Much of the Midwest was hammered with a blizzard from the mid-afternoon of Tuesday, February 1, until late morning of Wednesday, February 2. In Chicago, it was being billed as the “storm of the century.” The official snowfall at O’Hare International Airport was over 20 inches, ranking as the third worst blizzard in the history of the city. Images and video of north Lake Shore Drive were broadcast on nearly every channel, locally and nationally, and were spread on Facebook and YouTube.
Most of northwest Indiana fared better than Chicago, although a few areas had local snowfalls up to 23 inches. Blowing and drifting snow was also a problem, causing roads and highways to be more dangerous than, and nearly impossible to keep clear. Porter County declared a state of emergency for the second time this winter I an effort to keep citizens at home, and was widely heeded.
When not digging out during the storm, I spent most of my time on Facebook and other websites, interacting with my friends also snowed in. Chicago Astronomer Joe Guzman dubbed the storm the “End Times Blizzard of 2011,” and I and some of our other friends on Facebook ran with it. Here are some of my pictures from the “Endtimes/Groundhog Day Blizzard of 2011.”
My first look out the door Wednesday morning.
My car Wednesday morning...
...and again later.
My street. It hadn't been plowed at all, and did not see a snowplow until 2:15 PM Thursday, more than 48 hours after snow first started falling.
There was a snowplow in my neighborhood Wednesday; it just didn't bother to come down my street.
Peeking out the back door.
Path through the back patio.
Once the shoveling was done, I had a few minutes to enjoy the sunset. I must say that Endtimes/Groundhog Day Blizzards produce pretty sunsets.
I swear the plow driver was trying to be a dick. I watched him turn the plow blade to dump all the snow in the driveway as he went by.
The neighbor across the street got it even worse. A truck parked on a nearby street was intentionally plowed in.
Excellent documentary Paulie! It's always enjoyable to chat with you, Hillary, and Joe via the social networking aspects of Facebook. Giving the amount of snow across the Chicagoland region and how long it will take to melt, the social networking aspects of Facebook is a great means of communication.
I agree. I spent much more time on FB during the blizzard than I have in recent months. It's good to share our experiences in real time with others also going through it, and people in different regions who get to see second hand through all the images, stories, and links shared through FB. I was one of the few not documenting the storm in real time through FB, but I enjoyed seeing pictures from you and Joe during the storm. Let's hope that was our last major snow this winter!
I can totally sympathize with you Paulie. We broke the snow record for January here in CT. You can't even find a roof rake because they're all sold out! We had to borrow one just to get the snow off our roof. Since we've done that we have not had any more leaks in our house.
It's crazy! My street is a one way street now because of all the freaking snow piled on each side! And you have to be very careful pulling your car onto the main road because it's so hard to see with the high snow banks on each side! I haven't even had a chance to take Riddick out!
Excellent documentary Paulie! It's always enjoyable to chat with you, Hillary, and Joe via the social networking aspects of Facebook. Giving the amount of snow across the Chicagoland region and how long it will take to melt, the social networking aspects of Facebook is a great means of communication.
ReplyDeleteI agree. I spent much more time on FB during the blizzard than I have in recent months. It's good to share our experiences in real time with others also going through it, and people in different regions who get to see second hand through all the images, stories, and links shared through FB. I was one of the few not documenting the storm in real time through FB, but I enjoyed seeing pictures from you and Joe during the storm. Let's hope that was our last major snow this winter!
ReplyDeleteI can totally sympathize with you Paulie. We broke the snow record for January here in CT. You can't even find a roof rake because they're all sold out! We had to borrow one just to get the snow off our roof. Since we've done that we have not had any more leaks in our house.
ReplyDeleteIt's crazy! My street is a one way street now because of all the freaking snow piled on each side! And you have to be very careful pulling your car onto the main road because it's so hard to see with the high snow banks on each side! I haven't even had a chance to take Riddick out!
This was some serious snowage! Yes time for internet astronomy and hot cocoa!
ReplyDelete