joannqn Posted November 23, 2010 Share Posted November 23, 2010 (edited) We've been hit with 2-5 inches of snow today. I know that's not much to some of you but it is a lot for here, and I've been told by those who came from places that get a lot of snow that ours is more slippery. We're expecting lows of 17, with wind chill of 6, overnight. We're hearing reports of power outages. People have been stuck on freeways and streets, trying to get home for hours. One person DH knows on Twitter posted that her dad has been trying to get home for 4 hours and has only traveled 100 feet in an hour. He's expecting to spend the night in his car. Another person I know mentioned someone she knows has been stuck on the freeway. She traveled 1/2 mile in an hour, with a mile until the next off-ramp, and only a 1/4 tank of gas. A good friend just posted that her husband hasn't made it home yet. It's 9:30pm; he got off work at 4:15pm and is still 30 minutes from home under normal conditions. I've been here since 1992 and haven't seen anything like it. Edited November 23, 2010 by joannqn update friend's DH's status Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted November 23, 2010 Share Posted November 23, 2010 It is amazing, isn't it. Dh is planning to leave very early tomorrow to go to work. It may be a very long day for him. Even in a snow storm, people need dialysis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elizabeth in WA Posted November 23, 2010 Share Posted November 23, 2010 My husband's not home yet, which wouldn't be unusual except I know he headed home several hours ago. We're from the Northeast, areas just as hilly that tend to get lots more snow, but the roads here are just not prepared for it. The salt and sand and plowing that would make this trivial "back home" don't happen here making a little snow a pretty big deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted November 23, 2010 Share Posted November 23, 2010 It is also very spotty, so it is hard to predict: we have 5 inches and much blowing, but at our old house, there is very little. 2 years ago, where you were it was not bad, but east of you we had nearly 2 feet and I spent days hiking out to the car, and then inching down one icy hill after another trying to get to the freeway (I ended up giving up and sleeping on a couch in the IT department some nights). And in '96 we had no power for 5 freezing days, and the ice was so thick on the trees you could hear them cracking and falling all night long. One huge branch nearly picked me off as I was getting into my car. Between the trees falling on houses and powerlines, the unpredictability of what will fall where, the general incompetence of snow driving, and our wet "seattle cement", storms out here, although not so severe in numbers (wind speed, depth, temp) as the midwest, are more damaging. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newlifemom Posted November 23, 2010 Share Posted November 23, 2010 Do you know if it is going to affect Portland and Salem the same way? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted November 23, 2010 Share Posted November 23, 2010 Do you know if it is going to affect Portland and Salem the same way? I think it is milder down there. By the time, looking at the diagrams, the cold mass pushing south hits the warm air down there, the wet front will have passed east. For us, the two met (the convergence zone)...the wettest wet and the nearly coldest cold, making much snow and wind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milovany Posted November 23, 2010 Share Posted November 23, 2010 We're two hours east of the Seattle area, and are getting a bunch too. But it's a bit more "normal" for us. It sure is cold. I had to walk several blocks today, in the thick of it, pulling a computer cart. *Whew*. Wow. I kept thinking of the story in The Long Winter, and hoping I wouldn't miss my car by half an inch and end up out in the middle of nowhere in a blizzard (well, I was in the middle of town, so that wasn't going to happen -- but I kept remembering it!). I grew up over there (Puget Sound area); my husband, who grew up in the southwest and has lived in some pretty snowy places, says he's never seen weather like he's seen when we visit my old hometown. The wind and ice storms are just amazing when they do hit. Please check in again in the morning!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lisabelle Posted November 23, 2010 Share Posted November 23, 2010 I had a doctor's appointment today at 2:30 and I asked the dh to come home early and drive me to it. I'm so glad I did! I'm not sure he'd be home yet if he had left work at his regular time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alpidarkomama Posted November 23, 2010 Share Posted November 23, 2010 So early in the year! CRAZY! We left the NW in January, so are walking around in 70s weather right now. Seems weird to think of you all up there covered in snow. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cortana Posted November 23, 2010 Share Posted November 23, 2010 You guys on the west side stay safe, we're under a blizzard warning over here on the other side. We're expecting a low of 12 below and a high of about 8. Makes me so glad my kids are homeschooled now. We're staying inside, lol! