While visiting such places as Old Town Alexandria and the Museum of the Bible in Washington DC between Christmas and New Years, I was glad to be hunkered down in my apartment after New Years when a big snow storm hit.
Waking the next morning, I found nearly a foot of snow turned my view into a Winter Wonderland.
Learning that it was a nor’easter that dumped all the snow, I wondered exactly what that was, since I’m more familiar with Texas weather.
Unlike Texas weather forecasters, those in Washington DC explain nothing.
2010 CLIPPERS, BLIZZARDS, AND NOR’EASTERS
When we first moved here in March of 2009, my kids and I asked about the snow potential of Northern Virginia.
Obviously we knew it snowed, since we followed a blizzard when we moved from Texas to Virginia.
But how often and how much, as my kids and I schemed sledding runs.
Finding a house with a good sledding hills would be a bonus!
Our real estate agent said that while Northern Virginia sees some snow, they see more ice, so not to expect much sledding.
After several storms the following winter dumped a total of 60 inches of snow on our house, we eventually thawed…and our real estate agent paid us a surprise visit with a gift for our anniversary of purchasing the house.
Giving her a tour of the work we had done so far on the house, I teased her about that little bit of snow we got that winter.
She laughed and said all her clients are teasing her about that.
At least she sold us a house with the best sledding run in the area!
Now that I’m researching those storms in the winter of 2009 and 2010, I see that different snow falls earned different names from the National Weather Service: blizzard, clipper, and nor’easter.
What’s the difference?
BLIZZZARD
Sustained winds over 35 miles per hour for at least three hours with less than a quarter mile of visibility earns a storm the distinctive term of blizzard.
CLIPPER
Originating in the northwestern part of the continent, clippers are low pressure systems that quickly travel from Alberta, Canada to the northeast coast of America, sometimes as far south as Northern Virginia.
NOR’EASTER
Nor’easters develop off the East Coast, usually between New Jersey and Georgia, and head northeast, dumping rain or snow, with high gale winds, and coastal flooding.
This latest nor’easter dumped ten inches of snow on Lake Ridge.
