The "S" word...

[Ace-Garageguy]

I still have to laugh that Atlanta was literally paralyzed by two inches of snow.

Though I'm a born and bred Yankee and grew up driving in the stuff, I got weather-related stuck for the first time in my life this time, as the roads were so clogged with accidents, there was no way to go anywhere. I ended up pulling my truck into a parking lot and walking the 5 miles home.

The timing of the weather is what caused the worst gridlock in the city's history. Though people had been advised to stay home, few heeded the warning because by the morning rush hours, there were only a few flakes harmlessly blowing around. The whole thing looked like it would be another weather-media hysteria non-event. Wrong.

Temperatures had been well below freezing all night, so the precipitation didn't melt when it landed. Cars passing over it during the rush melted it, but as soon as traffic lightened after about 9:30, it all re-froze and started getting slick. By 10:30 it was becoming apparent there might be a problem looming, but decisions to close up and leave offices and schools were delayed until the ice was 1" thick on most roads.

The Metro area has very few sanding trucks and fewer plows, and by the time the extent of the icing was really obvious to everyone, there was no possible way to deploy any sanding trucks anyway; the roads were already jammed. Couple that with the facts that Southerners don't ever seem to realize that if you go fast on ice you crash into something else when you hit the brakes, and the complete lack of chains or studded tires down here, and you have a real mess. Almost every main intersection was blocked by crashes early on, and by the time the wrecks were cleared, the ice had built up to the point where cars with conventional tires had no hope of getting any traction. You don't realize how hilly the Atlanta area is until you drive a 2WD pickup in ice here...and it's always amusing to watch 4 wheel-drive vehicles (on conventional tires) go sliding into one another as their owners think they're invincible.

Most wreckers here don't have chains, nor do many of the emergency vehicles, and the city's roads soon became impassible with abandoned and hopelessly stuck cars. Reports of 17 hour commutes, running out of gas while idling in stopped traffic, and stores like Home Depot opening all night as warm refuges were the norm. The Atlanta Mayor promises to throw a lot of money at the problem and hire some expensive ice storm consultants. Uh huh.

Snow and freezing rain are in the forecast for the next few days, but the temps will be higher, so ice buildup may not be an issue this time. We'll see.

[Harry P.]

...Southerners don't ever seem to realize that if you go fast on ice you crash into something else when you hit the brakes...

[Pete J.]

...and it's always amusing to watch 4 wheel-drive vehicles (on conventional tires) go sliding into one another as their owners think they're invincible.

Their not the only ones. You ought to see the Californian flat landers in the 4wd SUV's in the mountains!

[Agent G]

Their not the only ones. You ought to see the Californian flat landers in the 4wd SUV's in the mountains!

There's a segment of the motoring public here that loves the look of the desert racing trucks. They modify their 4wd pickups with everything they see in a catalogue or at the races. That makes the pickup totally useless for on road use, anywhere.

G

[Joe Handley]

There's a segment of the motoring public here that loves the look of the desert racing trucks. They modify their 4wd pickups with everything they see in a catalogue or at the races. That makes the pickup totally useless for on road use, anywhere.

G

Ah, the "Flatbill" set and I believe their trucks are referred to as "Brodozers" heard about them but luckily don't really see them here. I will admit though, some of those suspension goodies would come in handy on my Jeep right now..............our paved roads are back to being rather rough.

[Rob Hall]

There's a segment of the motoring public here that loves the look of the desert racing trucks. They modify their 4wd pickups with everything they see in a catalogue or at the races. That makes the pickup totally useless for on road use, anywhere.

G

Yeah, I see those around here..everything from new 4x4 F350 Crew Cabs with lifts and 35 inch tyres (there is a dealership in Scottsdale I drive by all the time that has about 20 lifted new and late model Ford and GM pickups on it) to worn out 20 yr old Rangers that look like they were brush painted w/ fiberglass front ends w/ flared fenders and roll bars in the bed, made to look sort of like Baja racers...with the front ends higher than the rear..really dumb looking.

Edited February 10, 2014 by Rob Hall

[Harry P.]

...our paved roads are back to being rather rough.

Our "paved" roads are paved with potholes!

[Ace-Garageguy]

Georgia's governor is already declaring several counties as having weather-related states of emergency and the first snowflake hasn't fallen yet. Several counties are cancelling school classes for the next couple days too. Hmmm. This will be interesting.

[Agent G]

Windows are open, ceiling fans are on, let's get some air in here.

79 by the weekend.

G

[Tom Geiger]

The whole thing looked like it would be another weather-media hysteria non-event. Wrong.

This is the heart of the problem. The media has cried wolf so many times, just because they have airtime to fill and nothing to say, that nobody listens to warnings any more. When Hurricane Sandy was on it's way in, people were not evacuating the coastal areas. NJ Governor Christie took to the airwaves himself, pleading with people that this was the real deal... (actually he said something like you had to be really stupid to stay!) And a day later they were fishing those folks off their roofs.

[Harry P.]

Said in my best Ted Baxter voice:

ALERT! ALERT! This just in to our newsroom moments ago... our latest WeatherTracker data has determined that it is WINTER, and continued cold and snow are expected to continue for the next several weeks. We advise all within the viewing area to take this weather warning extremely seriously and take proper precautions. To repeat... it is WINTER and we expect to see several more weeks of winter ahead. More details as they become available. This has been a WeatherTracker "Weather Scare" update. Now back to our regularly scheduled program already in progress...

