February 8

A light snow began midmorning, gentle flakes that drifted in on an easterly breeze. This direction is unusual and ominous of what is to come later. Our winter winds typically situate from the north or northwest, following fronts that descend from the Great Lakes as Alberta Clippers.

Not so today. This storm had been forecasted several days ago as a mighty nor’easter which would bring possibly historic blizzard conditions over the day or so.

I started noting the barometer each hour today, recording with trepidation the readings:  30.2 at 8am; 30.17 at 9am; 30.15 at 10am; 30.05 at 12:00pm; 29.95 at 2pm; 29.92 at 3pm; 29.8 at 5pm; 29.2 at 8pm.   The snow and wind intensified by 5pm, with nearly 3 inches of fresh cover and the trees across the road swaying dangerously. We sat in the fireplace room, with woodstove going full out to heat the room. Aside from the crackle of the wood and creaking of the stove, the only sound to be heard was the relentless wind against the house, truly a freight train noise blowing snow in all directions and making the light from the lamppost out front a shadowy figure.