You must be near Oswego. I saw them on the news yesterday. Unreal, although having lived for years in one of Lake Erie's snow belts, I remember it well. We averaged over 200" per year. It's unusually late this year, due to warm early winter weather. The lakes didn't start freezing as early as usual.

Linda: You are currently the lead story on cnn's home page. I can't even imagine snow a foot taller than my husband. How's life? Are people able to drive, are they able to clear enough roads? I realize that your area is used to snow, but that's ridiculous. I spent the first 25 years of my life in Pittsburgh were lots of snow and lots of hills were just part of life. I'm in Cincinnati now. We got 6" of snow a couple of days ago and the city was positively paralyzed.

Karen

Linda - I was just outside on a smoke break, and you're area is a topic of conversation here in Kansas, too. We've decided that we're glad we aren't that far north!!

Ilsa

Donn,
Yup...I'm in a little town about 4 miles from the city and three miles from the lake. Lake Ontario is notorious because it never freezes (too deep). And take that with 2006's hot summer and the warmer than usual fall...we knew we were in for it somewhere a long the line.

Karen,
At different points, it gets too bad to drive. It's been windy, and at this point, even if it's not snowing, you can get white-out conditions from any of the snow piled up by plows or the snow drifts. They put down sand instead of salt so that regardless of how cold it is, it will still help melt the snow and give drivers' traction.

I figure the folks in Minnesota and North Dakota get worse...not to mention Montana. So there's always something to be thankful for.
(And it is awfully pretty when you don't have to drive in it).
Thanks for the well-wishes :-) I will probably post some pictures when I can get some good ones.

Linda, Have you been able to get to work? Are most companies staying open for business? (groceries, restaurants, factories, whatever). How about schools?

That much snow is more that I can imagine dealing with, especially after living here for 30 years. After our 6 inch snowfall a couple of days ago, I don't think any schools were open the next day, and a lot of employees at a lot of companies called off. I work at a very small facility, but 5 staff members called off the next day even tho the snow had ended by 8 the night before and I didn't think the roads were all that bad by the next morning. People here panic and are terrified to drive after the white stuff falls.

Karen

I've been home most of the time, only went to class last night. I didn't have to go to work Monday or Tuesday. Driving last night was nasty, but tolerable(DH was driving and he's got a Suburban).

Elementary and high schools have been closed off and on. The colleges cancelled some classes, kept others on. They are careful about that because they only have a certain amount of snow days a year. They jeopordize their state aid if they close too much.

I think any business that could be open did, but I wasn't venturing out to see. Once the State of Emergency was declared today, I think most everyone was obligated to shut down, except for stores and emergency services. The city needs people off the road so they can cut down the snow heaps-- drivers can't see around them, have to drive into intersections blind.
We've actually been having milder winters than we've had in the past, this one included, except for now. I grew up on the west side of the lake and I remember never seeing asphalt from the time December hit, until late March or April. Now it seems we get our snow all at once, like this. Then people forget how to drive in it, and it gets harder to clear, everybody interprets "no unnecessary travel different" (that's what makes it a bummer).

I'm hoping this is the end of it. We need a break!

You certainly deserve a break and I hope you get it soon. Looking forward to more pictures, it must be beautiful.

Karen

linda - please stay safe and we all hope you get a nice big warm spell to melt some of that snow! I bet your containers are nice and snug in that snow, though - if that's ANY consolation.

Carrie

Linda, I heard on the news this morning that your area will be looking at another 2-3 feet of snow in the next days. Yikes!

I cannot imagine the amount of snow y'all have up there. I think the most I've seen here in NYC was the 2 feet or so that came with the so-called "Blizzard of 1996". That one pretty much shut down the city. If it had been anywhere near the amount you've had, I guess we'd still be shut down.

Funny - one of the first things that sprung to my mind was "Where are Linda's jugs??" ...... LOL!

At any rate, I hope you and your jugs are fine. Keep safe.

PV

We are not happy about the prospect of snow measurable in feet arriving this weekend. Even Oswegonians have their limit. DH and I went to the store today, to Lowes, for a roof-rake, then to the grocery store. (Gee, guess what I bought at Lowes BESIDES a roof-rake? Seed racks were out in full-effect. Hubby went searching for the rr on his own-- I had more important things to do!)

PVick,
My jugs are oh so happy...I wished I had more done so they could be under there! I couldn't imagine NYC with this much snow. That would be horrible. I wouldn't be able to get through the doors to MOMA! (and then, I would cry).

I can't believe our little area of NYS has been on the national news, and more than once this week. I guess this one is really going down in the books.

It was really nice to have a day without snow today. My husband's been getting up at 4:30am to snowblow, then getting right back to it when he gets home from work. He's a tired puppy.

