Weather Looking SUPER Iffy This Afternoon…

[DismalScientist]

@Rootchopper 42555 wrote:

For those of us travelling south, the headwind is going to be 20+ mph. Won’t be a lot of fun, but I am looking forward to it. It’s not just a bike commute; it’s an adventure.

Should be a piece of cake for you. You are aerodynamic.

[vvill]

Glad to hear that it’s moving north fast.

Who’s up for some windy Hains Pt laps? The final sprint will be nice and fast at last.

@KelOnWheels 42549 wrote:

I wish I had fenders

I just have a basic rear one that DaveK gave me (thanks!) but it fits my singlespeed nicely and is easy to take off/put on.

[KelOnWheels]

Live CWG blog: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/capital-weather-gang/post/squall-line-targets-dc-area-for-pm-commute-live-blog/2013/01/30/61cf63fa-6b08-11e2-af53-7b2b2a7510a8_blog.html

[ejwillis62]

Wind rain wet, yuck. and yesterday was so nice. It was supposed to hold off till 8 but it doesn’t look good out my window here at Fort Belvoir. I hate winter…

[Dirt]

First reaction: WE should go for a bike ride!!!

Second reaction: Remember that the squall line of a storm (the first wave) is often the worst and the time that you REALLY don’t want to be out in the storm. That’s when lightning is the worst and most abundant.

If you’re riding this afternoon, make sure you have your cut-out points in mind before you leave. Know where you can find shelter… Keep an eye on water levels on creeks and underpasses. The water in 4-mile Run can rise VERY quickly.

Find a safe place to sit it out if it gets bad.

Pete

[Dirt]

If you look at the radar image of the area right now, you’ll see a green blob heading for DC and the leading edge is red and yellow. That is a typical sign that the first 20-30 minutes of this storm are gonna be tough.
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We’re all gonna die!!!!! (I mean that in the nicest way.)

[Bilsko]

Over here at the Gtown Resevoir on MacArthur, the winds have just shifted around pretty quickly and are picking up speed out of the south. No rain yet, and clouds aren’t too dark over in VA yet. Looks like a small window to hit the road now if you need to (Written @ 3PM)

[creadinger]

@Dirt 42565 wrote:

If you look at the radar image of the area right now, you’ll see a green blob heading for DC and the leading edge is red and yellow. That is a typical sign that the first 20-30 minutes of this storm are gonna be tough.
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We’re all gonna die!!!!! (I mean that in the nicest way.)

The scary leading edge that’s red and orange isn’t heading this way. It’s going NNE as indicated by the arrow that I painstakingly added using powerpoint. The stuff in SW VA right now is more likely to get here later.

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[consularrider]

It looks from the radar like the squall line is breaks down between Gaithersburg and Olney. There is still a lot of rain southwest of that with the front edge running from from north of Gainsville to Gaithersburg, so we’re still going to get wet. The temperature drops about 10 degrees too.

[Dirt]

My point is that you might want to be careful and know your bail out points. You may not need it today, but you might. There is not much benefit of riding into a storm without thinking or planning.

[fuzzy]

Whats a bail out point?

[Bilsko]

@fuzzy 42571 wrote:

Whats a bail out point?

Someplace along your route where you can take shelter – preferably indoors. Tunnel underpasses along the 4MR and W&OD aren’t really ideal b/c they are prone to flooding.

[Dirt]

@fuzzy 42571 wrote:

Whats a bail out point?

A safe place where you can find shelter and ride out the storm… or at least part of it. Sometimes it can be as simple as a road underpass. There have been plenty of times that I’ve pulled into a Starbucks to get a cup of coffee and sit out a storm.

I ride from DC to Falls Church. Here are my normal bail-out points:

• Brick restrooms in Potomac Park near Jefferson Memorial
• 395 underpass along MVT
• Underpass near National Airport
• Rt1 Underpass along 4-mile Run
• Waffle House on Mt. Vernon Avenue
• Caribou Coffee in Shirlington
• Brick rest rooms along 4-mile run.
• Good-will along 4Mile Run at Columbia Pike
• Rt50 underpass along the W&OD
• Consularrider’s house. (He’s got good beer.)
• My friend Mike’s house (He brews his OWN beer! and it is really good…. plus he owes me $50.)
• East Falls Church Metro
• Tri360
• There’s a LONG stretch wtihout a good bail out between Washington Blvd crossing and Rt. 7. I’ve sought shelter by knocking on someone’s door and asked if I could sit in their garage for a few minutes to ride out the storm. They said yes.
• Bikenetic
• Flippin’ Pizza
• My friend Drew’s house. (He’s got scotch… really good stuff.)
• Safeway at the top of West Street
• 7-11 near home

You get the idea. On my commute home, there’s rarely a time when I’m more than 3-4 minutes away from some place that can give me a bit of shelter. Obviously some are better than others. Some underpasses (Bluemont and Carlin Springs) are very dangerous and flood zones. Snuggling up under a tree is probably a bad idea.

If you’re commuting to work on similar routes every day, think about safe places you can go if something comes up.

[thecyclingeconomist]

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[consularrider]

@fuzzy 42571 wrote:

Whats a bail out point?

You know, places like Cap City, the Continental, O’Sullivans, etc. Heck even a caffeine joint will do. Just stay away from Union St in Old Town for reasons similar to the underpasses on the 4MRT and the W&OD for the same reasons. Ok, it does take a bit more to flood there, but …

[Author]

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