The Snowpocalypse 2.0

The current view outside my window. When the wind picks up, I can't see the trees on the other side of the street.

I’m sitting inside next to the window as gusts of wind and snow make the trees across the street periodically disappear. Fortunately, I haven’t experienced any power outages, but today is my fourth day of cancelled classes. I expect school will be closed again tomorrow. Between snow and my class schedule, I haven’t had a class in over a week now.

In preparation of our first snow last week, I went to the grocery store only to find many of the shelves bare. Eggs, meats, and Doritos were all gone. And that was before news of the blizzard we are getting today. The last time I saw something like this was when hurricanes were coming through Orlando.

Prior to today, DC had already had it’s third snowiest winter on record. The current blizzard will certainly push us into the number two spot and possibly into number one.

Reading about driving experiences like Megan McArdle’s makes me extra-glad to live where I do in Arlington. Two blocks from the metro, eight blocks from school, and blocks away from I-66. This area gets plowed quickly and eliminates the necessity for driving when the weather is bad. I was able to get out to do some shopping on foot the last couple of days and the metro stop near me is the last underground station, meaning it is still running even in this mess. Overall, I’d give Arlington an ‘A’ for how well they’ve been keeping the streets near me cleared and a ‘B’ for how they’ve done with the sidewalks.

I could probably count the number of cars I’ve seen drive down the street today on two hands. I’ve seen a few people walking outside -- almost all of them had dogs. (The dogs looked like they were having a lot more fun than the people.)

Officials are urging everyone to stay indoors today. (Something tells me people would do this anyway.) Some useful advice is to stay in your car if you get stuck, running the engine for 10 minutes every hour for heat. (Crack your windows and make sure the exhaust is clear to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning.) If you leave your car, there’s a good chance you can get disoriented in this blizzard. Keeping warm and safe should be your top priority.

These storms are serious and will likely impair activities in the DC area for several more days. To all of my DC readers, stay warm, stay safe, and enjoy the snow.

P.S. -- One of the big questions after this current storm is over and the plowing begins: where do you put all that snow?