Equipped To Survive Equipped To Survive® Presents
The Survival Forum
Where do you want to go on ETS?

Page 1 of 3 1 2 3 >
Topic Options
#195851 - 02/14/10 06:08 AM USA snowstorms-is flooding likely
scafool Offline
Pooh-Bah

Registered: 12/18/08
Posts: 1534
Loc: Muskoka
Just curious if the snowfall is in areas that increase the risks of major flooding. I am wondering if the spring run off might be a bit higher than usual...
_________________________
May set off to explore without any sense of direction or how to return.

Top
#195853 - 02/14/10 06:54 AM Re: USA snowstorms-is flooding likely [Re: scafool]
wildman800 Offline
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 11/09/06
Posts: 2846
Loc: La-USA
The big flood factor (besides water) is massive amounts of ice clogging chokepoints.

On Feb 4th, 2010, the river stage at Vidalia, La was 3 feet higher than the level was on Feb 4th, 1973. This does not bode well for the coming annual June rise that occurs annually.

I've taken out Flood Insurance, this year!
_________________________
QMC, USCG (Ret)
The best luck is what you make yourself!

Top
#195860 - 02/14/10 03:46 PM Re: USA snowstorms-is flooding likely [Re: wildman800]
Dagny Offline
Pooh-Bah

Registered: 11/25/08
Posts: 1918
Loc: Washington, DC
We're having a slow melt in DC, with a few more inches expected tomorrow.

The 10-day forecast has the high temps mostly in the 30s and topping out around 40 degrees so looks like we're not going to have a rapid melt that would cause extreme flooding. If we had a couple 60 degree days it would be another story for areas, such as the lowest blocks of Old Town Alexandria, that are right on the Potomac.

My neighborhood remains punctuated with virtual icebergs which have formed from snowplows running up against the snow people have dug out from around their cars and then there's the mountains of snow dug from the sidewalks. It's really an astonishing sight every time we walk around here.

I'm still taking a snowshoe pole with me everywhere, to get over the snow mountains at many intersections and the sidewalks that were never or poorly shoveled.

And we haven't had garbage pickup in the past 10 days. It's getting messy around here.




Attachments
DSC_4932.jpg

DSC_4908.jpg




Edited by Dagny (02/14/10 03:56 PM)

Top
#195861 - 02/14/10 04:25 PM Re: USA snowstorms-is flooding likely [Re: Dagny]
Teslinhiker Offline
Veteran

Registered: 12/14/09
Posts: 1418
Loc: Nothern Ontario
Once the snow starts melting, if you know where the storm drains are in the roadway along your street, it will help to clear them so the resultant water runoff does not turn your street into a enormous slurpee. Ask me how I know...
_________________________
Earth and sky, woods and fields, lakes and rivers, the mountain and the sea, are excellent schoolmasters, and teach some of us more than we can ever learn from books.

John Lubbock

Top
#195863 - 02/14/10 04:40 PM Re: USA snowstorms-is flooding likely [Re: Teslinhiker]
Tarzan Offline
Member

Registered: 02/02/08
Posts: 146
Loc: Washington
snowmelt mixed with garbage not being picked up equals clogged culverts and drains and localized flooding. If you floodwater runoff channels are flooded or clogged it can back up on your street and cause all manner of mischief. Be aware of overturned garbage cans and refuse in the street. It is amazing what a few poly bags can do to impeding water flow.

Top
#195864 - 02/14/10 04:45 PM Re: USA snowstorms-is flooding likely [Re: Teslinhiker]
rebwa Offline
Enthusiast

Registered: 01/25/09
Posts: 295
Yikes, that has to be taking a toll on parking spots. When I used to go back there in the 80's and early 90's, street parking in the residential areas was at a premium under the best of circumstances. We had unusually heavy snow fall last winter here in the south puget sound area and it seemed forever until those mounds of snow in parking lots melted away.

