Geekosystem » Snowmageddon

The Coming Winter Storm is Called “Snowicane,” In Case You Were Wondering

Robert Quigley — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 23:01:12 +0000

The same totemistic forces that named the last bout of bad Northeastern weather ”Snowmageddon” and “Snowpocalypse” have converged upon a new name for the coming winter storms: “Snowicane.”

ABC News, the Ithaca Journal, and affiliated Gannett newspapers unite in giving the latest bout of storms, which could drop from one to two feet of snow in some areas, the “Snowicane” handle. The reason: in addition to an onslaught of snow, Northeasterners can expect wind speeds of up to 70 miles per hour. The cutoff for hurricane force is 75 mph.

ABC News explains the wintery barrage:

In some places wind gusts of up to 70 mph were forecast — notable, considering that 75 mph winds in summer are considered hurricane-force.

Storms this time of year tend to follow each other. There was widespread snow in the Northeast on Tuesday.

Why such a rough winter? It is a combination of factors, said forecasters. There is an El Nino — a warm patch of water in the Pacific that adds steamy air to the jet streams blowing over it, generally bringing stormy weather to the American west. Two other periodic patterns — one called the Arctic Oscillation and the other called the North Atlantic Oscillation — are both sending colder-than-usual air toward the eastern part of the U.S. from northern latitudes.

(h/t Fark)

Snowmageddon: the Graph

Robert Quigley — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 19:09:22 +0000

Well, that clears things up.

Extra geeky things to appreciate about this graph:

The y-axis isn’t labeled in inches of snow or anything like that, but rather in “Snowpocalypse.” I think we can all agree on that.
Booze has a direct correlation with “Snowpocalypse” and an inverse correlation with productivity.
Much like actual sanity, sanity as represented in the graph is not a differentiable function.

(via Chart Porn)

15 Pictures of Pandas Playing in the Snow

Robert Quigley — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 17:31:06 +0000

Because if you’re in New York or thereabouts, let’s face it: all you can think about today is the snow.

And if you’re somewhere else: Pandas! Some of them baby pandas.

So: fifteen pictures of pandas in the snow:

1. One panda gives another panda a boost.

(via)

2. Cowabunga.

(via)

3. One panda on a slide!

(via)

4. One panda is the slide.

(via Daily Mail; larger picture there, along with other pandas)

5. This panda, likewise, disports itself in the snow.

(via)

6. Two pandas hang out by a tree, maybe even high fivin’.

(via)

7. Pandas in the snow: the aerial view.

(via)

8. This panda’s awful frosty.

(via)

9. This one is too!

(via)

10. A video of baby pandas playing in the snow. That’s right.

11. Red pandas in the snow! Mixin’ it up.

(via)

12. Hey, guy! Let’s wrestle. Because we’re pandas.

(via)

13. Do a barrel roll! A panda barrel roll.

(via)

14. One more video for the road. A panda does some snowy climbing.

15. It sure is great being a panda in the snow.

(via)

Snowmageddon: Time Lapse Photography Edition

Robert Quigley — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:18:01 +0000

YouTuber amandareckonwith has made a beautiful, even haunting time lapse video of the punishing fallout from the so-called “Snowmageddon” or “Snowpocalypse” blizzard in the Washington, D.C. area from February 5-6.

According to the video description, it was taken with a “Nikon D200 set to make an exposure every 5 minutes. 328 frames at 12 fps.”

It’s tough to decide which is more striking: the weighting down of all of the trees, or the snow-in of the poor li’l teddy bear in front.

(h/t DCist)

Snowmageddon, as Seen From Space

Robert Quigley — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 01:20:26 +0000

The NASA Earth Observatory has taken true-color satellite photos of Snowmageddon, everyone’s favorite Beltway-crippling massive weekend snowstorm.

NASA fills us in on their methodology:

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite captured this true-color image on February 7, 2010, showing part of the region affected by heavy snowfall. Snow blankets the area hundreds of kilometers inland from the Atlantic coastline. Along the latitude of New York City, however, snow cover thins considerably.

As you can see, miles upon square miles of heavy snow, ~~destroying all land cards~~ temporarily cutting off electricity for hundreds of thousands of people.

(h/t Universe Today)