Battling through a blizzard

Winter Storm Jonas – a record-breaking blizzard for many parts of the Eastern seaboard – packed snow drifts several feet high, caused severe coastal flooding, and shut down travel among major East Coast cities for a time.

The snow came fast and furious, falling at a pace of two to three inches per hour in many locales.

First, take a look at the time-lapse impact of Jonas in Northern Virginia:

And here’s how snow deluge socked in an apartment complex in Washington D.C.:

The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) is but one of several state DOTs impacted by Jonas. Presciently, the agency showed off how it prepares for snow storms just two weeks ago, from its pavement pre-treatment tactics to the equipment it deploys to clear the roadways of ice and snow:

State DOTs are also deploying different kinds of equipment to keep the roads clear of heavy snow, such as this “tow plow” demonstrated by the NY DOT late last year:

Operating a snow plow is no easy task. In VDOT’s case, plow operators work on 12 hour shifts. Two years ago, VDOT Plow Operator Mike Hanckel provided an overview of what a shift behind the wheel of a plow truck is like:

All in a wintry day's work