Alabama blizzard

[Hutch]

Yes, we Yankees can drive in the snow. Southerners can't. You don't want to be out there while they discover this fact.

Don't even go there (so '90's, I know).  NOBODY can drive on glare ice, and that's what snow turns to on roads in the Southeast.  I saw a video on a local Birmingham TV station where the reporter was being lectured by a Chicagoan who was visibly contemptuous of the locals.  He then started backing his car out of the lot.  It didn't stop sliding until he was fetched up against a pole at the bottom of the parking lot.  Soooooooo satisfying....

[280plus]

Meh, what do Chicagoans know? All they ever get is lake effect snow and everybody knows that's not real snow.  

 

[AJ Dual]

Do not, I repeat, DO NOT go out during the snow in the south.

Yes, we Yankees can drive in the snow. Southerners can't. You don't want to be out there while they discover this fact.

Shoulda done all our fighting in that war between the states during the winter.  

Although in all seriousness, I think the reason for part of the panic (besides media inflation which seems inexorable) is that the south has ice storms which are truly debilitating, while the northern climates are generally just too cold for that to happen. Either it snows here or it does not, there's very little middle ground with weird inversion layers or whatever.

And when it is raining and flips to snow, the air dries up so much, the ground and streets dry out somewhat, and the large plow and salt spreading infrastructure we have takes care of the rest.

[mtnbkr]

Although in all seriousness, I think the reason for part of the panic (besides media inflation which seems inexorable) is that the south has ice storms which are truly debilitating, while the northern climates are generally just too cold for that to happen. Either it snows here or it does not, there's very little middle ground with weird inversion layers or whatever.

I haven't experienced a truly nasty ice storm here in NoVa, but we had several when I lived in NC and TN.  One winter, we missed over a week of school because of ice storms.  While in TN, we never missed more than a day or two due to snow.

Chris

[Tallpine]

We had chinook winds and then freezing rains on top of our snowpack turned to slush.

Now it is really cold and frozen solid, but our gravel county road is so slick that you can hardly stand up on it.

This is as bad a conditions as I have ever seen in 40 years of driving - all of it in snow country.  15 mph is too fast; if you even rest your foot on the brake pedal you lock up all four wheels. 

Normally, when the temp drops in the single digits and below, we have really good traction, but not this time.  It will take either several inches of new snowfall, a complete thaw, or the county doing something like sanding or coal dusting the road to fix things (the latter two are not likely).  So we are stuck with this probably until at least March or maybe letter.

I have no clue how they are getting away with running a school bus in these conditions 

[Angel Eyes]

I have no clue how they are getting away with running a school bus in these conditions 

Throw children under the rear wheels for extra traction.

[Monkeyleg]

Throw children under the rear wheels for extra traction.

Duck! Lightning bolts!

[erictank]

Do not, I repeat, DO NOT go out during the snow in the south.

Yes, we Yankees can drive in the snow. Southerners can't. You don't want to be out there while they discover this fact.

My family moved from the Syracuse NY area to just outside of Austin TX when I was 9.  The second winter we were there, they got their first snow in something like 10 years - a whole quarter of an inch.

EVERYTHING was shut down for THREE FULL DAYS.  NO ONE could drive in it, unless they'd come from somewhere that actually gets snow in the winters.  My family was fine, there were a few others as well, but yeah, the roads were rife with fools who thought that you had to do 2mph in order to be safe, or there was no problem with 75mph (especially those with 4WD    They just got stuck worse).

[Jocassee]

Six inches plus right now in SC, and the roads are covered in ice pack. I only drove a couple miles today, not so sure about doing 26 miles to work in the morning. All supposed to freeze solid tonight.

Roads haven't even been salted.

[Monkeyleg]

I have the distinct honor of driving my wife and her supervisor to work tomorrow because both are scared to death of driving in the snow. So, I'll spend about two hours of my own work day playing chaffeur to them.

My wife's been driving in WI snow for 25+ years, and she can't handle this? 

[mtnbkr]

I have the distinct honor of driving my wife and her supervisor to work tomorrow because both are scared to death of driving in the snow. So, I'll spend about two hours of my own work day playing chaffeur to them.

My wife's been driving in WI snow for 25+ years, and she can't handle this? 

There goes the theory of Northerners' superiority in snow-driving..

Chris

[Boomhauer]

Six inches plus right now in SC, and the roads are covered in ice pack. I only drove a couple miles today, not so sure about doing 26 miles to work in the morning. All supposed to freeze solid tonight.

