The Great Polar Vortex that hit Hampton Roads Virginia on January 5, 2025
The Hampton Roads area was hit with almost an inch of snow from the Polar Vortex that struck the area… This “Perfect Storm” paralyzed the area… All the schools were closed, the military bases allowed delayed reporting, all government offices were closed, and reports of Black Ice were frequently updated on the television.
Perhaps the worst part of this exceptional weather was that it caused the same delays and closures a second day… All I can say is that it was a wonder that the National Guard was not called out…
This is a video I made in the “aftermath”. I flew my drone around the neighborhood and only two children can be seen at all.
By late afternoon, the only snow that remained was in the shadow of structures (trees and buildings…)
I think that you’re confused. The polar vortex part is about cold arctic polar air descending southward to bring unseasonably cold temps to certain areas.
The thing that dropped your inch of snow was winter storm Blair, not the polar vortex. Of course, without the polar vortex, it likely would have just been a bit of rain.
That said, yes - the responses to any amount of winter weather in the south get pretty absurd. I’m out in central VA near Charlottesville. Most schools were closed all week from Blair. But we got more like 6" of snow…that then melted down to a compressed ~3" of slush…that the cold temps from the “polar vortex” promptly froze into 3" of ice. Anything that wasn’t cleared and salted immediately after the snowfall became an ice rink.
The city and suburb people in my area were all incredulous about schools being closed all week. The country folk whose roads and driveways were covered with a 1-3" thick ice sheet were less incredulous about it.
Reminds me of 4th grade, moved from Duluth to a St Louis suburb. maybe an inch of snow or 2 at most. School and everything closed. Mom had to pick me up from school. Fair sized hill on the way home, People were creeping down the hill slowly, then hitting the gas at the bottom and spinning out. Mom being from MN made it down and up the hill just fine. Not much driving in snow experience can be trouble for many.
I think you are confused. This posting was all in fun of the extreme measures that they went through in my area… Hense the remark that it was a wonder that the National Guard was not called out… You see, they also would have been on “delayed reporting…” L o L . . .
The reports of the Black Ice were little more than warnings (you know the kind of reports that say, "the latest news is there is nothing new to report…).
The roads were clear almost immediately. The snow fell and it started melting almost immediately, it just fell faster than it could melt… I had to go out at sunrise to catch the images before it was all gone… But because the weather predicted that the temp could drop to freezing, they did it all again a second day…
Perhaps I am jaded, I grew up in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York and school was only closed when the plows could not get through and that was not very often…
I knew you were joking. We had five inches before Christmas. Then last week got two. I felt a little silly with the snow blower for two inches but it’s faster and easier than using a shovel. It’s actually been a couple or more years since we’ve had a good old fashioned storm of a foot or more.
In Louisa VA all schools and county facilities were delayed 2.5 hours until Jan. 8 even though all roads were clear by Jan. 6. The whole thing was a joke here.
