The Blizzard of 2015 - Will The Outer Cape Get Hammered?

Snowmageddon 2015. Some are likening the blizzard we are slated to get to the famous 'Blizzard of 1978', that wreaked havoc on much of Cape Cod, including wiping out Henry Beston's Outermost House. We are told that before noon-time tomorrow we'll be getting 6 - 12 (some sources say 24) inches of snow on the Outer Cape. The good news for us is that we aren't getting the 30 inches that'll likely fall on Boston and its closest suburbs. Yikes!

The 'real' problem might well be wind gusts - potentially up to 75 mph, hurricane strength. These winds will likely cause widespread power outages. We spent much of today preparing for the winds and loss of power. Flashlights, oil lamps, batteries, etc. We're ready.

If I have power you can check back tomorrow for an update.

Is It Inches or Feet?

The Cape seems to bring out the worst in weather-persons. Some say we're in for over a foot of snow - others say we're going to get just a little snow, followed by rain and higher temperatures. I guess I can't do any better, but my gut tells me it's somewhere in the middle. The chart below, from WHDH (channel 7) in Boston, shows that we'll get 5"-10" of snow.  The weather-persons are comparing the upcoming storm to the big storms of 1978 and 2003, which had snowfalls in excess of 27 inches. The first flakes have fallen and the storm is due here in the late morning. We'll see.

The Blizzard of 1978 - More of a Tidal Surge

The blizzard on 1978 hit the Outer Cape, and notably Eastham's Coast Guard Beach, as more of a tidal event than a snow event. The tides were exceptionally high, resulting in the complete destruction on several homes that were on the outer beach, including Henry Beston's (author of "The Outermost House") home. The video, below, is of Noel Beyle, an Eastham historian, who witnessed some of the power and destruction first hand.