ERIE, PENNSYLVANIA BEATS SNOW RECORDS

When we drove to Brian and Denise’s home to ride with them to Blessed Sacrament on December 24^th for the 5 p.m. Christmas Eve Mass, I had no idea what was in store for us. I needed no boots, but I did have my down coat on—it is winter after all!

Weekend news is sparse in Erie and the special holiday weekend made it doubly so.  We returned home after Mass and snow began to fall about 7 p.m. And it snowed and snowed. I was in complete denial because I awoke early on Christmas morning to begin dinner preparations. It was almost like I didn’t believe what was happening. By noon, Skyline Drive was full of snow and our driveway has over three foot of snow.  While the ham baked, the Polish sausage cooked, the carrots peeled and sliced for the relish dish, the snow fell. And fell. Cookies were arranged on special Christmas plates, Santa's gifts were under the tree, and the stockings hanging from the mantel were stuffed with goodies Tim was fretting, and I knew he could not shovel all that snow. I don’t know what time I made the call to Randy but when we heard that I-90 was closed in sections for accidents, it was time to call off our Christmas celebration.

Tim went out to shovel and stuck the yardstick in the snow instead!

From goerie.com:

“A stationary lake-effect snowband off Lake Erie dumped an incredible 34 inches [note: that reads THIRTY-FOUR INCHES] of snow at Erie Airport on Christmas Day alone, quadrupling its previous record-snowiest Christmas Day – 8.1 inches in 2002 – as well as smashing its all-time snowiest single day on record by over a foot – 20 inches on Nov. 11, 1956. 

“The heavy snow continued into Wednesday morning, bringing its storm total since 7 p.m. EST Christmas Eve to an incredible 65.1 inches of snow – MORE THAN FIVE FEET OF SNOW – in about 60 HOURS.

“Erie snowfall records go back to 1893. This prolific event shattered all previous multi-day snowfall records in, according to the National Weather Service office in Cleveland, including:

·         “Two-day snowfall: 26.7 inches (Nov. 24-25, 1950; the "Great Appalachian Storm")

·         Three-day snowfall: 30.2 inches (Dec. 29-31, 2002)

·         Seven-day snowfall: 39.8 inches (Dec. 27, 2001 - Jan. 2, 2002)

·         13-day snowfall: 52.8 inches (Dec. 31, 1998 - Jan. 12, 1999)

“That's not a misprint. Erie picked up more snow in less than 36 hours in this event than its previous 13-day snowstorm record.

“Needless to say, the 102.1 inches of snow so far in December, through Wednesday, is the city's snowiest single month on record, crushing the previous record of 66.9 inches in December 1989. This is also more snow in one month than Erie averages in an entire winter season – 101 inches.”

On Christmas evening, Brian, Denise, and B1 drove up to Skyline in their pick up for dinner. We elected not to exchange gifts until we were with Randy, Coleen, and B2.

Erie is used to a lot of snow, but snow plows were sparse and our driveway snow plower told us it was unsafe to send his crew out with poor visibility. Finally, on December 26^th, about 8 p.m., our street was plowed, and our driveway was plowed early Wednesday morning about 1 a.m.

December 27, 2017

 December 17, 2017

Compare Tim showing off his TB shirt just 8 days earlier

Unbelievably the Erie Millcreek Mall was closed for two days—the busiest days for after Christmas sales.

I am grateful that we had food in the house (those who know me, know that is not the usual story), and the furnace and electricity were working. On Wednesday we shoveled the snow off the balcony, but we are worried about our roof.

And if all that was not enough, we have this going on today, Friday, December 29.

From the National Weather Service:
Lake Effect Snow Warning

Pennsylvania

5 hours ago – National Weather Service

LAKE EFFECT SNOW WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 AM EST
SUNDAY...

* WHAT...Heavy lake effect snow occurring. Travel will be very
difficult to impossible. From late this afternoon through the
night expect to see 6 to 8 inches of snow. Saturday into
Saturday night should see additional amounts of 3 to 7 inches.
This will produce storm total amounts of 9 to 13 inches, with
localized amounts up to 15 inches.

* WHERE...In Pennsylvania, Northern Erie and Southern Erie
counties. In Ohio, Lake and Ashtabula Lakeshore counties.

Stop, snow, stop!!