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melik Posted November 23, 2010 Share Posted November 23, 2010 You guys on the west side stay safe, we're under a blizzard warning over here on the other side. We're expecting a low of 12 below and a high of about 8. Makes me so glad my kids are homeschooled now. We're staying inside, lol! Hey Cortana! Nice to see someone form this side of the mountains. Pretty crazy weather! I'm thankful this week for the same thing! It will be interesting to see what this place looks like when we wake up! Meli Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cortana Posted November 23, 2010 Share Posted November 23, 2010 Hey Cortana! Nice to see someone form this side of the mountains. Pretty crazy weather! I'm thankful this week for the same thing! It will be interesting to see what this place looks like when we wake up! Meli Nice to meet you! Yeah, it will be interesting to see what it looks like in the morning. It's not too bad where we live in the city right now but it looks like the worst part is just getting started. My parents live across the state line in N. Idaho and said the wind is blowing hard over there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhonda in TX Posted November 23, 2010 Share Posted November 23, 2010 Oh, dear. I talked to a friend in Olympia today and she told me about the snow, but I really didn't understand what it meant. Y'all stay safe! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted November 23, 2010 Share Posted November 23, 2010 :grouphug: I never understood how people could freak out over a tiny bit of snow until I got caught in a small storm while visiting my family in Georgia. It makes me feel very grateful for our road crews and (mostly) experienced drivers up here! Without them, it's a very serious situation, indeed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debbie in OR Posted November 23, 2010 Share Posted November 23, 2010 Ack! Anyone in the Tri-cities or Spokane area? We are headed to Whitefish, Montana today (from Central Oregon) and now I am totally freaked out. We got dumped on yesterday too but for some reason, it never occurred to me that it would be up in WA as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyCrazyMama Posted November 23, 2010 Share Posted November 23, 2010 My son is supposed to be flying into SeaTac this evening then coming over the pass to get home in E. Wa. :eek: I concerned!!! His will be with 7 others, they are returning from a short-term mission trip in Zambia where they were sweating buckets, lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joannqn Posted November 23, 2010 Author Share Posted November 23, 2010 Ack! Anyone in the Tri-cities or Spokane area? We are headed to Whitefish, Montana today (from Central Oregon) and now I am totally freaked out. We got dumped on yesterday too but for some reason, it never occurred to me that it would be up in WA as well. I know that the west side of the state is going to be bad today. Anything that melted today from traffic running over it will have refrozen overnight and will stay that way today as the high is only expected to be 27. And hearing that Spokane got hit hard with temps that low...I'd stay home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joannqn Posted November 23, 2010 Author Share Posted November 23, 2010 Oh, and my friend's husband made it home around 11:30pm last night. I don't know how long it normally takes him to get home because he's in a van pool but Google shows it being an hour long drive. It took him over 7 hours to get home last night. Jean, I hope your hubby is able to get to and from work safely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debbie in OR Posted November 23, 2010 Share Posted November 23, 2010 I know that the west side of the state is going to be bad today. Anything that melted today from traffic running over it will have refrozen overnight and will stay that way today as the high is only expected to be 27. And hearing that Spokane got hit hard with temps that low...I'd stay home. Thanks, JoAnn...this would be my preference but dh just said we're going, slow and steady. Oh my. Hope everyone stays warm and inside! :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSMom2One Posted November 23, 2010 Share Posted November 23, 2010 It's been windy and cold here in my area, about 35 miles SW of the Portland metro area. We woke up to an inch of snow, but there is ice underneath and it is very slippery. Schools in the area are on two hour delays, but some folks in the higher elevations might just as well stay home. Yes, it gets messy here in Oregon when it snows, and many people aren't used to driving in it since we don't get much during the winter. I stay home unless it is necessary to go out - especially since my route to any nearby town is windy, uphill and treacherous. Blessings, Lucinda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alenee Posted November 23, 2010 Share Posted November 23, 2010 We're doing okay here in SW WA. An icy layer over the little bit of snow that didn't get rained away yesterday, and all the schools cancelled today. The weather report is only predicting a dusting here before 10am. We did lose power last night which is a bit scary as we're on a well. With dh on a business trip, the girls were a bit freaked out so we made jokes about having to "go" in an outhouse like they did "back then". ;) Praying for all of you north of us! