Althouse: New snow, pre-dawn, just now.

January 26, 2016

New snow, pre-dawn, just now.

(I've been up for more than 3 hours and it's still dark.)

11 comments:

AllenS said...: True that, but we've gained a noticeable amount of daylight minutes.; 1/26/16, 6:55 AM
Laslo Spatula said...: Great photo.

You can't help it if your surrounding environment makes it look like Thomas Kinkade.

I am Laslo.; 1/26/16, 8:10 AM
MadisonMan said...: I'm enjoying the relative responses to the blizzard in NYC vs. DC. The person in charge at DC was asked why NYC schools were open Monday and DC schools were closed, and he snapped back/whined That's an unfair comparison. It's entirely fair to compare a competent vs. incompetent response. I wish I could find the news article.

Here's the real thing: The business of NYC is business, and there's a huge impact if things don't open. Businessmen will call up the Mayor. In DC, the impact isn't big because, you know, even if the Govt shuts down, again, today, at least the people will still be paid.; 1/26/16, 8:32 AM
MadisonMan said...: Ah, here it is:

Link

From the article:

"I know other cities struggled," New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said. "We are so blessed to have the personnel, the training, the equipment that allows to this city to turn on a dime. Things are not entirely normal, today but most of the city is operating well."

Asked why New York schools are open while the District's are closed, Washington's emergency management director, Christopher Geldart, said "It's a total unfair comparison."; 1/26/16, 8:39 AM
Curious George said...: " MadisonMan said...
I'm enjoying the relative responses to the blizzard in NYC vs. DC. The person in charge at DC was asked why NYC schools were open Monday and DC schools were closed, and he snapped back/whined That's an unfair comparison. It's entirely fair to compare a competent vs. incompetent response. I wish I could find the news article.

Here's the real thing: The business of NYC is business, and there's a huge impact if things don't open. Businessmen will call up the Mayor. In DC, the impact isn't big because, you know, even if the Govt shuts down, again, today, at least the people will still be paid."

Former Chicago Mayor lost his office because of poor response to a major snow storm. He should have been shot. It was a mess for months.; 1/26/16, 8:59 AM
ceowens said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 1/26/16, 9:04 AM
Curious George said...: Ooops former Chicago Mayor Mike Bilandic. Led to Chicago's only female mayor, Jane Byrne.; 1/26/16, 9:44 AM
Big Mike said...: @MadMan, the problem for Washington, DC, is that we're far enough south that snow is relatively rare to begin with, and bad storms are very infrequent. We had a relatively bad storm (7.2" at Reagan National Airport, 20" or more in the outlying suburbs) in February of 2014, but I don't think I cranked up my snowblower a single time the rest of 2014, or at all the year before or last year. The previous bad winter was in 2009-2010, which had a 16" snowfall in the city in December and two serious blizzards in the following February.

Consequently the city sizes its purchases of salt and number of plows for much lighter storms than we just had this past weekend, which is perfectly reasonable, and this plus the general loss of institutional knowledge is why Washington reacts differently from more northerly cities. Well that, plus the rusty winter driving skills of our relatively transient population.; 1/26/16, 11:04 AM
CatherineM said...: Big Mike - in NY they put snow plows on the front of garbage trucks. I don't know how much investment that is, but you always need garbage trucks. Salt spreaders is something else, but perhaps there is something they can do to repurpose city trucks. I feel like DC areas and Maryland still need to do more.

I wonder how long salt lasts? I saw the huge salt stores for NYC last month and wondered if we would need them this year and if they keep until next year.

We had 30 inches in my area of NYC and you could get to work yesterday even if it meant a short walk to a bus stop (with some problems on the LIRR of course). It helped that they had a travel ban. Still still had a 2 dummies get stuck in front of my house because they thought snow stopped around 10pm, we have 4WD truck we are going "somewhere." Not in 30 inches. I openly mocked them from my window and they said they would kick my dads ass for mocking them. Hahahahaha.

Can I borrow your snow blower?; 1/26/16, 11:45 AM
Big Mike said...: @CatherineM, no.; 1/26/16, 3:32 PM
David said...: It looks like someone firebombed one of your neighbors.; 1/26/16, 3:39 PM