Snowtorious B.I.G. Whining justified!

[KungFuPanda]

I have to say the level of over cautiousness is a bit extreme. Our co-op was cancelled today because schools were delayed two hours. The roads were fine and we start two hours after area high schools anyway. However, I was delighted to enjoy it and go back to sleep.

 

Schools are cancelled for tomorrow, which I thought was really odd since the roads are clear, dry, and the snow isn't expected until evening. It turns out that our county is legally required to cancel schools if the state declares an emergency. Since the state of emergency was called early, the county schools have no choice. Now, our state has an extremely wide range of weather for an east coast state, but that's the law.

Edited January 21, 2016 by KungFuPanda

[Stratford]

Not too early to whine, I've been whining all week.  Under normal circumstances, I'd be pleased as punch to be snowed in.  Unfortunately, I have to work this weekend (as I do every weekend) and since I'm considered "essential personnel" will likely spend the entire weekend at work.  I thoroughly dislike sleeping at the hospital and would much rather be stuck at home.  On the bright side, I'll camp out in my boss's office, which is at least quiet and private, though far from any sort of restroom.  I'm bringing snacks and books and a movie or two in case I can't sleep.  It'll be okay.  Maybe next time it'll snow on a Tuesday or something and I can enjoy it a little more.  

[Amira]

As of right now, our public schools are still in session tomorrow.  One neighboring school district is closed tomorrow.  I'm hoping that there is an early release since I'd much rather go for part of the day tomorrow than having to make up a snow day later.  

 

As for people making comments about the panic that ensues with this kind of weather, well, I grew up in Utah and people here are freaking out in my opinion.  But I also saw what one inch of snow did to the city last night and I think it's better to get people off the roads if they can't deal with it.  For a lot of different reasons Washington DC cannot deal with snow and that's just how it is.  It would probably help if weather woes in large east coast cities didn't make national news.  Do what you need to do to be safe and/or feel safe, but people in other parts of the country probably don't want to hear about winter weather in Washington DC or New York and they're going to mock you a bit when snow makes top national news.  

[Pawz4me]

As of right now, our public schools are still in session tomorrow.  One neighboring school district is closed tomorrow.  I'm hoping that there is an early release since I'd much rather go for part of the day tomorrow than having to make up a snow day later.  

 

As for people making comments about the panic that ensues with this kind of weather, well, I grew up in Utah and people here are freaking out in my opinion.  But I also saw what one inch of snow did to the city last night and I think it's better to get people off the roads if they can't deal with it.  For a lot of different reasons Washington DC cannot deal with snow and that's just how it is.  It would probably help if weather woes in large east coast cities didn't make national news.  Do what you need to do to be safe and/or feel safe, but people in other parts of the country probably don't want to hear about winter weather in Washington DC or New York and they're going to mock you a bit when snow makes top national news.  

 

Why?

 

That attitude makes no sense to me.  Not at all.  In fact it seems downright silly, or maybe self centered or glorying living in ignorance.

 

I'm 3,000 miles away from the west coast, but I still pay attention to adverse weather events there.  I like knowing what's happening in other parts of my country.  And what with the recent El Nino stuff there's been plenty of coverage of events on the west coast (and rightly so).  Sure I think it's a bit weird that parts of California have major problems from a few inches of rain, or people in the northern part of the country think a few days of 80 degree weather constitutes a heat wave, but I know that type of weather is unusual for those areas.

 

While I agree that sometimes the coverage of things on the east coast can seem a bit over the top, when you consider the sheer number of people impacted it kind of puts things in a bit of perspective.  A severe weather event that will potentially impact 75 million people (about 25 percent of our country's population) is no small thing.

Edited January 21, 2016 by Pawz4me

[Amira]

Why?

 

That attitude makes no sense to me.  Not at all.  In fact it seems downright silly, or maybe self centered or glorying living in ignorance.

 

I'm 3,000 miles away from the west coast, but I still pay attention to adverse weather events there.  I like knowing what's happening in other parts of my country.  And what with the recent El Nino stuff there's been plenty of coverage of events on the west coast (and rightly so).  Sure I think it's a bit weird that parts of California have major problems from a few inches of rain, or people in the northern part of the country think a few days of 80 degree weather constitutes a heat wave, but I know that type of weather is unusual for those areas.

 

While I agree that sometimes the coverage of things on the east coast can seem a bit over the top, when you consider the sheer number of people impacted it kind of puts things in a bit of perspective.  A severe weather event that will potentially impact 75 million people (about 25 percent of our country's population) is no small thing.

