We're expecting 30 inches of snow over the next 10 days; preparations

Submitted by movdqa t3_11a4e6y in newhampshire

I just looked through the Apple Weather forecast for the next 10 days and see 30 inches of snow forecast with only half of those days above freezing. I've spent about 2 hours clearing snow off the cars, driveway and roof which is fairly normal after a storm.

So my goals over this period of time is to keep things tidy, particularly the driveway and roof so that there's no ice or snow buildup so that nobody slips and falls and we don't get roof leaks. This is not one of those winter sequences of storms where we would be without power or water or where it would be difficult to get things. Just a steady beat of storms without warm days to melt things down. We have not really had accumulation of snow for a month or two where you have the huge snow banks and have to be extra careful driving or walking but we may get a little of that over the next two weeks.

Anyone else preparing or is a series of moderate storms something that is manageable without any planning and preparation?

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AnythingToAvoidWork t1_j9prav4 wrote

I haven't seen the same thing but let's just assume it's right.

Absolutely manageable. It's like any other storm. Shovel / blow when you can. I like to make passes at 8-12 inches with a blower in the (increasingly rarer) times we're expecting more, 4-6" with a shovel.

Never hurts to prep for losing power. I generally keep 5 gallons of water for flushing toilets just in case. I have a woodstove, so heat isn't an issue for me.

If you run into a situation where you don't have heat there's nothing wrong with warming up in your car as long as it's not in a garage and the exhaust is clear.

This is all extreme circumstances. Usually it's just shovel and chill.

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movdqa OP t1_j9psjf7 wrote

Replying to AnythingToAvoidWork (#1,944,087)

We have underground power and our last outage was in 2011 in the great ice storm of New England. We have a second residence in Boston that we can use if we need to but it's also another property to maintain though it requires much less maintenance than our primary.

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jkjeeper06 t1_j9py7a3 wrote

30" spread out is not much to contend with. I have gas for the snowblower/generator, a roof rake/shovels. If it falls (i haven't seen your forecast) i'm always ready to clear it

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Reddit_in_her_voice t1_j9q7p3e wrote

Where you live? That seems like too much unless you live in the mountains

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lantonas t1_j9q9hhx wrote

Expecting 30 inches of snow?

Prepare for 10.

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KrissaKray t1_j9qbh4n wrote

Replying to movdqa (#1,946,431)

... I saw the "14" and read "1.4" and sat here like... THIS ISNT 30! WHAT ARE YOU SMOKING??? lol

But if we get that 14 on Tuesday, I'm doing my happy dance. (I work in Merrimack) so I have my fingers crossed for a work from home day.

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Viking603 t1_j9qh6pr wrote

I did plenty of prepping. Finished making 10+ pounds of Bacon and bought a case of Whisky. 👍

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aladdyn2 t1_j9qkru3 wrote

Plenty of years we get 30" from one storm system over 2 days. Not a big deal. Only if your going to get fired for being late to work would I worry about it.

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movdqa OP t1_j9qnph8 wrote

Replying to procrastinatorsuprem (#1,947,797)

Underground power reduces the odds of outages locally but you're still dependent on the power company to your neighborhood. We also live on a main road and the power company has done a very good job in trimming branches, shoring up and even replacing poles since 2011.

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Doug_Shoe t1_j9qu42t wrote

We're not going to get a yard of snow per week in March.

If we did, I'm all set. But it's not going to happen.

Ice already melted off the roof.

Yes, people will drive like idiots (not taking into account the high snow banks, again if the high snow totals did occur). People drive like idiots every day, anyway. Yeah so we'd be adding one more hazard. OK.

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Winter-Rewind t1_j9r2t56 wrote

Motherfucker!!! I just pulled up all my snow stakes and put em away!!!

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Different_Ad7655 t1_j9rcwxx wrote

OMG as if it's the end of the world it's just winter in New Hampshire. Of course you should have items stocked already, if you're very rural maybe a generator, or at least a wood stove but please no histeionics. People should turn off the weather channel and just go with the flow. If you livee south of Concord Not too much for me lol occasionally you can get snowed in there too. I remember one winter maybe 20 so years ago, I commercially cloud plowed every single day for a month. I got a lot of side job says well so was lucrative. It's New Hampshire in the winter in the only regular thing about it is the irregularity. Expect cold weather, and a lot of snow and ice.

