Commuting on Snowshoes: Ah, March in Vermont

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***UPDATED below at 5:00 p.m.

***and UPDATED AGAIN at 7:25 a.m. Tuesday

Even by this winter's snowy standards, this snowstorm is a doozy. The National Weather Service office in South Burlington has received just short of two feet of snow — enough, already, to put this among the top five snowstorms on record. The snow total winner is Jericho, with 30 inches on the ground so far.

How bad has this storm been? The CCTA suspended bus service for the day.  Burlington International Airport is closed due to the snow. Not only have most K-12 schools in the state closed for the day, but even St. Michael's College canceled all classes. (The University of Vermont and Champlain College are on spring break this week.) The Burlington Police Department has asked people not to drive in Burlington because "plows and emergency equipment are stuck behind stranded motorists." (And yes, there's another parking ban tonight, so cars must once again be off Burlington streets by 10:00 p.m. in residential areas and midnight downtown — assuming you were even able to get it on the street this morning.)

Naturally, Twitter was all abuzz with discussion of the snowy conditions:

@bleusky03:
Snowshoe'd to work. Met the mayor. He was doing the same. Is this Sicily, AK or #BTV?

@burtonsnowboard:
Woke up to some serious snow and an email from Jake saying the office won't be open until 1. Long live powder days.

@gahlord:
Don't forget to clear your dryer/heater vents #BTV. Very simple, prevents disaster. Apartment dwellers too/especially.

@javamanphil:
Vermont is closed for the day. We apologize for the inconvenience. #btv

@jaypeakresort:
Approaching 24 hour snow total records here at #jaypeak

@jl_goodman:
Mail delivery has been cancelled today in Burlington. They can't get their trucks out of the lot on Pine St #btv #snowproblemo #vt

We've also seen some photos, from 7D staff and the community alike, that are pretty mindblowing. Here's one from Seven Days co-editor Pamela Polston looking out her kitchen window:

Here's a guy taking to South Champlain Street by cross-country skis, just outside our office:

Designer Brooke Bousquet took this shot of her snowbound driveway in Winooski. She made it to the office anyway, though, to make sure we still have a paper on Wednesday. Yay Brooke!

And here's a photo of Interstate 89 in Bolton, taken at 1:35 by a roadside camera. Not a good time to be on the roads.

UPDATE: A little over 3 hours later, here's how Interstate 89 looks from that same camera. Be warned, though, that 89 South is currently closed from Exit 11 to Exit 10 due to a crash.

 

Here's a photo that was sent to us from Bob in Barre, who says he was cooking on that grill just 12 hours before he took this picture:

And we've got a video now from Gahlord Dewald, who cross-country skied down Church Street to his office this morning. That actually looks pretty fun.

Couple more photos for good measure...

Here's a photo from Suzanne in Westford of their post office...despite what you see here, their post office actually opened! Even in Burlington, mail carriers couldn't deliver the mail through the storm.

      This photo is from Jay in Georgia, who assures us his car is under here somewhere.

And lastly, here's a photo of local mashup king and party-starter DJ Disco Phantom, snowshoeing his way through Burlington's Old North End.  Thanks to Ali Fogel for the photo.

The grand snowfall total at the National Weather Service office in South Burlington was 25.8 inches. That's enough to make this the third-biggest storm on record. Some Vermont and upstate New York towns got even more snow than that — click here to see the full list of storm totals.

Have any videos or photos you want to share? How are you dealing with this storm? Let us know in the comments. We'll keep updating this post as the afternoon wears on and the snow keeps falling...

Comments

[Tina]

While most people do not like this snow this late in the year, It is actually a good thing for the economy. The ski resorts will be getting more business after a late start which means people will have their jobs longer, the hotels and restaurants will also see an increase in their businesses. So while it may be a headache for those of us that need to shovel ourselves out and go to work, it is a great thing. We may be snow bound here in Champlain, but tomorrow is a new day :)

[Lisa Crean]

Excellent tip on dryer and furnace vents. And a good time to remind everyone that CO2 detectors should be replaced every five years. Check the manufacturing date on the unit. Yikes...it's been on my List O'Things To Do. Still working, but recently expired.

Is it wrong to admit that I like the cheesy terms Snowmageddon & Snowpocalypse?

[Morgan W. Brown]

After just reading this blog post about CCTA suspending service up in the Burlington area, I called GMTA -- which serves the greater Montpelier and Barre region -- and they reported having suspended service at 3:00 PM. They had tried their best to provide service to the region prior to then. Additional information, here.

[Tyler Machado]

Lisa: Yes, I learned the hard way when I woke up to a 58 degree house. Luckily I shoveled out the vent and the heating system restarted before the house got too cold (or before the carbon monoxide detectors got a workout).

Morgan: Thanks for the update. The CCTA hasn't been running at all today, even in the early morning. Good thing I could work from home today...

[Lisa Crean]

Well, I didn't commute in snowshoes. But I had to use 'em just to shovel a path out my front door!

[One _Vermonter]

Looking forward to the day when I can again wake up in a house that is as warm as 58 degrees!

[another_vermonter]

I second that! I haven't seen 58°F in the morning since I gave up relying on wood heat. My house will be that warm inside when it stays that warm outside.

[Tyler Machado]

This is enlightening! I just keep the thermostat around 65 and I can't be bothered to mess with it unless I'm noticeably too hot or cold. Must be the flatlander in me.