Perplexed by southern US "crippled" by 2.5" of snow.

[BadMouth]

I get that there are people down there who have no experience driving in it, but c'mon.....it's a couple inches.
I can't imagine being able to get a car stuck in only 2 inches of snow (any car). 

All these pics of cars in the ditch and traffic backed up on roads that look bare are blowing my mind.
Do these people really not have any concept of momentum and traction? 

[yotsuya]

Meanwhile, here in Arizona...

[knave]

Early in  2010 I was at Ft. Benning, GA. and it snowed like an inch and a half one day...everything shut down and all stores/offices were closed...

...I still had to work..

On the other side of this, my relatives in MN drive around all winter with regular tires on unpaved snow covered farm roads with no trouble...(I tried it and it is slippery though, you have to know what you are doing)

[Le Chuck]

I'm at Benning. It's a sheet of ice and we have no road crews so it's not getting any better. Also everyone wants to drive 3mph. Saw folks sliding backwards down hills as I drove around them in my 2wd truck that gets crap traction.

You can tell the ice adept drivers around here.

[Generic Eric]

I  'd for 2 paragraphs.  The short answer is yes.

[ChadTower]

The part that blows my mind is the kids trapped in school overnight.  That's crazy.  Find a way to get your kids home.  It's only 25 degrees.  It's not 25 below.  I don't care that you don't own a winter coat.  Put on three sweatshirts and get to work.

One day below freezing and they have abandoned their kids to overnight with the school employees that chose to stay.  Yeah, that will end well.

[wp34]

The part that blows my mind is the kids trapped in school overnight.  That's crazy.  Find a way to get your kids home.  It's only 25 degrees.  It's not 25 below.  I don't care that you don't own a winter coat.  Put on three sweatshirts and get to work.

One day below freezing and they have abandoned their kids to overnight with the school employees that chose to stay.  Yeah, that will end well.

I have no idea where the picture Badmouth posted was taken but to your point the dude is not even wearing a coat.  Can't be that cold.

I'm at Benning. It's a sheet of ice and we have no road crews so it's not getting any better. Also everyone wants to drive 3mph. Saw folks sliding backwards down hills as I drove around them in my 2wd truck that gets crap traction.

You can tell the ice adept drivers around here.

Not having road crews is the biggest issue in the south.  Northern cities have major infrastructure in place just to treat and clear roads. 

[Le Chuck]

Up north the neighborhoods might be treacherous but people just have to limp the car to the main roads and it's clear enough. Here, it doesn't get any better. Coupled with steep on and off ramps to frozen highways- yeah they're borked.

[ChadTower]

Not having road crews is the biggest issue in the south.  Northern cities have major infrastructure in place just to treat and clear roads.

The one flaw with that idea is that they don't use road crews here for 2" of snow.  I won't see a plow or a salt truck on the main road by my house until at least twice that.  Just ice doesn't bring out crews or they would never stop running from Xmas to Easter.

[pbj]

Two phrases that are worn out and should never be used by anyone ever again:

1 - It's not me I'm worried about, it's all the OTHER idiots on the road

2 - It's not cold here.  Where I'M from, now THAT is COLD.



If you're on the road in bad conditions, congratulations, you're one of the idiots.  If you miss your igloo so much, go home and wrestle ice bears or stay here and STFU.

 

[Generic Eric]

Came home for lunch.  Governor asking for state employees to stay home and businesses close.   I shouldn't have deleted my soapboxing.

Friends this isn't just about snow.  Its about city planning, zoning, taxes, interstates, the role of local, state and federal governments in our lives.  I drove in Atlanta a few times when I was in Augusta for school.  Place is crazy, if you aren't driving about 80 on those 8 lanes, you are causing the traffic jam or accident. 

Biggest lesson should be to know what you have to do to get to your children.  Don't leave your car.  Keep the car full of gas in the winter.

[BadMouth]

Where I grew up in West Virginia, they didn't plow until it was done snowing.
That way it only had to be done once and didn't end up costing as much.


 

[jdbailey1206]

From what I have heard Virginia Beach received 7 inches.  That is a pain in the ass no matter if you are accustom to it or not.  When people aren't used to snow they get goofy.  It unfortunately happens each season here in Michigan.  And we should be used to it by now.  But were not.  People don't think correctly and tend to over react instead of keeping a cool head and pushing through the situation.

