GadgetGirlIL

On behalf of the Chicago area (lifelong resident), I apologize for winter getting lost and heading so far south. It is so weird to see all of you posting weather forecasts that are pretty normal for us.

And I am NOT one that is complaining about the cold (5 degrees this morning) as it keeps the crowds down at the arboretum. I love having the trails to myself to snowshoe!

Hondo Gravel

Putting a space heater in the well house and covered pipes the best I can. Travel travel aka office will have the water drained and the plug removed from the hot water heater removed as stated in the manual. Let some water run slowly in the house. Something breaks? Then I will just have to fix it. PVC isn’t hard to repair so that is fairly routine in a rural area. Cow water freezes I will just take a hammer and break the ice layer. Lose power? Boiling a pot of water on the propane stove is a good heater plus all the camping equipment would help. My truck has heated seats that I even use in summer after a long hike or bike ride. I forgot I picked up some overpriced duraflame logs for the fireplace that doesn’t get much use. Staying off the roads unless I have to go somewhere. See what happens which will probably be nothing. We are just not equipped for this weather but this only happens every 30 years or so. I think the KGB released a polar vortex on us that is what my crazy neighbor thinks What if they are right?

Deal4Fuji

We have gas logs in case the power goes off, but no measurable snow yet in our part of NC.

Seattle daughter Aaryn woke up to this this morning, and surprisingly for us to hear - the city of Seattle doesn't get a lot of snow like the higher elevations nearby do.

Seattle Forrest

We're getting dumped on. The last time I can remember this much snow in Seattle was 15 years ago. The mayor lost his job because of it. I have a pair of skis that's already a little broken, I'm wondering the best route to get to the coffee shop on them. Hopefully the sleepy neighborhood roads aren't plowed yet.

Hondo Gravel

Pick up a straight black coffee for me no fancy shenanigans I’m hoping it will start snowing here soon so this cold won’t be so boring.

Clyde1820

It's been icy around where I live. Isn't all that common, but the weather gods conspired to get the temperature just right in combination with the snowfall. Just melted enough to get everything wet, then froze solid again; with more falling on top the next night, then lightly melted, then frozen again. Oh, it's a real joy right now. Nasty sections on the road.

The tough part: On a mostly clear, dry road, it's occasionally impossible to see an icy patch in a shady spot or along a curve. Once that happens ... zing! there goes the tire grip. I really feel for the folks who don't have proper winter-type (3-peak severe winter rated) tires and AWD.

Definitely taking a lot of care driving, this past couple of weeks.

It's definitely a lot safer with just snow. When it's just ice, there's almost nothing to do except wish for a set of studded ice tires to appear on the car.

Shimagnolo

The weather is upside down here in CO.
Right now in the Denver metro area at 5300' MSL, it is 1F.
Meanwhile at 11,000' MSL at the base of Loveland Ski Area (at the Continental Divide & Eisenhower/Johnson tunnels), it is 21F.
Just the opposite of what is normal.

Zinger

We can do this up in Amarillo where the wind keeps the chill factor colder than Colorado Springs. It snows there
When it's deep just keep moving. Don't try to plow through the snowdrifts higher than your front bumper though.

People in San Diego can't drive on any sleet that hasn't yet melted on the road. Because they only get it about once in 3-5 years and it doesn't hang around for long. Just stay off the freeway when it does sleet, even if you are proficient because almost no one else is.

roundypndr 

Maybe send some of those Texan drivers to Frostbite Falls driving school.

downtube42

Well we were supposed to drive up to Seattle from Portland Friday night but I decided to wait and see. Woke up to find a nice drift in front of my garage, and more drifts in the alley. It's impossible to know how much snow we got, because it was so windy it's all drifts and bare spots. I shoveled mine away, but the alley isn't going to be passable for a while. It's like lasagna - layers of powder and ice, with ice on the pavement underneath it all. Out the front window it was a entertaining show of 4x4 after 4x4 getting stuck in drifts. It's the layer of ice underneath that's the killer.

I tried riding the commuter with studded tires, and the MBT with 2.25" tires, but both of them just crunched down into the lasagna and stopped dead.

I guess there's more coming. Good thing I didn't get up to Seattle Friday night, I'd probably be stuck there.

dedhed

30 degrees isn't really bad to work in. Spent 10 hours yesterday repairing a water main break 14 feet down. It was -5 and snowing when we started, and got all the way up to +8. You just dress for it and folks who do this stuff usually know how to deal with it.

mack_turtle

cool story bro. I'll bet the people working outside in this are uncomfortable but doing OK if they are bundled up and have a warm truck to get in between tasks. I'm talking about trying to sleep in a house with no power when the temperature goes below freezing. downed trees are knocking the power lines because the trees here are not adapted to cold. on top of that, all this cold is putting demand on the power grid for which it was also not designed, so we're expecting rolling blackouts as the temp dips into singe digits over the next 48 hours. try turning the heat in your house off for 48 hours and see what kind of sleep you get. when the power is out and there's a pandemic to worry about, there's really no where to go. even if you could, the streets have turned into a sheets of sheer ice. the only way to get around is on foot.

