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"Historic", "Catastrophic" Winter Storm Paralyzes Atlanta As Pax Creeps Up East Coast

Tyler Durden's picture




 

Not a week seems to pass without yet another "historic" winter storm assuring that virtually all winter economic data so far in 2014 can be ignored... if it is bad that is - if the data is good, it's thanks to the "recovery" which however is not strong enough for the Fed to end its "unconventional" policy. The latest one - Pax. Weather.com's description of what is about to be unleashed on Atlanta and the entire Eastern Seaboard is nothing short of a review of the movie The Day After Tomorrow: "Potentially "catastrophic" Winter Storm Pax began unfolding before dawn Wednesday in the Atlanta area as temperatures dropped below freezing and sleet and freezing rain began to fall."

The National Weather Service's warning was not exactly cheery: "Let’s just start by saying this winter storm may be of historic proportions for the area,” the agency said in a forecast analysis. “We’re looking at significant snowfall totals north and significant, crippling ice totals, especially along the Interstate 20 corridor.” Eli Jacks, a meteorologist with National Weather Service, said forecasters use words such as "catastrophic" sparingly. Not in this case.

"Sometimes we want to tell them, 'Hey, listen, this warning is different. This is really extremely dangerous, and it doesn't happen very often,'" Jacks said.

 

The service's memo early Wednesday called the storm "an event of historical proportions."

 

It continues: "Catastrophic ... crippling ... paralyzing ... choose your adjective."

So... not good?

The forecast drew comparisons to an ice storm in the Atlanta area in 2000 that left more than 500,000 homes and businesses without power and an epic storm in 1973 that caused an estimated 200,000 outages for several days. In 2000, damage estimates topped $35 million.

Ice will make travel in central Georgia impossible, and downed tree limbs might cut power for days, the agency said. As many as 300,000 homes and businesses in the state will probably lose power, according to Tim Oram, the Meteorological Services Branch chief for the weather service’s southern region in Fort Worth, Texas.

 

“At this point, everything is lining up,” Oram said. “It’s from a once-in-every-10- to a once-in-every-20-years type of event. There’s pretty high confidence we’re going to see some pretty high accumulations of ice in the Georgia area.”

 

The worst of the ice will probably stretch from Atlanta to Columbia, South Carolina, and Fayetteville to Raleigh in North Carolina, according to Anderson. “It is going to be a bad situation down there,” he said.

Ok, maybe they are not exaggerating. Already, Georgia Power was reporting thousands of power outages around the state. And forecasters and officials said the number of outages would probably grow throughout the day.  Just before 5 a.m., the number of customers in the dark was 2,000. That number climbed to more than 10,000 by 7 a.m. Ice was already accumulating on roads and bridges. National Weather Service forecasters used unusual dire language in warnings and memos early Wednesday, and they said that while a foot of snow could fall in some parts of Georgia, "it is the ice that will have the catastrophic impacts."

As a reminder, ice on the road in the South means instant paralysis:

Elected leaders and emergency management officials began warning people to stay off the roads, especially after 2 inches of snowfall caused an icy gridlock two weeks ago and left thousands stranded in vehicles overnight. It seemed many in the region around the state's capital obliged as streets and highways were uncharacteristically unclogged Tuesday.

 

Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal and Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed in a news conference at the Georgia Emergency Management Agency's special operations center Tuesday evening implored people to get somewhere safe and stay there.

 

"The message I really want to share is, as of midnight tonight, wherever you are, you need to plan on staying there for a while," Reed said. "The bottom line is that all of the information that we have right now suggests that we are facing an icing event that is very unusual for the metropolitan region and the state of Georgia."

This also means the local aren't taking any chances, and have already raided the local grocery stores. From (the ironically named) KPAX:

If you're an Atlantan making a last-minute grocery run, here's hoping you love corn and asparagus. Because that's all that may be left on most shelves as residents stock up and hunker down for the ice storm.

 

Gone are the loaves of bread. The gallons of milk. The cans of beans and beer.

It won't be just Atlanta though:

A potentially historic winter storm threatens to coat Georgia with ice, knocking out power and grounding thousands of planes, before bringing snow to Northeastern cities including Washington and New York.

 

New York may get 2-4 inches (5-10 centimeters) of snow tonight, and Washington as much as 4 inches, according to the National Weather Service at 3:51 a.m. New York time. Atlanta is forecast to receive half an inch of ice today.

 

“When the snow comes, it is going to come in fast and furious,” said Brett Anderson, a senior meteorologist at AccuWeather Inc. in State College, Pennsylvania. “The initial batch of snow that comes in before any changeover is going to be quite heavy.”

 

Closer to the coast, the storm will start as snow before changing to rain, Anderson said. While the rain may hold down snow accumulation, the rapid onset will still mean heavy snowfall for the cities along the Interstate 95 corridor from Washington to Boston.