As far as the two kids are concerned, I don't care what anyone says.  My children would be my first priority.  Especially if it meant braving the elements. 

On a side note I love to hear people say how they would be the first to over come a world apocalypse.  Then something like this happens and I just sit back and laugh.

[Howard_Casto]

jdbailey1206:  Just for the record WV does NOT equate to Va.  We have a mountain range separating us, and Virginia is costal while we are land-locked. 

Here in WV they've been doing a piss-poor job recently.  The last couple of weeks they haven't plowed period.  I'm not sure why, as they are typically on top of things. 

After that huge contaminated water mess finally being over, our natural gas lines just failed.  It's just our neighborhood, but I can't remember the gas lines EVER failing as long as I've been alive.  The state is falling apart because nobody is willing to pay for updated infrastructure.  They keep giving the coal companies tax breaks and looking the other way when they violate health, safety and environmental laws though.

So no offense to the babies down south, but they need to suck it up.  We've been through hell recently.... I would gladly take their place and merely have to deal with roads that are potentially a little slick.  We had 2 inches of solid ice on our roads last week.

[ChadTower]

I wouldn't feel so harshly about stuff like this if they didn't take such glee in sending me pictures of sunny outdoor BBQs in February and laughing.  It's not the weather that bugs me about that... it's the attitude.

I don't send them pictures of us having BBQs in August in 85 degree weather without any mosquitoes and black flies.

Now they get a couple of days that are like a mild winter situation here and they're acting like The Day After Tomorrow.  Sorry, I don't care that the city planners couldn't plan and the people got goofy.  Deal with it.

[BadMouth]

Now they get a couple of days that are like a mild winter situation here and they're acting like The Day After Tomorrow. 

 

[Malenko]

We got over a foot of snow not so long ago, then we got 5 inches, last night we got 2 inches.  I haven't missed a day of work yet.

[pbj]

Houston underreacted last week and overreacted this week.  As least the commute has been pleasant the last couple of days, and I only had to have one, "I am not endangering my life for this job" conversation.  I got called "grouchy" which I thought was unfair.

[SavannahLion]

At least you jerks have something. It's so damn dry I haven't bothered to shovel any for the better part of two months. I haven't touched my 4x4 in so long the battery died. My oldest pissed me off when she thought it was a good idea to put the 2 wheel drives cables in the donation bin last week. Saved them just in time but still.... my dad would've given me a red bottom if I tossed his snow chains out.

I miss the snow....

[pbj]

Granted, this is how I spent Sunday.

[ark_ader]

I can only see the positives out of this issue.

Better planning will come to effect, and some job creation.

[PixelPaul]

I can understand the bad driving and stranded vehicles. Here in the north there are plenty of crappy drivers who should have been able to figure it out by now, but haven't. What shocked me also was to see the news of the kids stranded at school overnight. Fifty below zero wind chills, two feet of snow and high winds with drifting.....maybe. Twenty five degrees and 2.5" of snow...seriously? Did the parents even try?

[Vigo]

My company has been closing a ton of our restaurants due to weather in the SE. I get the store closure emails with the comments from the district managers: "It's bad out here. temperatures are in the teens!" 

[Le Chuck]

Did the parents even try?

There is no shortcut thru Atlanta. Schools and work both released when the storm hit. Traffic snarled. Folks got stranded in Atlanta. If you're working South, rely on busses, get the word busses won't run, and school on the north side... Well, you'd be screwed too. Don't make them out to be bad parents, you can't Iditarod across the city.

I think the schools did a fine job picking up the pieces of a self inflicted crap situation and kept kids safe.

[Malenko]

[wp34]

Not having road crews is the biggest issue in the south.  Northern cities have major infrastructure in place just to treat and clear roads.

The one flaw with that idea is that they don't use road crews here for 2" of snow.  I won't see a plow or a salt truck on the main road by my house until at least twice that.  Just ice doesn't bring out crews or they would never stop running from Xmas to Easter.

We are supposed to get 1-2" between now and Saturday and I noticed this morning on the way to work that the city had already treated the roads.  Every city handles it differently I guess.

