(WARNING: diary is image heavy)
Winter Storm Gidget (or whatever that channel is calling it these days) is about to get underway across the southern and eastern United States, bringing with it the promise for a historic crippling ice storm and possibly the most snow some areas have seen in half a decade or more.
Here's a look at the watches and warnings as of right now. Winter storm warnings are in pink, watches are in blue, advisories are in purple, and ice storm warnings are in the dark purple. The criteria for each of these winter weather warnings changes from region to region (as two inches of snow in Minnesota is dramatically different from two inches of snow in Alabama), so I'll elaborate below the orange squiggle.
The basic gist of this forecast is that it's gonna snow a lot and parts of Georgia and South Carolina will experience a historic ice storm that will cripple the region with damage and power outages that could last for at least a week.
All of the following snowfall and ice accumulation forecasts are from the regions' respective National Weather Service office. I have neither the skill nor the tools to forecast snow and ice accumulations, so I defer to the experts.
We'll start in the south and work our way east and north into New England...
LOUISIANA AND MISSISSIPPI
LINK: http://www.srh.noaa.gov/...
NRN MISS./MEMPHIS AREA
LINK: http://www.srh.noaa.gov/...
NORTHERN ALABAMA
LINK: http://www.srh.noaa.gov/...
CENTRAL ALABAMA
LINK: http://www.srh.noaa.gov/...
NORTHERN/CENTRAL GEORGIA (INCLUDING ATLANTA)
LINK: http://www.srh.noaa.gov/...
CENTRAL SOUTH CAROLINA
LINK: http://www.erh.noaa.gov/...
SNOWFALL TOTALS:
ICE ACCUMULATIONS:
GREENVILLE/SPARTANBURG SC -- ASHEVILLE NC -- CHARLOTTE NC
LINK: http://www.erh.noaa.gov/...
SNOWFALL TOTALS:
ICE ACCUMULATIONS:
EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA
LINK: http://www.erh.noaa.gov/...
(NWS Raleigh doesn't have a snowfall/ice map easily accessible, so here's an ice accumulation map from WRAL-TV)
SOUTHWESTERN VIRGINIA/NORTHWESTERN NC
LINK: http://www.erh.noaa.gov/...
CENTRAL/EASTERN VIRGINIA (RICHMOND/NAWFULK)
LINK: http://www.erh.noaa.gov/...
WASHINGTON DC/BALTIMORE AREA
LINK: http://www.erh.noaa.gov/...
PHILLY/JERSEY
LINK: http://www.erh.noaa.gov/...
CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA
LINK: http://www.erh.noaa.gov/...
NEW YORK CITY/LONG ISLAND
LINK: http://www.erh.noaa.gov/...
ALBANY AREA
LINK: http://www.erh.noaa.gov/...
CENTRAL NOO YAWK/NORTHEASTERN PA
LINK: http://www.erh.noaa.gov/...
BOSTON/RHODE ISLAND/CONNECTICUT/SOUTHERN NH
LINK: http://www.erh.noaa.gov/...
VERMONT/NORTHERN NEW YORK
LINK: http://www.erh.noaa.gov/...
NEW HAMPSHIRE/MAINE
LINK: http://www.erh.noaa.gov/...
NORTHERN MAINE WHERE NOBODY LIVES PROBABLY
LINK: http://www.erh.noaa.gov/...
As always, keep checking up with your local National Weather Service office because weather forecasts can and do change dramatically very quickly.
If you live in areas that are expecting ice, make sure you're prepared if and when the power goes out. The damage to infrastructure could be devastating given the amount of ice that will accumulate, and snow that falls on top of that, and then the wind that knocks all that extra weight around. Power could be out for a week or more in the hardest hit areas.
Everyone else...don't be Atlanta. Be prepared to keep your kidlets home for a few days. You'll probably miss work for a day or two unless you can drive in that much snow.
And most importantly: spring is only a month and a half away.
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Stay safe, stay warm, and stay funky.