We called December 19th's storm the "Snowpocalypse", as it dumped a nearly-unprecedented 16 inches of snow on the DC region and closed everything down for days.

It didn't even compare to this:


This photo was taken on Saturday morning, nearly twenty-four hours after the snow began but more than twelve hours before it stopped. All told, the storm dubbed "Snowmageddon" left us with nearly two feet of snow, shut down roads and above-ground metrorail services for days, disrupted schools, paralyzed the federal government, and generally created an atmosphere of congenial pandemonium throughout the greater DC area. (Metro finally got all of its stations open this afternoon at 2:30, only to close them again 6 hours later when the snow started up again...)

The name currently trending among DC twitter accounts for the storm that started this evening and is expected to continue all day tomorrow?

"Snowverkill"

We're slated to get 10-20 inches (although they've been scaling back those predictions) this time, which might be enough to crest DC past Syracuse, NY for the US city with the greatest snowfall thus far.

Did you catch that? A city with an average annual snowfall of about 13 inches has gotten well over five feet this winter, and is second only to Syracuse.

I asked a friend if he thought this was a sign that DC is where I am supposed to be at the moment in time. He paused and then said: "well, if it isn't a sign, I think someone's at least trying to make this an easy adjustment period."

My office follows the federal government schedule for weather-related closures, which means we closed at noon on Friday and have yet to re-open (fed is closed tomorrow as well and Thursday is looking dubious as long as metro is struggling to clear its tracks). I have been working from home, which means that I can simultaneously respond to e-mail, compile and translate flip charts for an upcoming training in Paraguay, and bake banana bread - all in my pajamas.

Happy snowverkill!

Here's an fascinating look at how rural microfinance networks were able to respond to post-earthquake needs in Haiti: "Haiti womens micro-lending bank brings big cash to rescue".


In other news, they correctly predicted about 4 inches of snow in DC this Saturday which is still on the ground; I am told that both of these things (snow actually falling and then sticking around) are nearly unprecedented for a DC winter and that this weather is baffling everyone.

Except me. YOU'RE NOT BAFFLING ME, DC. I'M ECSTATIC.