Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Thanksgiving Snow in Western Pennsylvania

Over the years, it was a good bet that the first snowfall would be on Thanksgiving Day.  As a child I remember some of the big snowfalls in which you needed to dig out to get anywhere.  I remember a picture of my Dad shoveling in a snowfall such as the one pictured below except the snow came up to his knees.


Streets and Sidewalks Covered

There was no getting to the supermarket before the storm to stock up on essentials like toilet paper, milk and bread.  You did with what you had.


Giant Snowflakes Make A beautiful Winter Wonderland
One Thanksgiving when the giant snowflakes started to fall, my friend and I went down to the box factory where there were always large hunks of cardboard discarded next to the building.  Also next to the building was the on ramp for the Highland Park Bridge.  The elevation of the grassy sides of the ramps were just the right slant to take a hunk of cardboard up to the top and slide down.  This was just enough distraction from the day to get us ready for the grand turkey meal that would be almost on the table when we got home.


In my child-raising years, we normally went to my sister-in-law's house for Thanksgiving dinner.  The day normally started out dry and by evening it would start to drop those huge flakes and I would be slightly fearful of driving home because they lived on a hill that led right onto a main street.  We always made it home but I remember the feeling knowing that it would probably snow while I was enjoying the company of family and friends.

                                                                                
                                                                                                                                

The long and the short of Snow in Western Pennsylvania is that it normally starts right on Thanksgiving Day but sometimes comes earlier in the week.  That is true this year since Thanksgiving is a week later than usual.  Today's snow started out slow and didn't actually cover the street.  The sidewalks have a covering that will melt later in the day when we are expecting rain that will turn back into snow overnight.