There is no shortcut thru Atlanta. Schools and work both released when the storm hit. Traffic snarled. Folks got stranded in Atlanta. If you're working South, rely on busses, get the word busses won't run, and school on the north side... Well, you'd be screwed too. Don't make them out to be bad parents, you can't Iditarod across the city.

I think the schools did a fine job picking up the pieces of a self inflicted crap situation and kept kids safe.

This is a really great point.  When I first heard the story I was imagining my own situation where I have a 4x4 and know several shortcuts to my kids school.  My kids would get picked-up.  Then I saw some of the pictures of Atlanta's highways and realized I live in a hick town by comparison.  Apples and oranges.

[TopJimmyCooks]

We (wilmington, coast of NC) got about 1" of ice pellets starting tuesday night and it hasn't been above freezing since so its still there, just mushed down and refrozen to real ice on all secondary roads.  I haven't been out but main roads have been salted. 

The schools all canceled for tuesday on monday night.  we have very little infrastructure for snow/ice handling but the school systems are very proactive about pulling the plug early to avoid buses on the bad roads.  still closed today and unless it melts today probably tomorrow.  You can say it's ridiculous to close everything 4 days for 1" of accumulation but we aren't buffalo and we don't have the equipment, so staying home is the best call.

Its a little funny to have school out on tuesday with no precipitation until after dark, but it's probably a lot easier to manage than an early closure.  The general idea here is to get as many people off the roads and convince them to stay off and I think it's decently well managed.  If we have a foot of snow and no melting for a few days things are kind of nasty. 

Thankfully the power's still on, otherwise I'd be mad at the Man too.

[ChadTower]

First, second, third, and fourth rules of cold weather survival:

Don't go somewhere if you're not sure you can return home safely.


This is the south's one strike.  If they send their kids to school in the morning in a second situation like this we may as well ship them all off to Cuba.

[hypernova]

Based on the pictures and videos, it looks more like a bunch of ice than snow.  If it really was just snow, this whole debacle is plain sad.  If it was ice like it looks, then it doesn't matter who you are, whether you're from the north or the south:  An ice covered road with nothing to gain traction from is extremely dangerous and very difficult to maneuver.

So was it ice or snow? 

[Le Chuck]

Based on the pictures and videos, it looks more like a bunch of ice than snow.  If it really was just snow, this whole debacle is plain sad.  If it was ice like it looks, then it doesn't matter who you are, whether you're from the north or the south:  An ice covered road with nothing to gain traction from is extremely dangerous and very difficult to maneuver.

So was it ice or snow?

Ice. The snow was piddly and came later. The ice hit hard and fast.

[pbj]

Did the hot springs flow?

[Vigo]

it doesn't matter who you are, whether you're from the north or the south:  An ice covered road with nothing to gain traction from is extremely dangerous and very difficult to maneuver.

Pfft. Ice is my ---smurfette---!   

[TopJimmyCooks]

So was it ice or snow?

Ice ice baby.  Sebastien Loeb himself would have a hard time on it. 

[ChadTower]

Ice hitting hard and fast. 

This is a newspaper story on a fire that happened a couple miles from my house in December. 



That is cold and ice.  An inch or two because of an overnight chill is not a regional emergency.  It's just a reason to stay off the roads.  If you know you can't drive on ice, and there is ice, and you still go out on the roads, that's your own fault. 

[Le Chuck]

OMG CHAD, you're so hard core and awesome and better than everyone else!!!! How dare anyone have problems!  HOW DARE THEY!!!

You know you sound like a ridiculous blow hard right? 

[Vigo]

  Did you have to cancel the annual Chinese New Year parade? It looks like the poor parade dragon is all iced over. 

[ChadTower]

You know you sound like a ridiculous blow hard right?

When people in the South decide to shut up about how awesome they think it is that they have no winter we will shut up about how awesome we think it is when they have one.  I hear it all the time every winter.  It's their turn.

[TopJimmyCooks]

50 degrees and roads are melted around here so, uh,

Next Topic.

[TKW4rr10r]

There seems to be a lot of  going on here regardless of where they live.