No panicking at the grocery store for milk bread and toilet paper please

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Hereforthemadness1 t1_j9rhv7a wrote

Boy howdy you’re a transplant… 30” of snow over 10 days is absolutely nothing to worry about. Driveway, yeah, shovel it? Roof? If your roof doesn’t leak from heavy rain, it shouldn’t leak from snow sitting on it. The only risk from snow is crazy ice dams, or weight, and if your roof breaks from 30” of snow, you should have replaced your roof long ago

Also, if you weren’t a city boy, you’d know that you can’t trust a weather report as far as you can spit, especially in Feb. March is when you need to worry about snowstorms, and even then, you’ll be already bud, all the yetis and polar bears left when your housing development was built and destroyed their home.

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slayursister t1_j9rulj4 wrote

Youre making a mistake trusting any sort of weather app. It does look like a busy pattern. If this all materializes Icecoast skiing will be back on a good rebound. Get some.

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movdqa OP t1_j9ruu81 wrote

Replying to slayursister (#1,954,462)

It's never a mistake to use a weather program (it's not an app). You just apply your heuristics on how you use it and the relative reliability in the past.

Plan for the worst and hope for the best.

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danmac1152 t1_j9tnj5x wrote

My driveway is kinda challenging for my car so I always do a good salt before it begins to snow. It’ll keep some snow off but more importantly won’t ice up on bottom.

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TheCloudBoy t1_j9tnogb wrote

Replying to perkinslumbago (#1,953,751)

Soooo we definitely should be paying attention to the storm Tuesday & Tuesday night here, which looks to include a feature notorious for concentrating repeated blasts of snow to it's north, or over us. I of course am excited because this feature is partially related to what my senior thesis focused on. It's not going to drop 30" of snow, but my opening bid is already 10-16" for a good chunk of the state

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movdqa OP t1_j9tnwv9 wrote

Replying to danmac1152 (#1,964,049)

I spent 30 minutes clearing off the cars this morning. Fortunately the sun was out which helped quite a bit. I'm going to move the cars after I have a cup of coffee and then clear the ice on the driveway. Temperatures are getting a lot colder tonight and tomorrow and avoiding the deep ice freeze is a good idea.

I've been doing this since the 1970s and this year has actually been a lot easier than usual.

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danmac1152 t1_j9tp4ln wrote

Replying to movdqa (#1,964,115)

Haha I actually just did the same. Got quite a bit of sleet last night and I was watching the weather this morning and they were talking of how cold it’s supposed to be. Got out and salted while it could get some sun.

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RetroIsBack t1_j9tt6uf wrote

Nobody can see more than 3 days out to due chaotic processes.

In fact, computer models predict that a cyclone will form in Japan 6-12 months after a butterfly beats its wings on another continent.

"butterfly effect"

But I like outdoor sports in the snow, I will believe you.

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movdqa OP t1_j9ttmgs wrote

Replying to RetroIsBack (#1,964,955)

I understand that. I took a semester in meteorology in undergrad and it definitely is dealing with complex systems. I still have the textbook but it's most certainly out of date. It was a bit of an eye-opener back then (in the 1970s) as to the number of things that influence the weather.

But still, prepare for the worst and hope for the best. This has worked for me for 4 decades.

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lellololes t1_j9ufdiu wrote

I wouldn't worry too much. If you're in a rural area and have a generator, make sure you have gas. Maybe grab some extra food that is shelf stable if you don't keep much in the house. You don't need to be ready for nuclear war but having some basic food that will last you a week is appropriate.

Car stuff is useful to have too - ice scrapers, one of those snow pusher things, lock deicer, spare pair of gloves in the car. Snow pushers are amazing for heavy snowfall. Also you should have a spare shovel. A mini one in the car can come in handy too.

Most of us have been through 2+ feet in one night. When that happens things slow down for a day or so and then go back to normal.

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sgdulac t1_j9uix4m wrote

North east snow prep, make sure you have pleanty of beer. Watch it snow!

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