WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.200 It is a Saturday night, February 21st, 2026. 00:00:04.980 --> 00:00:07.299 And if you are anywhere on the East Coast right 00:00:07.299 --> 00:00:10.140 now, specifically anywhere along that I -95 corridor, 00:00:10.400 --> 00:00:13.179 you can absolutely feel it. Oh, yeah. You step 00:00:13.179 --> 00:00:15.660 outside and the air just feels it feels heavy. 00:00:15.919 --> 00:00:18.539 Right. There's this very specific kind of tension. 00:00:18.660 --> 00:00:20.219 I mean, the grocery store shelves are getting 00:00:20.219 --> 00:00:22.519 completely bare. The salt trucks are already 00:00:22.519 --> 00:00:24.710 staging in these massive. convoys on the side 00:00:24.710 --> 00:00:28.050 of the highway, and literally everyone is checking 00:00:28.050 --> 00:00:29.809 their weather apps every five minutes. That's 00:00:29.809 --> 00:00:33.009 right. Because we are watching a massive system 00:00:33.009 --> 00:00:35.390 that is currently churning off the coast of the 00:00:35.390 --> 00:00:37.969 Carolinas, and it is honestly poised to make 00:00:37.969 --> 00:00:40.329 history. Yeah. This isn't just a regular winter 00:00:40.329 --> 00:00:43.369 storm. This is an atmospheric event that meteorologists 00:00:43.369 --> 00:00:45.310 are going to be talking about for a very, very 00:00:45.310 --> 00:00:48.369 long time. The sheer energy involved here is 00:00:48.369 --> 00:00:51.000 staggering. Welcome to Meteorology Matters, the 00:00:51.000 --> 00:00:53.340 podcast that dives deep into the science, chaos, 00:00:53.500 --> 00:00:55.240 and stories behind the weather that shapes our 00:00:55.240 --> 00:00:57.740 world. It is great to be here as we track this 00:00:57.740 --> 00:00:59.820 beast. This show was created by meteorologist 00:00:59.820 --> 00:01:04.180 Rob Jones, who has basically not slept in three 00:01:04.180 --> 00:01:07.180 days tracking this system relentlessly. Now let's 00:01:07.180 --> 00:01:09.840 get into today's episode of Meteorology Matters. 00:01:09.920 --> 00:01:12.319 But before we really dive into the snow drifts 00:01:12.319 --> 00:01:15.379 and the actual physics of what is happening outside 00:01:15.379 --> 00:01:17.640 your window right now, we have just a little 00:01:17.640 --> 00:01:20.150 bit of housekeeping. Because the situation is 00:01:20.150 --> 00:01:22.750 evolving so fast. It really is. The situation 00:01:22.750 --> 00:01:24.709 on the ground is changing hourly at this point. 00:01:24.989 --> 00:01:28.209 Exactly. So if you want the absolute latest minute 00:01:28.209 --> 00:01:30.549 by minute updates, you need to be following the 00:01:30.549 --> 00:01:33.150 creator of this show, meteorologist Rob Jones. 00:01:33.390 --> 00:01:36.030 Absolutely. You can find him on Instagram, effectively, 00:01:36.310 --> 00:01:39.099 just by... searching the word meteorologist and 00:01:39.099 --> 00:01:42.280 on TikTok the handle is TV meteorologist right 00:01:42.280 --> 00:01:44.819 and for the video content and trust me with a 00:01:44.819 --> 00:01:46.439 storm of this magnitude you are going to want 00:01:46.439 --> 00:01:47.939 to see the visuals you want to see the model 00:01:47.939 --> 00:01:50.280 runs go to YouTube and follow Rob Jones hurricane 00:01:50.280 --> 00:01:52.620 you can actually find the meteorology matters 00:01:52.620 --> 00:01:55.579 podcast playlist right there as well and please 00:01:55.579 --> 00:01:58.400 you know If you find this information useful 00:01:58.400 --> 00:02:00.920 and considering what is coming tonight and tomorrow, 00:02:00.980 --> 00:02:02.599 it might actually keep you safe or at least keep 00:02:02.599 --> 00:02:06.120 you sane. Please like, follow, comment and rate 00:02:06.120 --> 00:02:08.159 the podcast. It really helps us get this critical 00:02:08.159 --> 00:02:10.960 information out to more people who need it. OK, 00:02:11.139 --> 00:02:12.919 housekeeping is done. Let's look at the map. 00:02:13.159 --> 00:02:17.039 We have a monster nor 'easter. It is basically 00:02:17.039 --> 00:02:19.280 blasting the Mid -Atlantic and the Northeast 00:02:19.280 --> 00:02:22.360 starting Sunday and rolling right into Monday. 00:02:22.740 --> 00:02:24.759 But the thing that really stopped me in my tracks 00:02:24.759 --> 00:02:27.500 today, the thing that screams, you know, this 00:02:27.500 --> 00:02:29.439 is different. The headline? Yeah, the headline 00:02:29.439 --> 00:02:31.500 coming out of New York City. It is a statistic 00:02:31.500 --> 00:02:34.960 that really puts this entire event into perspective. 00:02:35.689 --> 00:02:38.229 New York City is under a blizzard warning for 00:02:38.229 --> 00:02:41.069 the first time since 2017. 2017? I mean, that 00:02:41.069 --> 00:02:43.870 is nine years ago. That is nearly a decade. Think 00:02:43.870 --> 00:02:45.830 about that for a second. We have nearly a decade 00:02:45.830 --> 00:02:48.509 of people living in the city, people who maybe 00:02:48.509 --> 00:02:51.550 move there for college or work, who have arguably 00:02:51.550 --> 00:02:54.569 never seen a true blizzard warning in Manhattan. 00:02:54.669 --> 00:02:56.449 Right. We aren't just talking about a winter 00:02:56.449 --> 00:02:59.729 storm watch or an advisory or a generic snow 00:02:59.729 --> 00:03:02.909 event. A blizzard warning is a very specific 00:03:03.210 --> 00:03:06.669 very severe criteria from NOAA. Let's break that 00:03:06.669 --> 00:03:08.169 down, actually, because people throw the word 00:03:08.169 --> 00:03:11.150 blizzard around a lot. They do, yeah. But to 00:03:11.150 --> 00:03:13.509 get the official warning, it implies sustained 00:03:13.509 --> 00:03:17.009 winds or frequent gusts of 35 miles per hour 00:03:17.009 --> 00:03:20.210 or greater and considerable falling or blowing 00:03:20.210 --> 00:03:23.289 snow that reduces visibility to less than a quarter 00:03:23.289 --> 00:03:26.370 of a mile. Wow. And the kicker is that has to 00:03:26.370 --> 00:03:29.080 last for three hours or more consecutively. So 00:03:29.080 --> 00:03:31.280 this isn't just, oh, look, it's going to snow 00:03:31.280 --> 00:03:33.360 a lot today. You will physically not be able 00:03:33.360 --> 00:03:35.379 to see your hand in front of your face. Precisely. 