I'll get to work on those pictures...I have to upload them. It's difficult for me to get one that really shows what it looks like (everything is just white!)
Here's one from Tuesday:
{{gwi:332350}}

Donn, Ilse, Karen, Carrie, and PVick, thanks so much for your well wishes and concern. As long as we don't have another week like this one, we'll be okay! If we do...call the National Guard! :-)

I hadn't seen or heard anything of the snow, so was curious about the period of time it had taken to get 7 feet.

Google showed this...just updated this am for Mexico New York....Officials expected up to 14 inches (36 centimeters) of snow overnight, a trend that would push the seven day total beyond 100 inches (254 centimeters) and continue through the weekend. ...I assume they are maybe close to you...or that the conditions are similar?

We had 36" a couple of winters ago, and it brought things to a halt here. I cannot imagine what things must be like there.

I love snow, and am snug as a bug in a rug, and stocked up on everything (I think/hope), but that is a lot more than I would ever care to see or have to deal with.

Take care!

Sue

Here is a link that might be useful: The Star on line story-Upstate New York

Mexico is about 7-10 miles north of us. Pulaski is the next town up from them. I think those two places got more snow overnight, while we just got a dusting.

It's always the luck of the draw with Lake Effect. The wind could take it north or south or just leave it right here (which is when I'm in trouble).
The case with this storm was the band widened and lengthened as it came off the lake so that EVERYONE (between Fulton-- which is south of us--, Oswego, Mexico, Pulaski, and Parish (east of us) got it. Not to mention the area they call "Tughill", which is always colder and snowier than the rest of us.

This has been quite the experience. Better than a tornado or hurricane, though. Even better than an ice storm. No real destruction, just a lot of plowing, shoveling, and a lot of inconvenience.

Hi Linda! I am just stopping in to say hi. I just answered one of your threads on the regular forum. I had to laugh to myself and thought yes indeed Alice in snowland...lol.
We are holding out here also. I was finally able to get some jugs outside but only up on the porch. Hubby had to shovel that off first though. The wind blew all the snow up against the backdoor and I couldn't open it to put the jugs out. Boy this is something. It has stopped were we are for now. That wind is just terrible though. Everytime the plows go by the wind just blows it right back in the road.
Here is a pic I took early in the week. I haven't wanted to go out there since. I do have to get out today though, so we will see how that goes. Roads seem clear for now.

pic of our fence and arbor:
{{gwi:332351}}

As you can see in the pic the snow is almost to the top of my picket fence. also in the right corner is my porch. The snow is up to that and then some spilling over onto the porch. That is where I had to set my jugs for now. It is much deeper now but we did get some cleared with the snowblower. Took a bunch of tries though...lol....

Heather,
I knew there had to be someone else on here from around here :-) I love your fence and your trellis.
I worked in Fulton for a year, gave up the job because driving 481 in the winter was too much for this ex-Rochestarian. And when I got into Fulton, in my little fuel-efficient car, many times I WAS the plow!

This storm really has been something. We only got about 4 inches last night, so there's a sigh of relief. Now it's wind and cold. We're planning on donning our snow-shoes today and trekking out in the back yard and woods.

I'm going to set my jugs on top of the snow, but they'll be in clear garbage bags, grouped together. If they sink in, I know they'll be okay, too.
As the snow melts-- whenever THAT happens-- I'll keep an eye on them to make sure they sink at an upright and even level (making sure they don't topple over, which I doubt they will).
I'm putting them in the backyard which is southern exposure, so I think that will help to control the moisture from the melt-off.

We were just talking about how badly you guys were getting hit over dinner tonight. 7 feet - wow! It gets to be where you don't even know where to put it after 2 or 3 feet. I'm surprised all of your roads are passable. Everyone's got to do the neighborhood watch and check on the elderly in their areas.

We've only gotten a couple of dustings here in the capital region. We had a real cold spell last week - the kind where you don't even want to poke your head out the door. The joys of NYS - not fun!

Yeah, where to put it is the problem. They have permission to put some in Lake Ontario, but we had a lot of rain in the fall. If they do that, I wonder if it will up the level of the connected river, and keep the locks closed through the Spring. (Bad for us here if they do keep the locks closed a long time; This is a port city, with a lot of recreational boat activity).

An hour north of us, in Redfield, the NWS has certified they have recieved 141 inches!!!!!!!! 3 inches shy of 12 feet! Yikes. Snowmobile, anyone?

I'm thinking it's going to be you folks in the Capital region and Long Island that get anything significant from this Nor'easter. If we get anymore, well, we'll just take it...lol. We're all numb.

They had Redfield on the news last night, they said Redfield made the record for snowfall. Your thinking was correct, they are predicting a storm for us today. We are due for up to a foot in my area but you never really can tell until the storm touches down. Sometimes they bump up the report to get folks to tune into the news. As much as I dislike it, it should be good for my garden. I lost a few perennials last year which I attribute to the lack of snow last winter. I don't normally lose things out there. I lost daylily, echinops, sea holly, baptisia...

