Learning from central Ohio

[Gord_on_snow]

Hi, haven't posted in a while. I've been lurking and trying to learn as much as i can as i've only been living in the states for 3 months now (i moved here from the UK, i'm English by the way) and am finding learning all the weather patterns as difficult, and sometimes more so, than i did in the UK!

Anyway, I am in Columbus, OH. I've come to learn this isn't a classic place to be if you like snow but when i've been through the stats for here, it hasn't been too bad.

It also appears that my location can be on a kinife edge when it commes to rain/snow events. Sadly, it looks like i'll just see rain with any systems that come through here this week.

When i'm looking at the models and various forecasts, what am i looking for in regards for snow? This part of central Ohio doesn't seem to fit with any predictions or any forecasts!

Many of the perimeters that i was used to looking at in the models in the UK seem to be different here. For example, it appears that a higher thickness can support snow here than it can in the UK.

I know enough allready to predict that most events at this time of year will proably be rain events for me...but i can see myself getting confused as the winter goes on and unsure which direction i should be looking in!

Oh...and i'm used to dissappointment when snow doesn't arrive...its a British thing!

[Miss Mary]

Be patient Gord, you'll get snow! Columbus always gets more than Cincinnati, at least that's been my observation.

Typically, right after New Year's Day, we begin to see chances for decent snowstorms. Especially around Martin Luther King Holiday. I don't know why MLK is significant, probably the coldest part of winter or something, but now my daughters school district prepares for that snowy week by taking an inservice day the Friday after. So now MLK week is a 3 day one, very short, in case there needs to be snowdays.

So again, be patient. You'll see snow I'm sure before Christmas, little dustings. Maybe a few inches. But the real fun begins in January and on into February sometimes, if we're lucky!

And I suspect you may get slammed at one point and say - be careful of what you wish for! We've had 10 and 18 inch snowstorms before, that have shut down our city!

Mary

[Wnghs2007]

This winter should be really good for yall up there in OV and will make for a very interesting winter.

[Gord_on_snow]

Seeing i'm a teacher, snow days might just work to my advantage!

Thanks for your reply anyway, its nice to hear some local knowledge. I'll be in england for xmas, return on Jan 5th so hopefully then i'll see something.

Like i say though, being briitish means expectations are fairly low as i'm uused to just one or 2 days of a few centimetres each year in britain! i can see it now, everyone here is complaining at how little snow they have and theres me thinking its a lot!

thanks again for your reply and am hoping to learn a lot more.

By the way, we had a few flurries on thursday. Quite nice for my first ever thanksgiving!

[Miss Mary]

We had snow flurries too on Thanksgiving - just a taste of might come. Hate to break it to you though Gord, sometimes schools want staff to report. You'll see a school listed as closed/staff reports. Not all do this but it's happened a few times in my girls district. I do know a few teachers though and they love those early am phone calls - sometimes they know as early as 5 a.m. they're off! And if we have a 2 day storm, they might get the call by 11 p.m. the night before. Let's hope you get a few days off! Each district down here has a set amount before they have to be made up in summer - average snowdays are about 5.

What you want to wish for are storms that start around 3 or 4 a.m. and continue on past morning rush hour. That way the roads stay icy and slick, long past the start of school. My girls just hate it when storms subside by 4 a.m. and the salt trucks can get out so busses can run. They hate salt trucks!

Mary

[Wnghs2007]

We had snow flurries too on Thanksgiving - just a taste of might come. Hate to break it to you though Gord, sometimes schools want staff to report. You'll see a school listed as closed/staff reports. Not all do this but it's happened a few times in my girls district. I do know a few teachers though and they love those early am phone calls - sometimes they know as early as 5 a.m. they're off! And if we have a 2 day storm, they might get the call by 11 p.m. the night before. Let's hope you get a few days off! Each district down here has a set amount before they have to be made up in summer - average snowdays are about 5.

Mary

Yeah one time it snowed last year. It was 4 " and thats a lot down here. But the students were off. But the Teachers and my dad who is a technological admin there. Had to come in.

[Miss Mary]

Oh, forgot you may want to wish for below 0 wind chills - another reason schools close b/c they don't want children standing outside waiting for the bus.

Hey, here's a story for you Gord that might get you excited and probably make you drool Wnghs, but it really happened. And probably never will again!

Winter of 93/94:

Friday before MLK, surprise 2 or 3 inch snowfall. Roads were slick for a few hours, my girls school district hadn't had a snowday yet, so they closed school. Or we think that's why they closed. Roads were fine by late morning, actually wet. We were surprised they were off actually!

Either the night before MLK or the day of, a major snowstorm hit Cincinnati. I remember my neighbor measuring the snow when it ended and we were all out shoveling, late MLK day - 10 inches. We all said school would probably be cancelled on Tuesday.

No school on Tuesday.

Then fierce, cold Canadian winds blew in (love my professional met terms?!!! LOL) and wind chills went below 0. Winds were strong, wipping snow all over the place. Snow became crusted, you couldn't build snowmen, make snowballs or walk easily in it - it was so deep and frozen.

No school on Wednesday - district didn't want kids outside waiting for busses.

Same for Thursday. By this time my then First Grader stayed in her pj's in the morning (our rule was she had to get dressed for school right away and then could come down for breakfast) and would ask - do I have school today? Both Wednesday and Thursday mornings, we were surprised she didn't have school but understood why the district closed.