As someone who lived in the northeast for over 30 years before moving down south, I can't deny it has been entertaining seeing what causes people to close the schools and call for a state of emergency down here. But you have to understand that in some areas, they have not had snow or ice on the level they got (no matter how small by -your- comparison) in DECADES. And comparing amount of snowfall as an argument is asinine. Living near Philadelphia you knew a surprise small snow/ice storm could cause waaaay more headache then feet of the fluffy stuff. And that was for a public that's used to it.

Some of these counties were bankrupt not even a couple years ago, and they are going to set aside a budget for snow removal or road prep? Not saying its right or wrong, just pointing out parts of the bigger picture. Yeah, they are going to close sh-t down an call for emergencies even before the first flake falls because they KNOW they can't do anything about it. Rather have people home safe ahead of time then the craziness that gets repeated constantly on the news.

In upstate SC, you can tell who has recently moved here and who are the life-long locals, especially on the road. People pull over during a heavy rain around here (I'm not kidding). I'm sure the fact there is no state inspection requirement has nothing to do with the fact I was passing crowds of ditched cars coming home after the "storm". But the fact is they are not used to it. No matter where you're from, if you get dropped in unfamiliar surroundings you're going to have a bad time. Come this summer, the reverse joshing will be had when some 'record heat wave' in the northeast get news while everyone down south laughs about the brisk temperatures.

[ChadTower]

Come this summer, the reverse joshing will be had when some 'record heat wave' in the northeast get news while everyone down south laughs about the brisk temperatures.

That's exactly my point.      This is how it works. 

[ark_ader]

Well it been nice and warm (73F yesterday) in Southern Nevada for the past month.  There are some clouds coming your way and the ATC report a mix of ice in those clouds so you should have some fun next week.  You guys should give up the ghost and move on out here.

We wouldn't mind some of your water though....   

[knave]

um, yeah,...it has been 70's  weather for the past two weeks but no water. wells are going dry. I am praying for rain.

...but in the mean time it is really nice out.

[BadMouth]

The Daily Show reaction:

http://www.thedailyshow.com/full-episodes/thu-january-30-2014-nancy-pelosi

 

[BadMouth]

OMG, they're sold out of white bread!  They'll be forced to eat other varieties!
This is THE WORST!

[kahlid74]

It doesn't make sense for a lot of places to keep massive fleets or plows/trucks for an event that happens once every three years.  In Wisconsin, we know there will be snow and Ice every winter so we can have a fleet at the ready.  We also don't get an abnormal amount of ice sleet events like what the south gets.  We either get Snow or more snow.  We get ice, we just rarely get above single digits for that sleet in a regular frequency.

[PixelPaul]

OMG, they're sold out of white bread!  They'll be forced to eat other varieties!
This is THE WORST!

Gasp! Maybe even a variety that is (slightly) more nutritious.

[BadMouth]

sigh....

Guess we're no better than Atlanta...


http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/deep-freeze/storms-aftermath-monster-100-car-crash-clogs-pennsylvania-highway-n30141

I'm glad there aren't many cars around me on my commute.

[TKW4rr10r]

Good lord that's my old stomping grounds, too. Figures this was right after they lifted a speed restriction.
People drive like maniacs between the Bensalem and Willow Grove exits during normal weather, so its tragic, but not surprising.

[ChadTower]

100 cars!  And PA knows winter weather.  It's not the south.

[eds1275]

I love the snow. They don't get it often or ever. Everyone should go outside and play in it, whether they have kids or not.

[mcseforsale]

The issue here wasn't the snow or the ice, or the drivers for that matter.  You have a metro area with roughly 4 million people who normally spread their rush hour out between 3PM and 7:30PM. 

The Fulton County school district, along with Cobb (where my kids go) and just about every other county had school that morning and then announced early release anywhere from 1 hour to 5 min. before it was going to happen, causing a mass exodus onto roads which hadn't been properly worked on.  This caused the plows to not be able to salt/sand/plow because millions of commuters were all on the roads at once.

We could have had a million sanders and stuff and it wouldn't have helped.  Personally, I'm from Ct and don't have a problem driving in snow or ice.  I was in my car for over 12 hours because of this jamming.  Eventually I found the bottleneck which was an unprepared hill where I simply got into the oncoming lanes and drove right up.  I was home from that in less than 10 min.

So, laugh if you must, but it was a failure of the school systems and local governments not wanting to burn a school day (the rule here is if the kids eat at school,  it's considered a valid day).

AJ