My first Alabama blizzard

[Monkeyleg]

I've been watching the weather in the upper midwest, and it looks like it hasn't been pretty. I read that I90 had been closed from Albert Lea, MN to the South Dakota line. Even though Milwaukee didn't get a lot of snow, it did seem like a really windy and cold storm.

Temps down here in AL were in the 30's today. Tonight they'll get into the teens, which is very rare for December. There's supposed to be half an inch of snow tomorrow morning, and all evening long the news stations have been broadcasting school closings, company closings, and warnings for people to stay off the streets.

I think I'll take a drive to the Beltline highway tomorrow morning, park someplace safe and watch the demolition derby.

[TommyGunn]

   I, too, will be watching ... from a safe vantage point.  I woke up to snow this morning and it was actually collecting.  That's stopped now.  Things seem rather bad in NW Alabama over to Huntsville, if the TV news is to be believed.
I wonder how the bread and milk supplies are holding out at the local Publix, and other stores ... for some reason people seem to develop odd cravings for these things when it snows.
Right now I see it's 26° F outside right now, and I have a couple of my faucets set on light drip to keep them from freezing.  No snow though.
And now, off to slumberland, awaiting the "great whiteout" tomoroww.   

[Boomhauer]

I wonder how the bread and milk supplies are holding out at the local Publix, and other stores ... for some reason people seem to develop odd cravings for these things when it snows

Still trying to figure out what people think they are going to do with all the milk and eggs they just brought for the storm when said storm knocks their power out. Eat a lot of cereal?

Hell, I always buy stuff like canned goods and other shelf stable items for conditions like bad ice storms, not perishable and short life items.

[AJ Dual]

Milwaukee was almost completely spared. There was one little pocket/streak of warm wet air, and we didn't dip below freezing until about 4 or 5am. The roads got icy, but we only got about one or two inches because it was ending by then, and it was blowing so hard what little fell, none stuck around.

Like you, I take a bit of perverse pride that it takes about a foot or more for it to be a "big deal", unlike in the south (news coverage notwithstanding), but I was just glad I didn't have to get out the shovel or snowblower. Plenty of winter left, after the solstice when it really is WINTER for all that crap.

[Monkeyleg]

People at the company where my wife works are always asking her about winters in Wisconsin. Sometimes I get the feeling they don't believe her.

The 1970's and early 1980's were really bad for storms. I remember one in which my late father-in-law was driving one of those plow trucks that have the giant snowblower-type augers on the front. He was plowing Silver Spring Drive out near Highway 100, an area where the snow would drift really high. The auger started making a terrible racket, and he stopped to take a look. Turns out he'd churned up a Volkswagen that had been buried at the side of the road.

They just don't believe that stuff down here.

Now I have to go get some bread and eggs. Don't know why, as I don't eat either one.

[Scout26]

I damn near got arrested in Anniston, AL for driving in 1/2" of snow.  I told Barney Fife (who seemed to be on the edge of panic), that " Look at my plates, I'm from Chicago and we don't even break out the snow plows for this little snow."   He still made go back to Ft. McClellan as all the roads were closed.  Which was probably for the best as everything/where I needed to go (cleaners, store, and gas station) was closed because of the Snow Storm of Century !!!!!

[Monkeyleg]

I damn near got arrested in Anniston, AL for driving in 1/2" of snow.  I told Barney Fife (who seemed to be on the edge of panic), that " Look at my plates, I'm from Chicago and we don't even break out the snow plows for this little snow."   He still made go back to Ft. McClellan as all the roads were closed.  Which was probably for the best as everything/where I needed to go (cleaners, store, and gas station) was closed because of the Snow Storm of Century !!!!!

Same thing happened to me a few years back in Indiana. Granted I was doing 85 in a 65, but the trooper practically popped an artery yelling at me about the snow storm. I looked out the windows of his squad and said, "what snow storm? We get this every day in Wisconsin."

[Jamisjockey]

Every year I lived in Virginia we got at least one snow of 6"+.  Yet they were absolutely shocked and awed by any amount of snow, which usually caused school closures and delays, panic, accidents, and idiocy.  Last January's snow was absolutely paralyzing.

