What started as a light and powdery snow late Saturday night was pummeled all day Sunday into a heavier and harder concentration of windswept white dunes by a relentless ice storm. The hard crystals began falling just before 6:00 AM yesterday, and intensified as the morning progressed, erasing hard-won shoveling progress. By 8:00 PM, the tempest finally moved on, having vastly overstayed its welcome. Wisconsin Avenue was free of automobiles at 9:00 PM Sunday, as rare a sight as an Irish pub in Bethesda these days. Another rare sight: Tastee Diner having to close for the day as the storm blasted the town.
Urban streets were rough, but Montgomery County snow plows began tackling residential neighborhoods today, with the ice-coated snow pack being crushed by the heavy trucks more than being swept aside. More diligent plow drivers made multiple passes on streets to try to get down to bare pavement. As taxes massively increase, however, residential street plowing has decreased from full street to single-lane down the middle. Remember when the plows cleared everything, maneuvering around parked vehicles? Pepperidge Farm remembers.
18 comments:
"Windswept white dunes." Poetic.
To quote the tag line of another vintage series of ads, "Thank you for your support."
Been there all my life and this is the worst snow response I've ever seen. Roads today were horrible. Some main thoroughfares like Wisconsin were clear but actually not what you would call perfect. Pearl Street from Montgomery to the intersection at E-W Highway wasn't touched. Neighborhoods were mostly still impassable today. I'd give them a grade of C but barely.
I made a web visit to the Maryland traffic cam page. Yesterday even the American Legion bridge was empty of cars!
JAC, I think the delayed response may have been by strategic design. I read that Gaithersburg, for example, was going to wait out things as long as possible, to allow the sleet/freezing rain to fall on whatever snow had already accumulated, rather than have it hit already-plowed streets, where it would perhaps be more treacherous and difficult to clear than it would be as, in effect, icing on a cake. That’s not to say it was necessarily good judgement, but perhaps a similar idea was at play for the trucks responsible for our area, too.
I agree that this event has proved to be faaaar more difficult to clear from sidewalks and drives than any other I can recall from many decades of shoveling. I should have given in to my midlife crisis urge to buy that giant snowblower.
I have to agree. I am still unplowed in my neighborhood and can't get out. But at least the Council has banned plastic bags for groceries!
Let's make sure those bike lanes get cleared first!
I think there first priority was to get those separated bike lanes plowed!
But they'll enforce the sidewalk clearing regulation I'm sure.
7:43 - I've been out and even with a Ford Expedition with literally brand new tires and 4x4, it's not easy going. Never seen this. And the official snow total in Bethesda? 5.5"
@8:44, you win the Internet for today.
Worst Episode, Everrrr.
Comrade Elrich front and center with his remarkable leadership skills. Pretty sure this storm was Trump and Ice’s fault. No masks for plow drivers. BUP as usual was kicking a - s and taking names. If they could only take over MOCO we’d be in better shape .
They cleared the ones on Old Georgetown Road. To be fair I did see a guy waiting for the bus, so those lanes can be a safer space for pedestrians.
Jac, your SUV with new tires is no match for conditions. A dedicated set of Blizzak snow tires is night and day in stopping power and grip. We have an older set that gets swapped in after Thanksgiving due to essential work status.
7:11 - The tires I got were factory replacement General Tire. Best for conditions? I totally agree there are way better. The tires did well and 4x4 was needed. Many were stuck during the initial onset no doubt. Thankfully, I want one of them. But again, it wasn't exactly easy sledding either no pun intended. Never seen the roads so bad with those low about totals
Yeah, just cant count on anyone in this county to do their job adequately.
It was I’m the sleet and freezing rain that’s the problem, not the inches of “snow”
The 3-peak snow rating on all season tires like Michelin Cross Climate are still a compromise on ice. Granted that the Mid-Atlantic doesn't justify full blown winter tires but if one needs to get around it's an investment in safety.
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