equipment and the drivers have no experience driving in that weather. I feel awful for the parents who were unable to pick up their children at school.

Again, for the umteenth time this season, I am very happy to be living in (Central) Florida.

 

[OBS]

Meanwhile, this is Harbor Drive in Grand Haven, MI. They closed it to allow crews to get out there and clear it. Some areas along the coast had 7' - 10' snow drifts.

(I'm not comparing to Georgia. I'd been meaning to post this all day. I truly feel for everyone down there. I remember the first time I drove in snow and ice; it was pretty scary, and I'm glad my dad was there to coach me.)

Wow, thanks for the picture Sarah. I grew up in Grand Haven. That is a lot of snow...

 

[tim49424]

Meanwhile, this is Harbor Drive in Grand Haven, MI. They closed it to allow crews to get out there and clear it. Some areas along the coast had 7' - 10' snow drifts.

(I'm not comparing to Georgia. I'd been meaning to post this all day. I truly feel for everyone down there. I remember the first time I drove in snow and ice; it was pretty scary, and I'm glad my dad was there to coach me.)

Wow, thanks for the picture Sarah. I grew up in Grand Haven. That is a lot of snow...

My parents lived in GH for about 15 years....and I agree, that's a lot of snow, even for the snow belt of Michigan.

This reminds me of the remains of the Blizzard of 1978 when I was in High School about 30 miles SE of there in Zeeland. The roads were closed, except for snowmobile traffic for about a week and a half. It was exam week and schools let out after the completion of first hour....second hour exams were not held until two weeks later.

 

[Ryan]

2 inches of snow brings Atlanta to its knees...frightening to think of what would happen during a REAL crisis. Zombie apocalypse? Alien invasion?

When 2 inches of snow fall and everyone gets out of work and school at the same time, it can cause a crisis. We have it here in New England all the time, the snow falls at just above freezing, but the ground is colder, it freezes on contact and instead of having fluffy snow, they have slick ice.

That and we do things like close school early and get home before the nasty stuff sets in.

Sent from my iPhone

 

[SarahZ]

We are having cold rain here in Orlando and drivers are not doing well. I heard that classes were canceled at Florida State in Tallahassee today due to snow flurries and ice. I heard one end of a phone conversation between my yoga instructor and her daughter instructing the daughter NOT to drive today.

I agree that Atlanta is a mess. The city has no equipment and the drivers have no experience driving in that weather. I feel awful for the parents who were unable to pick up their children at school.

Again, for the umteenth time this season, I am very happy to be living in (Central) Florida.

I really hope that stuff doesn't freeze tonight.