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The "S" word...


Harry P.

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Much the same weather and road report here in Phoenix as G has in Lost Wages.

We're at about 1300-1500 ft altitude, though. Been here 17 years and have seen snow three times ~ falling snow didn't last for more than 1/2 hour and "accumulation" didn't last more than 3-4 hours at most.

No, there are no snow plows in the Phoenix fleet or the metro area suburbs. However, just 10 miles north of here the altitude rises dramatically to the "mountains" of central and northern Arizona, so the AZ DOT has snowplows stationed only 15-20 miles from here.

Having said that, I had my share of snow, ice, and cold before moving here. I used to say it took 3 years of living in the Valley of the Sun before the marrow in my bones fully defrosted! I well remember years and years of digging out frozen fire scenes in sub-zero temperatures with howling winds.

I'll never forget my first trip to Fargo. Dead of winter. Rental car agency handed me a set of keys and an extension cord. Even though I came from cold country, I had not previously experienced COLD country. They gently explained that the motels had plug-ins for the block heater in the rental car, but an extension cord was usually required.

A fire scene I worked near Yellowstone was so encased in thick ice (the fire department's "surround and drown" strategy had finally extinguished a large fire in frigid temperatures, then everything froze solid) that I had to rent a half-dozen salamander heaters to melt all the ice.

Then there were all those years of responding to emergencies ~ fires, traffic accidents, plane crashes, power lines down, ice storms, blizzard rescues, stranded motorists/hunters/hikers/campers, . . . well, you get the idea.

So, yeah. I don't miss the weather you guys are dealing with in the cold climates.

I do, however, miss the "snow days." Those days when schools and workplaces shut down and everybody is snowed out for the day. We don't get any unscheduled vacation days in the Valley. They never shut everything down for a "sun day" because there's too much sunshine!

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I've only been to Las Vegas during the summer, when it's around 110 or so... hard to imagine snow ever falling there. It must be quite a shock to some of the locals. Does the city even own a plow?

To be classified as a desert means lack of precipitation, not temperature. Theoretically Antarctica is a desert climate as the precipitation rate falls below the margin delineating desert conditions. Now let it warm up a few degrees and you'll have a different story for sure. B)

No snow plows for the city or county. The state has them in abundance for northern Nevada, and sends some down when snow is predicted for the roads to Mt Charleston. That's how we knew we were gonna get it in '08. There were Nevada DOT guys running all over the place prepping the blade assemblys. That time it stayed on the ground for about six days, usually it disappears in a few hours.

Like Danno I do not miss working all the different scenes in the winter. I'd always be on call when a fire fatality occurred during a sleet storm. No fun. There'd be days and days of subfreezing temps and everyone would get cabin fever. Family disturbance calls during the holidays were a trip.

G

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I have been in Arizona back in 98 and drove from Phoenix to Williams where l stayed went to the Grand Canyon and went to Hover Dam and the temps change often depending where you was. Williams was 70 and Hoover Dam was 120, Phoenix was 115. Beautiful state. l was there a week. I could not take living in North Dakota I had a neighbor from there and its brutal there...

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IMG_4240-vi.jpg

And for those of you in hotter climates who have forgotten what snow looks like... my backyard in Exton, PA this afternoon.

IMG_4241-vi.jpg

Just a few shots out the back window..

Very nice pictures Tom, to me snow around Xmas would be make it feel more like Xmas...

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Very nice pictures Tom, to me snow around Xmas would be make it feel more like Xmas...

Thanks Carl! It's down around 12-14 degrees this morning. After yesterday's snow the sun came out and the snow was melting. There is only one thing worse than the "S" word, it's the "I" word ICE.

With the cold coming in overnight, everything is frozen, including our car doors. The doors on the Breeze were all frozen shut and of course, it's the last car in the driveway blocking everything else in. So I got out my trust B&D heat stripper and went at it.

Anyone watch those Alaska shows like Yukon Men? Those guys would be outside in their shirt sleeves today. They go hunting when it's negative 40. I can't imagine what that would feel like. This is plenty too cold for me!

Edited by Tom Geiger
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Shoveling it is! Once again we didn't get enough snow to fire up my 3 year old NOS snow blower!

Every fall for the past 30+ years I tell myself I'm going to buy a snow blower this year. And every fall I don't buy one.

Who am I fooling... apparently I'll never buy one... :rolleyes::lol:

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I lived the first 27 years of my life in and around Chicago. I am now in Arizona and sometimes I miss the snow. Then I remember having to mount snow tires, going out 15 minutes early to try and start the car and turn the heat on, frozen door locks, wipers frozen to the windshield, having a scraper in your car with a plastic scraper on one end and a broom on the other end. Oh how about the big clumps of snow that would pile up on the fenders behind the wheels. Cars getting stuck in the snow and helping push out. Calling the service station for a jump to get your car started. I worked at a Texaco gas station for awhile and I would go out with my boss in his International scout with a snow plow and a jumper unit. We would have about 10 calls on a run and when you went to a call other people on the block would pour out of their homes needing a jump. It was crazy busy. Then go back to the station for another list. No cell phones and he did not have a 2 way radio. On second thought maybe I don't miss the snow and cold weather.

Hey Ray!! Are You trying to make us feel good??

:D

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I know Harry, my Jeep has probably seen as many miles from sunday through today than it had between the March floods and sunday!

BTW, What ever the percentage of ethanol to gas the E85 Woodmans has been selling is (should be E70), it don't like to fire in these temps either, I ended up topping it off with regular today so it starts better when it's this cold out!

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