[RaspberrySurprise]

We are forecast to get wind chills of up to -25 here today, oh joy! It's -5 right now with wind gusts up to 19mph.

[Jamisjockey]

We are forecast to get wind chills of up to -25 here today, oh joy! It's -5 right now with wind gusts up to 19mph.

Then I won't complain about low 30's high 50's, mid 70's for wed/thursday and back to the 60's for the weekend...

[CNYCacher]

I was once driving in a really bad snowstorm.  Going about 65 on an interstate-level highway outside Syracuse.  hadn't seen another car for miles.  Suddenly I notice a light behind me and before I knew what was up I got passed as if I was standing still by a snowmobile doing at LEAST twice my speed...

The snow was so thick on the road that I was able to see his trail and see where he got off the highway a few miles down.  Funny thing is, he either got on IN the city of Syracuse, or he got on about 10 miles back.  That experience pretty much sums up Upstate NY.  :D

A is where he passed me, B is where he got off.

[Monkeyleg]

CNYcacher, I've been in a couple of storms like that. One was on the way to very northern Wisconsin for a senate committee hearing on our CCW bill (AJ, were you at that one?).

The interstate was a complete white-out. I couldn't see 10 feet in front of the car. I was crawling at 10 mph, and over as far right as I could get, trying to feel for the edge of the road without slipping down into a ditch. (I didn't want to get hit by somebody going faster). It was like that for about 25 miles.

On the way back a few hours later, the weather had cleared, and I saw dozens of vehicles slid off the road in the ditch, into the median, and into each other.

I don't think that's going to happen here in AL today.

[edited to add: I see a few snowflakes right now]

[HankB]

Some years back, a friend's wife got stopped for "driving in a snowstorm" in Huntsville, Alabama. Cop was in a panic . . . they'd gotten almost 1/2" so far.

She advised him to look at her license plates (Michigan) . . . he did, got back in his car, and drove off without another word.

Once I was driving back from Chicago to St. Paul - heavy snow all the way home, starting roughly from a new (and very nice!) rest stop west of Menomonee. I saw nothing but deep tire tracks in the snow until I got to the Hudson area. That was one time I was very glad to have my 4x4 Bronco.

[grampster]

Many moon come choktaw ago, in 1970, Swmbo and I were driving from Michigan to Florida for a vacation.
We were on a two lane road as the interstates were not finished yet.  Iirc, we were north of Chatanooga.  Traffic was at a dead stop, no southbound movement and no traffic coming north.  The road went up a mountain and then down into Chatanooga.

After sitting there for a half hour or so, I nosed out into the north bound lane.  All I could see is tail lights, no one moving, nothing coming north.  Maybe 3 inches of snow.  So I pulled out into the north bound lane and went south.  We drive in this stuff every day all winter at home.  We had snow tires on the Pontiac.  We went probably 3 or 4 miles like this and came to the front of the stopped traffic as the road started to to uphill.  So I did what we Michiganders do when roads are really slick...drop the right wheels off the pavement onto the dirt shoulder and drive slow.  The dirt or gravel shoulder won't be too slippery as asphalt is.  We drove up and over and down the mountain like this, no problem.  Never encountered another vehicle.

[mtnbkr]

Every year I lived in Virginia we got at least one snow of 6"+.  Yet they were absolutely shocked and awed by any amount of snow, which usually caused school closures and delays, panic, accidents, and idiocy.  Last January's snow was absolutely paralyzing.

You lived in Northern Virginia.  There are a large number of transplanted people here who don't have a lot of experience driving in snow.

Chris

[Jamisjockey]

Some years back, a friend's wife got stopped for "driving in a snowstorm" in Huntsville, Alabama. Cop was in a panic . . . they'd gotten almost 1/2" so far.

She advised him to look at her license plates (Michigan) . . . he did, got back in his car, and drove off without another word.

Once I was driving back from Chicago to St. Paul - heavy snow all the way home, starting roughly from a new (and very nice!) rest stop west of Menomonee. I saw nothing but deep tire tracks in the snow until I got to the Hudson area. That was one time I was very glad to have my 4x4 Bronco.

I've told mtnbkr this story. 

