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Go great Lakers!
Feb. 8th, 2007 08:06 amIt doesn't happen very often, but my undergad alma mater is big news this week. I got a BA in BS (communications) between the third and fourth Duran Duran albums.
Moving from NYC to Oswego totally changed my relationship with snow...not unlike how moving to Vancouver has changed my relationship with rain. NYC often gets extended flurries and the odd proper snow storm. Oswego gets lake effect snow: moisture drifts in from Lake Ontario and dumps sometimes a foot of snow in a couple of hours. We used to listen to a lot of Syracuse radio where the forecast would say "partly sunny here in Syracuse with a high of 15(F); Oswego and Fulton counties could see up to a foot of snow in local snow squalls." And we did. The good news was the often howling winds that followed often blasted the snow from campus into town proper and further inland.
This week Oswego's already over 6 feet of snow and today they're forecast to receive another two feet. Yes people, 8 feet of snow in less than a week. I did one winter session (the month of January) in Oz and we had a similar storm: 5 feet in two days. And the town that just shrugged with amounts that paralyzed places like NY C and Vancouver would finally stagger and collapse under the weight of it. Imagine drifts caused by snowplows 10 feet high in some places!
For a day. At most. Anyway, here's the story:
State: Squalls batter Oswego again
OSWEGO — Another day of heavy lake effect snows was expected today for communities along eastern Lake Ontario, with forecasts calling for another 2 feet or more of new snow in areas already buried under more than 6 feet. Since Sunday, the squalls have pounded a small region stretching through two upstate New York counties, with this Lake Ontario port city blanketed with up to 70 inches.
“We’re just trying to keep up. It’s almost an unreal amount,” said Oswego Mayor Randy Bateman. “We catch up when it stops, but then it just comes again, even heavier.”
According to the National Weather Service, the top snowfalls were in Parish with 77 inches and neighboring Mexico, which had 72 inches. There were unconfirmed reports of 82 inches in Redfield, a small village in western Oswego County. At times, the snow has fallen at a rate as high as 5 inches an hour. Schools were closed for a fourth consecutive day in Oswego and nearby Mexico.
Whiteouts forced state police to temporarily close Interstate 81 between Central Square and Pulaski, a stretch of about 15 miles. Travel advisories against unnecessary travel were posted for the city of Oswego, as well as parts of Oswego, Oneida and Lewis counties. Mexico officials renewed a snow emergency declaration. Many government offices were closed. A big problem for Oswego has been keeping the city’s 800 fire hydrants clear, said Fire Chief Ed Geers.
“We’re just trying to keep on top of digging out the hydrants. When you get 5 feet of snow in 24 hours, it’s tough. Many residents are great and have dug out their hydrants,” Geers said.
Forecasters said the squalls were expected to shift south toward Syracuse during the day before turning back northward Thursday night. The storms are likely to continue through the weekend, forecasters said.
BTW, the user icon is my graduation photo from 1986. Faux yuppie scum, ben non?
Moving from NYC to Oswego totally changed my relationship with snow...not unlike how moving to Vancouver has changed my relationship with rain. NYC often gets extended flurries and the odd proper snow storm. Oswego gets lake effect snow: moisture drifts in from Lake Ontario and dumps sometimes a foot of snow in a couple of hours. We used to listen to a lot of Syracuse radio where the forecast would say "partly sunny here in Syracuse with a high of 15(F); Oswego and Fulton counties could see up to a foot of snow in local snow squalls." And we did. The good news was the often howling winds that followed often blasted the snow from campus into town proper and further inland.
This week Oswego's already over 6 feet of snow and today they're forecast to receive another two feet. Yes people, 8 feet of snow in less than a week. I did one winter session (the month of January) in Oz and we had a similar storm: 5 feet in two days. And the town that just shrugged with amounts that paralyzed places like NY C and Vancouver would finally stagger and collapse under the weight of it. Imagine drifts caused by snowplows 10 feet high in some places!
For a day. At most. Anyway, here's the story:
State: Squalls batter Oswego again
OSWEGO — Another day of heavy lake effect snows was expected today for communities along eastern Lake Ontario, with forecasts calling for another 2 feet or more of new snow in areas already buried under more than 6 feet. Since Sunday, the squalls have pounded a small region stretching through two upstate New York counties, with this Lake Ontario port city blanketed with up to 70 inches.
“We’re just trying to keep up. It’s almost an unreal amount,” said Oswego Mayor Randy Bateman. “We catch up when it stops, but then it just comes again, even heavier.”
According to the National Weather Service, the top snowfalls were in Parish with 77 inches and neighboring Mexico, which had 72 inches. There were unconfirmed reports of 82 inches in Redfield, a small village in western Oswego County. At times, the snow has fallen at a rate as high as 5 inches an hour. Schools were closed for a fourth consecutive day in Oswego and nearby Mexico.
Whiteouts forced state police to temporarily close Interstate 81 between Central Square and Pulaski, a stretch of about 15 miles. Travel advisories against unnecessary travel were posted for the city of Oswego, as well as parts of Oswego, Oneida and Lewis counties. Mexico officials renewed a snow emergency declaration. Many government offices were closed. A big problem for Oswego has been keeping the city’s 800 fire hydrants clear, said Fire Chief Ed Geers.
“We’re just trying to keep on top of digging out the hydrants. When you get 5 feet of snow in 24 hours, it’s tough. Many residents are great and have dug out their hydrants,” Geers said.
Forecasters said the squalls were expected to shift south toward Syracuse during the day before turning back northward Thursday night. The storms are likely to continue through the weekend, forecasters said.
BTW, the user icon is my graduation photo from 1986. Faux yuppie scum, ben non?
