Snowmageddon Dumps More than Two Feet of Snow on Bowie

February 6, 2010 (3 years ago today): Snowmageddon dumped 25 1/2 inches of snow on Bowie. The snow started Friday night, February 5th, and lasted until late in the afternoon on Saturday, February 6th. Another snowstorm brought an additional eight inches of snow to Bowie the following week.

Magnitude 5.8 Earthquake Shakes Bowie

Buildings shook, pictures fell off walls, and items fell off shelves in Bowie today as a 5.8 magnitude earthquake shook the city. The quake was centered about 100 miles away in Mineral, Virginia. There are no reports of any major damage in the city at this time, although Prince George's County Police have reported multiple incidents of structural damage to buildings, including one in Oxon Hill, one in National Harbor and a Target store in Forestville.

The City of Bowie sent employees home early, and closed city buildings.

Prince George's County Schools canceled Tuesday evening activities , and canceled Wednesday classes. Thirty-two public schools in the county remained closed on Thursday, including Bowie's Yorktown Elementary School.

A 3.6 magnitude quake centered in Gaithersburg, MD shook the city a little over a year ago on July 16, 2010.

Click here for the USGS information on the quake, and click here for a USGS list of recent earthquakes.

UPDATE

The following aftershocks have occurred:

• Magnitude 2.4: Thursday, August 25, 2011 at 11:27:47 AM
• Magnitude 2.3: Thursday, August 25, 2011 at 02:37:31 AM
• Magnitude 4.5: Thursday, August 25, 2011 at 01:07:50 AM
• Magnitude 2.5: Thursday, August 25, 2011 at 12:06:47 AM
• Magnitude 3.4: Wednesday, August 24, 2011 at 12:45:26 AM
• Magnitude 4.2: Tuesday, August 23, 2011 at 08:04:36 PM
• Magnitude 2.2: Tuesday, August 23, 2011 at 03:20:26 PM
• Magnitude 2.8: Tuesday, August 23, 2011 at 02:46:50 PM

Click on image for larger image

Severe Storm Causes Downed Trees and Power Outages

A cold front brought a severe storm to Bowie this afternoon. Several trees were knocked down, and many residents and businesses are without power. Some sections of town seem worse than others. The Somerset, Meadowbrook and Whitehall neighborhoods all seem hard hit. Power is still off at Hilltop Plaza, Bowie Plaza and Whitehall Plaza. I saw the poor guy at Crab Galley trying to save his inventory by loading it into his refrigerated truck. My son and I took a late night drive around town, and we did not see a single BGE truck.

The storm also caused WSSC to issue yet another water restriction for its customers after a pumping station in Montgomery County lost power.

We were in Waldorf when the storm first hit. We saw the thermometer in the car go from 100 degrees to 80 in about 10 minutes. The temperature went as low as 72 during our drive back to Bowie.

The corner of Stonybrook Drive and Sadler Lane

Acorn Park near Stonybrook Drive

Tree and fence down in yard across from Acorn Park off of Stonybrook Drive

This is my son's favorite picture - taken at the construction site of the new PNC Bank at the corner of Stonybrook Drive and Route 450.

A pine tree fell on a car on Westmont Lane blocking the road. Residents worked together to free the car and make the road passable.

A second pine tree down on Westmont Lane

Magnitude 3.6 Earthquake Felt in Bowie

Our house shook this morning as a minor earthquake hit the D.C. area. Early reports from the U.S. Geological Survey indicate a 3.6 magnitude quake struck at 5:04:49am ET centered in Gaithersburg, MD. Click here for the USGS information on the quake, and click here for a USGS list of recent earthquakes.

Severe Storms Roll Through the Bowie Area

Severe storms rolled through the Bowie area today. A tornado watch was in place early in the afternoon, and a tornado warning was issued for the area after a severe thunderstorm capable of producing tornadoes appeared on Doppler radar about 5.5 miles southeast of Bowie. The WTOP traffic team reported one lane blocked by standing water on Route 50 West at Route 197 after some very heavy rain fell in Bowie. The storms gave way to cooler and dryer air, and sun and clouds combined for some interesting photo ops at dusk.

City of Bowie Warns of High Winds

The City of Bowie issued the following alert at 5:00pm today.

High winds with gusts up to 60MPH possible tonight and tomorrow.
Power outages are possible. Residents should secure lightweight items that
may become airborne in the wind, such as lawn furniture and trashcans.