 

I'm also interested in the weather all over the world. I like to hear about the weather in different parts of the country. I think it would be cool to have a international weather report every day.  Why doesn't someone do that?  (Or tell me if there is such a thing.)

 

A major weather event anywhere in the country should be on the news.  But it's a top story locally and regionally.  Nationally, it's just one of many stories that affect the country.  

[Liz CA]

Our summer water is rain, so feel free to come and get all of the snow you want.  It's really completely unnecessary.

 

 

I'm starting to think it's not as simple as D.C. folks are inherently stupid about driving in the snow.  I think it's more a factor of the sheer volume of people.  In other places, if one car slides a bit it might not be big deal.  Here, if an icy patch exists, 5 cars are going to slide, two will hit each other, and this will block the progress of thousands of other vehicles. It seems like last night, the roads were fine so people were just doing their rush hour thing, but anything remotely elevated was frozen and slick.  Now you have traffic stopped at a gazillion on-ramps and over passes.  

 

 I also think that's why they seem so overly cautious with cancellations.  The sheer logistics of the number of school children that are moved in a day is staggering.  I'm not sure they even do chains on school buses anymore.  I grew up in rural WV.  Our buses had chains and school was rarely cancelled.  Up here, that many chains on that many buses would likely destroy the roads.

 

ETA:  I'm pretty sure I won the Snow Day.  Our co-op was cancelled and I went back to sleep until almost NOON.

 

I have never been in the Washington DC area and what you describe does not sound like fun. I do wonder though why people in that particular area are labeled ill prepared. Is it really population density? Infrastructure? It seems like they face this every winter along with NY, NH, ME, MA and other states.

And I am not being condescending as a pp mentioned. Just curious. I am sure glad I live in a place now where I don't have to shovel anymore or make sure the car does not high center on a couple of feet of snow.

 

Edited January 21, 2016 by Liz CA

[Pawz4me]

I'm also interested in the weather all over the world. I like to hear about the weather in different parts of the country. I think it would be cool to have a international weather report every day.  Why doesn't someone do that?  (Or tell me if there is such a thing.)

 

A major weather event anywhere in the country should be on the news.  But it's a top story locally and regionally.  Nationally, it's just one of many stories that affect the country.  

 

I don't see a major winter weather event that will likely affect a quarter of the population who live in the affected area, plus likely shut down some of the busiest airports in the country (thus affecting a lot more people than just the ones who live in the area) as only a top story locally and regionally.

 

By that reasoning I guess the San Bernardino shooting, the Ferguson riots and things like that should all have been treated as just local/regional stories? :confused1:

 

(ETA -- If your point is that our media tends to latch on to any big event as The One Big Current News Story and seems to almost ignore everything else happening at that same time, I totally agree with that!)

Edited January 21, 2016 by Pawz4me

[PrincessMommy]

I have to say the level of over cautiousness is a bit extreme. Our co-op was cancelled today because schools were delayed two hours. The roads were fine and we start two hours after area high schools anyway. However, I was delighted to enjoy it and go back to sleep.

 

Schools are cancelled for tomorrow, which I thought was really odd since the roads are clear, dry, and the snow isn't expected until evening. It turns out that our county is legally required to cancel schools if the state declares an emergency. Since the state of emergency was called early, the county schools have no choice. Now, our state has an extremely wide range of weather for an east coast state, but that's the law.

 

I didn't know that.  I wonder if it's the same in my county.   I was also surprised my county didn't at least have a 1/2 day tomorrow since the earliest the snow is supposed to hit us is around 1pm-2pm. 

 

Two hour delay this morning was silly... but I guess they needed more time to de-ice sidewalks at school :confused1:  

[Amira]

I don't see a major winter weather event that will likely affect a quarter of the population who live in the affected area, plus likely shut down some of the busiest airports in the country (thus affecting a lot more people than just the ones who live in the area) as only a top story locally and regionally.

 

By that reasoning I guess the San Bernardino shooting, the Ferguson riots and things like that should all have been treated as just local/regional stories? :confused1:

 

No, of course they shouldn't be and I don't think I implied that, but they should be treated differently in national news than in local news.  The drought in California is news, but it's not daily national news unless the stories are about issues that affect more of the US (like agricultural issues that might affect food prices nationally).  Individual police shootings generally don't warrant national coverage unless they tie in more directly with Black Lives Matter which is a national movement (or the other way around- the brother of a friend of mine was killed a few days ago as he was trying to arrest someone).  This giant snowstorm should get mentioned in national news when airports close, but the lead up to the storm isn't national news and the reporting about it should be balanced with the many other stories that will happen this weekend.