Top
#195867 - 02/14/10 06:19 PM Re: USA snowstorms-is flooding likely [Re: rebwa]
pforeman Offline
Enthusiast

Registered: 04/23/08
Posts: 237
Loc: Iowa
The flood warnings for Minnesota are already going out... the Red River Valley will likely have some and as Wildman800 said the ice dams will be a big factor too. I'm lucky where we're at the house is high enough that flooding isn't an issue. If I get flooded out, I'm going to be looking for my neighbor named Noah and ask for a ride!

Top
#195877 - 02/14/10 10:37 PM Re: USA snowstorms-is flooding likely [Re: rebwa]
Dagny Offline
Pooh-Bah

Registered: 11/25/08
Posts: 1918
Loc: Washington, DC
Originally Posted By: rebwa
Yikes, that has to be taking a toll on parking spots. When I used to go back there in the 80's and early 90's, street parking in the residential areas was at a premium under the best of circumstances. We had unusually heavy snow fall last winter here in the south puget sound area and it seemed forever until those mounds of snow in parking lots melted away.


Yes, indeed. Most aren't moving cars simply because of lost parking spaces. Cars have been dug out either through sweat equity or paying someone else to do it (it's been a stimulus for anyone carrying a shovel).

Others save their parking spaces as best they can, and I do respect their effort to do so. I haven't moved my car because I'm prepared enough to not need to. Maybe in a few days.


Attachments
DSC_4985.jpg

DSC_4997.jpg



Top
#195878 - 02/14/10 10:45 PM Re: USA snowstorms-is flooding likely [Re: Teslinhiker]
Dagny Offline
Pooh-Bah

Registered: 11/25/08
Posts: 1918
Loc: Washington, DC
Originally Posted By: Teslinhiker
Once the snow starts melting, if you know where the storm drains are in the roadway along your street, it will help to clear them so the resultant water runoff does not turn your street into a enormous slurpee. Ask me how I know...


Great advice. A neighbor and I have taken ownership of the storm drains on our block.

My block has been terrific throughout these storms -- our sidewalks have been regularly shoveled and pathways are clear through our corners.



Top
#195879 - 02/14/10 10:52 PM Re: USA snowstorms-is flooding likely [Re: Dagny]
Susan Offline
Geezer

Registered: 01/21/04
Posts: 5163
Loc: W. WA
Dagny, your posts and photos here have made what has been going on there very clear to those of us in the rest of the country, esp those of us that don't have television service.

Thank you very much!

And nice dog photos, too...

Sue

Top
#195882 - 02/14/10 11:07 PM Re: USA snowstorms-is flooding likely [Re: Susan]
Dagny Offline
Pooh-Bah

Registered: 11/25/08
Posts: 1918
Loc: Washington, DC

You are very welcome, Susan, and thank you.

I've been going back over my photo files, cropping some and deleting others (I've taken well over 2000) and marveling still at how intense the Wednesday blizzard was.

In 5 weeks it will officially be spring!


Top
#195892 - 02/15/10 03:36 AM Re: USA snowstorms-is flooding likely [Re: Dagny]
Susan Offline
Geezer

Registered: 01/21/04
Posts: 5163
Loc: W. WA
"In 5 weeks it will officially be spring!"

Punxsutawney Phil went back to bed. Your local groundhog may have done the same thing, you just didn't notice!

Sue

Top
#195910 - 02/15/10 03:08 PM Re: USA snowstorms-is flooding likely [Re: Susan]
Tarzan Offline
Member

Registered: 02/02/08
Posts: 146
Loc: Washington
Ole phil is only right 39% of the time. That puts him in about the same category as Mistress Cleo or my daily horoscope...

Top
#195912 - 02/15/10 04:49 PM Re: USA snowstorms-is flooding likely [Re: Tarzan]
thatguyjeff Offline
Newbie

Registered: 04/22/08
Posts: 41
From what I have heard in MN is that in the Mpls. metro and all points North, snowfall has been about average (give or take an inch or two).

Though actual snow cover is above average due to heavy early season snowfalls.

And has someone else already pointed out - the Red River Valley (MN/ND border area) is prepping for spring flooding. Though those poor folks seem to have trouble up that way often.

Lake levels in NE MN have been below normal for the past few years. I think folks up that way are pleased with the snow cover and see it as helping. I know my folks are happy about it.

