Snowed in.

[shesulsa]

Now, you folks in Montana, the Dakotas, Wisconsin and Canada are all gonna laugh ...

We had around 6 inches of snow fall, partially melt, freeze and fall again for a net of three-four inches on the ground final measurement. I know this sounds ridiculous, but ... I'm not going anywhere.

The PNW cities are poorly prepared for good road de-icing except for the highways and a few major roads. We have some knolls here where we live and kids have been sledding down only to bash their little un-helmeted noggins on the many trees, teenagers turning donuts in the middle of the street (where my kids are playing - grrrr). We've seen three rollovers at the nearest major intersection, a bus sliding down a hill sideways (no chains, go figure), a police car go sliding into two cars who had already slid off the road....

And the kicker is the storm hit us without "warning." This is the thing that sucks about living right on the jet stream. When it looks like a small storm will hit and we get a little snow, the east winds will win out sometimes and give us that cold air, low-pressure system with the ocean air above it that turns to gobs of snow falling - but they never know when it will happen here.

And the kids have been out of school since Saturday and I'm losing my mind ....

*sigh*

 

[exile]

Now, you folks in Montana, the Dakotas, Wisconsin and Canada are all gonna laugh ...

We had around 6 inches of snow fall, partially melt, freeze and fall again for a net of three-four inches on the ground final measurement. I know this sounds ridiculous, but ... I'm not going anywhere.

The PNW cities are poorly prepared for good road de-icing except for the highways and a few major roads. We have some knolls here where we live and kids have been sledding down only to bash their little un-helmeted noggins on the many trees, teenagers turning donuts in the middle of the street (where my kids are playing - grrrr). We've seen three rollovers at the nearest major intersection, a bus sliding down a hill sideways (no chains, go figure), a police car go sliding into two cars who had already slid off the road....

And the kicker is the storm hit us without "warning." This is the thing that sucks about living right on the jet stream. When it looks like a small storm will hit and we get a little snow, the east winds will win out sometimes and give us that cold air, low-pressure system with the ocean air above it that turns to gobs of snow falling - but they never know when it will happen here.

And the kids have been out of school since Saturday and I'm losing my mind ....

*sigh*

The scariest winter I ever lived through was not in Idaho, where I lived for a while, or in New York, whose winters Simon & Garfunkel captured perfectly in the line from `The Boxer' where they sing about `going home/Where the New York City winters aren't bleeding me...', but in mild, temperate Victoria, just a long stone's skip from Seattle. We got hit with a few inches of snow along just the lines you describe, and it became impossible to walk up a slight slope without crampons, let alone drive. Ambling along on an empty street at less than 10mph, I hit glare ice and did close to 360 before I stopped; after that I didn't drive until the snow was gone, which took well over a week. You just don't have any idea how much vertical there is in a place like that till you get that kind of ice and snow. Good luck, and I hope you get some relief (and can keep a few shard of sanity...). Most of the time the Pacific NW is a pretty soft place to live, but every few years it nails you...

 

[Blindside]

My wife is working in Seattle now, and she said that the Starbucks corporate headquarters essentially shut down. She stayed home and worked remotely, which was good since the daycare also didn't open. I remember that as a driver there, it wasn't the snow that was the problem, it was the other drivers that didn't know how to drive in it. Oh, and the morons who abandon their vehicle on I-5 or I-90 and decide to walk home. Gee thanks for the obstacles.

Over here in Wyoming it warmed up to 0 degrees yesterday, and when I left for kenpo last night (which is 40 miles away) it was -13. I made it in 35 minutes.

Lamont

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

Shesulsa I feel for you particularly about those kid's being around since Saturday. Hang in there and try to have a little fun with the snow.
Try making a snow angel!:angel:

 

[shesulsa]

Yeah, there was some major incident on the 84 - the main east-west highway and people behind it were turning around and going UP the ONramp to get off the freeway! And yeah, with the ice base and packed snow, it doesn't take much speed nor much of an incline to go slip-sliding away. And I haven't seen a single car go by today with chains or studs.

*I* don't have chains or studs so *I* am not going anywhere. I have food, water, toilet paper, batteries, candles, matches, firewood ....

*shakes head at stupid people driving at 30mph on the slick *****

 

[Lisa]

whimps...

 

[ArmorOfGod]

Ha.
Here in my area, if there is the forecast of snow or ice, the city shuts down. I just got a phone call from my kids' school saying that school will start three hours late becuase there are calls for sleet (I am not kidding).
Still, there aren't any snowplows or snowtires for a thousand miles, so we are unprepared for everything.
Side note: 2 days ago, it was 87 degrees, now it is right at freezing.

AoG

 

[Kacey]

When I was a kid I lived in Nashville one year - it snowed 3 inches, and shut the city down for 3 days (yes, I said days). I had just moved there from Massachussetts and still had a decent coat and boots, and I was working in a hospital about a mile away (school vacation project), so I walked in - to the total and complete shock of the staff, who couldn't believe I had walked that far through that much snow. It was about 25 years ago, and it's still funny to me.

A couple of years later I lived in Dallas, and there was an ice storm. I was driving slowly (about 20) and people kept driving past me and laughing... and then sliding sideways through intersections because the idiots thought 4-wheel drive meant they could stop as easily as they could take off... ah well...

 

[thepanjr]

wow, 6 inches that's more snow than in canada in my area. no snow for december, it just came yesterday.

