OMG already - Heavy snow strands motorists in Black Hills of Dakota

(Reuters) - A rare and fierce October snowstorm rolled out over the central Rocky Mountains on Friday, stranding motorists, downing trees and forcing closures of hundreds of miles of Interstate 90 across parts of Wyoming and South Dakota, officials said.

The storm dropped more than three feet of snow in parts of the Black Hills region of western South Dakota, according to a Rapid City National Weather Service report.

An unknown number of motorists were stranded in Pennington County in South Dakota, Alexa White, spokeswoman for Rapid City-Pennington County Emergency Management, said.

Some called emergency services to say they were out of gas and feared they might not stay warm through the night, and rescuers in snowcats were trying to reach them, she said.

Four-wheel-drive vehicles and even rescuers in firetrucks were stuck in the snow, White said. Fire stations have opened as emergency shelters.

Thousands of people in Pennington County homes were without power, White said.

Heading to Ohio????????

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — An early spring snowstorm forced the cancellation of more than 100 flights at Denver International Airport and closed several roads Saturday as it moved eastward, dumping more than a foot of snow in some places.

The snow started falling around midnight in northeast Colorado and then moved into northwest Kansas and southwest Nebraska.

Ten to 15 inches of snow had fallen by Saturday afternoon north of Interstate 70 in northwest Kansas and northeast Colorado, with another 1 to 2 inches expected in the area, said Ryan Husted, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Goodland, Kan., where 15 inches of snow had fallen.

The storm also dropped up to 7 inches of snow in southwestern Nebraska before tapering off Saturday afternoon, said David Pearson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service near Omaha, Neb.
"But the wind is really blowing, so visibility in those areas is still going to be pretty low," Pearson said.

Mail Service Suspended in New England Due to Snow

PROVIDENCE, R.I. February 9, 2013 (AP)

The U.S. Postal Service has suspended mail delivery and will keep post offices closed in all six New England states because of the blizzard that has dumped more than 2 feet of snow throughout the region.

Postal Service spokeswoman Christine Dugas says post offices in Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island will remain closed Saturday.

She says it's an unusual move, but roads across much of New England have been closed or are impassable.

Big bad Winter predicted

Last winter, big cities like New York and Philadelphia saved a lot of money because the Northeast had a snow drought. Not so this winter.

Yes, even while air conditioners are still running, meteorologists are beginning to focus on the long-term winter weather forecast. 

And, it looks as if the I-95-corridor cities from Washington to Boston will need to make sure the plows are gassed up and rock salt plentiful.

“I think the East Coast is going to have some battles with some big storms,” says Paul Pastelok, Accu-Weather’s lead long-term forecaster in State College, Pa.

However, Mr. Pastelok predicts the battles won’t start until January and then will extend into February. “November in the Northeast could be above-normal temperatures and below-normal precipitation, and December could be a transition month,” he says. “By January and February it’s going to get pretty cold.”

Stores busy as Colo. prepares for major snowstorm

By DAN ELLIOTT | Associated Press

DENVER (AP) — A powerful winter storm moving across Colorado Friday has dumped more than a foot of snow in some areas.
The storm has prompted a blizzard warning for the northeast, forced flight cancellations and school closures, and calls from highway officials to slow down on icy roadways.

National Weather Service meteorologist Bob Kleyla says the snow began falling Thursday night and by 3:30 a.m. MST Friday, six inches had fallen on downtown Denver, more in suburban areas and up to 15 inches in the foothills west of the city.
He adds that Boulder and some areas just north of Colorado Springs were struggling with 10 inches of snow.
But despite the weather, Colorado Department of Transportation spokesman Jarrett Handy says there are no current road closures, even though many roads are icy and snow packed.

He urged motorists to drive cautiously, especially during rush hour.

Great time to be alive

Strange world we live in. Saturday afternoon in Ohio, a little before one, watching the weather channel.

Earthquake in Chile, apparently not as bad as the one in Haiti, but an 8.8,that seems bad, but the death count is low. The Tsunami is scheduled for Hawaii around 4, so don't want to miss that.

Watching some coverage of the blizzard in the Eastern part of the US. We are hopefull, here in Ohio of setting a new snowfall record for February.

Wow, the 8.8 is one of the 5 highest ever in recorded history. Are we living in a great time, or what.

OK, 11:05, Hawaiian time is now the time for the Tsunami.

People in Haiti are complaining that many of the TV crews are leaving for Chili and Hawaii.

Rumor has it that the networks are scrapping the bottom of the barrel to come up with crews to send out, with the Olympics, Haiti, blizzard, they are thin on personnel to send out for disasters.

One NBC exec was quoted as saying, "I wish these damn disasters could be scheduled a little better, why couldn't we have an earthquare and a Tsunami in Iraq or Iran or Afganistan, we've already got crews there. I just gave a graveyard shift janitor a camera and made him a camerman to go out with a weatherman to cover Chili. When I mentioned Chili, he thought he was going to Mexico. "

The weather channel just announed that March is going to be colder than usual, and people in Hawaii are moving inland.

And, In Canada, Wiinter Olypics, it is now raining and foggy. I remember I was in Reno when they had the '60 Olympics out there, same problem, Warm, no snow. A reporter interviewed one of the officials, asking him about the gigantic parking lot of ice, made over the Truckee River. "What will happen if this warm weather and rain continues?"

"Well, we will get to see about 5000 cars floating down the Truckee Riiver."

And if all of this is not bad enough, we have politicians in Washington. And they think an 8.8 can do damage.