Schools Open in Prince George's County

Schools opened in Prince George's County on Wednesday. It was the kids' first day back to school since Friday, February 5th.

Two school buses got stuck in the snow on Wednesday, including a bus bound for Benjamin Tasker Middle School in Bowie that was delayed for 45 minutes. Read the details in this Washington Post article.

It appears that City of Bowie crews have been busy clearing snow and widening streets near the Whitehall Elementary School. This equipment was seen in action near the school in the Whitehall neighborhood.

No School Tuesday

Prince George's County Schools announced late this afternoon that schools will be closed again on Tuesday despite the fact that some parents received robo-calls on Sunday announcing that students were expected back on Tuesday.

The parking lots at Whitehall and Rockledge elementary schools in Bowie were finally cleared today, but the grounds still aren't in good enough shape for students to return. The sidewalks leading to Whitehall Elementary School and the path from Old Chapel Road remain covered in snow, and the sidewalk around the bus loop has only been partially cleared.

The road leading to Whitehall Elementary School (seen in the picture above) was cleared on Sunday, and the bus loop and parking lot were cleared today. Some people reported that the plows could not handle the frozen snow Sunday that had been sitting for more than a week, and a backhoe was brought in on Monday to handle the job.

Woodhaven Lane is clogged with Whitehall Elementary School car-line traffic on a good day. There's no doubt that drop-off and pick-up times will be a mess when Prince George's County Schools finally open.

The Snowstorm Chronicles - More Post-Storm Scenes

More post-storm scenes from around Bowie.

Seen Sunday on Superior Lane

WELCOME
TO ANCHORAGE
POPULATION: STIR CRAZY

Crews continued to remove snow from Route 197 on Sunday near the Bowie Town Center. Most lanes on Route 197 in Bowie are now clear of snow.

Prices resumed falling at Walmart Sunday. The store closed Friday after the County declared the building unsafe due to fears that the heavy snow on the roof might cause a collapse. A crew with a crane worked to remove snow from the roof as customers shopped inside.

Workers take a break from removing snow from the Walmart roof.

The Snowstorm Chronicles - The Aftermath

I gave yesterday's blog post a title of The Snowstorm Chronicles - The End. That was 50% wishful thinking on my part and 50% being afraid of going overboard on the snowstorm coverage. However, the story continues.

Most people went back to work Friday, but the roads still weren't in good shape. People had miserable commutes going to and from work. Many side streets are just wide enough for one car, and State roads continue to suffer from missing lanes and disappearing lanes. Travel on the highways is generally good, although I did get stuck in traffic Friday morning when the right lane of the Inner Loop of the Beltway in Virginia disappeared for about a mile near Route 50.

The Bowie Walmart was closed sometime Friday after the County declared the building unsafe due to possible structural problems with the roof. There were reports of the roof sagging due to the heavy snow. The store was still closed as of 1:30pm on Saturday the 13th. I overheard a rumor that the roof collapsed, but people were working inside the building Saturday afternoon, and I saw no evidence of a collapse.



The following Twitter tweets were published by Mark Brady, Public Information Officer for Prince George's County Fire/EMS Department on his Twitter page:

Friday, February 12th

• 1:10pm: Bowie Wal-Mart evacuated while PGFD checks on a sagging roof.
• 1:26pm: Bowie Wal-Mart is purely precautionary. No imminent danger of roof collapse. Purely precautionary.
• 1:32pm: Bowie Wal Mart has a water leak issue - no collapse issues at this time. PGFD units are going home - shopping to resume shortly.
• 7:16pm: Bowie and Capital Plaza Wal-Marts experience roof problems due to snow overload. Call before you go Saturday to make sure they are open

UPDATE: Walmart open on February 14th

Sign posted on one of the doors at the Bowie Walmart.

The Best Buy in Bowie remained open Saturday while a crew cleared snow from the roof.

A worker removes snow from the roof of the Best Buy in Bowie.

Route 450 West at Route 193 on Saturday morning. The right lane is not plowed.

Old Route 450 between Church Road and Route 197 on Saturday morning. The right lane is only half plowed.

Crews work to open more lanes of traffic at the intersection of Route 197, Kenhill Drive and Loudon Lane.

Traffic creeps along Route 197 South approaching Mitchellville Road due to snow clogged lanes and a malfunctioning traffic light. Drivers waiting to turn left onto Mitchellville Road weren't getting a green light Saturday afternoon.

