On Friday, February 5, the snow began to fall. By the time the Rec Center closed at 9:00pm six inches had fallen. The blizzard continued until noon the following day. By then, the total reached 21.1 inches. The city was declared a disaster area. Several Citiparks Centers, including Brookline Memorial, were opened as warming places for the thousands of citizens without power.

Three days later another snowstorm hit, dumping an additional 7.9 inches. On Friday the 12th, the big cleanup began in earnest. City trucks and plows scoured the community, removing mounds of snow from the streets and dumping the loads in the lower parking lot. The situation slowly improved as the streets were cleared.

As in all crisis', it was heartening to see so many people coming together to help clear snow, gather groceries and extend a helping hand in so many other ways. As for the snow, tolerance does have its limits. Snow is forecast for the remainder of the month. When it's all over, February 2010 may go down as the snowiest month on record in Pittsburgh. Keep smiling, folks, and keep the shovels handy!

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* Photos provided by Clint Burton *