00:03:35.460 --> 00:03:38.120 It is a sensory deprivation event. And the scope 00:03:38.120 --> 00:03:40.719 of these warnings is just massive. We're looking 00:03:40.719 --> 00:03:42.919 at blizzard warnings covering nearly 30 million 00:03:42.919 --> 00:03:45.560 people right now. 30 million. Yeah, that is a 00:03:45.560 --> 00:03:47.800 staggering number of people directly in the path 00:03:47.800 --> 00:03:50.020 of the most severe criteria. I mean, 30 million, 00:03:50.259 --> 00:03:52.460 that is the population of entire countries. That 00:03:52.460 --> 00:03:55.400 is an absolute logistical nightmare waiting to 00:03:55.400 --> 00:03:58.460 happen for emergency services, for the EPA dealing 00:03:58.460 --> 00:04:01.219 with municipal water runoffs later, for everything. 00:04:01.520 --> 00:04:04.340 It stretches all the way from coastal New Jersey 00:04:04.639 --> 00:04:07.259 right up through the New York City metro area 00:04:07.259 --> 00:04:10.199 covering all of Long Island and pushing straight 00:04:10.199 --> 00:04:12.060 up into coastal Connecticut and Massachusetts. 00:04:12.099 --> 00:04:15.879 See I -95 corridor's literal nightmare scenario. 00:04:16.000 --> 00:04:18.040 It is the heart of the megalopolis completely 00:04:18.040 --> 00:04:20.160 shutting down. So let's talk totals because at 00:04:20.160 --> 00:04:22.139 the end of the day that is what everyone wants 00:04:22.139 --> 00:04:24.720 to know, right? How much are we actually shoveling? 00:04:24.779 --> 00:04:26.560 How much of this concrete are we moving off our 00:04:26.560 --> 00:04:29.360 driveways? Get your back braces ready. Seriously, 00:04:29.920 --> 00:04:33.060 the general forecast across this entire swath 00:04:33.060 --> 00:04:37.439 is a widespread 12 to 18 inches. That is the 00:04:37.439 --> 00:04:40.259 baseline. That is what you should plan for at 00:04:40.259 --> 00:04:42.660 an absolute minimum if you are in those warning 00:04:42.660 --> 00:04:45.720 areas. But, and there's always, but with these 00:04:45.720 --> 00:04:48.620 highly dynamic atmospheric systems, there is 00:04:48.620 --> 00:04:51.600 significant boom potential. Boom potential. I 00:04:51.600 --> 00:04:53.339 actually really like that term, even if I really 00:04:53.339 --> 00:04:55.180 don't like the implications for my lower back 00:04:55.180 --> 00:04:57.819 tomorrow morning. Yeah. Boom potential refers 00:04:57.819 --> 00:05:00.980 to mesoscale banding. Basically, it means that 00:05:00.980 --> 00:05:03.399 where those heavy snow bands set up and stall, 00:05:03.560 --> 00:05:05.779 and they will absolutely stall because the atmospheric 00:05:05.779 --> 00:05:08.300 dynamics here are so incredibly strong, we can 00:05:08.300 --> 00:05:11.240 see localized totals pushing up to 24 inches. 00:05:11.600 --> 00:05:14.759 Two solid feet of snow. Two feet. I saw that 00:05:14.759 --> 00:05:17.360 the forecast specifically for Central Park is 00:05:17.360 --> 00:05:20.680 calling for 18 inches as the baseline, but they 00:05:20.680 --> 00:05:22.779 aren't ruling out that two foot mark at all. 00:05:23.160 --> 00:05:26.980 That is correct. And if we hit that, We are flirting 00:05:26.980 --> 00:05:29.879 with real record breaking territory for the city. 00:05:30.360 --> 00:05:33.240 The NOAA office in up to New York is being very, 00:05:33.240 --> 00:05:35.980 very clear about this potential in their forecast 00:05:35.980 --> 00:05:38.819 discussions. This isn't media hype. The computer 00:05:38.819 --> 00:05:40.879 models are just locking in. They are seeing all 00:05:40.879 --> 00:05:42.519 that moisture. Right. They're seeing the moisture 00:05:42.519 --> 00:05:44.740 availability, the intense lift in the atmosphere, 00:05:44.939 --> 00:05:47.560 and the math just adds up to huge totals. You 00:05:47.560 --> 00:05:49.560 can't argue with the physics of it. And what 00:05:49.560 --> 00:05:51.180 about the timing? Because I know a lot of people 00:05:51.180 --> 00:05:53.779 try to... You know, outsmart the storm. They 00:05:53.779 --> 00:05:55.600 think, oh, I'll just drive early Sunday morning 00:05:55.600 --> 00:05:57.360 and beat it, or I'll wait until Monday afternoon 00:05:57.360 --> 00:05:59.939 when it slows down. Yeah. Do not try to outsmart 00:05:59.939 --> 00:06:02.980 this one. I can't stress that enough. The atmosphere 00:06:02.980 --> 00:06:06.139 always wins that game. Always. The precipitation 00:06:06.139 --> 00:06:08.860 starts as a rain and snow mix down in D .C. on 00:06:08.860 --> 00:06:12.060 Sunday morning. But the main event, the rapid 00:06:12.060 --> 00:06:14.459 intensification of this system, happens Sunday 00:06:14.459 --> 00:06:16.660 night into Monday morning. Clearly the worst 00:06:16.660 --> 00:06:19.199 possible time frame for a Monday commute. Exactly. 00:06:19.439 --> 00:06:22.600 we were expecting snowfall rates of one to two 00:06:22.600 --> 00:06:25.040 inches per hour during that overnight period. 00:06:25.160 --> 00:06:27.740 And I actually read in some of the deeper technical 00:06:27.740 --> 00:06:30.860 discussions that in the heaviest of those mesoscale 00:06:30.860 --> 00:06:33.120 bands we could see three inches per hour. Is 00:06:33.120 --> 00:06:35.360 that? Three inches per hour is incredible. Yes, 00:06:35.759 --> 00:06:37.699 that is on the table. Think about what that means 00:06:37.699 --> 00:06:39.980 practically. You can go out and show your front 00:06:39.980 --> 00:06:42.899 walk, turn around. go inside for a quick cup 00:06:42.899 --> 00:06:45.379 of coffee, and by the time you look out the kitchen 00:06:45.379 --> 00:06:47.740 window, it is completely covered again. Yeah, 00:06:47.879 --> 00:06:50.600 it's just demoralizing. Road crews simply cannot 00:06:50.600 --> 00:06:53.600 keep up with three inches per hour. It is physically 00:06:53.600 --> 00:06:55.819 impossible with the equipment they have. You 00:06:55.819 --> 00:06:58.000 plow a lane on the highway, drive 10 miles down 00:06:58.000 --> 00:06:59.800 the road, turn around to come back, and the lane 00:06:59.800 --> 00:07:01.839 you literally just plowed has already gone under 00:07:01.839 --> 00:07:04.600 a fresh layer. So we have the main headline, 00:07:05.100 --> 00:07:08.240 a historic blizzard warning ending a nine -year 00:07:08.240 --> 00:07:10.899 drought of major snow events for New York City. 00:07:11.019 --> 00:07:14.720 But let's dig into why. Why this specific storm? 