Snowstorm of 2/22/09

[CanisLupusArctos]

It has been a long night of heavy wet snow sticking to everything, combined with wind picking up from the NW. This led to many trees and branches down. Around midnight I could see across the lake, to the south, as blue flashes lit up the night sky. Each one was a transformer exploding, representing a new power outage.

The snowfall totals were all over the place. Black Cat Island (http://www.blackcatnh.com/weather) got only 5 inches. I assume this is because the wind was from the NE early in the storm, and the Ossipee Mountains shadow the station from that direction. That has happened before. Other areas around the lake got a foot or more.

There are places southeast of here (in the "rain zone") that ended up with a lot more snow than we did - more than forecast. The mountains and ski areas did well with this storm. Fryeburg Maine (adjacent to North Conway NH) reports 2 feet.

The snow is still frozen to everything, despite the wind. That will contribute to more power outages today.

[upthesaukee]

Just outside Sandy Point on the west side of the bay, about a half mile off the lake, I measured 9 inches in several spots in my yard. Very heavy wet stuff, with a coating of ice under it.

We started out as a really fine mist with temps about 34 degrees during the mid afternoon, and then just after dark, temps dropped to about 30-31 degrees and the snow started, almost looking like rain, but was definately snow.

Snow got heavy around 6:30 or so, and finally ended sometime after midnight.

Now I'm off to shovel off the roof :(.

[mcdude]

from the Citizen....
Snowfall totals ranged from less than 3 inches in Manchester to over a foot in Bristol and 17 inches in New Durham. Part of Route 153 in Farmington is closed because of downed trees on the road.

[LIforrelaxin]

Has anyone been out towards long Island? How did that area fair durring the storm?

This has been the first winter in a while that I have not been able to get up to check on the ole camp..... and I am a bit worried.....

[Blue Thunder]

It has been a long night of heavy wet snow sticking to everything, combined with wind picking up from the NW. This led to many trees and branches down. Around midnight I could see across the lake, to the south, as blue flashes lit up the night sky. Each one was a transformer exploding, representing a new power outage.

I'm really not picking on you CLA, :) but I'd like to offer a clarification to a common misconception. Transformers rarely explode. What you are seeing in a blue flash that lights up the sky at night during a snowstorm is the simultaneous connection or grounding together of 2 or 3 "phases" of primary power lines, usually caused by a tree or branch coming in contact with them. The "short circuit", if you will, can quite often be mistaken for an explosion due to the high voltage fault. The flash of light generated by this action is then magnified/transmitted through the moisture laden snow that is falling giving it a blue hue due to the water content.

The blue flashes generally happen in "threes". Most high voltage three phase primary power lines are connected to what is called a "re-closer", which means that the system will try automatically to re-energize itself should the fault have cleared itself in some way.(branches often burn off due to the high current). This happens three times until the re-closer "locks out" at which time, it takes a manual reset by a lineman from the power company.

As I type this, it occurs to me that I've said this before in a thread from previous years and for that I apologize.

Blue Thunder

[Lakewinn1]

Good Info ... Thanks

[hilltopper]

The snowfall totals were all over the place. Black Cat Island (http://www.blackcatnh.com/weather) got only 5 inches. I assume this is because the wind was from the NE early in the storm, and the Ossipee Mountains shadow the station from that direction. That has happened before. Other areas around the lake got a foot or more.

Definetly some shadowing going on. I was a bit under the weather yesterday and spent some time on the laptop. Snow started here in Meredith a bit after Noon and then shutdown a half hour later. Watching the radar, we were in a dry slot for around four to five hours. Then it started sowing but it didn't really kick in until after 8 PM. Not sure what happened after that (in bed early) but I woke up to 8.5" to 9". Can't say I'm too upset because it took all the energy I had to get the drive cleaned up.

NWS is saying Belmont got 17". We got the Sunday night 6" to 10" the NWS was calling for, but not the intitial 5" to 8" they were calling for on Sunday. That ended up being the difference (versus what was forecasted).

Definitely a strange storm, but they all are in their own way, right? Maybe the last 6"+ storm of the season? Maybe not, but looking at the extended forecast, this Winter's looks like it might lose it's legs quickly. If you like the white stuff, get out and enjoy it while you can!