Hondo Gravel

Single digits tonight record setting cold. My bike clothing only good for 50 degrees. The baclava and cold weather cycling gloves have been great and luckily I have a seldom used parka. I’m just hoping the pipes don’t break. It was 80 degrees a few days ago! Nothing is built for this if it gets to 112 in summer no problem just get under the water sprinkler and pop open a cold beer. It’s that Vladamir Putin and that arctic laser beam they have.

Seattle Forrest

That's why it's called a inversion. 🙃

Seattle Forrest

I took the lane like a cyclist. There wasn't much traffic but drivers appeared surprised to turn the corner and see a guy coming down the road on skis at them. Coffee shop was closed, I decided to ski to the park with the longest, steepest hill I know of. Unleashed dog came running at me, I was pointing the tips of my poles at it to keep it away, it was behind me so I crashed trying to avoid getting bit. Owner showed up and collected the dog. A mile later I realize I didn't have my phone anymore.

I was due for a newer one for a while, but I haven't been able to bring myself to spend on a used one even. So that sucked.

Today this guy was grinning at me while I was coming down a hill, like he was going to go home and tell everybody he saw a white guy skiing down 12th Avenue. No, really, white people don't even notice the cold. Glad I could make somebody's day.

GamblerGORD53

Those 6 or 7 cars were the only ones undamaged I think. The were 3 empty spots on the truck, so not sure if that's the way it was.
The day before, there was an umpteenth 20+ vehicle wreck up on the Coquihalla mountain pass in BC. One died.

canklecat

Even after that massive pileup and fatalities in Fort Worth, it made little difference in people's driving. I walked around Friday, Saturday and Sunday night, partly for exercise, partly to check on some local homeless folks. Drivers in my area were just as reckless and negligent as ever, no concessions to the icy, snowy roads. Maybe one or two folks were driving appropriately, out of the dozens of cars I saw.

Sometimes when friends hear my stories about stopping to check on homeless folks, they ask whether I'm afraid. Nah, I've never had any problems with homeless folks. It's the "normal" people in motor vehicles who worry me, especially the guys in Dodge Ram trucks and anybody looking at their phones instead of the road. Every damn day walking or bicycling around those people is a serious risk. Maybe once or twice a year I hear a report of a legitimate crime involving homeless or mentally ill people assaulting someone on the multi-use paths or around downtown. That's a far cry from the daily risks posed by negligent, reckless drivers.

genec

Yeah my wife and I take 3-4 mile walks daily, and part of the walk is along a busy boulevard... it never ceases to amaze me how many folks are staring at cell phones in that 40MPH traffic. They are quite clearly visible to us at our walking height. Oh sure "40MPH is safe..." Right.

Shimagnolo

The sub-zero temps just became less amusing to me: I woke up to -8F and no running water!

Some tracing of water lines led me to believe the supply line is inside a drywall-covered soffit in the garage. The garage is attached, but unheated. It was cold as hell in there, so I opened the door between the den and the garage, and cranked up the heat. Then turned on the kitchen faucet, and left an empty pitcher under it. At 1pm I suddenly heard the kitchen sink running, and the bathroom toilet tank refilling. Whew!!! Haven’t seen any leaks in the garage yet, so hopefully nothing broke. The city water pressure is ~100psi, (reduced to 50psi by a regulator in the basement), so I think leaks would show up pretty quickly.

Mad Honk 

I went out this afternoon and plowed through four inches with a snow blower. Tonight will bring another eight inches of snow which I will deal with tomorrow. It is all part of getting along with Mother Nature, but it takes a bit of work on our side. Just like CC we have created multiple sites for our homeless, including housing in hotels and safe houses for those in need. We have a bunch who have tried to stay in tents, and with the weather that require extra vigilance from our peace officers to keep them safe in the cold weather. I sympathize with some for not being willing to accept help, but the weather may force them to do so. MH

Seattle Forrest

​​​​​​I got an email from a homeless person this morning, "did you lose a phone?" She said she she saw it fall out of my pocket and I was skiing too fast to catch up with, so she pulled it out of the snow and emailed me. I gave her some cash.

Wasn't even a little bit scary.

no motor?

A couple of summers ago we were out riding on a trail that goes through an older town that was economically depressed enough to qualify for a casino when they started allowing casinos. We'd stopped at a park for a snack etc... and about 15 minutes after we left my GF realized she'd left her phone back at the park. I gave her my phone and headed back to the park while she rode the 5 miles back to the car. I got a flat tire on the way back to the park, lost my gloves but found her phone right where she left it, on a bench about 15 feet from the homeless looking crew that was there when we were. 1 of them seemed interested in my changing the tube, but it turned out he was waiting for me to finish so I could adjust something on his bike. Another asked for a few bucks which I gladly gave him before leaving, dealing with the homeless was the least stressful part of the whole ordeal.

surveyor6

The Ice Storm of Feb 15 definitely supports the OP's argument.

Hondo Gravel

Hondo Gravel

Finally had a rolling black out everything two hours the power goes 0. No problem I understand. Prepared no problems but I can be ok but others cannot. Critical needs of people prioritize conveniences of comfort. I give up my selfish BS so the people in need have electricity and everything else! Others first before yourself, believe me in the end it the best way to be.