00:07:14.899 --> 00:07:17.579 Why now? Because I keep hearing this term thrown 00:07:17.579 --> 00:07:19.819 around on social media and everywhere else. Bomb 00:07:19.819 --> 00:07:23.019 cyclone. Yes. It is a term that sounds like it 00:07:23.019 --> 00:07:25.019 was invented by a Hollywood movie producer to 00:07:25.019 --> 00:07:27.660 sell tickets to a disaster flick. But it's actually 00:07:27.660 --> 00:07:30.720 a very legitimate meteorological term. So let's 00:07:30.720 --> 00:07:33.139 unpack the anatomy of this Northeaster. Where 00:07:33.139 --> 00:07:35.160 exactly is it coming from and how does it get 00:07:35.160 --> 00:07:37.980 so strong? It is a very classic setup. The storm 00:07:37.980 --> 00:07:39.800 is developing off the coast of the Carolinas 00:07:39.800 --> 00:07:43.060 overnight tonight. and it is gathering its strength 00:07:43.060 --> 00:07:45.779 from the massive temperature contrast between 00:07:45.779 --> 00:07:48.459 the warm Gulf Stream waters and the bitter cold 00:07:48.459 --> 00:07:51.220 continental air sitting over the land. Some of 00:07:51.220 --> 00:07:53.800 that moisture probably originally tracing back 00:07:53.800 --> 00:07:55.579 down to the Gulf of Mexico before it crossed 00:07:55.579 --> 00:07:58.439 over. Exactly. It taps into that southern moisture, 00:07:58.639 --> 00:08:01.360 crosses the southeast and then hits the Atlantic. 00:08:02.040 --> 00:08:04.680 It is going to move north, hugging the coast. 00:08:05.220 --> 00:08:07.079 Now, usually these storms might drift too far 00:08:07.079 --> 00:08:09.879 out to sea or they might hug the land way too 00:08:09.879 --> 00:08:11.819 close and just bring a bunch of rain to the I 00:08:11.819 --> 00:08:14.759 -95 corridor. Right. The classic rain snow line 00:08:14.759 --> 00:08:17.759 battle. Exactly. But this one is threading a 00:08:17.759 --> 00:08:20.240 very, very dangerous needle. right up the coast. 00:08:20.560 --> 00:08:22.660 And that leads to the bomb cyclone part of the 00:08:22.660 --> 00:08:24.899 equation. Right. The technical term for what 00:08:24.899 --> 00:08:27.819 is happening is bombogenesis. For a storm to 00:08:27.819 --> 00:08:30.879 officially qualify as a bomb cyclone, the barometric 00:08:30.879 --> 00:08:33.200 pressure within the center of the low has to 00:08:33.200 --> 00:08:36.960 drop 24 millibars in 24 hours. OK, 24 and 24. 00:08:37.039 --> 00:08:39.340 That is the golden rule. That is the rule. But 00:08:39.340 --> 00:08:42.440 this storm, it is predicted to drop 24 millibars 00:08:42.440 --> 00:08:45.080 in less than 12 hours. Wow. So it is massively 00:08:45.080 --> 00:08:48.000 overachieving. It is rapidly intensifying at 00:08:48.000 --> 00:08:50.000 an alarming rate. Think of the atmosphere like 00:08:50.000 --> 00:08:52.759 a giant vacuum cleaner. When that pressure drops 00:08:52.759 --> 00:08:55.700 that incredibly fast, it creates a massive vacuum 00:08:55.700 --> 00:08:58.679 at the surface. It literally sucks in air from 00:08:58.679 --> 00:09:00.940 all directions to fill that void. And that rushing 00:09:00.940 --> 00:09:03.379 air is the wind. That rushing air is exactly 00:09:03.379 --> 00:09:05.539 what generates those hurricane force wind gusts 00:09:05.539 --> 00:09:07.919 we are going to see. And that vertical motion 00:09:07.919 --> 00:09:10.159 of the air rising so violently to fill the low 00:09:10.159 --> 00:09:13.100 pressure, that is what rings out the atmospheric 00:09:13.100 --> 00:09:16.600 moisture like a sponge and creates those intense 00:09:16.600 --> 00:09:19.539 precipitation bands. So a rapid pressure drop 00:09:19.539 --> 00:09:21.620 basically equals violence in the atmosphere. 00:09:22.039 --> 00:09:24.179 Exactly. It creates a feedback loop of intensity. 00:09:24.590 --> 00:09:26.710 The more the pressure drops, the stronger the 00:09:26.710 --> 00:09:28.769 winds get, which pulls in more moisture, which 00:09:28.769 --> 00:09:31.289 makes the snow heavier. It is a self -sustaining 00:09:31.289 --> 00:09:33.490 engine of winter chaos. Now there is another 00:09:33.490 --> 00:09:35.450 concept I came across while looking at the data 00:09:35.450 --> 00:09:37.629 for this system that I found absolutely fascinating. 00:09:37.929 --> 00:09:42.429 It is called the 4070 benchmark. Ah yes, the 00:09:42.429 --> 00:09:45.070 absolute holy grail for snow lovers on the East 00:09:45.070 --> 00:09:47.470 Coast. If you were a meteorologist working in 00:09:47.470 --> 00:09:50.429 this part of the country, those numbers are basically 00:09:50.429 --> 00:09:52.350 tattooed on the inside of your brain. It sounds 00:09:52.350 --> 00:09:56.279 like a secret code. 4070. Tell us about this 00:09:56.279 --> 00:09:58.340 aha moment in forecasting. What does it actually 00:09:58.340 --> 00:10:01.700 mean? It really is a sweet spot for I -95 snow 00:10:01.700 --> 00:10:04.039 lovers. It refers to a very specific geographic 00:10:04.039 --> 00:10:06.759 coordinate on the map. 40 degrees north latitude, 00:10:07.220 --> 00:10:10.240 70 degrees west longitude. Okay, and for those 00:10:10.240 --> 00:10:12.559 of us who, you know, do not have a maritime chart 00:10:12.559 --> 00:10:14.299 sitting in front of us right now, where exactly 00:10:14.299 --> 00:10:16.700 is that? It is out in the Atlantic Ocean, roughly 00:10:16.700 --> 00:10:19.240 about 80 miles due south of Nantucket. It is 00:10:19.240 --> 00:10:22.759 just open water. OK, so why does this one completely 00:10:22.759 --> 00:10:25.259 invisible point out in the middle of the ocean 00:10:25.259 --> 00:10:27.240 matter so much to millions of people on land? 00:10:27.600 --> 00:10:29.440 Because the track at the center of the storm 00:10:29.440 --> 00:10:32.480 relative to that exact point determines everything 00:10:32.480 --> 00:10:35.759 for the big cities, DC, Philly, New York, Boston. 