 

While you probably see things differently, I do think that the fact that many major news outlets are broadcasting and publishing from major eastern cities means that news and events from those cities is more emphasized in national news.  I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing and I wouldn't call it a bias, but it's there (in my opinion).  

[Guest]

We're not the snowiest in the country, but the Pocono Mountains aren't a stranger to it, either.

 

Our schools are somewhat liberal with snow days. People get mad, either way. Last year, they had a lot of "cold days", which had more to do with bus stop exposure and bus/building heating issues. Many people completely flipped out. This year, one of the schools had heating issues and they kept kids in school. Many people completely flipped out. You can't win.

 

When my son was in school, I kept him home several times when the schools were open. Those last 200' of elevation at our house make a giant difference in road conditions.

 

I love homeschooling!

The bolded: SO TRUE! I have thought before, "I sure would hate to be that guy who decides whether to dalay or close school or not!" I have seen/heard parents going balistic because school was closed for "wintery mix" predictions that turned out to be pretty much rain. And I've seen/heard parents going ballistic because nobody cancelled/delayed school and the roads were covered. I have heard parents whine that the make-up days were going to trail on forever and I have heard parents whine that they did not close when it should have been obvious because "that's what we have snow days for!"

 

Cannot win. Don't want to be that guy.

[KungFuPanda]

Complaining is a sport! I don't know WHY people complain that folks in DC are Ill-prepared. Driving on icy pavement is not the same as "driving in snow" and when it's dark it can be impossible to avoid those random patches of ice. Not everything is avoidable unless you stay off the roads entirely and people don't like that either. Also, it's not the same 20 guys wrecking every time it snows. The average D.C. motorist might have an ice-related fender bender once in her life. Somewhere else, with the same road conditions, you might swerve a little, regain control, and move on. When it happens on the beltway at rush hour sliding a few inches means you've hit another vehicle and created a traffic jam. Also, last night was just weird. The roads weren't treated yet and it was just a dusting, but the way the dusting landed it created a LOT of black ice very quickly.

[Spryte]

Complaining is a sport! I don't know WHY people complain that folks in DC are Ill-prepared. Driving on icy pavement is not the same as "driving in snow" and when it's dark it can be impossible to avoid those random patches of ice. Not everything is avoidable unless you stay off the roads entirely and people don't like that either. Also, it's not the same 20 guys wrecking every time it snows. The average D.C. motorist might have an ice-related fender bender once in her life. Somewhere else, with the same road conditions, you might swerve a little, regain control, and move on. When it happens on the beltway at rush hour sliding a few inches means you've hit another vehicle and created a traffic jam. Also, last night was just weird. The roads weren't treated yet and it was just a dusting, but the way the dusting landed it created a LOT of black ice very quickly.

Yes. Black ice + serious traffic = disastrous results often. It's not the snow that gets people, it's the ice. And when there are that many people and cars - it's bound to happen. Plus, so many people regularly commute two hours into DC every day, leaving at 3 and 4 am... It gets crazy.

[Guest]

Complaining is a sport! I don't know WHY people complain that folks in DC are Ill-prepared. Driving on icy pavement is not the same as "driving in snow" and when it's dark it can be impossible to avoid those random patches of ice. Not everything is avoidable unless you stay off the roads entirely and people don't like that either. Also, it's not the same 20 guys wrecking every time it snows. The average D.C. motorist might have an ice-related fender bender once in her life. Somewhere else, with the same road conditions, you might swerve a little, regain control, and move on. When it happens on the beltway at rush hour sliding a few inches means you've hit another vehicle and created a traffic jam. Also, last night was just weird. The roads weren't treated yet and it was just a dusting, but the way the dusting landed it created a LOT of black ice very quickly.

 

I saw three ditched cars beside I-70 this morning, just in the 15-minute stretch from DS' school to my exit. Not to mention the wreck that delayed us on 70 in the other direction. It was surprising! One poor truck was all the way down the embankment and facing the other direction. So - yeah, some combination of factors caused a lot of trouble last night into this morning.

[bettyandbob]

It's a combination of factors that make a storm in DC difficult when the same volume of snow might be business as usual in Minnesota or Maine. 