We moved to VA from Utah.  In January.  Well, wife got the bright idea that we needed a dog.  We find the dog we want, and I have plans to go to pick her up from the breeder.  It starts snowing, with like 5" forcast.  No biggie.  Head out to get dog stuff from Petsmart.  It was like apocolyptic.  Upside down cars, cars in the ditch, etc.  We watched people in front of us spin and spin at intersections, slide through stop lights.  Petsmart was next to a Safeway and that place was in shambles.  We were all like  
The only thing I rush out and buy when its going to snow is beer.  Gotta have something to do, right  

[Tallpine]

When it starts snowing here, we run out to the chicken house right quick and collect some eggs 

[AJ Dual]

You lived in Northern Virginia.  There are a large number of transplanted people here who don't have a lot of experience driving in snow.

Chris

Yeah, from Mexico, the Middle East, and India. 

[charby]

Still trying to figure out what people think they are going to do with all the milk and eggs they just brought for the storm when said storm knocks their power out. Eat a lot of cereal?

Hell, I always buy stuff like canned goods and other shelf stable items for conditions like bad ice storms, not perishable and short life items.

Iowa Resident here.

It's cold outside so we got a natural fridge. I also have a couple coleman stoves, gas grill and charcoal grill, so I can cook if needed. Also have a ventless heater in the garage so we can keep warm if needed. I'm going to figure out how to run the furnace off a deep cycle battery and power inverter this winter. I have a few deep cycles from my boat and camper that I bring inside each fall.

[CNYCacher]

Iowa Resident here.

It's cold outside so we got a natural fridge. I also have a couple coleman stoves, gas grill and charcoal grill, so I can cook if needed. Also have a ventless heater in the garage so we can keep warm if needed. I'm going to figure out how to run the furnace off a deep cycle battery and power inverter this winter. I have a few deep cycles from my boat and camper that I bring inside each fall.

Depending on the current draw, you might need a rather large inverter ($$$), and any inverter means a lot of wasted power in the form of heat.

Now you got my brain cooking.

I imagine the only part of a furnace which actually runs on 110AC is the blower.  Everything else probably gets stepped down to 12v or 5v (but maybe 24v) DC.
Maybe it would be easier to convert the entire unit to run on the battery directly.  Replace the blower motor with a 12VDC motor of similar horsepower.  Add a battery charger to keep your battery topped off, and if the power goes out you don't have to do a thing.

[roo_ster]

ML:

Don't start a-laughing too quick. 

Yes, these southroners can be fun to watch in a snow storm, but the weather down here plays tricks and sometimes will warm up enough to melt then snow some more, so you end up with what looks like snow, but really is an ice sheet with snow on it.  At that point, it ain't like driving in snow.  4WD, FWD, RWD, it don't much matter if you don't have studs or chains.

Over here in the Dallas area, we are more likely to have an ice storm than a snow storm.  Fun stuff, that.  I have more time driving on ice down here than driving on snow.

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

Iowa Resident here.

It's cold outside so we got a natural fridge. I also have a couple coleman stoves, gas grill and charcoal grill, so I can cook if needed. Also have a ventless heater in the garage so we can keep warm if needed. I'm going to figure out how to run the furnace off a deep cycle battery and power inverter this winter. I have a few deep cycles from my boat and camper that I bring inside each fall.

during last years storms a woman i know, seemingly bright lost power for quite a while  also was lamenting the loss of hundreds of dollars in the chest freezer.  she had "the look" when it was pointed out all she had to do was put the food in the snow

[roo_ster]

during last years storms a woman i know, seemingly bright lost power for quite a while  also was lamenting the loss of hundreds of dollars in the chest freezer.  she had "the look" when it was pointed out all she had to do was put the food in the snow

My dad grew up in Iowa on a farm.  They would hang small game they bagged on the clothes line until they got enough for a meal, then it would be prepped & cooked.

[Tallpine]

My dad grew up in Iowa on a farm.  They would hang small game they bagged on the clothes line until they got enough for a meal, then it would be prepped & cooked.

Yeah, that would work great here. 

The coyotes and crows would have it picked clean in no time 

[charby]

Yeah, that would work great here. 

The coyotes and crows would have it picked clean in no time 

We got crows and yotes in Iowa too.

I've left my deer hanging outside for a few days and it seems that feral cats usually help themselves.