The Snowpocalypse of 2010

Here in Pittsburgh, PA we are experiencing what the yout's have affectionately dubbed the Snowpocalyse or Snowmaggedon (Snownami?) . . .

And it's beautiful.

It does, however, pose a variety of infrastructure problems.

In the span of just over a dozen hours, the greater metropolitan area received more than 18" of snow. While last night it the coverage was easy to dismiss as a heavy but reasonable, today the difference was overwhelmingly clear.

11:50 February 5th vs. 10:30 February 6th

Currently, the Port Authority is running only one of it's 184 routes (an EBA, between Swissvale and Penn Station), with no projections for when service will return to normal.

This, of course, has more to do with the progress of the city's plowing efforts. Around noon today, the city had just begun plowing secondary streets. Now, 3:50, even Wilkins has yet to be plowed.

In reality, conditions have been deemed so bad that Governor Ed Rendell "...has declared a statewide disaster emergency to enable state, county and municipal governments to respond effectively..." (via Public Opinion.) Indeed, running "City of Pittsburgh" through Google today brings up the Snowstorm Emergency Information Page.

By midnight last night, the accumulation measured around 11.4" and has already broken several records including the Feb 5th 1899 record of 4.7" and the most snow received on any one day in February (the previous record being from February 20, 1947 at 10.4".)

Our local drifts ranged from ~20" near the edge of our steps to 25" in some places, with most vehicles boasting 10" shells.

In addition to residents being snowed in, flights coming into to PIT have been re-routed and flights out have been delayed indefinitely. More than 100,000 people are without power as the accumulation has snapped many lines, and various trees, including three on the Carnegie Mellon campus, have fallen under the additional snow-weight.



It's a little difficult to balance one's love and appreciation for such a mesmerizingly transformed landscape with the fact that it causes so much trouble on so many levels. Fortunately, for some, hopefully many, it's still a pleasant surprise and one worth enjoying while it lasts.

We can also take comfort in knowing that the city is hard at work doing all they can to improve conditions and restore access, just as citizens themselves work towards clearing their own small section of the world. It'll take a little while, but things will be back to normal soon enough. For now, enjoy the snow day.