Temp

[CMV]

Honestly, snow here can be just starting to fall. Not sticking/accumulating. Roads wet, but otherwise perfect. They will run off the road into ditches. I am not exaggerating - it is that bad. Most of us from somewhere else can drive in it and much worse without issue. But we stay off the roads because no telling what the typical native Southern driver is gonna do when s/he sees a snowflake. All I can figure is people have the brand of car insurance they advertise on TV as replacing with a newer/lower mileage vehicle and see a snowflake as an opportunity to upgrade their ride?

Same day couple weeks ago that co-worker wrecked, about 1/2 mile from my house in opposite lane someone managed to wrap a Mini Cooper around a phone pole. Straight stretch of road and due to the falling [light] snow, traffic was moving maybe 20 mph tops. Car was dead center on the pole and smashed real bad. Like it was going 60ish or so and went head-on with no attempt to brake.

In all fairness though, we grew up driving in it and bad winter roads were common. If we get a couple light dustings per year here, that's a lot. There are very few plows/salt trucks here too. So people from here just have had no practice driving in it nor are there road crews out making the roads as passable as possible. I work with people in their 50's-60's who can literally count the times on one hand that they've actually driven in snow/ice conditions. If you've rarely done it and nobody ever taught you (because your parents never drove in it either), I guess it would be difficult. And since nobody really knows what to do, they put their wipers on 'high', their high beams on, and go about 7 mph. Which is fine I guess, but then everyone else in a 4x4 truck or SUV realizes they can 'go' just fine. They don't realize that doesn't mean they can turn or stop as well as they can 'go'. So they want to whip around and pass the 7mph crew which leads to ....ditch. 4x4 truck + 4" lift + 33" mud tires = I can go as fast as I want regardless of road condition or other traffic. That's always interesting to watch

 

[jdom84]

I guess it would be difficult. And since nobody really knows what to do, they put their wipers on 'high', their high beams on, and go about 7 mph. Which is fine I guess, but then everyone else in a 4x4 truck or SUV realizes they can 'go' just fine. They don't realize that doesn't mean they can turn or stop as well as they can 'go'. So they want to whip around and pass the 7mph crew which leads to ....ditch. 4x4 truck + 4" lift + 33" mud tires = I can go as fast as I want regardless of road condition or other traffic. That's always interesting to watch

In town or close to town people drive like that, I'm a firm believer that you should own a vehicle for where you live and have the proper tires for that vehicle for the seasons. but yeah... I try not to go into town much and my work building is right on the edge of town. I hate having to worry about other peoples driving!

 

[DieselBound]

24C here today... the LIARS (Bureau of Meteorology)((also known as the Bureau of Many-Guesses)) are predicting 27C tomorrow.

And you checked the forecast, why?

Perhaps weather forecasting down under is shoddy, but here in the PNW it's pretty darn good. Data availability has everything to do with good forecasting.

 

[Wagtail]

And you checked the forecast, why?

Perhaps weather forecasting down under is shoddy, but here in the PNW it's pretty darn good. Data availability has everything to do with good forecasting.

Because I'm a glutton for punishment.

I'm not really serious about them, though. That's why 'they' couch their wording as a "forecast" or a "prediction". I've only seen them predict rainfall at 100% once, other than that (with a storm approaching) it'll be 95%! Gotta have that fudge-factor.

Anyway, they've upped the predicted temp today to 29C... which is at the areodrome, 5km away from me. So it'll probably be 33C at my place.

 

[John Fitzgerald]

If we got a foot of snow here, and it stayed cold, schools and some work places would be closed indefinitely. People go crazy when we get a couple of inches. It wasn't that way 50 years ago. Now, with any snow or ice predicted, it's worse than the day before Thanksgiving at the grocery stores.

 

[RSKY]

The problem here in Kentucky is not so much snow but what is usually under it. We will get an inch or so overnight, next day it warms up to 35-40F, it freezes overnight and we get more snow on top. You can't stand up on it much less drive.

About thirty years ago the factory I was working at had a new department manager move in from Barrie Canada. He laughed when they told him about schools being let out for bad weather. It snowed one night and the next day they had to send somebody after him because he couldn't get out of his driveway. He finally admitted it took an entirely different driving method for the icy roads we had.

It's always fun watching the seventeen year olds in their new four wheel drives hitting the ditch because they do not realize that just because you can go doesn't mean you can stop.

RSKY

 

[4570Man]

The problem here in Kentucky is not so much snow but what is usually under it. We will get an inch or so overnight, next day it warms up to 35-40F, it freezes overnight and we get more snow on top. You can't stand up on it much less drive.

About thirty years ago the factory I was working at had a new department manager move in from Barrie Canada. He laughed when they told him about schools being let out for bad weather. It snowed one night and the next day they had to send somebody after him because he couldn't get out of his driveway. He finally admitted it took an entirely different driving method for the icy roads we had.

It's always fun watching the seventeen year olds in their new four wheel drives hitting the ditch because they do not realize that just because you can go doesn't mean you can stop.

RSKY

Same problem here. I’ve been out west and seen real snow, but the couple inches of wet crap that freeze and thaw here is FAR slicker. Then when you take into account it’s as flat as glass in most places out there and not so much here it’s far more hazardous. And it’s currently 14f which is probably as cold as it’s been all year.

 

[Phillip w]

I here you. I used to drive a truck. Ran alot of dedicated runs. Ran a dedicated run across Wyoming for about 5 years. In Wyoming you can go, just can't see where you going (white outs). Bid off that route and bid one going to des Moines iowa. In Iowa you can see where your going, but can't keep it on the road. There is a big difference between wet and dry snow. Weather man want to ring in the New year with a -12 degrees Fahrenheit here on new years morning, I think me and him is going to have to have a little talk.(lol)

 

[Gordon Gould]

There is an old adage "as the days get longer the cold grows stronger". Looks like it is not going to get above 0*F for a week or more here if the weather man is right.

gg

 

[coldsteelva]

The problem in the lower states is that they actually try to clear the roads down to bare pavement which is the worse thing they can do. You cannot prevent the formation of ice on ashpalt/concrete roads. If they would do as in the northern states and allow a hardpack base to form, which they can actually groom with a plow blade, then traffic would actually have something to 'bite' into with their tires. There will never be a solution for those that insist on driving in all-weather with all-season tires (worse term ever).

I drive my Dodge Charger RWD nearly every day of winter regardless of the weather (cuz it's fun), but I have appropriate winter tires/wheels. I use a decent set of perf. all seasons for the other 3 seasons. I love being passed up by BMWs on the straight flat roads only to find them in a ditch at the first corner. Or even better when they stop at a light/stop sign and can't get going due to the slightest of incline.