# Snowed In



## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

Warmed up the tractor this morning to begin my day. Came in the house for a few minutes and it began to snow. Hard blowing snow. The cows are now wearing snow blankets.

It hit so fast that the schools did not all have time to close down. Roads are impassable and children in many schools will be spending the night there.

We do not have snow plows or many spreader trucks to spread sand on over passes. This happens every dozen years or so.

A lot of people, my daughter included, are stranded at work.

It is 16 degrees, wind chill 6 degrees, high tomorrow 32, single digits tomorrow night, then back to normal and 62 Saturday.


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

Hopefully it will be about 12 more years before we have this type of winter again in the South....but wth, you never know with all this dang global warming. Hope your daughter gets along well tonight. My oldest son lives in Atlanta and they have 2.5" there....this ain't right .

Regards, Mike


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## Grateful11 (Apr 5, 2009)

Wife and son have over 60 head including the calves right now and my wife just checked on them and all are inside the shed or the barn except one. Snow is coming down pretty good. 18 degrees and dropping.


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## NDVA HAYMAN (Nov 24, 2009)

Thanks Tim, it just hit here earlier. Just can't give this crap away. Hope your daughter is safe.


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## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

An hour from when it began snowing things began to shut down. There are abandoned cars throughout the county.

My daughter works at a hospital and will be alright. Thanks for asking.

Watching the news now and some people have been sitting in traffic for 5 hours.


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## Grateful11 (Apr 5, 2009)

Hopefully they'll have extra beds for everyone.

OT: My wife made a crock pot of Pintos and skillet of cornbread. Man you talk about hitting the spot, I'm stuffed.


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## Dill (Nov 5, 2010)

Are kids really stuck at school? The storm warnings always talk about having extra food and water in your car, not really a concern around here.

How much snow are you getting in Alabama? The friend of mine in Pensacola said it changed back to sleet right off, navy base is completely shut down, but really no accumulation of snow.


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

Dill said:


> Are kids really stuck at school? The storm warnings always talk about having extra food and water in your car, not really a concern around here.
> How much snow are you getting in Alabama? The friend of mine in Pensacola said it changed back to sleet right off, navy base is completely shut down, but really no accumulation of snow.


Down in these parts it's a real danger for people to be out drivin, like he said there ain't a plow within 100 miles and not very many of them. People down here, myself included, have no idea about drivin in these conditions, better for them to hunker down in the schools than to let the buses out, I'm sure if you have 4x4 you can go retrieve said child. Problem here is ground temp though, when the snow hits a very good bit starts to melt, then it freezes from the air temp and.... well, you can't imagine the calamity....

There's a reason why we wound up down here in Dixie Tim, dad, grandad, great-grandad....somebody along the way realized this ain't good......I'm with them, glad they made the decision for me, don't think I'd fare very well any further North.....hope all works out ok


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## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

Tim/South said:


> Warmed up the tractor this morning to begin my day. Came in the house for a few minutes and it began to snow. Hard blowing snow. The cows are now wearing snow blankets.
> It hit so fast that the schools did not all have time to close down. Roads are impassable and children in many schools will be spending the night there.
> We do not have snow plows or many spreader trucks to spread sand on over passes. This happens every dozen years or so.
> A lot of people, my daughter included, are stranded at work.
> It is 16 degrees, wind chill 6 degrees, high tomorrow 32, single digits tomorrow night, then back to normal and 62 Saturday.


Welcome to everyday up here in PA since Christmas.
I hope you and all your loved ones get through the next few days safe.


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## haybaler101 (Nov 30, 2008)

Sounds like the first snowfall of the year in southern Indiana, but most people are getting pretty good this winter at driving in the crap. Schools still don't think they can operate in slick conditions, my kids have missed six days and had 10 two hour delays so far and we have not had but about 15" snow total for the winter.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

Mostly the schools have been staying closed up here because of the well below zero windchill factors. Haven't really been getting much snow but the winds been the devil itself far as making drifts. I've burned up well over a hundred gallons of gas in the plow truck the last two weeks keeping the farm drive cleared and 3 or 4 landlords that don't have their own plows. Had some 5 foot tall drifts on the dirt road along the farm.


