Winter in Washington D.C. in 1986

The recent spell of cold and snow in Chicago and the Washington D.C. area, reminded me of a short but intensive onset of winter back in 1986. Having lived in Moscow and Stockholm prior to moving to Washington, I knew about fierce winters but never suspected them in a region that has long and tropical summers. Sure enough, winters in the D.C. area are short but can be fierce as well. Blizzards and sudden ice build up have caused havoc in certain areas. Trees fall and bring down power lines, we even went without electricity (hence without heating) for three days during a blizzard on my second tour of Washington in 2012. We huddled together with blankets and sleeping bags in front of the fireplace which actually radiated heat into the room.

Here are some pictures I took during the 1986 winter.

When the reflecting pool had an ice sheet thick enough we even

played hockey. Nobody cared, no security hype back then.

Talking about security: there were not enough snowploughs around, and it took a while before certain areas were cleared. In the meantime there were no barriers or warning signs, people had to move around using their common sense.

32nd Street in Georgetown

Early morning view out of our kitchen window

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