Roads haven't even been salted.

This. I don't know how bad ice is going to be tomorrow. State .gov shut down today, so I didn't have to report to work. Tomorrow, we are scheduled to be open unless I get a phone call different.

[Zardozimo Oprah Bannedalas]

It's not snow, it's ice. In this area, you get a layer of ice first, then snow on top of it. The snow is good, the ice is evil.

[280plus]

Six inches plus right now in SC, and the roads are covered in ice pack. I only drove a couple miles today, not so sure about doing 26 miles to work in the morning. All supposed to freeze solid tonight.

Roads haven't even been salted.

WTH, I thought you were in NH or something.

[RoadKingLarry]

WTH, I thought you were in NH or something.

You are so 5 or 6 months ago

[charby]

It's not snow, it's ice. In this area, you get a layer of ice first, then snow on top of it. The snow is good, the ice is evil.

I'd be whipping donuts, cookies and drifting all over the local Wal-Mart parking lot.

I grew up in SE IA and we got ice many times before snow, or it was wet snow which made for perfect parking lot driving, and yes a front wheel drive car will whip a donut in reverse. I also miss having a rear wheel drive car with a e-brake handle between the seats.

[Monkeyleg]

I'd be whipping donuts, cookies and drifting all over the local Wal-Mart parking lot.

I grew up in SE IA and we got ice many times before snow, or it was wet snow which made for perfect parking lot driving, and yes a front wheel drive car will whip a donut in reverse. I also miss having a rear wheel drive car with a e-brake handle between the seats.

I did that yesterday. Found an empty lot and drove as fast as I could while flipping the wheel. Front wheel drive just isn't as fun, though.

This morning I drove my wife to work. There was almost no traffic, but the streets were in very good shape. Considering the small amount of equipment they have here to deal with snow, I'd say they did an impressive job of cleaning up.

The schools are going to be closed today and tomorrow, and most people appear to still be staying home rather than going to work. The interstate was absolutely clear and dry, and the main streets likewise. I suspect some people are playing hooky.

[Tallpine]

State .gov shut down today

Every storm cloud has a silver lining 

[280plus]

You are so 5 or 6 months ago

That's me, 6 months late and a dollar short... 

[Boomhauer]

I'm hoping to get some snow here so I can use my new "snow shovel".

Been running a Kubota B21 backhoe for the past two days trying to clear ice and snow from the parking lots, dump stations, and boat ramps at work. The edge of the bucket isn't straight and true, so it's not biting into the ice real well, the bucket is small and fills quickly, and some frickin' IDIOT Kubota designer (who has probably never ran a tractor in his life) put the brake pedals on the same side as the forward/reverse hydo pedals, so you can't easily use differential steering when the front wheels are off the ground...so it's not working nearly as well as we'd hoped.

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

no back blade?

[Boomhauer]

no back blade?

Not on the backhoe (I'm not taking the backhoe unit off and changing it to three point hitch). At work we've got another tractor (older JD 950) with a 4 foot box blade and it's doing better for mass snow removal, but still isn't biting down into the ice and getting rid of it. I might try putting the rippers back on it and see what happens tomorrow if I have time. 

Now, at home I've got a JD 955 with 6 foot box blade and a good size front end loader that'd be the perfect combo for this job, but I'm not hauling it to work over 20 miles of icy roads.

[Tallpine]

Someday I want to get another "newer" tractor.

I drool over the Kubotas but really I think I want something way bigger for the money (used).

Maybe a 60s or 70s vintage Farmall 766++ ... ?

Something that I can really break things with 

[RoadKingLarry]

My little toy is a Kioti CK20s. It is a little bigger and heavier than Kbota's BX line and not quite as big as their B series. And several grand cheaper than either. I've only put about 6 hours on it so far but I'm happy with it so far. Spent about 8 months researching compact tractors and the Kioti is what I picked. I added a 50" PTO tiller for working my gardens and it pulls it with authority.
And we still haven't had any snow to move with it  .

[Lee]

I went to see the 'Blue Collar' tour here last winter.  We had a very nasty winter storm that day.  School wasn't canceled because the snow started late in the morning.  By showtime, the roads really, really sucked.  Slush was about 6 inched deep on the freeway.  The first thing Jeff Foxworthy said was something like," damn, if Atlanta had a storm like this one, school would be closed for the rest of the year".  Pretty funny in retrospect.