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m0mmaBuck Posted November 23, 2010 Share Posted November 23, 2010 All the public schools here have cancelled due to the icy road conditions. We are probably going to have a snow day and play outside with the neighbor kids. DH will most likely work from home but DSS has to drive to work this afternoon. I grew up in WI and if these conditions were there, no one would think twice about going about their regularly lives because people are experience driving in these conditions AND the road crews take care of the roads differently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plucky Posted November 23, 2010 Share Posted November 23, 2010 My dh didn't get home until 3:30 a.m. Poor guy, he's exhausted and sleeping in. The kids were up early sledding down our hill. Seven inches of snow and we won't hit 31 today. The roads are sheets of ice. It's nice in front of the fire and handing wet kids cups of hot chocolate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted November 23, 2010 Share Posted November 23, 2010 Dh made it to work this morning. I told him to e-mail me to let me know and when he didn't I had to call to find out. He's there but they are absolutely swamped. Getting patients in an out by medical transport in this weather is a nightmare. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cortana Posted November 23, 2010 Share Posted November 23, 2010 Ack! Anyone in the Tri-cities or Spokane area? We are headed to Whitefish, Montana today (from Central Oregon) and now I am totally freaked out. We got dumped on yesterday too but for some reason, it never occurred to me that it would be up in WA as well. I'm in Spokane. It's horribly cold, we're at about 8 degrees right now and it's going to be below zero tonight and single digits again tomorrow. It's still snowing lightly. Between Spokane and Coeur d'Alene got the brunt of the winds. Take it easy on the passes between CdA and Montana, lot of snow and ice but no restrictions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cortana Posted November 23, 2010 Share Posted November 23, 2010 My son is supposed to be flying into SeaTac this evening then coming over the pass to get home in E. Wa. :eek: I concerned!!!His will be with 7 others, they are returning from a short-term mission trip in Zambia where they were sweating buckets, lol. Tell them to be careful going over Snoqualamie Pass and expect backups and delays. Traction tires are the only requirement over the pass right now. I would check the pass conditions before they head over it and let them know what to expect. Praying for safe travel for them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melik Posted November 23, 2010 Share Posted November 23, 2010 I'm in Spokane. It's horribly cold, we're at about 8 degrees right now and it's going to be below zero tonight and single digits again tomorrow. It's still snowing lightly. Between Spokane and Coeur d'Alene got the brunt of the winds. Take it easy on the passes between CdA and Montana, lot of snow and ice but no restrictions. Cortana have you been outside yet? I'm still in my jammies and haven't even opened the door to get the paper! The kids are begging to play outside but I keep putting them off. I need to head out for some shopping in a while but really don't want to! I was just praying that the power stays on for the next couple days. I'm usually not a worry wart but, I think that would really make things miserable! Meli Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WTMCassandra Posted November 23, 2010 Share Posted November 23, 2010 Ack! Anyone in the Tri-cities or Spokane area? We are headed to Whitefish, Montana today (from Central Oregon) and now I am totally freaked out. We got dumped on yesterday too but for some reason, it never occurred to me that it would be up in WA as well. Yes, we are in Tri-Cities. We have a wide range of snowfall: I have 8-9 inches in Burbank but Kennewick reports up to 15 inches. It's a big mess here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosy Posted November 23, 2010 Share Posted November 23, 2010 Crazy stuff. DH got home at 9:00, it took him 4 hours. He was one of the lucky ones. I've heard from friends whose husbands didn't make it home. One friend's husband was on the bus for 12 hours, they wouldn't let people off to go to the bathroom even! One friend's car went off a bridge, she's ok but not feeling great and hasn't been able to get checked out at the hospital. Yes, we might not have as many inches as some places get, but we also don't have the ability handle weather like this--the equipment, deicers, etc. No one knows how to drive in it, either. Work wasn't canceled for DH, so he went back in. I hope they let him off before it gets dark. I'll be glad when this is over. We don't have snow gear for everyone and it's too cold be outside for very long, so the kids haven't been out much. I haven't been out at all. Hopefully it will melt tomorrow or Thurs like they're saying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleIzumi Posted November 23, 2010 Share Posted November 23, 2010 :grouphug::grouphug::grouphug: It's supposed to hit here, I think, as they SHUT DOWN dh's work to send them home before it hit, and they have never done that in the five years I worked there (quit end of August). