Snowmageddon 1.0 through 3.5 - A Month in Review

January 2015 will be a month to remember in Chester County.

After a mild start, a series of Megastorms struck the region forcing schools to dismiss early, start late and even cancel some AM Kindergarten classes.

Snowmageddon 1.0

January 21

With a predicted 1-3 inches, schools all over Chester County were forced to close.

Milk was flying off the shelves at local stores.

By early evening a significant dusting was well under way.

By evening, untreated surfaces were coated and the flurries continued.

Thursday morning,crews began digging out so people could return to work.

And just 24 hours after it had begun, Chester County spirit prevailed, and residents completed a valiant clean up effort.

But Mother Nature had MORE in store for the weekend.

Snowmageddon 2.0

January 24

As the weekend approached, it was clear we were in for another round.  This time another 1-3 inches was forecast, and it came down all at once over night.

By morning, the bulk of the snow had fallen, and grassy surfaces were dappled with a crippling coating to 1/4 inch.  Untreated surfaces showed signs of snow, but road crews had the major arteries clear with a proactive brine solution.

Still, few ventured out Saturday, aside from die hard weather watchers, road crews and Girl Scouts, selling cookies to those who braved the treacherous conditions.

High tech ergonomic shovels were employed by clean up crews.  State of emergency put a hold on child labor regulations, as many took to the streets to make travel safe for county citizens.

Late in the day, conditions had not improved much, thanks to an arctic air mass that had moved in locking temperatures below freezing for a good portion of the day.

But the resiliency of Chester County Residents would be tested yet again with a blizzard that would strike multiple states in a few short days.

Snowmageddon 3.0

Jan 26

On Sunday, people prepped for the biggest storm of the season.  Grocery stores were packed and 

ominous gray skies set in.

Some weather models predicted a wrap around effect that could toss 8-12 inches of snow our way.   However, some meteorologists were still only giving an 80% chance of any precipitation whatsoever. They were quickly silenced.

As predicted, the first of this one-two assault arrived Monday morning as school was starting. And in just 3 hours things deteriorated as you can see in the before and after pictures above.  Leaves on the ground were almost completely covered when schools were finally dismissed.

I needed both hands and a wiper to get my car ready for driving before heading home to wait out the impending doom from the back end of this devil.

Snowmageddon 3.5

The second phase continued with driving flurries throughout the day and into the night, piling flake upon flake until only the tallest blades of grass were visible in my lawn.

The weather models began to argue about who was right, and meteorologists just kind of gawked and tried to pick sides.  Schools opted for 2 hour delays in this area while the models and meteorologists came to consensus.

Finally agreement was reached shortly after midnght.

By morning we can see they finally did get it right. Somewhere between 0-24 inches fell on 0-100% of Chester County.

Road crews cleared the way and the 2 hour delay was adequate time to allow driveways and sidewalks to be scraped or blown clear with leaf blowers, and all but AM kindergarten students were afforded a chance to learn.

We at Chester County Weather Insider hope you appreciate our documentation of this historic week in weather.  Please subscribe as we present articles in the near future focussing on accuracy in weather reporting and a special preview of the super bowl and how weather could effect the outcome of the game in the harsh climates of Arizona.