 

The snow moving to the Northeast is expected to leave a “catastrophic” blanket of ice across the South, especially Georgia, the weather service said.

If readers are traveling by plane over the next 24 hours, our advice is: don't.

Across the U.S., 1,576 flights were canceled yesterday, and 2,697 were scrubbed for today, said FlightAware, a Houston-based tracking service. About 5,500 homes and businesses from Arkansas to North Carolina were without power, utility websites show.

 

Governors in seven Southern states declared emergencies as the ice and snow moved eastward from Texas. The storm is expected to strengthen off the coast of North Carolina and drop heavy snow from Virginia to Maine.

 

The worst-hit areas may be the Interstate 81 corridor from western Virginia into central New York, as well as northern and western New England. Anderson said those areas may receive as much as 12 inches of snow, with some places getting 18 inches.

As a reminder, Atlanta was already hit late last month, when 2.5 inches of snow in Atlanta stranded almost 25,000 students at their schools or in buses and shut down the region’s highways, trapping thousands of motorists. "There were 1,254 accidents, 134 people injured and at least one death caused by the storm. Georgia Governor Nathan Deal issued a state of emergency for 45 counties on Feb. 10 and 43 more yesterday, urging residents to stay off the roads. Schools in the Atlanta area have been closed through today. President Barack Obama declared an emergency in northern Georgia, freeing up federal funds to deal with the aftermath of the storm. Governors in Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi and Virginia also issued emergency declarations."

Finally, we have all seen traders with hands on their faces. Here are...  weathermen with hands on their faces.

 

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Wed, 02/12/2014 - 11:18 | 4427885 luckylogger
luckylogger's picture

When it snows in Idaho you just deal with it and go on with your daily life. No big deal, just another hassle.

Wed, 02/12/2014 - 11:29 | 4427909 Rising Sun
Rising Sun's picture

In the new world order of hyperbole, this is normal

 

I just got a paper cut so I am off to the emergency ward - ambulance is on its way

 

In the meantime, everyone have a good scream and panic over something

 

Wed, 02/12/2014 - 13:51 | 4428561 clawsthatscratch
clawsthatscratch's picture

LOL....its just a fucking snow storm....weather channel must be owned by the onion.

Wed, 02/12/2014 - 11:28 | 4427915 combatsnoopy
combatsnoopy's picture

On the bright side, it's going to be in the 70s and 80s in California.  Al Gore's 6 fireplace Italian Mansion in Monticito and the Gore Group on Wilshire in L.A. will be enjoying this fine global warming trend- it's why he's here, isn't it?

Thu, 02/13/2014 - 12:24 | 4432455 the grateful un...
the grateful unemployed's picture

i hope those fireplaces have NG logs in them, burning firewood is akin to second hand cigarette smoke, ah another inconvenient truth

Wed, 02/12/2014 - 11:29 | 4427918 LFMayor
LFMayor's picture

Pity that Gen. Sherman isn't here to warm it back up for them.  Again.

Wed, 02/12/2014 - 11:46 | 4427974 LFMayor
LFMayor's picture

What's the matter?  Hatin on my shadenfruede when several million slack wrist hipster douches and feral section 8 ebt trough eaters get it good and hard?

Each tiny little mote of deserved, crystalized misery that falls from the sky broadens my smile. 

I hope your Starbucks runs out of biscottis and you bust your ass on the ice walking back out to your Nissan Rogue.   Try the smack, it will ease your passing, just like it did Phillip S Hoffman.

Wed, 02/12/2014 - 12:03 | 4428033 ebworthen
ebworthen's picture

Nissan Rogue?

I hope Starbucks closes, and cable service goes down.

Little Feat - "Oh Atlanta"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTz8g8yh8GY

Wed, 02/12/2014 - 11:30 | 4427921 therearetoomany...
therearetoomanyidiots's picture

This is happening because the government doesn't regulate our lives enough!

Wed, 02/12/2014 - 11:30 | 4427923 Woodhippie
Woodhippie's picture

That guy looks like he went all in on Sunny and 80.

Wed, 02/12/2014 - 11:35 | 4427936 freedogger
freedogger's picture

Wait nine months, if the birth rate spikes noticeably, then this was a good storm.

Wed, 02/12/2014 - 11:47 | 4427976 DannoH
DannoH's picture

Its the G23 Paxilon Hydrochloride we added to the air processing systems...calms the population, weeds out aggression.

Wed, 02/12/2014 - 14:00 | 4428617 NoTTD
NoTTD's picture

Except for the 10%...

Wed, 02/12/2014 - 11:58 | 4428013 ItsDanger
ItsDanger's picture

Is this a joke?  Here in Southern Ontario, we got slammed by ice storm around Xmas.  Lost power for 5 days.  Go buy a fuckin generator.