 

1. DC gets at most two big snows (4-6" or more) a winter. Some winters they don't get any. 

---there is no reason to invest in infrastructure that will not get a huge amount of use. Indeed some equipment will not age well when not used enough.

---workers, city/county managers don't get regular constant practice through the winter months, so there is just not a routine that has uncovered the most efficient approach.

Given that these weather events do not occur at a constant rate every winter, it would be fiscally irresponsible to invest in the infrastructure that northern states have. There other things the DC region should invest in before they put more into snow removal. 

2. On roads, there is volume. The volume of traffic in this region is huge. Not everybody is a bad driver in snow. Sometimes when everyone is driving well it's just the volume plus the slow down caused by driving appropriately to the conditions that really backs things up

3. There are some bad drivers. People who don't know how to respond to a skid, people who don't realize a very light car is going to have problems with traction, people who think they can drive at speed because they have 4 wheel drive. It only takes one person like this to close a major artery. Obviously, if snowstorms happened all winter long, people would be more practiced in how to drive in snow and there would be fewer bad drivers, but still it only takes one to cause a back up that keeps hundreds of people stuck all night because of the sheer volume. 

4. Because people aren't practiced in how to respond, it leads to some of the silly buy all the toilet paper behavior (or perhaps there is reasonable fear that a horrible intestinal  virus will strike during a snow storm).  

 

A major storm here is national news. If car traffic through this area stops, that affects movement up and down the east coast. If the airports close that affects air traffic all over the US and the world. There are three major airports in this region. If the storm is bad enough to shut the federal government then that is going to affect business outside of this region--some things that have to go through DC offices to get done just won't get done. 

 

 

 

 

[PrincessMommy]

okay, I think this is going to be a painful weekend to get through.  Just watched the news.  One station says I could get up to 30" of wet heavy snow.  Add to that 20* temps and 35mph winds.  Ugh.  I am not looking forward to shoveling in that.  We'll be shoveling throughout the day to keep on top of it.  Miserable work in the wind and cold.   I normally enjoy a good, close the city, snowstorm.  But, I already don't like this one.

 

They're expecting widespread power outages too because of the heavy snow and wind.  Oh joy.

 

Edited January 22, 2016 by PrincessMommy

[KungFuPanda]

I've never understood closing the schools for cold. Well, unless the school doesn't have heat! Kids in our valley regularly stand outside waiting for the bus at -25. Yeah, they're bundled up, hat, mittens, boots, etc. If we closed for cold, we'd be closed 3 months out of the year!

Quality snow gear can be expensive. Parents can be reluctant to invest when children grow so fast and some years we don't even get enough cold to use it at all. We've had winters with zero snow days where my kids only wore their hoodies. Then, a few years later we get Snowmageddon and our county gets more snow than the rest of the country. Add to that the knowledge that if it's cold and snowy enough to need that stuff the kids will be home anyway. Sure, kids have stuff for playing in the snow, but most of them just aren't geared up for sub zero temps. It is weirdly inconsistent here and can be tough to decide where to put limited personal and government funds.

 

I WAS that rural kid bundled at the bus stop waiting for the bus with chains. I saw a handful of cars go by. I certainly wasn't walking to my neighborhood school while hundreds of cars skidded by on the ice a few feet away from me. Also, closing for snow/cold here usually means a handful of days. They plan for five of these days a year. They can go YEARS without using any of them, then some years they need 10, or 15 for really bad winters. Also, true quality snowball snow is rare. It's a lot of slushy-like icy wintry mix.

 

So, compared to three months, three weeks of missed school is about as bad as it can get here if they take off for every snowy or below zero day..

[bettyandbob]

I've never understood closing the schools for cold. Well, unless the school doesn't have heat! Kids in our valley regularly stand outside waiting for the bus at -25. Yeah, they're bundled up, hat, mittens, boots, etc. If we closed for cold, we'd be closed 3 months out of the year!

Again this is an infrastructure issue.

Do we invest in equipment used to heat bus engines? School districts around here are huge and have thousands of kids to move. Of the counties in this region Fairfax probably has the most buses--1500+. That's a lot of buses to invest specialized equipment in. The buses have to be on the road by 6 am. The specialized equipment would get used a few times a year. Since they don't invest in it, there is a day or two every few years buses just won't start. Or will be excessively (hours) late--and they don't want any kids waiting (waiting at a bus stop is completely different than playing outside or walking).