00:10:35.980 --> 00:10:38.259 We basically look at three distinct scenarios 00:10:38.259 --> 00:10:40.799 regarding this benchmark. It is all about the 00:10:40.799 --> 00:10:42.860 geometry of the storm track. OK, let's walk through 00:10:42.860 --> 00:10:45.899 them. Scenario one. The storm tracks west of 00:10:45.899 --> 00:10:48.580 the benchmark, so inside the line closer to land. 00:10:48.899 --> 00:10:52.940 If it tracks west, Closer to the coast, the counterclockwise 00:10:52.940 --> 00:10:56.320 rotation of the storm pulls in warmer air off 00:10:56.320 --> 00:10:59.100 the ocean. Remember, the ocean is a massive heat 00:10:59.100 --> 00:11:01.019 source compared to the frozen land right now. 00:11:01.299 --> 00:11:04.269 Right. So the storm brings that relatively warm 00:11:04.269 --> 00:11:07.029 maritime air inland. The rain -snow line pushes 00:11:07.029 --> 00:11:09.870 way north and west. This turns into a massive 00:11:09.870 --> 00:11:11.730 headache for places like Philly and New York. 00:11:12.110 --> 00:11:14.669 You get the messy scenario, flush, heavy rain, 00:11:14.909 --> 00:11:16.730 maybe some snow on the back end as it leaves, 00:11:16.730 --> 00:11:19.110 but definitely not the blockbuster snow event. 00:11:19.409 --> 00:11:21.629 It just washes away whatever snow you do manage 00:11:21.629 --> 00:11:23.769 to get initially. Okay, nobody really wants the 00:11:23.769 --> 00:11:26.690 slushy mess. It's the worst of both worlds. So 00:11:26.690 --> 00:11:29.549 scenario two. It tracks east of the benchmark, 00:11:30.169 --> 00:11:32.240 further out to sea. That is what we call the 00:11:32.240 --> 00:11:35.139 fish storm. It stays way out in the ocean. The 00:11:35.139 --> 00:11:37.220 fishes get a lot of waves and turbulence, but 00:11:37.220 --> 00:11:39.299 the mainland just gets dry air pulled down from 00:11:39.299 --> 00:11:41.700 Canada. Maybe the Cape gets grazed by some flurries, 00:11:41.779 --> 00:11:43.840 but for the most part, it is a complete miss 00:11:43.840 --> 00:11:46.340 for the big cities. You get cold, windy weather, 00:11:46.580 --> 00:11:49.779 but virtually no snow. And scenario three. It 00:11:49.779 --> 00:11:52.820 tracks directly over the benchmark. That is the 00:11:52.820 --> 00:11:55.610 Goldilocks Zone. If the low pressure tracks right 00:11:55.610 --> 00:11:58.570 over 4070, it is far enough offshore to keep 00:11:58.570 --> 00:12:00.889 the bitter cold air locked in place over the 00:12:00.889 --> 00:12:03.649 cities. But it's close enough to wrap that deep 00:12:03.649 --> 00:12:06.490 Atlantic moisture all the way back into the coast. 00:12:06.590 --> 00:12:09.750 Oh, wow. That is the recipe for a blockbuster 00:12:09.750 --> 00:12:12.450 snowstorm. It allows the cold air to constantly 00:12:12.450 --> 00:12:14.789 feed into the storm from the north and west without 00:12:14.789 --> 00:12:17.230 being corrupted by the warm ocean air. And looking 00:12:17.230 --> 00:12:19.570 at the data for this weekend, forecast models 00:12:19.570 --> 00:12:21.730 are showing this storm tracking very, very close 00:12:21.730 --> 00:12:25.269 to that 4070 benchmark. That is exactly why confidence 00:12:25.269 --> 00:12:27.570 is so incredibly high right now. That is why 00:12:27.570 --> 00:12:30.210 NOAA is using words like certainty in their discussions 00:12:30.210 --> 00:12:32.610 and issuing these blizzard warnings 24 hours 00:12:32.610 --> 00:12:36.029 out. The geometry of this specific storm is just 00:12:36.029 --> 00:12:38.809 perfect for big snow. It is honestly fascinating 00:12:38.809 --> 00:12:41.529 how just 50 miles one way or the other out in 00:12:41.529 --> 00:12:43.909 the ocean completely changes millions of people's 00:12:43.909 --> 00:12:46.230 Monday morning commute. It is the butterfly effect 00:12:46.230 --> 00:12:49.590 in real time action. A slight wobble in the track 00:12:49.590 --> 00:12:52.450 changes an annoying rainstorm to two feet of 00:12:52.450 --> 00:12:55.350 paralyzing snow. But right now, the wobble looks 00:12:55.350 --> 00:12:57.909 like it is breaking entirely in favor of the 00:12:57.909 --> 00:13:01.309 snow. The models have been remarkably consistent 00:13:01.309 --> 00:13:04.350 run after run, which is honestly a bit scary 00:13:04.350 --> 00:13:06.710 in its own right. Yeah, when the models all agree, 00:13:06.850 --> 00:13:09.029 you know you're in for it. So we know the science, 00:13:09.230 --> 00:13:11.740 we know the why. Let's talk about the who. We 00:13:11.740 --> 00:13:13.580 need to do a regional breakdown because this 00:13:13.580 --> 00:13:15.740 impacts everyone across the coast very differently. 00:13:16.139 --> 00:13:18.340 Let's start with the absolute bullseye, New York 00:13:18.340 --> 00:13:20.759 City and Long Island. The impact rating here 00:13:20.759 --> 00:13:23.700 is a solid 9 out of 10. Again, going back to 00:13:23.700 --> 00:13:26.019 that blizzard warning, the first since 2017. 00:13:26.480 --> 00:13:28.740 The context here is just vital. The city has 00:13:28.740 --> 00:13:30.860 not had to mobilize its resources for an event 00:13:30.860 --> 00:13:33.340 of this specific magnitude in a very long time. 00:13:34.139 --> 00:13:35.740 You have infrastructure that simply hasn't been 00:13:35.740 --> 00:13:38.090 tested like this in years. And the disruption 00:13:38.090 --> 00:13:40.450 started even before the first flake fell. I mean, 00:13:40.570 --> 00:13:42.809 I am looking at flight cancellations as of Saturday 00:13:42.809 --> 00:13:45.570 night right now. It is already ugly. Three hundred 00:13:45.570 --> 00:13:47.870 and thirty eight flights canceled at LaGuardia. 00:13:48.230 --> 00:13:50.909 Four ninety three at JFK. Two eighty four in 00:13:50.909 --> 00:13:53.970 Newark. And those numbers. They're only going 00:13:53.970 --> 00:13:56.029 to go up exponentially as the system actually 00:13:56.029 --> 00:13:57.929 arrives tomorrow. If you were planning to fly 00:13:57.929 --> 00:14:00.429 in or out of the NYC metro area on Sunday or 00:14:00.429 --> 00:14:03.450 Monday, you aren't going anywhere. You are entirely 00:14:03.450 --> 00:14:05.350 grounded. And the city government is kicking 00:14:05.350 --> 00:14:07.929 into high gear. Mayor Zoran Mamdani held a press 00:14:07.929 --> 00:14:10.370 conference earlier today. He is clearly not taking 00:14:10.370 --> 00:14:12.929 any chances with this. No, the municipal response 00:14:12.929 --> 00:14:15.929 is massive. They've mobilized 700 salt spreaders. 00:14:16.350 --> 00:14:18.590 2200 plows are ready to go. They're throwing 00:14:18.590 --> 00:14:20.690 literally everything they have at this storm. 