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kristavws Posted November 23, 2010 Share Posted November 23, 2010 We only got a dusting of snow, but it is bitter cold. I started my day cracking ice, since all of the animals' water containers were frozen over. It doesn't look like it is going to warm up much, so I will probably be doing this several times throughout the day. Glad I located my thermals last night! My kids were sooo upset that we didn't get more snow, as they were really hoping to sled ride. Krista Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cortana Posted November 23, 2010 Share Posted November 23, 2010 Cortana have you been outside yet? I'm still in my jammies and haven't even opened the door to get the paper! The kids are begging to play outside but I keep putting them off. I need to head out for some shopping in a while but really don't want to! I was just praying that the power stays on for the next couple days. I'm usually not a worry wart but, I think that would really make things miserable! Meli Hey Meli, No haven't been outside yet, dh and our 9yo ds are putting the big dogs out to go potty and get fed and run around after being cooped up all night. It's wicked cold out there and we have probably 8 inches of snow in the backyard. Thankfully the plows came through so dh can get to the bank and make the car payment, lol! I'm not letting the kids go out right now, it's too cold. The weather forcast says it's supposed to be getting colder throughout the day. I think we'll wait till Thanksgiving to go out and play when it's supposed to be "warmer". :D I don't think we have to worry about the power going out, I have friends on the west side that lost power but that had to do more with the wind than snow. 2 years ago when we got several feet in just a couple days the power stayed on no problem. In the city the winds never got really bad. Thankfully we have wood heat and camping gear so if the power went out we'd be okay, hunkered down in the living room but okay. ;) We get these artic blasts every year. We've lived here 10 years and never seen the power go out due to extreme cold. It's usually a wind storm or ice storm (thankfully we didn't live here when the famous ice storm happened, people around here said that was a nightmare). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joannqn Posted November 23, 2010 Author Share Posted November 23, 2010 Here's someone made of cars trying to get up one of Seattle's hills, including a bus wiping out. It really is slippery, icy snow here especially without adequate equipment to deal with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cortana Posted November 24, 2010 Share Posted November 24, 2010 Here's someone made of cars trying to get up one of Seattle's hills, including a bus wiping out. It really is slippery, icy snow here especially without adequate equipment to deal with it. My brother and his wife live in Bothel, I'm really grateful for them that he was able to work from home today and they cancelled school for her (she's a teacher). I got to spend the evening helping dh dig our car out after it got stuck in the berm the snow plow left across the alley. He didn't see it until it was too late, it wasn't a big one but just deep enough to get the car stuck and it was getting dark. An hour later, the neighbor came down the alley and used a snowblower to clear the berm. :tongue_smilie: Ah the joys of living in snow country, lol! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snipsnsnailsx5 Posted November 24, 2010 Share Posted November 24, 2010 In in Central WA and we had some snow yesterday and the day before, but it only amounted to about 2". I don't know what the forecast has in store the rest of the week. It has been pretty cold though, expected to get into the negatives tonight. I'm worried about my sister though! She's living in Port Orchard now, and this is her and her husband's first year there. They are both used to big winters in Eastern WA, but I don't know how well they'll be used to tons of crazy traffic and other drivers not as used to bad road conditions! I'm going to call her right now! lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cortana Posted November 24, 2010 Share Posted November 24, 2010 In in Central WA and we had some snow yesterday and the day before, but it only amounted to about 2". I don't know what the forecast has in store the rest of the week. It has been pretty cold though, expected to get into the negatives tonight. I'm worried about my sister though! She's living in Port Orchard now, and this is her and her husband's first year there. They are both used to big winters in Eastern WA, but I don't know how well they'll be used to tons of crazy traffic and other drivers not as used to bad road conditions! I'm going to call her right now! lol That's the exact thing I'm worried for my brother and his wife. They are from Eastern WA as well, so same situation. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debbie in OR Posted November 24, 2010 Share Posted November 24, 2010 We made it safely to Whitefish! Oregon was the worst but outside of Spokane (western side), there was a terrible multi-car accident that had traffic backed up for miles. Also, when we were driving over 4th of July Pass, a semi moved over for us to pass (he had several lined up behind him) and his trailer just kept right on swinging around...we were sure we were going to have to stop and help him if his truck went over the side of the mountain. But he recovered, leaving me with jello-legs :w00t: Anyhow, I am hoping all of the rest of you travelers are safely where you were going. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyCrazyMama Posted November 24, 2010 Share Posted November 24, 2010 My son made it home without incident. :hurray: I hope everyone else is safe and warm today! :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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