Hey... maybe I could be a newswriter!

[JohnU]

And since when has the Weather Chanel found it necessary to name winer storms! As if they were hurricanes! Really!!?

[mikemodeler]

This has been one of the craziest winters I have seen, and that includes living in northern Illinois for 41 years! Here in Charlotte the weather roller coaster continues as we had temps near 60 over the weekend and now they are calling for 4-8 inches of snow and up to an inch of ice over the next 3 days. The schools are closing two hours early today to get students home before the weather sets in later and most likely they will be closed tomorrow and Thursday.

The news stations are all over this storm, reporting on how the stores have been cleared out of bread, milk, fruit and veggies, the DOT has all 35 snow plows ready (yes, a city the size of Charlotte has 35 snow plows!) and what hardware stores have salt and shovels!

The good news is that this weekend we should be in the 50s so any snow or ice will be shortlived, unlike my family and friends back in Chicago who have feet of snow and sub-freezing temps to contend with for awhile!

[Joe Handley]

Don't remind us Mike

I had seen that on CNN this morning for Atlanta too.

Edited February 11, 2014 by Joe Handley

[High octane]

Mikemodeler, when I was in Charlotte five years ago, I was talking to a woman about the weather in Charlotte and she said that maybe you would get an inch of snow. Guess not this year.

[mikemodeler]

Mikemodeler, when I was in Charlotte five years ago, I was talking to a woman about the weather in Charlotte and she said that maybe you would get an inch of snow. Guess not this year.

Nick, most winters (this is my ninth here) we see maybe 2-3 inches total. 2 weeks ago when Atlanta had their "snowmegeddon", we had about an inch where I live (far south edge of Charlotte) and most of it melted in the sun by mid-day. The problem came when the temp dropped that night to near single digits and any wet spots turned to ice.

Our biggest fear here is ice. They simply do not have the equipment to deal with it so when it snows or rains this time of year, they hit the roads and try to spread salt or salt brine to combat the ice. Unlike the Midwest, treating the side roads and subdivisions just doesn't happen here! When we had the bad weather two weeks ago the engine from the closest fire station slid through an intersection and into a wooden fence because the road hadn't been treated! I have no doubt that the fire department told the street department and that road will be treated this time around!

I gave away or sold most of my winter gear when I packed up in 2005 and moved South, although I still have some winter boots and a snow shovel!

I enjoy watching the locals trying to drive in this as they have no understanding of how to. Add in the idiots with 4wd and it can make for some real fun!

[DonW]

We often have lots of snow here in South Wales in wintertime, but not this year. This morning for the first time this winter there was snow on the mountains and we had a few minutes of sleet but that was it. Sympathy to those of you who are suffering an excess of the stuff, not to mention the media scaremongering!

My wife just brought me a mince pie that she just baked, and a teapot. I was on the 'phone and for some reason I assumed the teapot had custard in it (she often does that) so I poured it over the mince pie. It had tea in it of course!

[von Zipper]

I'd take a foot of snow over 1/2 inch of ice any day !!!

[Ace-Garageguy]

"The storm could be a "catastrophic event" reaching "historical proportions," the National Weather Service said in its warnings. Forecasters cited potentially crippling snow and ice accumulations, and they expected widespread power outages that could last for days. As much as three-quarters of an inch of ice is forecast for Atlanta, and wind gusts up to 25 mph could exacerbate problems."

The above is quoted from a National Weather Service statement re-posted by AOL at 11:43 AM today. So far, we've had a very small amount of snow and sleet, zero accumulation on the roads because the temperature is well above freezing, and what had prettily stuck on lawns and roofs is rapidly melting as I write this.

Columbus, Ga, weather radar shows the entire first system has now blown past the Atlanta area. A complete non-event.

The Lawton, Ok. weather radar shows a fair-sized snow and ice storm on the Texas / Oklahoma border, moving east and currently about to cross into Louisiana. Apparently it's expected to be over the Atlanta Metro area sometime tomorrow. But with the warmish ground, and lows forecast to be right around freezing, I'm kinda betting against any significant road icing. I suppose there could be some icing-related power line damage and outages, but again, I'm betting against the "catastrophic event" of "historical proportions" quoted above.

Let's see how I do versus the really well paid and well staffed weather forecasters.

Edited February 11, 2014 by Ace-Garageguy

[Harry P.]

A complete non-event.

I guess Atlanta officials didn't want to repeat their total embarrassment by the inability to cope with two inches of snow by overcompensating with complete overkill.

[Tom Geiger]

Well, I'm sitting here waiting for the next storm to hit tomorrow night. I don't have to physically go to work until next Monday. My boss said he won't be there the next three days so to work from home. So tomorrow I'll go out for supplies, then dig in!

[Rob Hall]

I wouldn't mind a bit of snow..supposed to be 88 here Fri-Sat...too soon for this.

[cobraman]

I second what Rob says.

[Tom Geiger]

^{Ya know, we need some kind of software that blocks you fair weather guys form posting in this thread!}

^{Can't wait until it's like 140* out there this summer!}

[Rob Hall]

^{Ya know, we need some kind of software that blocks you fair weather guys form posting in this thread!}

^{Can't wait until it's like 140* out there this summer!}

Heh-heh..but it's a dry heat..only got up to 120 here last summer....I guess we can start a summer weather thread eventually..