 

I don't think the buildings are a simple matter of do they have heat either. I think construction is based on climate somewhat. And the types of equipment purchased for heating buildings. The other thing is some school systems in the area rely heavily on portable classrooms and providing climate control to those is a different issue than the buildings. Plus, portable classrooms at middle and hig schools mean students and teachers are running outside at intervals all day long.

 

And there is the issue of children not having great winter gear. It's expensive to invest I stuff kids may or may not get use out of and buy it every year. Plus, in this region, the best cold weather gear is just not sold at most stores, like you'd find in Minneapolis or Boulder. 30 years ago I had a friend who told me she only bought winter coats when she visited relatives in Minneapolis. Coats available were just warmer there. I made a habit of buying new from llbean for my oldest and passing coats down as he outgrew them. Even then I didn't buy coats rated for extreme temps, because that is unnecessary here. Beyond coats a lot of people don't invest in snow pants or get the best gloves, etc. I used to get stuff at a great consignment shop, but not everyone has that nearby. Does it make sense for people to spend a few hundred dollars to deck their kid out in stuff he may not need more than one day?

[marbel]

I've never understood closing the schools for cold. Well, unless the school doesn't have heat! Kids in our valley regularly stand outside waiting for the bus at -25. Yeah, they're bundled up, hat, mittens, boots, etc. If we closed for cold, we'd be closed 3 months out of the year!

 

Sure, but you know it's going to be snowy and people have the right clothing.  If snow/severe cold is a freak thing, or if it typically is a once-a-year thing, people aren't going to have all the gear. 

 

My relatives in Buffalo love to make fun of the southern states for their low cold tolerance.  It drives me crazy.   Was it last year, 2 years ago, people were laughing about Louisiana closing schools for cold and it was somewhere in the 30s?    Those kids don't have clothing for that!  They wear shorts  and flip flops to school.  It was right to close the schools when kids don't have the clothing to get to and fro safely. 

 

(Margaret in CO, I'm not comparing you to my relatives; I don't read you as making fun.) 

 

[Pawz4me]

I've never understood closing the schools for cold. Well, unless the school doesn't have heat! Kids in our valley regularly stand outside waiting for the bus at -25. Yeah, they're bundled up, hat, mittens, boots, etc. If we closed for cold, we'd be closed 3 months out of the year!

 

Well, a lot of people in the south probably don't understand--and think it's pretty darn funny--why schools in other parts of the country sometimes close early due to heat.  Like this.  Or this.  If we closed our schools every time it got a bit warm we'd have to really compress our school year!

 

But of course the difference is that we're used to dealing with the heat, and all our schools have good air conditioning systems.  Other parts of the country aren't used to it, and it wouldn't be a wise use of funds to prepare for the relatively few days that it affects them.

 

Really, it's not hard to understand that we live in a big country and different regions face different challenges and allocate resources to deal with them in the most sensible (for them) way.

[Carrie12345]

Quality snow gear can be expensive. Parents can be reluctant to invest when children grow so fast and some years we don't even get enough cold to use it at all. We've had winters with zero snow days where my kids only wore their hoodies. Then, a few years later we get Snowmageddon and our county gets more snow than the rest of the country. Add to that the knowledge that if it's cold and snowy enough to need that stuff the kids will be home anyway. Sure, kids have stuff for playing in the snow, but most of them just aren't geared up for sub zero temps. It is weirdly inconsistent here and can be tough to decide where to put limited personal and government funds.

 

I WAS that rural kid bundled at the bus stop waiting for the bus with chains. I saw a handful of cars go by. I certainly wasn't walking to my neighborhood school while hundreds of cars skidded by on the ice a few feet away from me. Also, closing for snow/cold here usually means a handful of days. They plan for five of these days a year. They can go YEARS without using any of them, then some years they need 10, or 15 for really bad winters. Also, true quality snowball snow is rare. It's a lot of slushy-like icy wintry mix.

 

So, compared to three months, three weeks of missed school is about as bad as it can get here if they take off for every snowy or below zero day..

 

Yeah, we're in an upper income range for the area, and I sure as heck don't invest in gear appropriate for rapid frostbite temperatures/wind for 5 kids (even with hand me downs) every year.  We do warm coats, gloves, hats, boots, and snow pants (though we've skimped on those many years) of Target-type quality.

 

In our decade of living here, I'll throw out the estimate of having maybe 20 days of dangerous cold (more in the past 2 years). Hundreds (if not more) in higher quality gear, or just stay home with hot chocolate twice a year on average? I'll take the cocoa.