A Prince George's County plow clears snow in the Woodmore North neighborhood Saturday morning.

A plow removes snow from the parking lot at Benjamin Tasker Middle School Friday morning. Kenilworth Elementary School and Benjamin Tasker Middle School were cleared of snow by Friday afternoon. The parking lot at Whitehall Elementary School remained snow covered Saturday morning.

The Allotta family staged this "accident scene" at their home on Stoneybrook Drive. That's Allotta fun!

The Snowstorm Chronicles - The End

Although there is a chance for additional snowfall next week, we seem to be over with the big snowstorms in Bowie - for now. I hear a lot of people talk about the blizzards that hit Bowie this season, but I think technically the last storm was the only snowstorm that can be considered a blizzard. Schools have been closed all week, and the Federal government was closed for an unprecedented four days.

I can't believe that we didn't lose power during the blizzard, and I think kudos should be given to BGE and all involved in the Bowie Electric Reliability Action Plan (BERAP).

The blowing and drifting snow made it tough to take an accurate measurement of the snow from the blizzard . This measurement of 8 inches seemed to be the average.

Our street was continuously plowed throughout the last storm, and we woke up Thursday morning with a clear street.

Many residential streets in Bowie were down to bare pavement after a day in the sun. Pictured here is Woodhaven Lane.

Some residential streets in Bowie could be better. This is a picture from Kitmore Lane.

Some sections of Belair Drive could use a little more work. Birds are using this slushy puddle as a birdbath. The section between Annapolis Road and Kenhill Drive was in rough shape.

Kenhill Drive is in great shape.

Visibility at some intersections is blocked by snowbanks. Here is the view looking right on Old Chapel Road from Woodhaven Lane.

The condition of County roads in Bowie was much better from their pre-blizzard state. Old Chapel Road was down to bare pavement in most spots, with an occasional spot of snow.

State roads in Bowie seem to be down to bare pavement as well, but you still have to be careful of the disappearing lane syndrome. You can see in this photo on Route 450 East that the right lane suddenly disappears in front of the library.

I took this "baseline" shot of the picnic table in our backyard around 5:00pm Friday evening, February 5th - before the last two storms.

And here is the picture of our picnic table after the most recent storm. A total of 33.5 inches of snow fell in the six days between the the time that I took the first and last photos.

The Snowstorm Chronicles - Unplowed Roads Commentary

I was listening to WTOP on my way into work this morning, and a woman from Bowie's Sherwood Manor neighborhood called in. She said that her neighborhood streets had still not been plowed as of Tuesday morning, and she had to walk through high snow to get out to meet a friend. She contacted the City of Bowie about the condition of her street, and the City "pointed the finger" at Prince George's County. She called the County, and a rude person on the other end of the phone hung up on her. She felt frustrated and helpless. It had been about 65 hours since the snow stopped falling in Bowie, and her street was still not plowed.

I felt bad for the caller, but I was confused by the negative tone that she took regarding the response by the City of Bowie. Sherwood Manor is not within the City of Bowie municipal limits. The residents do not vote in City of Bowie elections, and they do not pay the extra taxes that City of Bowie residents pay for City of Bowie services. Although the caller implied that the City was shirking a responsibility, the City properly informed the woman that Prince George's County is responsible for clearing the snow from her street. I'm not sure what else she expected the City to do.

The City published an alert on its Web site Monday morning that included the following text:

Plowing services are only provided to those residents who live within the municipal limits of Bowie. Neighborhoods such as Fairwood, Camelot and Sherwood Manor are not in the City limits. Your services are provided by Prince George's County. You can reach them at 301-350-0500 or email custsvcs@co.pg.md.us

A short time later, WTOP followed up that story by interviewing Susan Hubbard, the Public Information Officer for the Prince George's County Department of Public Works and Transportation. I was really turned off by the interview, and I thought it was a terrible public relations effort.

Local government must practice a delicate balancing act during weather emergencies. The reality is that there may be thousands of "squeaky wheels" wanting to be greased, but operations can't be redirected every time a citizen calls with a complaint or a request. On the other hand, feedback from the public must be taken seriously, and the people need to know that the government respects them and is working toward a resolution to their problems.

