Saturday, January 2, 2010 - 10:57AM   
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Snow and deep cold pattern to start 2010
HD VIDEO: Minor crash at I-64 Oakwood/Fort Hill/Carter
Snow and brutal cold started the new year, and will be the norm for at least the next week. In all of this I'm trying to get in my last few winter video opportunities at the Fort Hill Bridge, the most recent of which was New Years Day (last evening). One thing I've learned that in storm chasing, weather and news video, every second counts. Because of that, at Fort Hill I always get the camera on the tripod and roll tape as soon as I arrive, then go back and get bundled up with my gloves, hat and hand warmers. This allowed the capture of a minor crash on the bridge that occured while I was getting set up. I always prefer to zoom in and track vehicles for better 'dramatic detail', but at least it's on tape. After this there were no further incidents on the bridge.
click for video
Most of the time, I'm set up before the bridge gets slick - but in this case, an upslope-flow driven snow band popped up suddenly right over town and caught me off guard. It was a classic 'upslope surprise', so I saved the radar loop for posterity.
The next week is going to be brutal winter for most of the US. Nothing really out of the ordinary as it's something we see most every year, but not any easier to endure. Just a good time to stay inside as much as possible and hope for warmer temps to start showing up on the long-range models. It doesn't seem like it now, but spring storm season is only 2 months away.
