Comparing blizzards here and in the northeast

The Northeast continues to get pounded with snow this evening.

For them it’s snow, snow and more snow.

Steven Hodanish’s job is to forecast weather. But he isn’t just studying this Nor’easter – he has firsthand experience with this type of storm.

“People would go to work during the storm and come home in it. I can remember that happening to myself,” he said.

It’s a different type of system than the big one that walloped Colorado in 1997.

“Up in the Monument area, they were pushing 50 inches,” said Hodanish.

It may have been more than 17 years since that blizzard, but memories of it are still fresh. We asked you to share some of those memories and we received a lot of responses.

Rodney Valdez told us on Facebook: “The 1997 blizzard was insane. I had to get a ride from a friend with a truck. It took us over three hours to get home.”

The storm that is clobbering the East Coast is a classic Nor’easter.

“Totals have ranged between 25 and 30 inches,” said Hodanish.

Even if it is from a different source, it’s moisture that fuels it, just like the storms that we see in Colorado.

“You have to pretty much have that direct tap into the Gulf (of Mexico) moisture,” said Hodanish.

Mother Nature has the East Coast in her sights this time, but one thing is for certain, Colorado will get its turn.

Ironically, the blizzard of 1997 doesn’t place on the top 10 list of snowiest single days in Colorado Springs history. That’s because the storm fell over parts of three days.