Still Snowing...
The storms that hit everyone else ended, but now we're getting Lake Effect snow. I feel like I'm living in a snow globe. According to the almanac on 9wsyr.com, as of yesterday we've gotten 32 inches of snow this month (49 for the season), 5 inches yesterday, 9 inches on Friday... and bits and peices before and after that. They said on the news to expect 6 to a foot from the lake effect snow, before it turns into squalls as the snow bands drift out. Then we'll have a wintery mix of snow and rain on Christmas.
I find it funny how many terms for snow and snow related weather we have up here. It's never just "snow." Lake Effect is the fast falling, thick and heavy snow we get off of Lake Ontario. Lake Effect falls fast and hard, usually dumping a foot on us in an hour or two. This is usually good "packing snow" good for sleding, making snowmen and snowballs. It is horrible to shovel off sidewalks and driveways. Wintery Mix snow is when it can't decide to rain or snow, so it does both. This is not to be confused with sleet, also mix of rain and snow, but instead of flakes and rain, it comes down in globs of icy sludge. Then there is freezing rain, which is distinctly rain that turns into an icy coating after it lands. Driving snow is new snow falling with heavy winds, while blowing snow is just the same old snow being pushed around into new drifts (ie, on top of my car instead of on the bank next to it). My favorite is flurries, which is big white flakes that don't count much towards accumulation and tend not to stick around. Followed only by pea snow, which falls down in little white pellets (kind of looks like someone opened a giant bean-bag in the sky.) Pea snow blows away, and is light and easy to move around. We don't see much of that.
The banks of snow along the side of the driveway are already taller than me. This does not bode well for the rest of the season. However, they were originally predicting snow for Halloween so I supose I should be grateful.
I find it funny how many terms for snow and snow related weather we have up here. It's never just "snow." Lake Effect is the fast falling, thick and heavy snow we get off of Lake Ontario. Lake Effect falls fast and hard, usually dumping a foot on us in an hour or two. This is usually good "packing snow" good for sleding, making snowmen and snowballs. It is horrible to shovel off sidewalks and driveways. Wintery Mix snow is when it can't decide to rain or snow, so it does both. This is not to be confused with sleet, also mix of rain and snow, but instead of flakes and rain, it comes down in globs of icy sludge. Then there is freezing rain, which is distinctly rain that turns into an icy coating after it lands. Driving snow is new snow falling with heavy winds, while blowing snow is just the same old snow being pushed around into new drifts (ie, on top of my car instead of on the bank next to it). My favorite is flurries, which is big white flakes that don't count much towards accumulation and tend not to stick around. Followed only by pea snow, which falls down in little white pellets (kind of looks like someone opened a giant bean-bag in the sky.) Pea snow blows away, and is light and easy to move around. We don't see much of that.
The banks of snow along the side of the driveway are already taller than me. This does not bode well for the rest of the season. However, they were originally predicting snow for Halloween so I supose I should be grateful.