 

And it often does mean heating issues for our school buildings.  Now, I don't know anything about building *management, so perhaps it's more about people than weather, but it's a regular issue for schools in all 4 of our county's many buildings.

[Carrie12345]

Just because I saw another one pop up...

A local FB page has started to post just about every vehicle accident that happens in our area.  There have been at least 5 reported in the past 2 days for the road right outside my community (that I use to go pretty much everywhere.)  That's with dry, clear roads.  I don't imagine that will go *down this weekend!

[KungFuPanda]

AND SO IT BEGINS! Flakes! Stickage! My road is white! I just fed my sourdough starter in preparation for a day of slow-rise bread baking and homemade pizza tomorrow. As a back-up, I moved the grill into the carport in case we're hunkered down in the fireplace room and cooking on the grill. Let's hope it doesn't come to that.

 

Edited January 22, 2016 by KungFuPanda

[KungFuPanda]

Ok, so far Jonas is a gentleman.

 

 

Edited because I keep calling the storm Jonah :-/

Edited January 23, 2016 by KungFuPanda

[KungFuPanda]

Oh boy.

 

[KungFuPanda]

Ok. Just had to dig a path for my dog. He has long legs, but it's hopeless. He tried jumping through the snow, but didn't get past the patio before giving up and leaping back inside.

 

It's deep, but it's not super cold. The snow is crazy heavy. I dug the dog his path, got a few feet into my walk, then chatted with my neighbors. They have visitors from Brazil who were hoping to see snow. I blame them.

 

[Wheres Toto]

We started out in one of the lower bands but ended up the highest.  A town a few miles from me is one the National Weather Service says received the most snow from this storm.    I know there were a couple hundred accidents and cars abandoned around here yesterday and they were begging people to just stay home.   Church was cancelled this morning and some schools already have delays tomorrow. 

 

We live in a dead end neighborhood on a street that is a fairly steep hill right outside our driveway and there's one other steep hill to get out to the bigger roads.  Hopefully they will plow, salt/sand and we'll be able to get out at some point.  We have a Suburban which probably can drive right over it but our other car is a Honda Accord and that could be a problem.

 

I also agree with the posters above about being prepared.  My kids have snow boots, ski pants and coats but from Target.  They are great to go out and play for an hour or so when they can come right inside and warm up but I wouldn't want them to be out for too long.  Snow boots aren't the best for walking long distances with comfort.

 

[Dmmetler]

I wish ya'll could send about a foot our way. We got maybe an inch, which mostly melted the next day. At least it was snow (we usually get ice, not snow, and snow is a lot more fun).

[SparklyUnicorn]

We didn't get anything (capital district NY).  Thank goodness. 

 

 

[KungFuPanda]

We saw some sun AND blue sky today, but no snow plows. Our driveway is shoveled, but it's a path to nowhere. Ours is a wet climate, and the temps will hover between 25-35. This means our snow is heavy and wet and melts during the day but freezes into sheets of ice at night. I anticipate more accidents when people finally leave their homes.

 

Shoveling is hysterical. It takes three full, heavy shovels to get down to pavement. Step forward a foot and repeat. I may cancel my dance classes tomorrow night. I'm not sure we will see a plow AND have 5 guest spots shoveled out.

 

They've cancelled schools for tomorrow and area colleges delayed the kids' return before the storm even hit. I predict they all go back Wednesday, but who knows. The Brazilian family that's visiting my neighbors is LOVING this. The son lived here for a year as an exchange student, but his little sister has never seen snow and she's in heaven.

[KungFuPanda]

Ok. Last photos. We sort-of shoveled the patio so the dog could get through, so that messes it up, but the yardstick tells you how high the window is.

 

This is actually a somewhat protected corner of the house, but I could photograph it without going outside :-)

 

 

 

Dog path!

 

Edited January 24, 2016 by KungFuPanda

[Pen]

...  It would probably help if weather woes in large east coast cities didn't make national news.  Do what you need to do to be safe and/or feel safe, but people in other parts of the country probably don't want to hear about winter weather in Washington DC or New York and they're going to mock you a bit when snow makes top national news.  

 

I do!!!

 

I don't expect weather woes in another part of the country to be in our local little paper, but I do expect and want to know about significant weather events in other parts of the country, and do expect it to be in the National news.  And also I want to know about significant weather events in other countries in the international news. In general, I think we get too little information on weather events, not too much.  

 

I'd certainly rather hear/read about the weather than about SexyStar's new album  or clothing misadventure or romance, which to me seems like free advertising, not news at all. 