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## haybaler101 (Nov 30, 2008)

Same here, missed most school because of wind chill. Just do not have any snow to blow, but if it keeps up, gonna have dirt drifts. Ground has been froze and wind dried on top and starting to get dusty.


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## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

http://www.myfoxal.com/story/24563944/winter-storm-warning-extended-to-much-of-the-birmingham-area

The pictures on the side bar give an idea of what traffic is like.

We do not have snow tires down here, no studded tires or snow chains.

It was only 2.5 inches here but it was unexpected. It also came in like a herd of buffalo. In one hour driving was a hazard. There are numerous students spending the night at schools.

In the Birmingham area traffic is backed up for miles. People have been sitting in traffic jams since noon. National guard has been activated. Most of the pictures show the 18 wheelers losing traction and not being able to move. One stop at an intersection and they are done.

People have been told to abandon their cars and seek shelter. Hotels are booked and people sleeping in lobbies.

It is not as much that people do not know how to drive. It is that we do not have salt trucks, snow plows or tires to navigate in this.

It took my wife 2:45 to make her 30 minute drive home. She said it was the pick up trucks and big trucks that kept spinning out and blocking the roads. At one point she crossed over in to the oncoming lanes on a 4 lane to get around the big trucks and pick up trucks. Honda Accord front wheel drive pulled her through.

They are saying it will be Thursday before the roads can be cleared of vehicles.


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## haybaler101 (Nov 30, 2008)

Do they even still make snow tires? I just turn the knob to "4H" and run the Allison tranny in manual and down shift it to stop and I can go like hell and still get stopped too.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

You can still order snow tires up here, no body keeps em in stock though. With the newest rubber compounds and tread design on all weather tires if that ain't good enough then stay home. Snow tires or studded tires get most people in trouble as they get stupid and over drive their skill level. Four wheel drive also does that to a lot of people.

Only tire chains I've ever seen up here were the emergency style I carry in the hay truck.


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## hog987 (Apr 5, 2011)

Sounds like you guys are getting what we had in nov and dec. We finally got a break from it all for about 2 weeks and now it is cold again.

Snow tires are common around here. Every year some city or something talks about making snow tires mandatory. They are in a few places in Quebec I think.

When it is just around the freezing mark and the snow melts and than refreezes can be some of the worse for driving. Till you get down below -15c than the sand or salt depending where your at wont melt the snow/ice pack. Also the snow gets hard and slippery and the tires get stiff too.

All the fun and joys of winter.


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## ontario hay man (Jul 18, 2013)

I always run mud and snow tires. They really help in the winter and spring and fall when they it gets muddy and snow. I use mine for things most people only dream of lol. The wind is the problem here. 30 mph plus here for a week straight and its supposed to last another few days. Even when its sunny you cant see crap. Hope you guys are all good in the south. Be patient when driving. Yesterday I was going about 30 mph down the road and a guy passed me like I was tied to a tree. He was on his roof just up the road.


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

The Great Smoky Mountain National Park has one main thoroughfare in the park and it crosses the mountain range into North Carolina just below the highest peak....when it is snow covered it often is completely shut down as the snows can be very deep at the upper elevations of 6000 feet plus. During the times that you are allowed to traverse Highway 441 with snow you are required to use chains.....never a exception. Seems a high ranking politician came thru to go to the indian reservation in Cherokee NC to gamble but did not have the necessary chains. So when he would not stop at the checkpoint for chains he blasted on thru and was roadblocked several miles later by rangers. He was dragged out of his vehicle along with his cronies and body slammed and cuffed and hauled down to a local jail for holding. Reporters soon got wind of the parties holding in the jail and went for a scoop. He ranted and raved about who he was and how he was suing everyone in the state of TN. That was all that was ever heard of it again.....not even so much as a blimp. Moral of the story....you don't mess with Federal Officers...and the National Park Service. They are sovereign.

