Blizzard of 2009

Fountain by Philadelphia Waterworks.    December 20, 2009   © Christine Otis
Fountain by Philadelphia Waterworks. December 20, 2009 © Christine Otis

That’s what this weather is: a huge understatement. It’s Friday, December 11th with bone chilling cold and a stinging wind. The memory of my roots smacks in my face as the harsh cold pushes through me and licks my heels. The frosty wind makes me shed tears with no effort on my part. The only thing missing was lake effect snow and a blizzard.

The wish was granted. Yesterday, a blizzard arrived dumping 23 inches of white flakes in a day. Traveling was joyous fun, especially on winding, hilly roads. There were no deer around, luckily, as the road continued with awkward bends into the hills.

The snow collected and stuck to the wipers. It created miniature golf ball size ice clusters that made the wipers ineffective as I poked along Interstate 76 at 5 mph. The cars were like a heard of cattle, all heading in one direction in the blinding snow.  

The four lane highway turned into two lanes. The dotted lines that usually define the different lanes were no longer visible and it didn’t matter. Motorists wanted the distance, too scared of hitting one another in the rough conditions.

The sun was going down and with it, the solid formation of ice under the newly fallen snow. Around the bend, a car slid and red lights grew in intensity in front of me. I braked, too, sliding on the surface as my anti-lock brakes went into effect. Almost hitting the car in front of me, my pounding heart came to a stop, momentarily, as my car did finally come to a complete stop. I was thankful of my Upstate New York roots.

This wasn’t something new for me, but a typical snowy day. The only difference was the amount of traffic. The car behind me came close to hitting me, too, but I was thankful that the line of us, that now zigzagged like a drunk, was no longer in motion. My heart returned to its normal rate. I was equally as thankful that the car ahead of me didn’t hit the barrier but only tickled it.

It’s been a while since Philadelphia has had snow like this. This is the second largest snowfall for us with one storm. The blizzard of 1996 holds the record for most snowfall with 30.7 inches. That blizzard was incredible, crippling the region for days. After that blizzard, the only way to get around the city was by foot.

Sledding on the Art Museum steps.  December 20, 2009    ©Christine Otis
Sledding on the Art Museum steps. December 20, 2009 ©Christine Otis

This one isn’t as bad with people still managing to get out for holiday shopping. Snow still needs to be cleared throughout the area, but people went to the Art Museum to go sledding down the steps.

What is most striking to me is that these last few weeks have been so frigid.

Winter gets all the blame, but it is after all, still fall.