[DickR]

I just checked the FreezeAlarm at my place on Long Island. Temperature was normal (set way back), and power was on. However, the battery was notably below usual full 9.3 volts (8 point something), not in an emergency condition, but low enough that I suspect power may have gone out for a couple of hours at some point. That would have been long enough to weaken the battery, but not long enough for the cold air to drop the inside below the 40 F setpoint I have it at.

[JL Girl]

The power was off on Long Island yesterday and I don't know where else from about 4:45 pm to 5:45 pm. I called NHEC and they said a substation that services this area had a couple of things wrong with it, that the crew were gathering up stuff to go there and he said it should take about 3 hours. Well, it was back up in an hour. Thank goodness, because the storm intensity was beginning to pick up at that point. Also, how could the power be off on Oscar Night?!!!!

[WINNOCTURN]

Has anyone been out towards long Island? How did that area fair durring the storm?From a Snowmobilers prospective.

In listening to snow reports, everyone around us got more snow than we did. I was at Bretton Woods today, they got 20 inches. I met the HK service manager at Hannaford and he was in Pittsburg at their camp this weekend and they got 20+ inches. Twin Mtn got 15 inches. Wakefield & Ossipee got over 15 inches.

Here in Moultonboro we were lucky if we got 4 or 5 inches. It is probably only enough to fill in some of the ruts and last for a day.

I off the Neck in the Kona area and I doubt there was any on Long Island.

George

[Lakesrider]

Agreed. Only 5 of so inches where I am in Suissevale. I got to work in Wolfeboro and there must have been close to a foot of heavy snow. Very windy in the afternoon yesterday. It wasn't fun shoveling snow off my deck. Snow kept coming back at me! Argh! :D

[EZ-Pass]

Agreed. Only 5 of so inches where I am in Suissevale. I got to work in Wolfeboro and there must have been close to a foot of heavy snow. Very windy in the afternoon yesterday. It wasn't fun shoveling snow off my deck. Snow kept coming back at me! Argh! :D

Man it sure makes a difference where one is located and how much they got. I'm on the Wolfeboro side of the Alton line and I took an average in my yard as there where many deeper spots from the wind. The average came out as 8 1/2 inches.

[CanisLupusArctos]

I'm really not picking on you CLA, :) but I'd like to offer a clarification to a common misconception. Transformers rarely explode. What you are seeing in a blue flash that lights up the sky at night during a snowstorm is the simultaneous connection or grounding together of 2 or 3 "phases" of primary power lines, usually caused by a tree or branch coming in contact with them. The "short circuit", if you will, can quite often be mistaken for an explosion due to the high voltage fault. The flash of light generated by this action is then magnified/transmitted through the moisture laden snow that is falling giving it a blue hue due to the water content.

The blue flashes generally happen in "threes". Most high voltage three phase primary power lines are connected to what is called a "re-closer", which means that the system will try automatically to re-energize itself should the fault have cleared itself in some way.(branches often burn off due to the high current). This happens three times until the re-closer "locks out" at which time, it takes a manual reset by a lineman from the power company.

As I type this, it occurs to me that I've said this before in a thread from previous years and for that I apologize.

Blue Thunder

I found that very useful to know! I had always thought there was some sort of explosion. Sounds more like it's just an "explosion of electricity" from a shorting system -- in any case it's not something I want to be near when it happens!

You did explain some of this in a previous thread but more in relation to the system attempting twice to re-close on its own, in case the branch (or whatever) burns or falls off the wires. We were discussing why this system makes it so necessary to have a battery backup on computer systems nowadays because the on-off-on-off will screw up any computer that is set to automatically restart.

Hilltopper, that was useful stuff to know - sounds like the the farther away from the Ossipees you get, the more snow there was. That's it for winter, for a few days. I don't think that's it, in the long term. Models are showing a possible snowstorm at the end of the weekend and possible cold outbreak across the northern US in its wake.

[Neko]

I just checked the FreezeAlarm at my place on Long Island. Temperature was normal (set way back), and power was on. However, the battery was notably below usual full 9.3 volts (8 point something), not in an emergency condition, but low enough that I suspect power may have gone out for a couple of hours at some point. That would have been long enough to weaken the battery, but not long enough for the cold air to drop the inside below the 40 F setpoint I have it at.