Regards, Mike


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## Dill (Nov 5, 2010)

Really don't see chains up here except on tractors, forestry equipment and truckers off road. We lived in Washington for a while and they were mandatory in some spots, finally got an explanation from a trooper that its mainly to slow people down.

What's confusing me about this storm is people abandoning their cars, that can't help the bad roads at all.

Really the first key in driving around in winter weather is to slow down. You can tell how used to driving in snow people are by how fast they are going. I was up in Derby VT last week and drove up and back in a storm. I was cruising right along, but let me tell you the Quebec truckers blew my doors off, an inch or so on the road is nothing to them.


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## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

There is no traction on the roads here. The snow quickly became black ice. The land here is rolling, up one hill, down another. Once someone stopped on a slight grade they were there for good.

Saw an interview this morning where a lady was sitting in her can and it began to slide off the road. It slowly went down an embankment and into a river. She jumped out. There were three cars in the picture that slid off the road. The other two were stopped by trees before going into the river.

Cars here do not run all terrain tires.

If the snow had been predicted then schools and businesses would have been closed. Everyone would have been home safe and warm until it blew over.


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## RockmartGA (Jun 29, 2011)

I was in Birmingham for a meeting when all that stuff hit. I think what happened is the temperature was in the 20's, but the paving might have been just warm enough to semi-melt the snow. Then the wind froze the snow in an ice blanket.

I've never seen anything like it. Actual snow accumulation in Birmingham was only about 3/4 of an inch or so.

It went from clear roads to gridlock in about 30 minutes. I got stuck in the traffic jam on I-20 at Leeds, AL. Spent the night in the car. Just got home a little while ago after 26 hours on the road.

Vehicles with rear wheel drive fared the worse. Pickups and other RWD sliding all over the road. Front wheel drive cars could go just about anywhere, well, except for all the pickups and RWD vehicles blocking the way.


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## ontario hay man (Jul 18, 2013)

If you guys with trucks have trouble and no 4wd stick a round bale in the back it really helps.


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## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

This sounds like a real mess. Video I saw was astounding. Something that would be a walk in the park for us up here in snow country could be so paralyzing.....

I think it would be a lot like if a hurricane hit Canada.


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## hog987 (Apr 5, 2011)

JD3430 said:


> This sounds like a real mess. Video I saw was astounding. Something that would be a walk in the park for us up here in snow country could be so paralyzing.....
> 
> I think it would be a lot like if a hurricane hit Canada.


Hey about 3 weeks ago we had hurricane force winds here. Blowing snow and already cold temps. It was -25c with out that nasty wind. Kept it up for the better part of two days. I spent most of those two days outside in that bloody cold. When the weather got nice when wind died I was so worn out.


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## ontario hay man (Jul 18, 2013)

Our county declared a state of emergency tonight. We have some drifts over 10 feet high. Jd if you think your in snow country come 8 hours north lol.


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## RockmartGA (Jun 29, 2011)

JD3430 said:


> This sounds like a real mess. Video I saw was astounding. Something that would be a walk in the park for us up here in snow country could be so paralyzing.....
> 
> I think it would be a lot like if a hurricane hit Canada.


You've got to remember, traffic is so bad in Atlanta that 1/2 of rain causes gridlock, LOL


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## deadmoose (Oct 30, 2011)

Your tires are the same as ours. Very few use snow tires. They do not make much of a difference at 30 degrees anyway. No one uses chains on the road. That is illegal. Here- the plows sometimes wait for storm to pass as well. Plenty of roads do not see salt or sand. There like here once you start spinning your tires you are done. A little chicken grit goes a long way. Everyone has plenty of practice dealing with snowy icy roads. Usually start sometime in November and end in April ish.


