Normally blizzards and heavy winter storm weather can be blamed on an Alberta Clipper or an occasional Manitoba/James Bay Enveloping Deep Freeze. But this year, all the serious action is coming from a reversal of fortunes – sweeping US West Coast weather storming up the Ohio River valley like the vengeance of Speaker John Boehner on Canada for taking exception to his economic policies.
To wit, Blizzard II, a belated Ohio Valentine’s day gift, arrived during this past week. The weather was already cold with a previous layer of Gulf Coast snow. This next blast was well anticipated, so most people had an opportunity to stock up and stoke in anticipation of the storms worst:
Above is a 4 1/2 foot high hedge nearly topped by the snowplow drifts.
What was really perverse about this blizzard is that it started and stopped about 5 to 6 times during the day. So just as one went out to shovel the driveway, the snow would start again. Or just as you went out to get some picture, the wind would pick up and clear the trees of their snow cover. And the snow persisted just enough to make all the pictures during the day streaked with wind blown snow fall blurs.
Suffice it to say – the best picture taking was one day after the storm:
Looking down Red Cloud School Road the next afternoon after Blizzard II
This certainly was not the luxuriant white covered look so tantalizing offered during the previous day, but whisked away with wind and persistent snow showers. However, hoofing through 1 to 2 feet high snow accumulations, did result in some promising pictoral finds.
The snow is between 1.5 to 2 feet deep. It is rough slogging without snowshoes.
Meanwhile here are some of the views found on an exhausting return home.
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The blizzard weather cooped up everybody in the area so it was an opportunity to create a slideshow of the snow trek. The amount of colors throughout the countryside was impressive. The oaks, which were particularly attractive this last Fall, continued to put on a show straight through the Winter. But most disconcering was the some time large drifts of snow, disguised by hillside rivules and dips, that had this party “wading” in 2-3 foot drifts of the fleecy and cold.
For the full screen size slideshow, go here.