Wed, 02/12/2014 - 15:23 | 4428994 JimS
JimS's picture

I am in total agreement with you. I live in ND, and we get very cold weather and snow storms all the fucking time in winter. You have a small generator, (alternative heat source), you drive SLOW when it's icy, or stay AT HOME when it's dangerous outside. These stupid shits drive 65 mph on an icy road, then wonder why the fucking CAR GOES OUTA CONTROL? Jesus H. Christ, how fucking stupid can you get?

Wed, 02/12/2014 - 11:58 | 4428017 ebworthen
ebworthen's picture

Snowpocalypse!

The Yeti are invading!

Wed, 02/12/2014 - 12:12 | 4428054 BeetleBailey
BeetleBailey's picture

SNOWBUSTERS!

DOGS AND CATS...LIVING TOGETHER....MASS HYSTERIA!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3ZOKDmorj0

 

Wed, 02/12/2014 - 12:13 | 4428080 combatsnoopy
combatsnoopy's picture

Pax will give the John Lennon statist and Saul Alinsky wannabes shower-nozzle masturbation material for weeks...

Well when they'er not speed balling and toking on some medical marijuana sponsored by Medicare.Damm the boomer voting majority got this redistribution business right!  Take LSD and create something to tax.  

 

How else would you explain the evolution of the Chicago Climate Exchange.  Back in 2004- i scoffed when someone told me that they were betting on the weather.

At the time, I brushed it off as an "Asian thing" (The Chinese are betting on WALNUTS and losing their money in Macau)--- nope!  Goldie Sachs owns 10% of the Carbon Credit Exchange!  Not sports.  Sports would actually make sense.  No.  The WEATHER. 

The Americans can't even figure out cancer yet (cytokine triggers, lipogenesis is the breeding ground ,much more simple than they let on) - they don't know the difference between Carbon Monoxide and Carbon Dioxide!

You can clearly see why the boomer voting majority is threatened by Gen X (Boomers didn't study but instead dicked and and did drugs).   

No I serioulsy thought they were joking.  They were not joking.  I once had liquid blue.  Whomever came up with the Climate Exchange did not get Liquid Blue. 

They got some sort of funky rat poison in an oxygen chamber.

Wed, 02/12/2014 - 12:36 | 4428194 SystemOfaDrown
SystemOfaDrown's picture

Go long on equator vortex [formally: La Nina] this summer.

Wed, 02/12/2014 - 12:54 | 4428283 Flakmeister
Flakmeister's picture

Don't you mean El Nino?

It has been neutral to La Nina condtions for a few years now...

Thu, 02/13/2014 - 12:19 | 4432430 the grateful un...
the grateful unemployed's picture

we have picked up the Pineapple express, so even if CA does get rain it will be warmer. parts of SF had torrential rain last week, and this storm PAX, is not part of the socalled polar vortex, its pulling moisture from the GOM. if the jet stream drops the rest of the country should warm up. the southern storm might be some of this flow where it meets the edge of the PV.

in socal we had effectively a zero rain January, then drizzle, but now the humidity has dropped to half normal levels again, which signals more of the same dry weather. the stores have good tomatoes and corn, from mexico, so they are benefiting from the mild winter. the lawn is dead and the new garden a nonstarter.

Fri, 02/14/2014 - 01:58 | 4435562 Flakmeister
Flakmeister's picture

Good post...

And I just shoveled a whole bunch of that GOM....

Are you aware of this site? You sound like you would enjoy it.

http://earth.nullschool.net/#current/wind/isobaric/250hPa/orthographic=-...

Those are the settings for viewing the Jet Stream....

Wed, 02/12/2014 - 13:17 | 4428374 Bunga Bunga
Bunga Bunga's picture

Perfect conditions for the unemployed youth to train for the next winter olympics. Yes USA, you can do better next time!

Wed, 02/12/2014 - 13:59 | 4428607 NoTTD
NoTTD's picture

Fucking Weather Channel.  Everything that was previously thought to be "weather" is now a crisis of cataclysmic proportions.

Wed, 02/12/2014 - 15:10 | 4428930 Gaffing_Nome
Gaffing_Nome's picture

Weather Chanèl No. 1900 is some kind of crap.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRdxx3N5uQg&feature=youtube_gdata

Meteorologist talking the truth:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmKm36QlG6Q&feature=youtube_gdata

Chemtrails (geo-engineering/weather mods) were one of those "meh" things until Fuku happened. Informing oneself of Das Plume invariably leads to and requires rudimentary know of weather patterns.

Talk about some evils-shit! Manipulated LIBOR, FX, Schmarkets and the hard-shiny stuff is fucked enough...but when it's the damned weather

"Mynde-Scrambler"

Do NOT follow this link or you will be banned from the site!