By coming on WTOP, Hubbard's goals should have been to show that she understood the issues facing the snowbound residents, set expectations for when roads would be cleared and provide some transparency into the effort the County is making to clear the streets so that the public could be assured that progress was being made. It was an opportunity for her to reach out to some Prince George's County residents and to possibly reduce the call volume on the Department of Public Works and Transportation hotline.

One of the WTOP interviewer first asked Hubbard how Prince George's County's snow removal efforts were coming along. She replied that the crews were doing a "phenomenal job". If her goal was to connect with the people who couldn't get out of their driveways and people that were concerned about the treacherous conditions on Race Track Road, phenomenal was not the word to use. It is true that the snowplowing crews should be given praise for their long hours and huge efforts, but I thought Hubbard lost credibility with the people that knew that the driving condition on the County roads truly sucked.

Later in the interview, Hubbard said that there is no need to let the County know about streets that aren't plowed. She said that the County already knows which streets are plowed and which streets aren't plowed. In other words, please stop bothering the County with your calls. I suppose it's impossible for the over-tired plow operators to lose track or make a mistake. Contrast Hubbard's statement with the following excerpt from a City of Bowie alert released last Sunday.

Throughout the storm we have had city officials out assessing the progress and directing crews to problem areas or to streets that have not seen a plow since Friday night. We will continue to do that, but you can help us by letting us know of areas that have not been plowed.

Please email snow@cityofbowie.org. You can just put your street name and "not plowed" in the subject line. Feel free to add other details in the body of the message.

Given the record amounts of snow that fell from the sky in Bowie and Prince George's County over the last week, it's reasonable to expect that the road conditions will be bad until at least next week. It's also reasonable to expect local government that works with you.

Old Chapel Road on Tuesday morning. The snow cover left by the plows has been packed down by traffic. It's extremely bumpy, and traffic is forced to go slow.

The Snowstorm Chronicles - Overlapping Storms

Snow storms have a life cycle that goes something like this

• The forecast
• The hype
• The mad rush to the grocery store
• The snow
• The canceled plans
  
• The clean-up
• The fun
• Reminiscing

The life cycle for the last storm is not yet over. Schools are still canceled, some of the roads in Bowie are a terrible mess and kids are sledding and digging snow tunnels.



The storm life cycle for the next storm is already underway. We heard about the new storm before the snow stopped falling on the last storm, and people can't talk about the old storm without mentioning the expected snowfall for the new storm. The forecast calls for 10 to 20 inches of new snow, and the heaviest snow is expected to fall in Maryland's Interstate 95 corridor. Winds are expected to be heavier in the new storm than they were last weekend. Power outages are also anticipated.

The mad rush to the grocery stores has started as well. The shelves are bare because products have not yet been replenished from last week's run on the grocery stores, and people are now stocking up on supplies in anticipation of the new storm.

We stopped by to pick up a few items from the Market Place Safeway tonight.

The Produce Department - no broccoli, among other items.

Running low on milk.

Not many eggs left

Not much meat, unless...

...unless you like Smoked Turkey Necks (left) or Pigs Feet (right). You better hurry. They only have one left of each!

The Snowstorm Chronicles - Monday Morning on the Roads

I got my car back on the road Monday morning to run some errands and to possibly head to work in Tysons Corner. I found State and County roads to be the in the worst condition, and City of Bowie roads to be in the best condition. I was surprised to see the state of Laurel Bowie Road (Rt 197) and Old Chapel Road. I assumed that the major roads would be in the best shape, but that's not what I saw. I've heard that a lot of the county and state roads are plowed by contractors, and if they aren't properly supervised, some of them will not put their plows all the way down for fear of damaging their equipment. I captured a picture showing a contractor on Route 197 without his plow down during the the January 30th storm. Click here to see that post.

Laurel Bowie Road (Route 197) Near the Post Office

Old Chapel Road near Whitehall Elementary School

Woodhaven Lane, a residential street in Bowie, is plowed down to the pavement.

There is still a lot of plowing to do at Bowie Plaza. This Bobcat wasn't running when I saw it.

The Free State Shopping Center parking lot was in great shape, but the mounds of snow took up quite a few parking spots.

The Sunoco parking lot at the corner of Old Chapel Road and Laurel Bowie Road could be in better shape. Notice the snow on Old Chapel Road at the bottom of the picture.

Our street appears to be in the worst condition of all of the residential streets that I saw. Hopefully the City will take care of this today.