00:14:20.830 --> 00:14:23.110 They cannot afford to let the economic engine 00:14:23.110 --> 00:14:26.549 of the city grind to a halt for a week. But here's 00:14:26.549 --> 00:14:28.049 the detail from the press conference that I found 00:14:28.049 --> 00:14:31.330 really interesting. The Snow Army. Yes. The emergency 00:14:31.330 --> 00:14:34.330 snow shovelers. The city is actually hiring local 00:14:34.330 --> 00:14:36.470 residents to go out and shovel. It is a great 00:14:36.470 --> 00:14:38.700 program actually. It acknowledges the reality 00:14:38.700 --> 00:14:41.419 that the plows just can't do everything, especially 00:14:41.419 --> 00:14:44.000 in a city as incredibly dense as New York. You 00:14:44.000 --> 00:14:45.960 have all the pedestrian crossings, bus stops, 00:14:46.440 --> 00:14:48.960 subway entrances, fire hydrants. Right, plows 00:14:48.960 --> 00:14:51.480 just push the snow right onto the sidewalks anyway. 00:14:51.779 --> 00:14:54.419 Exactly. So they pay residents, they literally 00:14:54.419 --> 00:14:56.860 call them emergency snow shovelers, to go out 00:14:56.860 --> 00:14:59.600 there and manually clear the critical infrastructure. 00:15:00.320 --> 00:15:03.460 It is essentially crowdsourcing the disaster 00:15:03.460 --> 00:15:06.480 cleanup. It mobilizes the community in a really 00:15:06.480 --> 00:15:09.039 effective way. It is really smart. And hey, if 00:15:09.039 --> 00:15:10.639 you are stuck in the city tomorrow and you want 00:15:10.639 --> 00:15:13.779 to make some extra cash, look into it. So moving 00:15:13.779 --> 00:15:16.059 across the Hudson River, let's talk about New 00:15:16.059 --> 00:15:19.139 Jersey. New Jersey is basically taking the absolute 00:15:19.139 --> 00:15:22.519 brunt of this system. Governor Mikey Sherrill 00:15:22.519 --> 00:15:24.679 has already declared a state of emergency for 00:15:24.679 --> 00:15:27.509 all 21 counties in the state. Not just the coast, 00:15:27.950 --> 00:15:30.570 not just the northern hills, the entire state. 00:15:30.690 --> 00:15:33.029 That alone tells you the immense breadth of this 00:15:33.029 --> 00:15:35.330 storm. And 17 of those counties are currently 00:15:35.330 --> 00:15:37.549 under blizzard warning. Correct. But there is 00:15:37.549 --> 00:15:39.789 a specific area in Jersey that meteorologists 00:15:39.789 --> 00:15:43.889 are calling the jackpot zone. Oh, boy. Where 00:15:43.889 --> 00:15:47.009 is that? It's Monmouth, Ocean and southeastern 00:15:47.009 --> 00:15:50.230 Burlington counties. The high -resolution models 00:15:50.230 --> 00:15:53.009 are repeatedly pinning the heaviest mesoscale 00:15:53.009 --> 00:15:56.029 banding right over this specific area. We are 00:15:56.029 --> 00:15:58.909 talking about totals easily nearing and very 00:15:58.909 --> 00:16:01.870 possibly exceeding two full feet of snow. That 00:16:01.870 --> 00:16:04.710 is paralyzing amounts of snow. That is shut down 00:16:04.710 --> 00:16:07.190 the Garden State Parkway amounts of snow. It 00:16:07.190 --> 00:16:09.649 absolutely is. But in New Jersey, particularly 00:16:09.649 --> 00:16:11.470 along the Jersey Shore and the Delaware Bay, 00:16:12.009 --> 00:16:13.789 it isn't just the snow we are worried about. 00:16:13.830 --> 00:16:16.480 It is the water. We have major concerns about 00:16:16.480 --> 00:16:18.559 coastal flooding. Right, because of that extreme 00:16:18.559 --> 00:16:20.779 low pressure and those hurricane force winds 00:16:20.779 --> 00:16:23.940 actively driving the ocean water on shore. Exactly. 00:16:24.000 --> 00:16:26.340 We're looking at moderate to major tidal flooding 00:16:26.340 --> 00:16:28.860 Sunday night into Monday's high tide cycles. 00:16:29.340 --> 00:16:31.059 So if you live in those coastal communities that 00:16:31.059 --> 00:16:33.139 are already prone to flooding, you have to deal 00:16:33.139 --> 00:16:35.799 with the rising ocean water and two feet of snow 00:16:35.799 --> 00:16:37.720 simultaneously. That sounds like a nightmare. 00:16:37.950 --> 00:16:40.350 It is a very dangerous combination. It makes 00:16:40.350 --> 00:16:42.909 emergency evacuation difficult, if not completely 00:16:42.909 --> 00:16:45.149 impossible, once the storm actually starts. You 00:16:45.149 --> 00:16:47.529 can't drive through floodwaters and you certainly 00:16:47.529 --> 00:16:49.330 can't drive through floodwaters hiding under 00:16:49.330 --> 00:16:52.690 two feet of snow. Oh, let's move further north 00:16:52.690 --> 00:16:56.149 up into New England. Now, New England is notoriously 00:16:56.149 --> 00:16:57.950 hardy when it comes to winter weather, obviously, 00:16:58.350 --> 00:17:02.110 but this storm is going to test even them. Connecticut. 00:17:02.710 --> 00:17:04.970 Specifically looking at New London is rated at 00:17:04.970 --> 00:17:08.589 a 9 out of 10 impact. They're looking at a solid 00:17:08.589 --> 00:17:11.750 10 to 20 inches. 10 Boston? Boston is right in 00:17:11.750 --> 00:17:14.410 that 10 to 20 inch range as well. But Cape Cod 00:17:14.410 --> 00:17:17.049 the Cape might actually see 1 to 2 feet. Really? 00:17:17.289 --> 00:17:19.609 even being out in the water. Yeah, the geographical 00:17:19.609 --> 00:17:21.930 orientation of the Cape just catches those ocean 00:17:21.930 --> 00:17:24.589 effect snow bands perfectly as the storm pulls 00:17:24.589 --> 00:17:26.930 away to the north and east. Usually the Cape 00:17:26.930 --> 00:17:29.049 gets rain or a mix because it sticks out into 00:17:29.049 --> 00:17:32.009 the relatively warmer ocean. But the cold air 00:17:32.009 --> 00:17:34.369 injection with this specific bomb cyclone is 00:17:34.369 --> 00:17:37.009 so incredibly strong, it is going to be all snow, 00:17:37.269 --> 00:17:39.750 even out there. And Portsmouth, New Hampshire, 00:17:39.930 --> 00:17:42.869 is also looking at a 9 out of 10 impact rating. 00:17:43.190 --> 00:17:45.369 So this thing isn't fizzling out as it goes north. 00:17:45.569 --> 00:17:47.750 If anything, its wind field is expanding. It 00:17:47.750 --> 00:17:50.509 is a massive broad shield of heavy precipitation. 00:17:50.990 --> 00:17:53.670 It isn't losing any real energy until it is well 00:17:53.670 --> 00:17:56.289 past Maine and up into the Canadian Maritimes. 00:17:56.509 --> 00:17:58.670 Now, what about the southern end of this, the 00:17:58.670 --> 00:18:02.690 I -95 South Corridor, D .C., Philly, Baltimore? 00:18:03.049 --> 00:18:05.130 This is where that rain snow line we talked about 00:18:05.130 --> 00:18:08.039 earlier gets really tricky. Washington DC is 00:18:08.039 --> 00:18:10.480 going to start as a rain and mix event. The cold 00:18:10.480 --> 00:18:12.500 air basically has to erase the incoming moisture. 