Top
#195926 - 02/15/10 09:28 PM Re: USA snowstorms-is flooding likely [Re: Tarzan]
Susan Offline
Geezer

Registered: 01/21/04
Posts: 5163
Loc: W. WA
"Ole phil is only right 39% of the time. That puts him in about the same category as Mistress Cleo or my daily horoscope..."

And about 4% higher than most meteorologists.

One of our TV guys predicted 26F and rain.

Sue

Top
#195937 - 02/16/10 12:10 AM Re: USA snowstorms-is flooding likely [Re: Susan]
Dagny Offline
Pooh-Bah

Registered: 11/25/08
Posts: 1918
Loc: Washington, DC
Pups had another fun Snow Bowl today. Enough snow was falling to be pretty but not enough to be messy.


Attachments
Picture 163.jpg

Picture 119.jpg



Top
#195951 - 02/16/10 09:30 AM Re: USA snowstorms-is flooding likely [Re: Dagny]
James_Van_Artsdalen Offline
Addict

Registered: 09/13/07
Posts: 449
Loc: Texas
Weather forecasts have gotten quite a bit better since 1980 or so and are still improving. The DC snowstorm is a good example: the forecasts were sufficiently reliable for everyone to dedicate considerable resources to preparations well ahead of time. With hurricane Katrina there was pressure to order mandatory evacuations *3 days* before landfall. Neither would have been credible so far in advance 30 years ago.

*Climate* forecasting is still a rough area: by this I mean predicting a season's general trends (rainy/dry, cold/hot) ahead of time. Yet even here progress is seen: NWS correctly predicted last summer that it would be a wet winter in my area. Hurricane season forecasts don't seem to have gotten much better in the last decade, yet overall the field is a lot better than it used to be: 30 years ago you might have asked a meteorologist what dowsing rod he used in predicting a wet winter during a bone-dry summer.

My NWS office web page publishes a "Forecast Discussion" giving the basic reasoning behind a forecast and describing the situation in better detail than the rigid NWS format required for official forecasts. I generally skip the formal forecast entirely and go straight to the forecaster's commentary.

I guess my thesis here is that modern weather forecasts are reliable to the point of shaping preparations for activities. If forecasts show a front passing near a mountain maybe you shouldn't climb that day even if the airplane ticket is already paid, etc. Weather forecasts should be a basis for action and not merely passively collected as part of preparations.

Top
#195952 - 02/16/10 10:20 AM Re: USA snowstorms-is flooding likely [Re: James_Van_Artsdalen]
MostlyHarmless Offline
Old Hand

Registered: 06/03/09
Posts: 982
Loc: Norway
I've got a M.Sci in Meteorology and have done 4 years as a weather forecaster. James V.A. has it right smile

Originally Posted By: James_Van_Artsdalen

*Climate* forecasting is still a rough area: by this I mean predicting a season's general trends (rainy/dry, cold/hot) ahead of time. Yet even here progress is seen


Such forecasts are highly successful and useful tools in the tropics - and has been for years. Although seasonal forecasts for mid-latitude areas have improved, there is still much left before they are reliable enough to be useful. Such as the absolute failure to predict the cold winter weather we've had this year in Northern Europe. (January was supposed to be slightly warmer than average - and wet. Instead we've got record breaking low temperatures.)

Originally Posted By: James_Van_Artsdalen

I guess my thesis here is that modern weather forecasts are reliable to the point of shaping preparations for activities. If forecasts show a front passing near a mountain maybe you shouldn't climb that day even if the airplane ticket is already paid, etc. Weather forecasts should be a basis for action and not merely passively collected as part of preparations.


Yes - and that works both ways: Finding a "window" where conditions are good for what you want to do.

Of course it makes sense to be prepared for foul weather anyway. Particular in the mountains local conditions can differ quite a bit for the general area.

Top
#195963 - 02/16/10 03:03 PM Re: USA snowstorms-is flooding likely [Re: MostlyHarmless]
Dagny Offline
Pooh-Bah

Registered: 11/25/08
Posts: 1918
Loc: Washington, DC
I can certainly attest to the improved forecast accuracy for the Washington, D.C. area. Those who are responsible are unsung heroes.

