This weather is caused by “Global Warming” …
I used to spend quite a bit of time in Anchorage where they say the same thing. Every year when the first snow storm hits it looks just like Seattle during a snow storm with cars and trucks everywhere. You would think the Alaskans would know how to drive in the snow but from what I have seen they aren’t much better than anywhere else at first.
The thing about Ladyfisher and Trav is when it’s 115 deg. in Tucson in July they will be back in Montana. They are fortunate enough to be snow birds; fortunate is a word meaning you worked your tail off and saved your money, its used loosely by people who think they are unfortunate. I will let you figure out the meaning their. I am glad I don’t have to get out among the 4 million folks who moved to Atlanta from up north and think they know how to drive in the snow. True southerners know we don’t, we think its God’s way of telling us to take a few day off and have fun. Just a little frozen sunshine.
Well than someone better CHIM in Al Gore!!! on this topic since he took everyone money 
The US Army had me stationed in Fort Wainwright which is at Fairbanks, Alaska. While there, in the 55 below zero weather, I noticed that they use nothing, at least when I was there and it may be different now, on their roads except they would spread ashes or sand on them and you just kept on driving on packed snow. The curbs in Fairbanks during the summer were about 8 inches high and during the winter months, there were no curbs. : ) Some places the streets were higher than the curbs due no snow removal. Like the words in an old song, you did a lot of “slip sliding away” during winter months. : )
Kerry,
I agree. Folks around here that you would expect to know what they are doing do not appear to. I am also aware that my statements do sound a lot like those of folks who really would not be able to get around if the going really gets tough.
I take driving in the snow seriously. I have been the first on an accident scene where people had to be pried out of cars and had a little boy I had worked over an hour to get out of a pickup with a local tow truck driver die in my hands. I know how easy it is to lose control. I also know that I need certain equipment to drive in Colorado in the winter. Good tires are a must. I replace mine when 25% of the tread is left. On my wife’s car, they get replaced at 50%. I found it incredible that I got 70,000 miles out of my last set of Michelin M&S truck tires. I won’t buy anything else. My truck is prepared to drive in the snow. I put weight over the rear wheels. Sand tubes from Home Depot work great. If I get on an icy hill. I can use the sand for added traction. On top of that, the sheer number of miles of driving mountain roads in the winter in everything from a car to an 18 wheeler, I estimate this at about 750k miles spread over 44 years, I’ve just plain got more experience at it. It’s like anything else, the more you do it, the better you get at it.
Kevin I totally agree. Ever notice the ones that drive around on bald or nearly bald tires and then wonder why they lost control? Yeah if you cannot afford the proper equipment or to keep it properly maintained then you don’t need to be risking your life along everyone else on that road. By all means stay at home.
Another thing that annoys me is people that live here but complain about cold, snow and ice. I understand it isn’t for everyone but no one forced them to live here unless they are in prison so if you can’t hack it move further south. Before I hear about the heat, hurricanes and other things related mostly to the south let me remind all that I was stationed in Texas and Alabama in the Army. My unit specialized in jungle and desert warfare. Yeah I love the heat and humidity as well as the cold and snow.
The folks that annoy me the most are the ones that go out into a snow storm, get stuck someplace and then blame whatever local goverment agency for not having the roads clear. What the heck?
We had a record snow fall up here 2 years ago where at one time I had over 30 inches of snow at my house. A neighbor got his truck stuck in his driveway. It took my truck and my son’s truck to get him unstuck. He did not have to ask either one of us to come help. We just did it. Another neighbor down the road that owned an end loader chained the thing up and drove all over clearing driveways and access roads for everyone. We took up a small collection for him but he refused saying we would do the same for him. I hid the money in the seat of his loader when my neighbor distracted him. The old boy that lived below me only has a sedan. I took him to the grocery store in my 4x4 truck several times until the roads cleared up enough for him to drive his car. What I am saying here is neighbors took care of each other. We did not depend on some goverment to come up and get us out.
During the same snow event there was close to two feet of snow in town. Trucks and SUVs were having trouble getting around in the stuff. One of the main streets was a collection of big ruts made of compact snow and ice. Now, this is in a section of the country that 8 to 10 inches is considered a major event with most snow storms dropping only a couple of inches. So the town isn’t equipped for such a large amount of snow. Some bozo takes off into this stuff in his little Honda Civic and gets stuck in the ruts. Guess who he blamed in a letter to the editor of the local newspaper? Yep, the town. It was thier fault he was to stupid to stay home.
My uncle used to own a Polaris dealership. We had a rather large snowmobile club at the time of the 1977-78 & 1978-79 east coast blizzards. All of us spent time running food, medicine, heating fuel, firewood, perishables and doctors as well as paramedics out to those who were stranded in the rural areas. I recall new sleds being put on a discount because they got loaned out to the local authorities too. Polaris was very generous in that respect by helping my uncle get gear to the folks that need it as well as reimbursing him for the discounted sleds.
My buddies dad had a gravel quarry at that time. The state came in and took his pay loaders, dozers and trucks. They paid for the equipment, fuel, maintenance and paid salaries for his guys to run the stuff. The summer of 1980 they closed the quarry but then bought a beer distributor lock, stock and barrel! His dad kept the Hugh Pay loader so every winter the neighbors get their roads and drives cleared free of charge.