00:18:12.819 --> 00:18:15.519 As the storm intensifies off the coast, it pulls 00:18:15.519 --> 00:18:18.200 that colder air down from the north, eventually 00:18:18.200 --> 00:18:21.099 changing the rain over to snow. So DC might only 00:18:21.099 --> 00:18:23.259 see up to five inches. Well, five inches in DC 00:18:23.259 --> 00:18:25.839 shuts the city down just as effectively as two 00:18:25.839 --> 00:18:28.559 feet does in Boston. Very true. The municipal 00:18:28.559 --> 00:18:30.500 infrastructure reacts very differently depending 00:18:30.500 --> 00:18:32.759 on what they're used to. Philadelphia, however, 00:18:32.799 --> 00:18:35.519 is a bit further north and stays colder longer. 00:18:35.720 --> 00:18:38.680 They are under a solid winter storm warning and 00:18:38.680 --> 00:18:41.039 could easily see up to a foot of snow. And Baltimore? 00:18:41.380 --> 00:18:43.019 Yeah. Sitting right in the middle there. Baltimore 00:18:43.019 --> 00:18:45.140 is sitting at an impact rating of about a six 00:18:45.140 --> 00:18:47.599 out of ten. Conditions will start to deteriorate 00:18:47.599 --> 00:18:50.160 rapidly Sunday afternoon. They are sort of the 00:18:50.160 --> 00:18:52.400 gateway to the really heavy stuff further north. 00:18:52.670 --> 00:18:54.849 So we have firmly established that there is going 00:18:54.849 --> 00:18:57.809 to be a lot of snow. But when we talk about meteorology 00:18:57.809 --> 00:19:00.230 matters, we really need to look beyond just the 00:19:00.230 --> 00:19:03.710 snowfall totals. The hazards here go way beyond 00:19:03.710 --> 00:19:06.509 just the snow is deep. That is a crucial point 00:19:06.509 --> 00:19:09.569 for people to understand. If this were two feet 00:19:09.569 --> 00:19:12.690 of light, fluffy champagne powder like you get 00:19:12.690 --> 00:19:15.410 out in Utah or Colorado, it would be one thing. 00:19:15.630 --> 00:19:17.650 You could honestly just use a leaf blower to 00:19:17.650 --> 00:19:20.490 clear off your car. This is not that kind of 00:19:20.490 --> 00:19:23.039 snow. No. we are dealing with the wind first. 00:19:23.220 --> 00:19:25.980 Right. Winds gusting 40 to 55 miles per hour. 00:19:26.380 --> 00:19:28.180 When you combine that kind of wind with falling 00:19:28.180 --> 00:19:31.099 snow, you get instant whiteout conditions. But 00:19:31.099 --> 00:19:33.579 the real structural danger comes from the wet 00:19:33.579 --> 00:19:35.839 snow factor. Explain that for us. Why is wet 00:19:35.839 --> 00:19:38.279 snow so much worse? We in the weather community 00:19:38.279 --> 00:19:42.259 call it concrete. In January, when it is, say, 00:19:42.480 --> 00:19:45.720 10 degrees outside, snow has a very low water 00:19:45.720 --> 00:19:49.140 content. It is light. It's airy. But this is 00:19:49.140 --> 00:19:51.500 late February. The ocean is a bit warmer. The 00:19:51.500 --> 00:19:54.759 air is slightly more humid. So the snow has a 00:19:54.759 --> 00:19:57.160 very high liquid water equivalent. It's heavy. 00:19:57.680 --> 00:20:00.359 It is incredibly heavy and sticky. The ratio 00:20:00.359 --> 00:20:03.299 of water to snow is much higher than your typical 00:20:03.299 --> 00:20:05.259 midwinter storm. So it basically just sticks 00:20:05.259 --> 00:20:07.519 to everything it touches. It plasters onto tree 00:20:07.519 --> 00:20:10.000 branches. It clings to power lines. Now do the 00:20:10.000 --> 00:20:12.299 basic physics of that. You take a large tree 00:20:12.299 --> 00:20:14.920 branch, you add 50 to 100 pounds of wet sticky 00:20:14.920 --> 00:20:17.359 snow to it, and then you hit that loaded branch 00:20:17.359 --> 00:20:20.259 with a 55 mile per hour gust of wind. Snap. Snap. 00:20:20.680 --> 00:20:22.660 Branches come down everywhere. And they take 00:20:22.660 --> 00:20:24.900 the local power lines right down with them. We 00:20:24.900 --> 00:20:27.920 are looking at a very high probability of a widespread 00:20:27.920 --> 00:20:31.049 power outage event. Specific high -risk areas 00:20:31.049 --> 00:20:33.309 for outages are Connecticut, New Jersey, New 00:20:33.309 --> 00:20:35.150 York, Rhode Island, and eastern Massachusetts. 00:20:35.309 --> 00:20:37.450 And that completely changes the survival equation, 00:20:37.589 --> 00:20:39.369 doesn't it? I mean, losing power in the summer 00:20:39.369 --> 00:20:41.410 is an annoyance, but losing power when it is 00:20:41.410 --> 00:20:44.150 20 degrees outside is genuinely dangerous. It 00:20:44.150 --> 00:20:47.009 really is. You lose your primary heat source. 00:20:47.609 --> 00:20:49.750 If you rely on electric pumps for well water, 00:20:50.170 --> 00:20:52.509 you suddenly lose your running water. It turns 00:20:52.509 --> 00:20:55.650 a fun, cozy snow day into a stressful survival 00:20:55.650 --> 00:20:58.660 situation very quickly. You have to start thinking 00:20:58.660 --> 00:21:01.259 about how you're going to stay warm without the 00:21:01.259 --> 00:21:03.319 electrical grid. And what about travel during 00:21:03.319 --> 00:21:06.220 all this? Dangerous, if not impossible. That 00:21:06.220 --> 00:21:09.079 is the exact official language coming from NOAA, 00:21:09.480 --> 00:21:11.519 specifically the National Weather Service offices. 00:21:11.880 --> 00:21:14.339 Not language they use lately. No, they don't. 00:21:14.720 --> 00:21:16.700 Whiteout conditions mean visibility is under 00:21:16.700 --> 00:21:18.599 a quarter mile. You won't be able to see the 00:21:18.599 --> 00:21:22.220 hood of your own car. But also, with winds that 00:21:22.220 --> 00:21:25.619 high, you get extreme drifting. I saw mentions 00:21:25.619 --> 00:21:28.240 on the models of drifts reaching three to five 00:21:28.240 --> 00:21:30.220 feet in New England. Yeah, a five -foot drift 00:21:30.220 --> 00:21:32.759 is taller than most sedans. You can easily get 00:21:32.759 --> 00:21:34.859 stranded on a major highway simply because a 00:21:34.859 --> 00:21:37.359 snow drift forms around your vehicle faster than 00:21:37.359 --> 00:21:39.640 you can drive through it. Staying off the roads 00:21:39.640 --> 00:21:41.599 is not just a polite suggestion from the authorities. 