Ok, here’s something we don’t get in Texas, from the National Weather Service:

…BERGEN NJ-EASTERN PASSAIC NJ-ESSEX NJ-HUDSON NJ-UNION NJ- 600 AM EST SAT JAN 22 2005 CORRECTED EXPIRATION TIME … BLIZZARD WARNING FOR THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING… SNOW WILL MOVE IN THIS AFTERNOON… AND WILL BECOME VERY HEAVY LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THE SNOW WILL CONTINUE INTO SUNDAY MORNING… THE TAPER OFF SUNDAY AFTERNOON. TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS WILL BE 16 TO 24 INCHES BY SUNDAY EVENING. IN ADDITION TO THE SNOW… NORTHEAST WINDS WILL INCREASE THIS AFTERNOON… AND WILL BE QUITE GUSTY TONIGHT AND SUNDAY MORNING. WINDS MAY GUST UP TO 45 MPH LATE TONIGHT AND SUNDAY MORNING… ALLOWING VISIBILITIES TO DROP TO NEAR ZERO AT TIMES. THESE WINDS WILL RESULT IN SIGNIFICANT BLOWING AND DRIFTING OF SNOW AS WELL AS POWER OUTAGES. WIND CHILL VALUES WILL BE BELOW ZERO AT TIMES. A BLIZZARD WARNING IS ISSUED WHEN SUSTAINED WIND SPEEDS OR FREQUENT GUSTS OF OVER 35 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH CONSIDERABLE FALLING AND OR BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW. VISIBILITIES WILL BECOME POOR… WITH WHITEOUT CONDITIONS AT TIMES. THOSE VENTURING OUTDOORS MAY BECOME LOST OR DISORIENTED… SO PEOPLE IN THE WARNING AREA SHOULD STAY INDOORS. ANY TRAVEL IS STRONGLY DISCOURAGED. IF YOU LEAVE THE SAFETY OF BEING INDOORS… YOU ARE PUTTING YOUR LIFE AT RISK. THIS IS A LIFE-THREATENING WINTER WEATHER SITUATION! PREPARATIONS TO PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY SHOULD COMPLETED BY NOON TODAY!

And they were right about being completed by noon. We took the dogs out for a walk around 11:45 and it started snowing while we were on the walk. By the time we got back to the apartment building, the sidewalks were already starting to get covered in snow. You could no longer see NYC because the snow was coming down so hard.

We quickly went to Target for a few essentials we needed and by the time we got back (about an hour after it started) there was already an inch on the groud. I’ve got some “before” shots right after we got back from Target. I’m hoping to get shots throughout to give an idea of how deep it got. I’ve also got a shot or two of the Hudson river starting to freeze. That truly amazes me because of how much churn the river has. Not to mention it’s mostly salt water.

And to think, yesterday the forecast was just for 10-12 inches. Now they’re talking 2 ft. Wow.