[acs236]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...winter_weather

 

[TheReaper]

Candyasses

That's a walk in the park. We're suppose to get 6-12" Saturday.

 

[acs236]

My favorite part of the article is the apparent humiliation of the weather forcasters. I don't know about North Carolina forcasters, but the ones in Ohio are not held to such a high standard.

 

[elrod-tom]

I have never understood the fear that grips some people when the littlest bit of snow hits the ground.

Funny story: I commute 60+ miles each way to work. We were hit with a fairly big (3-4") snow a couple of weeks ago. The night before the storm hit, a female coworker walks up to me and says, "Well, I'm thinking I might not be seeing you tomorrow". Now, I just assumed that she meant that she didn't expect me to make it all that way in to work the next day...but she meant that she didn't think that SHE was going to make it in to work. She lives FIVE MINUTES FROM THE OFFICE, AND SHE CAN'T MAKE IT IN TO WORK??

 

[Bunnyears]

In the Research Triangle (Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill) there are only three snow plows and no salt spreaders or sand spreaders. Two of the snow plows are at the the Raleigh-Durham airport. The other lone snow plow is used on the main interstate, I 85. This means that when ever they get freezing temperatures and even a small amount of snow the roads become icy and very slick. To compound the problem, people don't have snow tires, chains or know how to drive in snow. People are advised to stay off the roads until it melts, usually in a day or two as this weather is usually a once a winter problem and very transitory. More substantial snowfalls can paralyze the whole area for days. You find the same thing happening in Georgia and South Carolina when they get snow. The people are not wimps, the localities just don't have the equipment to deal with snow and ice on the roads.

 

[dhwilkin]

Yeah, I'm from Raleigh. It took me over 3 hours to drive home that day, on what was normally a 20-minute route. Bah, I wish I could explain how it happened, I'm still not sure. It really was ridiculous, we've had much worse winter weather (specifically thinking of the big ice storm from a few years ago) and gotten through alright.

Honestly, I don't think the lack of equipment was the big problem, though it certainly didn't help. Part of it was nobody was expecting more than a dusting of snow. When NC forecasters predict snow, we usually end up a getting a fraction of what they predict, if any at all, and it usually doesn't stick nearly as well as this powder did. So the salt/sand machine people were caught off-guard, and didn't have time to get out on the roads before a bunch of people tried to leave work early. I guess the people who left early must've been trying to beat the snow home or something, because the traffic problems started early, and I'm guessing they were caused by reckless driving. Combine that w/ driving melting the snow and having it rapidly re-freeze into ice, lack of experienced winter drivers, and you have trouble.

Even w/ all that, it still doesn't explain how pretty much every single major street going into Raleigh got jammed.

 

[rogue]

Ah, good ole NC. I remember when I lived in Winston-Salem, that they would cancel school even on the threat of snow. No such luck up here in the northeast, however

 

[ScrapIron]

Ah yes, snow in the south. I work in the RTP area and live west in Orange County about 25 minutes away. It took me 30 minutes that day as I hit a few minutes of traffic getting on 40 west around 4:30pm. Then it was 80 mph till my exit. I glanced to the east bound parking lot and merryily stomped on the pedal.

I had multiple friends spend over 8 hours in traffic (where it's usually a 20 minute drive). Move 3 feet. Turn off car. Wait with no heat/radio/cell phone. Start car. Move 3 feet. Repeat. Amazing.

They said they had to do that so they wouldn't run out of gas.

 

[jerb]

lol paralyzed on an inch!? we have to get more than 4 for school to be affected. snow is nothing here in CT, in fact were supposed to get 18 inches tommarrow

 

[acs236]

The whole traffic situation sounds unbearable. Well, at least it doesn't take long for a inch of snow to melt. Cross your fingers for us here in Ohio, though, there are a few inches on the ground and perhaps another 6 expected.

I hate snow.

 

[Bunnyears]

Expecting 12 inches in NYC overnight. Thank goodness it's the weekend.

I like the winter, but huge snowfall is not my favorite.