00:21:41.940 --> 00:21:44.460 It is an absolute necessity. Emergency crews 00:21:44.460 --> 00:21:46.200 might not be able to physically reach you if 00:21:46.200 --> 00:21:48.809 you get stuck. You know... Whenever a storm like 00:21:48.809 --> 00:21:51.250 this is officially announced, something fascinating 00:21:51.250 --> 00:21:53.829 happens at every local grocery store. The shelves 00:21:53.829 --> 00:21:56.309 are cleared out. It is like clockwork. It is 00:21:56.309 --> 00:21:58.849 the milk and bread phenomenon. I actually went 00:21:58.849 --> 00:22:01.069 to the store earlier today just to grab some 00:22:01.069 --> 00:22:03.230 coffee creamer and it was like a scene from a 00:22:03.230 --> 00:22:06.089 zombie apocalypse movie. The bread aisle was 00:22:06.089 --> 00:22:09.089 completely bare. The dairy case was totally empty. 00:22:09.309 --> 00:22:11.490 It happens every single time. It is practically 00:22:11.490 --> 00:22:13.910 a cultural ritual on the East Coast at this point. 00:22:14.009 --> 00:22:16.049 Let's get into the psychology of this for a minute. 00:22:16.069 --> 00:22:19.230 Why do we do this? And specifically, why do we 00:22:19.230 --> 00:22:22.210 rush out for perishables? It is one of the great 00:22:22.210 --> 00:22:26.009 recurring ironies of disaster prep. Think about 00:22:26.009 --> 00:22:28.769 it logically for just a second. You are preparing 00:22:28.769 --> 00:22:32.009 for a massive winter storm where the number one 00:22:32.009 --> 00:22:34.430 secondary risk is a widespread power outage. 00:22:34.490 --> 00:22:36.970 Right, no electricity. So what do people universally 00:22:36.970 --> 00:22:40.539 go out and buy? Milk? which completely spoils 00:22:40.539 --> 00:22:43.380 in about four hours if the fridge dies. And bread, 00:22:43.500 --> 00:22:45.680 which molds quickly or gets crushed. It completely 00:22:45.680 --> 00:22:47.900 delays utility, makes absolutely no practical 00:22:47.900 --> 00:22:50.180 sense. Right. We actually looked into the research 00:22:50.180 --> 00:22:52.680 of Hirschafrin for this. He's an expert in behavioral 00:22:52.680 --> 00:22:55.579 finance and he explains this phenomenon really 00:22:55.579 --> 00:22:58.380 well. He says it is all about fear and something 00:22:58.380 --> 00:23:01.819 he calls excessive pessimism. That is the psychological 00:23:01.819 --> 00:23:04.859 trigger right there. When we hear the word blizzard, 00:23:05.460 --> 00:23:10.160 our brains do not do a calm... calibrated risk 00:23:10.160 --> 00:23:13.380 assessment. We instantly jump to the absolute 00:23:13.380 --> 00:23:16.299 worst -case scenario. We visualize ourselves 00:23:16.299 --> 00:23:19.559 starving in our homes. We visualize being physically 00:23:19.559 --> 00:23:22.480 trapped by the snow for weeks. The siege mentality. 00:23:22.680 --> 00:23:25.619 Exactly. And when we feel that deep primal fear, 00:23:25.960 --> 00:23:27.960 we immediately reach for comfort. We reach for 00:23:27.960 --> 00:23:30.660 nostalgia. We buy what we literally saw our parents 00:23:30.660 --> 00:23:32.900 buy when we were kids. We buy what we see everyone 00:23:32.900 --> 00:23:35.299 else in the store buying. It's just massive peer 00:23:35.299 --> 00:23:37.660 pressure. It is. If you walk into a store and 00:23:37.660 --> 00:23:39.559 see an empty shelf, your brain instinctively 00:23:39.559 --> 00:23:41.700 says, well, everyone else thinks milk is essential 00:23:41.700 --> 00:23:43.539 for survival, so I must desperately need milk, 00:23:43.680 --> 00:23:45.640 too. We saw the exact same thing in 2020 with 00:23:45.640 --> 00:23:48.480 the total paper shortages and in 2021 with the 00:23:48.480 --> 00:23:51.980 gasoline panic buying. Yes. It is an emotional 00:23:51.980 --> 00:23:55.059 purchase, not a practical one. The classic milk 00:23:55.059 --> 00:23:57.779 sandwich is just a psychological comfort mechanism. 00:23:58.099 --> 00:24:00.400 It is. It is a way for us to feel like we are 00:24:00.400 --> 00:24:03.799 doing something, anything, to prepare, even if 00:24:03.799 --> 00:24:05.640 that something does not actually make an ounce 00:24:05.640 --> 00:24:08.920 of sense for a power outage. It restores our 00:24:08.920 --> 00:24:11.599 internal sense of control over an uncontrollable 00:24:11.599 --> 00:24:14.670 weather event. Well said. So, let's provide a 00:24:14.670 --> 00:24:17.329 real survival guide for our listeners. If we 00:24:17.329 --> 00:24:19.430 absolutely should not be stocking up on milk 00:24:19.430 --> 00:24:21.490 and bread today, what should actually be in the 00:24:21.490 --> 00:24:24.509 grocery cart? The anti -milk argument is incredibly 00:24:24.509 --> 00:24:27.150 strong. Again, it is totally unsafe to drink 00:24:27.150 --> 00:24:29.630 after four hours without power. You're basically 00:24:29.630 --> 00:24:32.210 just buying really expensive, soon to be spoiled 00:24:32.210 --> 00:24:34.660 milk. I saw a recommendation in the research 00:24:34.660 --> 00:24:37.019 that I can fully get behind, honestly, the pro 00:24:37.019 --> 00:24:39.599 -candy and alcohol argument. Yes, and this actually 00:24:39.599 --> 00:24:41.960 comes from a very practical, scientifically sound 00:24:41.960 --> 00:24:44.359 place. Please explain the science of survival 00:24:44.359 --> 00:24:47.599 candy, because I am all ears. Candy is extremely 00:24:47.599 --> 00:24:50.400 high calorie. It provides a massive, quick energy 00:24:50.400 --> 00:24:52.940 boost. And most importantly, it is completely 00:24:52.940 --> 00:24:55.400 shelf -stable. A candy bar does not care if the 00:24:55.400 --> 00:24:57.400 power goes out for three days. If you are out 00:24:57.400 --> 00:24:59.539 there shoveling heavy, wet concrete snow for 00:24:59.539 --> 00:25:02.589 two hours in freezing temps, a Snickers bar is 00:25:02.589 --> 00:25:05.009 actually an incredibly good fuel source for your 00:25:05.009 --> 00:25:07.470 body. It keeps your internal engine running when 00:25:07.470 --> 00:25:09.589 you are burning thousands of calories. Okay, 00:25:09.690 --> 00:25:12.529 that makes perfect sense. And the alcohol? Well, 00:25:12.730 --> 00:25:15.069 obviously it also does not need any refrigeration, 00:25:15.509 --> 00:25:17.930 but more importantly, it helps with what emergency 00:25:17.930 --> 00:25:21.089 planners call morale. Morale is important. It 00:25:21.089 --> 00:25:23.730 is. Being stuck in a freezing cold house with 00:25:23.730 --> 00:25:26.329 no internet, no TV, and kids bouncing off the 00:25:26.329 --> 00:25:29.589 walls is incredibly stressful. A glass of wine 00:25:29.589 --> 00:25:32.210 or a nice pour of bourbon can genuinely help 00:25:32.210 --> 00:25:34.910 with relaxation during a highly tense outage 00:25:34.910 --> 00:25:37.430 situation. So it is about mental health just 00:25:37.430 --> 00:25:40.410 as much as physical health in a crisis. Precisely. 