Adiós Quinn, au revoir Riley

Enough, already.
With two Nor’Easters dumping mounds of heavy snow in the area in just one week’s time, area residents are understandably done with all the white stuff.
“You know the snow is going to be bad when The Weather Channel stations people in your town,” wrote a Facebook user, noting a crew had positioned itself in Central Valley for live remotes about the storm on Wednesday.
The Weather Channel, in its effort to liken winter storms to hurricanes by naming them, dubbed the March 7 storm as Quinn. It dropped 11 to 19 inches of snow on most of Orange County, according to the Facebook hyperlocal weather forecasting site, “First Due Weather from the Compound.”
FDW called the storm an “over achiever.”
“Due to the final track of the low, a deformation snow band set up, basically stationary rotating over southeastern Orange County for most of the afternoon and evening,” the site wrote. “As a result there were 20 inch to 30 inch snowfall accumulations regionally around the Monroe area, including neighboring communities, across southeastern Orange County. Communities in the vicinity of Monroe received anywhere from 20 inches to 30 inches of snow.”
And residents’ photographs confirmed that, with social media posts showing images of rulers (of the longer variety) measuring the snow, along with photos of backyard decks with heaps of snow covering tables and barbecues meant for warm weather usage.
‘Mother Nature is in charge’“It looks like we had periods of snow into early evening at times that achieved four inches per hour,” FDW said. “It was scientifically amazing. The models had suggested heavier snow amounts for the affected areas but not as much that was actually received in those areas. Mother Nature always has a way to let us know, she is in charge.”
Kids were certainly happy to sleep in and have three snow days off from school in less than a week to lounge around, finally realizing they’ve reached the end of the allotted snow days in their districts.
Getting ahead on school work? Studying? Practicing an instrument? Cleaning one’s room?
Surely, you must be kidding.
Try FaceTiming friends, watching Netflix on a variety of electronic devices or playing the ever popular Xbox and PlayStation systems.
Still, many parents appreciatively worked from home as area businesses recognized the severity of what weather forecasters projected and proved to be true. Businesses which rarely closed did just that on Wednesday.
Stay inside and off the roads, law enforcement and local government entities admonished. Follow what’s going on via the television and/or social media, they recommended. For the most part, people listened.
Until it was time to shovel out.
The Tuxedo and Monroe-Woodbury school districts made the unusual announcements to close schools the evening before the Wednesday storm and again on Wednesday night for Thursday. Local municipalities and county and state officials issued stern warnings and updates on social media and via robocalls ahead of and during the storm.
However, the March 2 Nor ‘Easter, named Riley by The Weather Channel, probably seems like it happened years ago compared to Quinn. It blanketed select portions of southern Orange County with anywhere from 14 to 18 inches of very heavy wet snow, most notably in the greater Monroe area.
But, just a few miles away in places like Goshen, barely a snowflake could be found.
Riley’s high winds caused downed trees and wires, with thousands losing power, which was different than Quinn. Restoration varied by where one lived.
First Due WeatherFirst Due Weather - which offers hyperlocal forecasts for the greater Monroe area - generates forecasts after reviewing weather models for sometimes several days in advance before events actually occur. The site shows how the models hone in on and evolve around events and provide the latest possible information throughout the day and particularly at the advent of a storm so site visitors - whether they’re snow enthusiasts or not - can plan accordingly.
It notes weather expectations can change from model run to model run, adding it provides “the extra attention and details the New York City TV stations and the National Weather Service sometime neglect.”
Did you hear the whispers of a possible third Nor ‘Easter for next week?
Don’t stress, just yet.
“The Monday/Tuesday event may at this time just be some hype,” FDW wrote. “Models that actually show snow have nothing more than an inch or two. Looks like a colder than normal weather pattern through the first week of April.”
While there’s a chance there will be more opportunities to build snowmen, use snow shovels and buy gas for snow blowers, remember Daylight Savings Time begins this Sunday,
And, another reason to take heart: Though snow has been known to fall through early April, there’s only 12 days until the first day of Spring.
-Nancy Kriz