[bettyandbob]

Dh watches Sky News (UK). The snowstorm was a story in their program yesterday.

[Lizzie in Ma]

We got 15.3".  Youngest didn't have to go in to work Saturday afternoon or Sunday.  And church was cancelled too.  I have to go to work this morning, but the roads are fine now.

[I talk to the trees]

Still waiting for our little subdivision to be plowed. At this point, I have given up hope of that actually happening. Devin (if that is the real name of the script reader answering phones for the city) assured me this morning that the plow drivers were "working 'round the clock to get the roads clear." When I asked why our roads hadn't even been pre-treated - since it says clearly on the city's web site that that is what they do when they know a storm of this size is coming- he said, " I have nothing else to say to you" and hung up! Awww, poor thing! Didn't they give you a scripted reply for that one, Devin?

 

I hope mother nature turns up the heat soon to melt this mess! We are going to have to get out there in a couple of hours, whether the (mythical) snow plows come through or not!

[KungFuPanda]

Still no plows for us. I'm guessing main roads are passable, and we could walk to the store, but we're still stocked up from my Wednesday grocery run.

 

My evening dance students want me to post a video lesson. Pffft. THAT'S not happening. I told them to run the dance and ask questions if they get stuck. One person will do it. They're not getting off the couch today.

[Guest]

I'm not sure what's really important enough to put children out in the 15-to-30-minute-to-frostbite zone with mile walks to the bus stop, plus bus wait. Perhaps to obtain needed food or medicine, but that's not a common issue here.

You do realize that is what my toddlers play in every day in the winter right?

 

Believe it or not one can be outside and not die in the cold with a few layers, a hat, and gloves. We are a bus city (I hate it) and the kids are at the school bus stop in this weather daily. That's considered the nicest alternative compared to making them walk on sidewalks that might not be plowed actually.

 

The roads I can understanding during whiteout conditions, but once the snow has fallen and removal begins life goes on.

[Guest]

Sure, but you know it's going to be snowy and people have the right clothing. If snow/severe cold is a freak thing, or if it typically is a once-a-year thing, people aren't going to have all the gear.

 

My relatives in Buffalo love to make fun of the southern states for their low cold tolerance. It drives me crazy. Was it last year, 2 years ago, people were laughing about Louisiana closing schools for cold and it was somewhere in the 30s? Those kids don't have clothing for that! They wear shorts and flip flops to school. It was right to close the schools when kids don't have the clothing to get to and fro safely.

 

(Margaret in CO, I'm not comparing you to my relatives; I don't read you as making fun.)

This makes no sense to me. Quality snow gear is nice but layering normal clothing works as well or better. It is just ignorance that disallows kids wearing a long sleeved shirt AND sweatshirt and maybe some thinner pants or leggings under their jeans? A hat? Hands in pockets?

 

Even in California we owned some clbasic windbreakers and sweatshirts. Combining them isn't some upper middle class northerner skill?

[Guest]

Kung Fu Panda - your deck pictures are great :D

 

We have almost no snow down right now, it all melted in a warm snap. but we always have fun with those really deep snow piles in he back yard. Nobody loves shoveling the heavy wet stuff off the driveway though :D

[frogger]

I personally think that is rational for people in different climates to think differently about things.

 

That being said, I have been whining all year about snow. I'm thinking the biggest whiners are Alaskans. Click link to get taste of just how bad it is.

 

http://www.adn.com/article/20160124/dear-snow-love-letter

[Guest]

Where you guys DO have my sympathy is the drivers more than the cold or precipitation - My least favorite thing about snowy weather is half the drivers on the road.

 

Which brings to mind this VG Cats from loooong ago:

http://www.vgcats.com/vgc_comics/images/031131.jpg

[frogger]

Nm

Edited January 25, 2016 by frogger

[marbel]

This makes no sense to me. Quality snow gear is nice but layering normal clothing works as well or better. It is just ignorance that disallows kids wearing a long sleeved shirt AND sweatshirt and maybe some thinner pants or leggings under their jeans? A hat? Hands in pockets?

 

Even in California we owned some clbasic windbreakers and sweatshirts. Combining them isn't some upper middle class northerner skill?

 

I doubt it's ignorance.

 

My point was, people don't necessarily have the clothing, just as cities/counties don't necessarily have the equipment.   It's not their typical weather and they have no reason to expect it or be prepared for it. 

 

Layering only goes so far, just as removing clothing in extreme heat only goes so far.

 

California is not the same as the deep south. 