 

[terryl965]

Well we got two inches and everything here shuts down because of the weather, stay home and relaxe with a great book and some hot chocolate

 

[Ceicei]

Well, we got two inches recently (and in some places, just a dusting), and over the past weekend, we had four inches. School still goes on, and work continues as usual. The only difference is not the snow per se, but the COLD temperatures. We haven't had such freezing temperatures for quite a long while, so in many places there are breaking pipes, causing floods of ice water in buildings. Other than that, we're generally doing alright, just dressing a bit warmer. Forecast says we will expect very cold weather for at least another week. Today it's sunny, but cold....

- Ceicei

 

[MA-Caver]

Well we got two inches and everything here shuts down because of the weather, stay home and relaxe with a great book and some hot chocolate

Aww man, that'd be a great time to practice and do KATAS!

 

[tellner]

We're snowed in here in Portland, too. My wife went to work Tuesday (public schools) and got sent home. Schools were closed again today.

According to today's newspaper the computers nailed it, but the human meteorologists just didn't believe it was going to happen, so nobody was prepared. Add to that that cities around here economized by reducing plows and sanding trucks (thanks Bill Sizemore :cuss and you've got a Charlie Foxtrot. Thank goodness the new furnace and stove were already installed.

 

[bluemtn]

Now, you folks in Montana, the Dakotas, Wisconsin and Canada are all gonna laugh ...

We had around 6 inches of snow fall, partially melt, freeze and fall again for a net of three-four inches on the ground final measurement. I know this sounds ridiculous, but ... I'm not going anywhere.

The PNW cities are poorly prepared for good road de-icing except for the highways and a few major roads. We have some knolls here where we live and kids have been sledding down only to bash their little un-helmeted noggins on the many trees, teenagers turning donuts in the middle of the street (where my kids are playing - grrrr). We've seen three rollovers at the nearest major intersection, a bus sliding down a hill sideways (no chains, go figure), a police car go sliding into two cars who had already slid off the road....

And the kicker is the storm hit us without "warning." This is the thing that sucks about living right on the jet stream. When it looks like a small storm will hit and we get a little snow, the east winds will win out sometimes and give us that cold air, low-pressure system with the ocean air above it that turns to gobs of snow falling - but they never know when it will happen here.

And the kids have been out of school since Saturday and I'm losing my mind ....

*sigh*

I feel for you. I've lived in some states that would cancel snow at the sight of flurries. I live on sort of a back road, which means it's one of the last to get plowed. Even then, there's still ice up to a week later, depending on how much it snowed.

 

[terryl965]

Aww man, that'd be a great time to practice and do KATAS!

we do that anyway everyday today was a play day with the sons and the snow.

 

[bluemtn]

It's supposed to snow again on Monday, but I'm not sure if it'll be snow showers or more. It was flurrying on my way to work this morning.​

 

[exile]

whimps...

You can heap abuse on the likes of me all you like, Lisa, I'm used to it... all the years I lived on the BC coast, people from the Peace River and the Okanagan used to mock us, let along Calgarians and Edmontonians (and the odd person from Winnepeg, including my aunt!) and tell us what... mmmm, whimps we were, I think was the word... so I don't expect anything different... :wink1:

 

[Rich Parsons]

Now, you folks in Montana, the Dakotas, Wisconsin and Canada are all gonna laugh ...

We had around 6 inches of snow fall, partially melt, freeze and fall again for a net of three-four inches on the ground final measurement. I know this sounds ridiculous, but ... I'm not going anywhere.

The PNW cities are poorly prepared for good road de-icing except for the highways and a few major roads. We have some knolls here where we live and kids have been sledding down only to bash their little un-helmeted noggins on the many trees, teenagers turning donuts in the middle of the street (where my kids are playing - grrrr). We've seen three rollovers at the nearest major intersection, a bus sliding down a hill sideways (no chains, go figure), a police car go sliding into two cars who had already slid off the road....

And the kicker is the storm hit us without "warning." This is the thing that sucks about living right on the jet stream. When it looks like a small storm will hit and we get a little snow, the east winds will win out sometimes and give us that cold air, low-pressure system with the ocean air above it that turns to gobs of snow falling - but they never know when it will happen here.

And the kids have been out of school since Saturday and I'm losing my mind ....

*sigh*

Back in 96 or 97 I was on a work trip. We drove Firebirds from Michigan down to Tennesee. We drove into the parkign lot of the hotel we were staying at. The first vehicle our chase van (* normal panel van *) then all the low riding sports cars just followed through the snow plow drift. When we walked into the lobby to check in, people were all surprised as well as the hotel staff. They asked were did we come from and how did we get in, as all the express ways were closed as well as the airport. We just smiled and pointed at the sports cars and said we drove in. Everyone was totally surprised. I admit that the roads had black ice on them and there was about three inches of total snow on the road. The drift was about three feet tall before the van hit it.

We just smiled got up in the morning and drove our cars out to go testing on the hills. With us going in and out we were able to create a path for all the locals to leave.

If people are not used to the weather then it can be a problem.

 

[shesulsa]

You can heap abuse on the likes of me all you like, Lisa, I'm used to it... all the years I lived on the BC coast, people from the Peace River and the Okanagan used to mock us, let along Calgarians and Edmontonians (and the odd person from Winnepeg, including my aunt!) and tell us what... mmmm, whimps we were, I think was the word... so I don't expect anything different... :wink1:

It's all her fault anyway ....

 

[bluemtn]

She's probably the one that made the jetstream move.