Twenty years ago, my first winter in DC, I was caught unprepared when forecasts for a "dusting" turned into more than a foot. That was the winter that prompted the DC Metro (subway) system to put heaters on the power rails.

The first instance left me stranded on a snow-covered road, wearing flats and nylons, after our bus jackknifed and forced all us passengers off. Took six hours to travel 7 miles that day. A driver took pity on me walking along the road and gave me a lift for the final stretch, just as curling up in a snowbank was seeming inviting.

For the next decade I never again trusted a forecast. It had the benefit of motivating me to keep seasonally-appropriate gear at the office - a habit I continue though the forecasts have become much, much more reliable.


Top
#195967 - 02/16/10 04:04 PM Re: USA snowstorms-is flooding likely [Re: Dagny]
Susan Offline
Geezer

Registered: 01/21/04
Posts: 5163
Loc: W. WA
At least you learned. How many people do you know that would (or have) find themselves again in the same predicament?

Sue

Top
#195993 - 02/16/10 08:38 PM Re: USA snowstorms-is flooding likely [Re: Susan]
Dagny Offline
Pooh-Bah

Registered: 11/25/08
Posts: 1918
Loc: Washington, DC
Having seen me walking around during the snowstorms in gaiters, snow pants, with snowshoe pole, etc., a woman on the next block said I must ski and be from New England or out west.

She was getting a kick sizing up the pedestrians and their degree of preparedness.

I was an admirer of the improvisation of some resourceful peops, including these two who were canvassing the neighborhood for snow shoveling jobs. They devised these gaiters:




Attachments
DSC_1941.jpg



Top
#196042 - 02/17/10 05:09 PM Re: USA snowstorms-is flooding likely [Re: scafool]
MartinFocazio Offline

Pooh-Bah

Registered: 01/21/03
Posts: 2203
Loc: Bucks County PA
We're actually factoring the snowfall (we still have 20+ inches) in flood plans. I'm watching the weather closely every day...if we have even a moderate rainfall that melts off this snow, we're going to have a LOT of water flow...but fortunately the river needs about 1" of rain to get a 1' rise - until it gets about 3' below flood stage, and then we need about 1.5" of rain to get each additional foot. It's because of the topography - it's like a wide-rim champagne glass - more volume at the top than the bottom.
But yeah, I'm thinking about it.


Top
Page 1 of 3 1 2 3 >



Moderator:  MartinFocazio, Tyber 
March
Su M Tu W Th F Sa
1 2
3 4 5 6 7 8 9
10 11 12 13 14 15 16
17 18 19 20 21 22 23
24 25 26 27 28 29 30
31
Who's Online
0 registered (), 295 Guests and 21 Spiders online.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Newest Members
GallenR, Jeebo, NicholasMarshall, Yadav, BenFoakes
5367 Registered Users
Newest Posts
What did you do today to prepare?
by dougwalkabout
Yesterday at 11:21 PM
Zippo Butane Inserts
by dougwalkabout
Yesterday at 11:11 PM
Question about a "Backyard Mutitool"
by Ren
03/17/24 01:00 AM
Problem in my WhatsApp configuration
by Chisel
03/09/24 01:55 PM
New Madrid Seismic Zone
by Jeanette_Isabelle
03/04/24 02:44 PM
EDC Reduction
by EchoingLaugh
03/02/24 04:12 PM
Using a Compass Without a Map
by KenK
02/28/24 12:22 AM
Newest Images
Tiny knife / wrench
Handmade knives
2"x2" Glass Signal Mirror, Retroreflective Mesh
Trade School Tool Kit
My Pocket Kit
Glossary
Test

WARNING & DISCLAIMER: SELECT AND USE OUTDOORS AND SURVIVAL EQUIPMENT, SUPPLIES AND TECHNIQUES AT YOUR OWN RISK. Information posted on this forum is not reviewed for accuracy and may not be reliable, use at your own risk. Please review the full WARNING & DISCLAIMER about information on this site.