I learned to drive in the snow in rear wheel drive, two wheel drive vehicles that did not have anti lock brakes, traction control or all that. They did have limited slip or Posi rear axles. I routinely drove my 1965 289 H.O. Mustang and 1972 455 Buick Rocket Centurion sedan in all weather conditions. Especially that high torque, light weight Mustang would learn you real quick about driving with that raw egg under the pedals. Also a light but quick hand on the wheel. Don’t touch those brakes!
The 2001 Sable I drive to work in the morning has ABS, Traction control, BF Goodrich Traction T/A radial all season tires, front wheel drive, variable rate power steering, fog lights and all of that yada yada on it. Even given all that stuff I still rely on basic good driving skills that used to be taught to every one then demonstrated in a drivers test before you got your license back in the day. Today the drivers test at least in Pa are a joke.
I learned in a 64 Fairlane, rear wheel drive, 289 with an auto trans., and I’m not sure it have very good tires on it. Anyway, I had been after Dad to teach me to drive and he decided after we finished shoveling the walks after that blizzard in Cheyenne that it was time for me to learn to drive. We drove all over the place. Through drifts, on ice, on snow, you name it. It was a very educational day and I hadn’t been behind the wheel before! He showed me how to get going and how to stop and get out of a skid. When it was about time to go home, we even went to a parking lot and spun some donuts.
In retrospect, I think Dad chose the right time to teach me. I still did the idiot things boys do with cars, but I was confident that I could drive when the weather was bad and it was because I really did get a good foundation in winter driving. Mom gave him a ton of grief for it but I was the one she wanted to drive her anywhere after a storm.
It’s raining now at 3:30 AM. It’s going to get really sloppy today. Wundeground Weather has our temperature at 41 degrees right now.
I heard on the radio that 49 out of the 50 states had snow on the ground. Which state did not???
Not Hawaii…Florida had no snow. HAwaii has skiing on one of the volcanos in the winter.
No snow here, but it is in the low 50’s as I post this and pretty windy…
We’ve had snow since before Thanksgiving! I love ice fishing, so I don’t mind it so much, but a few nice warm 40 degree days would do wonders for the fly fishing cabin fever bug that’s going around.
TT.
Currently only about 5" on the ground here in central Ohio. We’ve been luck with no big amounts at one time, but it has stayed white longer than not since Thanksgiving. That’s rare for Ohio, much before February.
WarrenP, I can relate. I live over 50 miles from work. Thats an hour on a good day. Bad days I get up earlier and am on the road longer. I have a work laptop I leave at the house and I can ‘dial’ in and check email. My brother moved to Murfreesboro many years ago. He said when he first moved there from Ohio, that the schools closed pretty much ANY time it snowed.
nighthawk, I hope you don’t take work home if it involves aircraft in your driveway!
Bass Bug, you just don’t know how great it would be to a a OH-6A parked in your driveway. If you have a million. it may take 2mm now, or so laying around they would sell you a new one. It’s the same helicopter on the first of Magnum PI. Most crashworthy helicopter the army ever had but was like flying a sportscar. I could move a couple of tree and park it right in the driveway.
Erik, you must think your neighbors are much more tolerant than any of mine are. My brother lives in the flight path for medical choppers coming in to a local hospital and I can guarentee that no one woud put up with that racket at all hours for any other reason.
Well we live right in the middle of the low level flight training are for Fort Idiantown Gap. The Gap has a bombing range so we not only get my beloved Army aviation but a good dose of Air Force A-10’s, F-16’s and Marine Corps FA-18’s. We frequently have high speed runs down the Susquehanna River Valley literally feet from our town. It’s not uncommon to watch the fast movers take it up to altitude and fight it out in a dog fight. It gets a bit noisy at times but I have never, ever heard anyone complain about it. Matter of fact I have heard lots of folks comment about liking it. Very patriotic folks here that love seeing our military at work.
I flew and crewed OH-58A/C Kiowa, UH-1H Iroquois “Huey” and AH-1M/S “Mods and Prods” Cobras. The Kiowa was a widow maker, the Huey solid and reliable and the Cobra the hot rod that would smoke any wing flinger at that time. The Huey was the easiest to fly and my favorite bird. If you have enough money you can easily purchase a surplus Kiowa or Huey. You can also buy surplus Cobras but you have to sign a legally binding statement that you will permanently cripple the armament system and never arm the bird.
My friends Huey UH-1H tail numbered 222 call sign “Triple Duece”
My OH-58C Kiowa call sign “Kiowa 426”
My room mate’s AH-1S Cobra
Being near Ft. Lewis/McCord I hear fast movers and rotory wing all the time. It’s only when I hear the Pop-Pop of a Huey that I go outside to look. What a great bird, and the guys that flew them had more guts than God gave them to come get us in some of the places they pulled us from. I bought a lot of beer for Huey crews that got me out of some pretty hot LZ’s.
Nothing like sitting in the open doors of a Huey and seeing a couple Snakes along side as an escort during an air assualt or infil.
Eric, ya got me with the pics.
REE