Good morning, Linda! I hope you haven't gotten too much more from this latest storm. I showed our kids pictures from Oswego yesterday, and they were quite impressed, and a bit envious.

It's our turn now, down in the Southern Tier, but we still won't come close to what you've already got on the ground. We're supposed to get somewhere between 24 and 30 inches. (I'm in the valley by the Susquehanna River, so we'll probably get less than 24.) All of our schools and colleges are closed, and I'm waiting to see if my doctor's office will be open later today for an appointment.

My son (he's 8) is already lobbying to get outside and play. I'll boot him out the door in a little bit. It's pretty cold (12F and a breeze), so he won't be out too long, but he's just DYING to get out in the first really good snow we've had in a very long time.

I used up the last of my ProMix a couple nights ago, trying to get some jugs out the door and on the ground before the snow arrived. I wish I'd had more soil to use, but I ran out after 8 jugs. Oh, well, I'll buy more this weekend. Terra firma won't be TOO far below the snow for me to put the jugs out. . . .

Laurel

That's the biggest front I've ever seen...how many states does it cover? Goodness.
Yeah, I see Oneonta school district is closed. I should call my friend there who's a teacher. Her SIL in Fla is my bestfriend and she called me to make sure we were alright. She said the news was making it sound like people were barricaded in their homes, roofs were collapsing left and right. Not the case. Unless we were to regularly get a number of storms like that one, all in succession, snow storms are rather benign and you have more control in them than any other natural disaster, I think. You don't want to die? Stay home...lol. Maybe that's why those of us in Central and Upstate NY live here. I heard enough tornado and hurricane stories from my parents (my mom was born in Talahassee Fla and raised in SC, my dad's from Jamaica) to raise the hair on my head. I still scope out clouds for danger as a result. Houses next door getting picked up and thrown for miles? The roof and rafters shaking for hours with the wind sounding like a freight train? Nuh-uh. I'll stay here. (Although I do like Houston, TX and Atlanta GA....)
Hang in there Laurel. Like Shimla said, I was afraid of losing perennials because of our lack of snow. No more worries! :-)
If I could, I'd truck a bunch of kids up here to play in our yard. It's a serious winter wonderland out there. Tunnels and snowmen galore (it's good packing!) We went snow-shoeing on Sunday, and I had a ball! I'd like to go again and dump some Buckwheat out for the deer. Here's a few pictures of our trek in the woods:
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Me, trying not to topple over...lol
{{gwi:332354}}
Nikki, resting...she never gets tired, but she was after trudging through all that snow. She tried to use the deer runs instead, so she wouldn't sink in the snow. I almost wanted to pick her up and carry her back, but she's 70 lbs...not happ'nin'
{{gwi:332355}}

Linda

Thanks for all the snow pictures, y'all! I've got to be one of the few people down south here who is wishing I could be up there with you. I lived in Rochester for several years and still miss it...no, really! It's the friendliest, most neighborly place I've ever lived - and I've lived in a bunch of places. As I remember it, the deeper the snow the more people opened up and became like family there. (Sorry...I could get downright sappy about it, couldn't I?)

Anyway...stay warm if you can and hang in there. Spring is on the way. Monday evening I watched huge flocks - many hundreds - of geese in huge v's flying northwest high above my house here in the middle of South Carolina. They know!

"As I remember it, the deeper the snow the more people opened up and became like family there."
You're right! It does have that effect on people :-)
--I'm kinda partial to Rochester too. Born and raised there, and to me, it is just a special place. It reminds me of NYC in that so many different kinds of people live there, and they all get along. That's why I know how to act at Italian weddings better than African-American ones...lol.
Linda

Small world!

I went to college at Geneseo, lived in Leicester and Lakeville, and worked in Rochester for a while. I've told my DH that I LIKE living in the northeast (he's from Corning, but doesn't like winter much). I grew up near Cleveland, Ohio (SERIOUS lake effect, but not like Oswego, LOL, exept for the winter of '76-'77), and now I live in the Southern Tier of NY, near Binghamton. I wouldn't know how to LIVE without our seasonal weather swings and serious snow events. I really enjoy living here.

I'm going to buy another large bag of ProMix at Agway today (and probably a few seeds as I walk past them to the soil, LOL). I might not be able to find the ground, but I can put some jugs on the back porch and steps until the ground is closer to being visible. We got about 16" from the storm here in the valley, but I know the hilltops got quite a bit more, and it's drifting all over the place. I don't mind the snow at all - but I'll be much happier when the temps get closer to 30F than -3F.

Laurel

Enough already! I can't stand this anymore. School was canceled again today. Hubby had to call out sick to work. We can't hardly even see his truck for him to go to work. My area is getting even more tonight with another 9-12 inches. This is getting to be very depressing.