Sunday, February 07, 2010

140 Years of Records Shattered by DC's Snowpocalypse

Playbook relays this weekend's record-setting winter storm stats from the AP:

Washington took on a surreal, almost magical feel even though it was one of the worst blizzards in the city's history. The nearly 18 inches recorded at Reagan National Airport was the fourth-highest storm total for the city. At nearby Dulles International Airport, the record was shattered with 32 inches.

The snow comes less than two months after a Dec. 19 storm dumped more than 16 inches on Washington. According to the National Weather Service, Washington has gotten more than a foot of snow only 13 times since 1870. The heaviest on record was 28 inches in January 1922. The biggest snowfall for the Washington-Baltimore area is believed to have been in 1772, before official records were kept, when as much as 3 feet fell, which George Washington and Thomas Jefferson penned in their diaries.

The Office of Personnel Management said today that federal employees need not show up for work on Monday due to power outages and hazardous road conditions. About a quarter of a million government workers get to hang out at home tomorrow -- and the closings will only cost taxpayers about $100 million, but that's petty cash given Washington's recent spending proclivities.

The organized crime syndicate known as the IPCC could not be reached for comment at press time, but faux scientist-slash-disgraced buffoon Al Gore was overheard mumbling something about it being Bush's fault.


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