DickR, Can you give me some info on the freeze alarm that you are using? I have been looking for a unit that would allow me to monitor my house for both Temp and power.
Thanks
Neko.

[jmen24]

DickR, Can you give me some info on the freeze alarm that you are using? I have been looking for a unit that would allow me to monitor my house for both Temp and power.
Thanks
Neko.

Google "Smarthome" The name has changed from above to Sensaphone. Use this link http://www.smarthome.com/70050/Sensaphone-400-Remote-Monitoring-and-Control-System/p.aspx We use these in the homes that we provide monitoring service and they call me at the office to tell us if there is an issue. This along with weekly check-ins provide good sound monitoring for part-time properties. These units can be expanded to cover alot more than just temp (which you can adjust over the phone to have things up to temp before arriving). If the system hears a loud noise it will call you and you can listen to what is happening inside your home (just one of many options). Alot cheaper than a full blown security system.

[RLW]

Google "Smarthome" The name has changed from above to Sensaphone. Use this link http://www.smarthome.com/70050/Sensaphone-400-Remote-Monitoring-and-Control-System/p.aspx We use these in the homes that we provide monitoring service and they call me at the office to tell us if there is an issue. This along with weekly check-ins provide good sound monitoring for part-time properties. These units can be expanded to cover alot more than just temp (which you can adjust over the phone to have things up to temp before arriving). If the system hears a loud noise it will call you and you can listen to what is happening inside your home (just one of many options). Alot cheaper than a full blown security system.

The above is an excellent unit. I have them installed in my families homes and have installed them into many customers homes. They have an excellent dial direct to the support people and the person who answers the phone is the person that will guide you through all your questions. This address is the person you would want to contact for more literature and to answer questions that you may have.:)

[Neko]

Thanks for the info.
Can this unit be installed by the average home owner or does it require an electrician to install it?

[RLW]

Thanks for the info.
Can this unit be installed by the average home owner or does it require an electrician to install it?

It is very much homeowner friendly. The only thing you need to have near the unit is power (Plug in) and phone line. That is not to say that you could not run extensions of either or both to the unit. As I stated in the thread below, the technical support is right at you finger tips if there is a phone handy. :)

[DickR]

Neko, I just saw in the NH Electric Coop newsletter that comes with the bill that they are promoting the FreezeAlarm again. $219 for the intermediate model I have. You can do an Internet search on it to get the mfg info on it too, I imagine.

It is indeed simple to set up. There are multiple options to read about, though. For example, there are up to three phone numbers it can call out to if an alarm is triggered. Temperature alarm can be set as a low point or high point alarm; you'd want that as low alarm, as a high temperature wouldn't be likely, unless the heating system wasn't shutting off at all or you had a fire (then you can't get there in time anyway). The temperature setting is whatever you want; I set mine at 40. You can have it call you if the power goes out momentarily, for an hour or more, or not at all. Same with the 9v backup battery; when the voltage gets too low from use, it can trigger an alarm condition unless it is disabled. Finally, you can reprogram things over the phone at any time. Actually, it is set up initially by plugging a phone into the front of the unit and doing it that way.

If you have a phone recorder left on when you leave, you have to be aware of how the FreezeAlarm works. It picks up after 5 rings within a few minutes. Our recorder picks up after 4 rings. So what I have to do if I call in to check up on status of the place is to let the phone ring 3 times, hang up and wait perhaps 10 seconds, call again to get the next 2 rings in, and then I'm into the alarm. If your phone recorder is set to pick up after 3 rings, you'll have to call 3 times for 2, 2, and 1 ring. If your recorder picks up after 2 rings, whew, that would be a pain in the neck to work around.

[Neko]

Thank you for the information. I will be checking out both units.
Enjoy the snow!!

[tis]

I use that intermediate one and love it. It is so simple. I just shut the other answering machine off when we are away and it answers on the fourth ring. I had another one first and it was much more complicated. We have had cause to need it too, and it worked perfectly! Called when it was supposed to. The furnace went out and so the temp went down. We have a generator so don't really need it for the power but sure is nice to know if that temp. goes down!