 

[Guest]

NM, I'm still siding with hysteria and VGCats.

Edited January 25, 2016 by Arctic Mama

[Daria]

I just want to jump in and say that Snowtorious B.I.G. is a far better name than Snowzilla.  Maybe if we all start calling it that, it will catch on.

[Carrie12345]

You do realize that is what my toddlers play in every day in the winter right?

 

Believe it or not one can be outside and not die in the cold with a few layers, a hat, and gloves. We are a bus city (I hate it) and the kids are at the school bus stop in this weather daily. That's considered the nicest alternative compared to making them walk on sidewalks that might not be plowed actually.

 

The roads I can understanding during whiteout conditions, but once the snow has fallen and removal begins life goes on.

 

No, I didn't realize you lived in a place where every winter day feels like -18* or colder.  Toronto and Alaska average a lot higher than that in winter, so you must be REALLY arctic, huh?

[Spryte]

I just want to jump in and say that Snowtorious B.I.G. is a far better name than Snowzilla. Maybe if we all start calling it that, it will catch on.

Love this name!

 

DH had a colleague pick him up, to head to NYC - the other snowy city. Colleague has four wheel drive and knows how to use it. Still got stuck in our neighborhood and had to shovel out. [sigh] Snow plows will come eventually, right? Right?

 

We have snow gear, kids are having a ball. But, darn it, we're out of hot cocoa.

[frogger]

An average for Alaska is meaningless. Juneau has weather like western Washington and Anchorage only goes below Zero here and there throughout the winter but if you live in the interior you will experience sub-zero most of the winter. When I was in school in Fairbanks I remember being happy that it got above -40 degrees F. We were so enjoying the warm weather of the negative 30's.

 

But I agree that different places adapt differently and it is silly to compare. If the majority in a town feel the need to close school for a certain temp. then they would know that better than people from a different state.

[Guest]

No, I didn't realize you lived in a place where every winter day feels like -18* or colder. Toronto and Alaska average a lot higher than that in winter, so you must be REALLY arctic, huh?

-18 F or C? I was referring to the temps across the northeast and south right now, which aren't overly low. I don't feel the need to send the little kids out in full snow gear for a walk unless it is below about -10 C. Then their little hands get cold and they whine sooner. The big kids don't like wearing all their basic layers until -15 C or below, and we start adding thermal underwear and extra turtlenecks and scarves around -23 C.

 

Some parts of the Midwest get bitterly cold, much like Delta Junction or Tok here. That's a different ballpark where there is genuine danger from exposure. Far northern and inland Canada and Alaska are different than more coastal or southern areas. It really just depends.

 

New York is 38 F today. Richmond has a high of 58. Boston is 33 F right now. Birmingham is 61 F. Even St Paul is 29 F. These are not deadly cold temperatures even with snow down. That was what I was referencing.

[Daria]

This makes no sense to me. Quality snow gear is nice but layering normal clothing works as well or better. It is just ignorance that disallows kids wearing a long sleeved shirt AND sweatshirt and maybe some thinner pants or leggings under their jeans? A hat? Hands in pockets?

 

Even in California we owned some clbasic windbreakers and sweatshirts. Combining them isn't some upper middle class northerner skill?

 

As someone who has lived in very cold climates, and also in DC, I would disagree.  The first few months of winter when we moved to Canada, my brother and I froze, because my mother assumed that tricks that worked OK in DC, like sticking a grocery bag between two layers of cotton socks inside your rainboots, just didn't fly.  Layers of cotton clothing, like the pj pants I frequently saw under jeans on cold days teaching in DC, would just get soaked and then they'd conduct heat away from your body, and taking your hands out of your pocket or mittens to lock the door behind you, or get your bus pass out for the bus was physically painful.

 

I believe that your kids play outside when it's 18 below.  i don't believe that they play outside in a pair of pj pants, cotton jeans, cotton socks, and rain boots.  Or that there are a bunch of kids at the bus stop with a sweatshirt, windbreaker, and no gloves.  My guess is that if a kid did arrive at an Alaska public school like that midwinter, there would a call to CPS.  

[Spryte]

As this is the whining thread, for us east coast wimps (see first post) I feel the need to yet again bemoan the fact that we are out of hot cocoa. Why, oh why, didn't I join the snovereaction insanity and get more hot cocoa?

 

Kung Fu, whine away. I'll whine with you and those tougher than us can just laugh. Maybe there will soon be a separate thread for the tough peeps who want to mock us.