From: "Keith F. Lynch" <kfl at KeithLynch.net>
To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at KeithLynch.net>
Subject: [WSFA] Re: Remember the blizzards of February ?
Date: Thu,  6 May 2010 22:27:09 -0400 (EDT)
Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at KeithLynch.net>

"Madeleine Yeh" <myeh at wap.org> wrote:
> Keith reported seeing the remains of a snow pile at Vienna Metro
> just after Easter.

In past years, it seemed that snow went from being everywhere to
suddenly being nowhere.  This time I used the record snowfall -- over
six feet, mostly from just three storms -- so much snow it seemed
impossible to imagine it could ever all be gone -- as an excuse to
keep a close eye on its gradual disappearance.  Here's my timeline:

February 10:  "Snowmageddon" snowfall ends.  There's been no snowfall since.
March 4:  Gallows Road sidewalk to Metro finally becomes usable
March 6:  Last time I saw snow on any roof
March 7:  Last time I saw anyone shovel snow
March 12:  Last time any part of any sidewalk was impassable due to snow
March 13:  Last time I could see snow out my window
March 16:  Last snow anywhere in my apartment complex
March 20:  Last snow anywhere in Vienna proper
April 12:  Last snow seen at Vienna Metro, gone on the 14th
April 14:  Last snow seen at Tysons, gone on the 17th

The last two snow locations were both in perpetual shade, just north
of large parking garages, one at the Vienna Metro station, and one at
the Tysons Galleria Mall.

On April 6th, the temperature reached 93 F (34 C).  I played with some
snow at the Vienna Metro.  A Metro employee warned me to be careful.
I don't know whether she feared I would freeze to death, suffer heat
stroke, or both at once.  It's not unpleasant to handle snow with my
bare hands at 93, as it is at lower temperatures.  When one hand gets
too cold, I move the snow to the other hand.  After a few minutes,
the snow has all melted and the water all evaporated.  A solid that
disappears into thin air.  Yes, I'm easily amused.

A temperature of 93 in early April is unusual here, and snow on
the ground with the temperature that high is something I've never
experienced before, anywhere.  (Proof of global climate change?)

I didn't think that the last snow I saw was the last snow in the
area.  There are far more places I don't look than I do.  It would
be interesting to see how the distance to the closest snow varies
with time.  Suppose the world was infinite, had the same climate
everywhere, had the same amount of snowfall everywhere, and then
experienced springlike weather forever.  What would the mathematical
function expressing the expected distance to the last remaining snow
look like?  Would it be exponential?  Faster than exponential?  Would
the distance be several AU in June and several light years in July?
Does anyone but me wonder about such things?

At the height of the snowfall, my landlord suspended guest parking
passes until further notice, and there has as yet been no further
notice.