95 Snow Storm

I was talking about this storm the other day. I just happened to be driving a snow plow on grave-yard when this storm hit. By morning there was 3 plus feet in a small little town that was caught totally off guard. Emergency vehicles, electrical vehicles, and our snow removal vehicles were completely screwed. Single chains was all they had. Dummies. Good reminder about relying on yourself and not your local government entities.

 

Ha, If we get 1'' every 5 years it's freak out time, Untold amount of wrecks, School close, Cars in ditches..Fun Fun

 

We had the 2003 Blizzard. Denver metro received 31- 46 inches of snow. Some foothills areas received up to 7 feet of snow fall in two days. We received 5 feet of wet and heavy snow. The county officials were overwhelmed. It became neighbor helping neighbor.

I was not a prepper then, just an organized Mom who always had extra on hand. Very lucky we enough on hand to get us through. We were having to give our neighbor food.

 

Crazy few days. I did learn that a single chain is only slightly better than no chains on a plow truck. Folks were walking downtown for supplies in the only place passable. The middle of the road. Now I felt like helping them to the side with the plow but never did.

 

Were getting freezing rain right now, par for the course here in Salem, it's when we get the snows after that it gets really ugly!
This State used to have a pretty good handle on the ice and snow that we are known for, but lately ( Last 10 years or so) things have gone down the drain. Few road crews, few plow trucks and sanders, and fewer yet to operate them! On top of that, the populations have exploded and the cities and counties don't fight the weather effectively any more! They go out and spread sodium bicarbonate to keep the roads from iceing up, which only works for the first 12 hours or any weather, after that its a frickin skating rink!

I got a full set of Ice Breaker chains for my 4X4 Pickup and I know how to use them, so if it does get bad, i'm able to get around, mostly for emergency needs! The Local E.R. is only 3 miles away and faster for me to drive then to call for E.M.S!

 

We're supposed to get 6-12 inches thru monday . Kind of hitting us early compared to the last few years . Won't last long around here , never does ,but it sure puts a hurting on the no driving peoples out there . I should be good to go , put some new tires on the truck today , heavier tread than I wanted , but it'll be ok . Ya'll stay safe out there .

 

I miss those storms.

 

Had heavy snow during my winter at Greatlakes Navy Base, Ill. in the early 1980s. A couple squids f4om up north had plows and tow straps on their 4X4 trucks. They made extra money towing stalled cars.

 

Does not hurt my feelings at all this one is going to stay South of me for a change

 

Wait a minute here . Every yankee that comes down south says "We " ,southerners ,, can't drive in the snow , and now your telling me ya'll got yankees in the ditches during the snow storms . This dispels all I've been told ,,,,

 

Our local guy (Brad Panovich -@wxbrad on Twitter) has become a bit of a celebrity, kind of along the lines of Jim Cantore but a little more local. He's fun to listen to and up until just recently told it mostly "as it is". The touch of celebrity has gone a little to his head and he's begun couching things in terms that will prevent him from being wrong (no matter what happens). That being said, we could get anywhere from a touch of wintry mix to 5" of heavy wet snow. Last I heard, his "Snow Meter" was at a 7...which means that Charlotte NC will effectively shut down. Business and Schools will open late, close early or be closed altogether.



Charlotte reaches a '7' on Brad Panovich's Snow Meter

 

That means to have at least a 3-4 day beer supply on hand . No power supply necessary as the snow will keep it cold for you .

 

Great Lakes Navy Base (and Training Center) is just north of Chicago and having lived there, it is VERY midwest and not at all "Yankee country". While some in the south consider it "anything north of the Mason-Dixon line" it's much more traditionally the New England area, far north-east.

Living in the cold and snow doesn't grant you any special abilities or dispensation from being a bad driver in the snow. I've seen far too many people who think "I've got 4-wheel drive, I'll be fine" that end up in the ditch because friction and traction and the contact between the tires and the road or a non-slick surface is FAR more important than having 4 independent wheels that can spin freely at different speeds.

That being said, having lived in Chicagoland (and not turned commie), Utah and North Carolina (Southern Piedmont), I can assure you that folks in the south are generally both less well equipped and less capable driving in the snow. A far greater % of people in the south have less than zero ability when driving in the snow than those who have seen it more than once every decade or at least several years.

Personally, I attribute this to people in the south (or at least where I live) being bad drivers in general. And I define bad a number of ways, including not knowing what the stalk on the left hand side of the steering wheel is for or understanding that MY turn signal is NOT a request for permission...it is a notification of INTENT, and as such, speeding up to close the gap that I AM moving into will result in you rear-ending me. That, in NC and SC is 100% the fault of the person in back and WILL result in an increase in insurance for the guilty party. And with a tow hitch on my car, you will likely suffer far greater damage than I will.

That being said. It's gonna snow and I'm staying home. Not becuase *I* can't drive but because I don't trust the rest of those yahoos out there!

 

Well said . You are correct , staying home will greatly reduce having to deal with the non drivers .
Back around 1990 , give or take a year or so , I was OTR tractor trailer driving . Cold weather hit the southern states , and Florida actually got snow . I happened to be coming back from NY or Jersey . Well all the talk on the CB was about all the wrecks happening in Florida because of the snow . I remember one driver saying he was driving as fast as could to get back to Florida , was going to sell his truck , and buy a tow truck . Said he was going to get rich pulling them Florida drivers out of the ditches .

 

Had a CDL but was limited to Intra-State since I was under 21. Worked for Allied as a lumper and then a driver. I drove to the border and then we swapped drivers with one who had an Interstate license if I had to go just over the border (Idaho, Wyoming, Nevada). Never had an issue in the snow in the big rig and in Utah/Idaho/Wyoming/Norther Nevada, people were much more aware in the snow. Certainly more prepared.

 

I was going thru PA one night . Pulling a 48 ft drybox , empty . Driving thru a Windstorm with snow on roads with a solid sheet of ice on them . Was running about 35-40 on the interstate . The truck in front of me , everytime the wind would gust , his trailer would lean with the wind , to the point it looked like it was going to overturn . I got on the radio and asked him if his trailer was loaded , he said yes . The next gust that came , I looked in my mirror and my trailer looked like it was going to blow over , and was being pushed sideways a little on those ice packed roads . That was probably one of the most stressful nights of driving I had , those heavy winds , ice packed roads , snow , and an empty trailer , sure didn't help with the stopping power .

 

Yes,Yes,Yes, Come south Yank's and tell us we are a bunch of hicks,rednecks,crackers,knot-chunkers,coonasses,stump-jumpers,horse's-asses,mule-asses,lizard kissers + youse guys can't drive in the snow!
We love it and at the end of the day all kinds of myths will be confirmed just for your pleasure or not?

hahaha

 

I remember the '95 snow. I had a drift all the way to the peak of the roof. There was a '53 Chevy, and a '70 C20 buried under it....and an inch of snow on the driveway.

 

Worst snow ai have seen was early 1980s in Greatlakes Navy Base. The parking lot was a flattish field of snow with regular low mounds marking each car! Two days later it all melted away.