00:25:40.829 --> 00:25:43.410 But for actual long -term sustenance, look at 00:25:43.410 --> 00:25:45.849 your pantry staples. Peanut butter is the ultimate 00:25:45.849 --> 00:25:48.589 survival food. It's nutrient dense, high fat, 00:25:48.730 --> 00:25:51.009 high protein, and lasts forever at room temperature. 00:25:51.250 --> 00:25:53.710 Dried fruit is good too. Dried fruit is excellent. 00:25:54.359 --> 00:25:56.819 canned goods, specifically things you can safely 00:25:56.819 --> 00:25:59.019 eat cold right out of the can if you absolutely 00:25:59.019 --> 00:26:01.700 have to, like beans or certain soups. Provided 00:26:01.700 --> 00:26:04.359 you actually own a manual can opener. Yes, a 00:26:04.359 --> 00:26:06.660 manual can opener is the most forgotten prep 00:26:06.660 --> 00:26:09.599 item ever. Do not rely on your electric one. 00:26:09.779 --> 00:26:12.970 So the takeaway is... Swap the highly perishable 00:26:12.970 --> 00:26:15.670 milk and bread for peanut butter, whiskey, and 00:26:15.670 --> 00:26:17.670 chocolate. Honestly, it sounds like a much better 00:26:17.670 --> 00:26:19.849 Blizzard party anyway. It really does. It is 00:26:19.849 --> 00:26:22.710 all about comfort versus actual utility. But 00:26:22.710 --> 00:26:24.589 I guess in a way, if buying the gallon of milk 00:26:24.589 --> 00:26:27.170 makes you feel safer psychologically, maybe that 00:26:27.170 --> 00:26:29.589 serves a valid purpose too. Fair point. Just 00:26:29.589 --> 00:26:31.289 make sure you drink it really fast once the lights 00:26:31.289 --> 00:26:33.930 flicker. Exactly. Before we wrap up, I want to 00:26:33.930 --> 00:26:36.630 circle back to the immediate situation outside. 00:26:36.940 --> 00:26:39.299 It is Saturday night, Sunday morning, things 00:26:39.299 --> 00:26:41.500 start to gradually go downhill. Sunday night 00:26:41.500 --> 00:26:43.960 is the absolute peak of this monster. Right. 00:26:44.160 --> 00:26:46.599 If we can leave the listeners with one operational 00:26:46.599 --> 00:26:49.920 thought tonight, the window to prepare is rapidly 00:26:49.920 --> 00:26:53.519 closing. By Sunday afternoon, you should be exactly 00:26:53.519 --> 00:26:56.359 where you intend to stay for the next 48 hours. 00:26:56.680 --> 00:27:00.000 Do not try to travel Sunday night under any circumstances. 00:27:00.279 --> 00:27:02.700 Absolutely not. With snowfall rates of two to 00:27:02.700 --> 00:27:05.000 three inches an hour and pure whiteout conditions, 00:27:05.740 --> 00:27:07.799 emergency services might not be able to physically 00:27:07.799 --> 00:27:10.000 reach you if you slide off the road and get stuck. 00:27:10.440 --> 00:27:12.539 You are entirely on your own out there. This 00:27:12.539 --> 00:27:15.940 is a classic intense nor 'easter with those terrifying 00:27:15.940 --> 00:27:19.079 bomb cyclone characteristics. The pressure drop 00:27:19.079 --> 00:27:22.000 is historically significant. The moisture content 00:27:22.000 --> 00:27:24.839 is exceptionally high. The jackpot zone in Jersey 00:27:24.839 --> 00:27:27.779 could easily see two feet. And New York City 00:27:27.779 --> 00:27:30.900 is staring down its first real blizzard in nine 00:27:30.900 --> 00:27:34.400 long years. It is a major, potentially generational 00:27:34.400 --> 00:27:36.279 event for some of these areas. Treat it with 00:27:36.279 --> 00:27:38.500 the respect it deserves. The atmosphere is not 00:27:38.500 --> 00:27:40.480 something to mess with. Okay, let's unpack this. 00:27:40.519 --> 00:27:42.559 Actually, no, we have unpacked it all. We have 00:27:42.559 --> 00:27:44.779 covered the complex science, the geography of 00:27:44.779 --> 00:27:47.900 the 4070 benchmark, the deep psychology of panic 00:27:47.900 --> 00:27:50.740 buying, and the ultimate grocery list. We covered 00:27:50.740 --> 00:27:53.710 a lot of ground today. We really did. But I have 00:27:53.710 --> 00:27:55.630 one final thought for everyone listening right 00:27:55.630 --> 00:27:59.269 now. We sit here and talk about the 4070 benchmark 00:27:59.269 --> 00:28:02.450 and bombogenesis and all these highly technical 00:28:02.450 --> 00:28:05.190 meteorological terms. But at the end of the day, 00:28:05.490 --> 00:28:08.329 weather is a profoundly human experience. It 00:28:08.329 --> 00:28:11.069 is that incredible eerie silence that falls over 00:28:11.069 --> 00:28:14.210 a massive bustling city when the snow gets deep 00:28:14.210 --> 00:28:17.230 enough to muffle all the cars. It is the raw 00:28:17.230 --> 00:28:19.549 howling sound of the wind against your window. 00:28:19.730 --> 00:28:21.529 It really connects us all. Everyone in the Northeast, 00:28:21.730 --> 00:28:23.390 millions of people, are going to be going through 00:28:23.390 --> 00:28:26.230 this exact same intense experience together for 00:28:26.230 --> 00:28:29.009 the next 48 hours. It is a shared reality in 00:28:29.009 --> 00:28:30.769 a world where we don't have many of those left. 00:28:30.930 --> 00:28:33.670 It's true. It forces us to stop. So stay safe 00:28:33.670 --> 00:28:35.710 out there. Maybe check on your neighbors, especially 00:28:35.710 --> 00:28:37.960 the elderly who might need help shoveling. And 00:28:37.960 --> 00:28:40.140 honestly, just try to enjoy the excuse to slow 00:28:40.140 --> 00:28:42.500 down for a couple of days. Let the modern world 00:28:42.500 --> 00:28:44.960 pause while this ancient atmospheric beast rolls 00:28:44.960 --> 00:28:47.799 through. And enjoy your peanut butter and whiskey. 00:28:48.339 --> 00:28:50.200 You've been listening to Meteorology Matters, 00:28:50.339 --> 00:28:52.680 created by meteorologist Rob Jones. Thanks for 00:28:52.680 --> 00:28:56.000 listening. And remember, meteorology always matters. 00:28:56.339 --> 00:28:58.839 Make sure to follow Rob Jones on Instagram at 00:28:58.839 --> 00:29:01.839 Meteorologist, on TikTok at TV Meteorologist, 00:29:01.940 --> 00:29:04.779 and on YouTube at Rob Jones Hurricane. Stay warm, 00:29:04.900 --> 00:29:05.220 everyone.