Winter sucks, the sequel

[textualdeviance]

So, the NWS has issued another winter storm watch for tomorrow evening through Thursday morning. More cold temps plus another storm front. Welcome to freezing rain, most likely. Yuck. I'm going to try to drive up to B'ham tomorrow before the next wave hits. Classes may not be in session again, but I still need to be there to help work on the Friday issue, among other duties.

Those who are from higher elevations or generally colder regions may think we're being wimps about this here. Speaking as someone who was born and raised at 4500 feet, let me tell you: this is not standard mountain snow.

What sucks about this climate is that it rarely gets and stays cold for any length of time. What happens is that we get a dump of snow over a day or so, then temps warm up enough to either melt the top of the snow layer and/or add rain to it. Then it freezes over again overnight. So what we have isn't layers of powder--or even packed powder--but layers of solid ice, most of which has melted/refrozen in very uneven surface patterns.

When you're driving on snow, assuming you have snow tires and a fairly heavy vehicle, you can cut a path through the stuff. The act of compacting the snow will give you traction. Yes, it's still slippery, but it's something for the tires to grab onto. The stuff we get here isn't like that. It's more like trying to drive over a rock-solid Chihuly sculpture dipped in Astroglide. The only way you get traction on that is if you have chains, studs or they've been kind enough to dump a load of fresh sand on the street. Note, too, that this must be fresh. Older layers of sand only get sunk down into the permafrost layer during the melting/refreezing cycle.

So if you're tempted to point and laugh--don't. We generally get mild winters with maybe one or two light snowstorms (at least in the lowlands.) But when we get a big one, it's nasty, nasty, nasty. This is definitely the worst storm cycle since the horror of December 96.

Wish us luck and warmth. We're going to need it.

Comments

[loudxmouse.livejournal.com]

META QUOTED

It's more like trying to drive over a rock-solid Chihuly sculpture dipped in Astroglide.

[textualdeviance.livejournal.com]

Heh. It so is, though. :)

[deadrose.livejournal.com]

Yes - plus the serious lack of snow removal or de-icing equipment. I live down on Vashon island, which has the extra bonus of being very hilly. I posted a sort of guide to snow conditions in Seattle on my LJ yesterday :-)

Makes me miss winters in Ontario, where I used to live, because at least the local governments *did* something about the road conditions.

[twilight-echo.livejournal.com]

Though it doesn't get very cold here in Oklahoma, we get that ice/snow/ice cycle, too. The snow isn't real snow, it's not even powder, but it melts and then freezes.

I hate it! It's very hard to drive in, especially since pretty much no one here has ice-ready tires or cars.

I do send you warmth, though, and lots of fresh sand/salt for the roads.

[resqdog51.livejournal.com]

....ok, that description ROCKS. You are SO on with that one. *laugh* Excellent. From now on when my friends complain that "You people up in Seattle/Washington just don't know how to drive in snow" I'm going to point them at THIS description and say "oh yeah? YOU TRY IT!"

*laugh*

EXCELLENT. The only bit you've missed are the hills. A good bit of the PNW has a lot of very steep hills (ok, east coasters, read "MONSTROUS MOUNTAINS") that this Chihuly ice sculpture coats.



...I ended up here via, metaquotes, btw. I'm down Seattle way so the 'Wa State' appellation caught my eye.

[cheryl-f.livejournal.com]

Brilliant description is right. Thanks to Res for linking to you. And the link to the 1996-7 storm brought back lots of memories.

That's when I discovered that the Handa's tires were less than 30 inches tall. I have a 28 inch inseam & was in snow up to my behind trying to dig out the Honda. My Mom was in the hospital & I was in BIG trouble for not visiting. She's from Texas. Snowed in did not register with her.

[forestrane.livejournal.com]

I know the Seattle area well enough to know just how bad this weather is. I'm sorry to hear it's going to continue. Drive careful if you do head out to B'ham.

[thefirstalicat.livejournal.com]

Nasty stuff, alright - the only part of winter here that really worries me is when we get freezing rain and the streets ice over. Luckily, Montreal is much much colder than that usually, so it doesn't happen too often, although the Ice Storm of January 1998 was very nearly a total disaster (the authorities came justthisclose to having to evacuate the 3 million people on the island, which would have been a logistical nightmare as you might imagine).

All that said, so far this fall we've had no snow, which is practically unheard of! Today and tomorrow we're getting temps closer to the middle of Spring. So I guess you Pacific Northwest people are getting our weather and vice versa!