By Thursday night, temps rose, wind chills weren't an issue and she prepared for school the next day. Packed a lunch. Got her clothes all ready.

Friday morning...don't know why I even turned on the TV but I knew some rural schools would still be closed and sure enough, her district was off again! We could not believe it!

Since we lived near her Elementary we took a walk - the first day since the MLK snowstorm we could venture out without below 0 wind chills. We saw many teachers at her school and her teacher saw us. She popped her head out the door and said - hey, remember me, I used to be your teacher!

Turns out half the busses wouldn't start, so that's why the district was forced to take another snowday.

All in all 5 snowdays, but she had 10 days off in a row! So many teachers and families said if they had known it would turn out like that, they would have gone out of town or went to Florida. We felt a little cheated b/c we couldn't play outside in the snow but having a week off with a few weekends was a real treat - this was before she got very busy with after school activities. So we could bake cookies, stay home and keep warm. Read, watch movies, play dress ups - well, I didn't. But now my girls are teens and I can't keep them home!

But it really was a waiting game, day by day. And now her sister, who was only 3 then and hardly remembers it, wants a string of 10 days off in a row, with a few weekends in there. I said that will never happen again!

Mary

[Tornado_Chaser2005]

Welcome to the states:) Ohio is prime for a Second Tornado Alley;)

[Wnghs2007]

Welcome to the states:) Ohio is prime for a Second Tornado Alley;)

Oh yes. I also say welcome to the states . Sorry I didnt read all of your post was in a hurry. So welcome anyway

[ohiostorm]

Im about 2 hours east of you. You will get snow. Trust me. Its going to be a cold winter so you should see quite a bit. Winters here can be nasty. I can remember very cold ones where you couldnt even go outside for 5 seconds. Way below 0. Welcome to the states and have fun! Ohio is one hell of a Weather playground!

[Miss Mary]

Im about 2 hours east of you. You will get snow. Trust me. Its going to be a cold winter so you should see quite a bit. Winters here can be nasty. I can remember very cold ones where you couldnt even go outside for 5 seconds. Way below 0. Welcome to the states and have fun! Ohio is one hell of a Weather playground!

Thank you Ohiostorm, for another Buckeye perspective! With me being in the most south-western part of Ohio, my wx will not be like yours or Gord's, for that matter. What you receive will be more representative of what he'll get, I predict.

Mary

[Gord_on_snow]

Thanks everyone.

Have to be honest, i'm having to start off my teaching career here as a subbstitute teacher...so as i'm paid by the day, snowdays are a disadvantage right now!

Thank you for your welcomes. Weather has been fairly 'British' so far this autumn. But this week i've felt a chill in the air thhat doesn't usually arrive in Britian until late December at least. So thats one clue how things might be different here.

I'm pleased i've found some people locally who can give me a local perspective on the weather. I read the models, i watch the forecasts, but you cant beat actual experience.

I see a few more of those light flurries might just be on the cards this week.

anyway, looking forward to get some teaching days in, take my driving test (my british driving license doesn't count here, which is annoying!) and get a car and then i shall go explore Ohio properly!

[Miss Mary]

When you have your license and a car, consider visiting Hocking Hills, Ohio. Here's a link:

http://www.hockinghills.com/

Fall is the best time to visit in many opinions, but I also think Winter is a beautiful time to visit. The falls freeze and if it snows, it's even more spectacular. It's about an hour away from Columbus, well within a day trip.

Mary

[ohiostorm]

We will see more snow then Columbus. We tend to be on the border line of heavy snow from nor easters most of the time.

[Wnghs2007]

We will see more snow then Columbus. We tend to be on the border line of heavy snow from nor easters most of the time.

This should be a very good winter Atleast somewhere in the Ohio Valley.

[ohiostorm]

Hopefully

[dawgpound]

As the saying goes, " If you don't like the weather in Ohio, wait five minutes and it will change.!" From 80 miles north of you, Gord. I also agree with the idea that you have to look out for Jan. 21st. We have had some terribly cold temps around that time.

[Wnghs2007]

As the saying goes, " If you don't like the weather in Ohio, wait five minutes and it will change.!" From 80 miles north of you, Gord. I also agree with the idea that you have to look out for Jan. 21st. We have had some terribly cold temps around that time.

Yep, I have friends that lived up there and said the weather is variable.

[Guest]

regarding snowdays, here in northern virginia it only takes 3 1/2 inches of snow to close school (if its ice there only has to be a few patches). 02-03, we ended up with 11 snowdays, 5 of them from PDII. that was soooo awesome. I think we also had a week of school off in 96 with the blizzard... but maybe more with the snow that followed.

[Wnghs2007]

regarding snowdays, here in northern virginia it only takes 3 1/2 inches of snow to close school (if its ice there only has to be a few patches). 02-03, we ended up with 11 snowdays, 5 of them from PDII. that was soooo awesome. I think we also had a week of school off in 96 with the blizzard... but maybe more with the snow that followed.

Ive only had 1 day off from school in the past 6 school years. We dont close for nothin, I mean we had 4" on the ground and we were driving to school, it got real cold later in the day and turned to ice and we almost ran off the road on the way home. But we still went to school.