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## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

The problem was not the 2 inches of snow. Temps had been well below freezing for two days, lows in single digits and low teens. The roads were clear and the snow melted on the asphalt rather that being blown off by traffic. The frigid temps turned the melted snow to ice on the roads. The snow on the ice also became ice.

The weather channel had a nice story on how 2 inches of snow became more than an inch of ice.

The big rigs that put on chains were able to get traction. The truckers that were stuck were interviewed and said they had driven in all kinds of weather all over the states and had never seen roads turn to pure ice like they were seeing.

The snow birds were also in the ditches and abandoning their cars right along with everyone else.

Driving after 2 inches of snow is not a big deal unless that 2 inches is one inch of ice.


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## ontario hay man (Jul 18, 2013)

Atleast its gone for you guys in a few days.


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## FarmerCline (Oct 12, 2011)

ontario hay man said:


> Atleast its gone for you guys in a few days.


 Yep, the last little bit in the shady north facing slopes melted today.


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## deadmoose (Oct 30, 2011)

When the temps are so close to freezing it makes it much worse. Easier to melt.


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## RockmartGA (Jun 29, 2011)

ontario hay man said:


> Atleast its gone for you guys in a few days.


Here's the week's weather in summary:

Tuesday: Temperatures in the 20's. Ice and snow. Gridlock in the cities. Low at night in the teens.

Wednesday: Still cold. Ice clearing off roads in the sunny spots.

Thursday: Low of minus 2 degrees. (That's right. It's not a typo. -2 F )

Sunday: High of 74 degrees. I was working outside in a tee shirt and sweating. We went from a near record low to a near record high in three days.


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## ontario hay man (Jul 18, 2013)

That must be tough on people and critters adjusting to that.


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## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

It was so cold on Wednesday and Thursday here that the batteries in the solar powered gates quit working. 
Manual said they were good to -4. 
We're getting 4-8" of snow tomorrow. No big deal, just another day at the office.


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

I was complaining about all the rain that we got last winter....and then January 2014 happened....I will not complain about rain no more the rest of the winter....btw...it's raining here...but it's 50 degrees at 10 PM!!!!

Regards, Mike


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## cornshucker (Aug 22, 2011)

Mlappin dead on about the studded tires and four wheel drives bringing out the idiots. Dad always said four wheel drives caused more accidents on ice than they prevented because it give people to much of a comfort zone and they drive over their heads.


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## hog987 (Apr 5, 2011)

cornshucker said:


> Mlappin dead on about the studded tires and four wheel drives bringing out the idiots. Dad always said four wheel drives caused more accidents on ice than they prevented because it give people to much of a comfort zone and they drive over their heads.


So here is the problem with the 4x4. Happens everywhere you go. Yes a 4x4 will help make you go. BUT it will not help you to stop.( unless you hit the deep snow in the ditch lol) Most of the time on icy roads its not going that is the problem its stopping in time. A 4X4 does not have any more breaking power than a 2 wheel drive. In fact a little less cause of the extra weight of the front drive parts.


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## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

hog987 said:


> So here is the problem with the 4x4. Happens everywhere you go. Yes a 4x4 will help make you go. BUT it will not help you to stop.( unless you hit the deep snow in the ditch lol) Most of the time on icy roads its not going that is the problem its stopping in time. A 4X4 does not have any more breaking power than a 2 wheel drive. In fact a little less cause of the extra weight of the front drive parts.


Yeah, maybe, but I'm never going back to 2WD.

And I actually have had an instance where 4WD did slow truck better than 4x2. I was out plowing snow, got going too fast down a hill towards customers house. Applied brakes, wouldn't stop. Put truck in neutral, then in reverse on the ice and it slowed the truck down real good.


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

hog987 said:


> So here is the problem with the 4x4. Happens everywhere you go. Yes a 4x4 will help make you go. BUT it will not help you to stop.( unless you hit the deep snow in the ditch lol) Most of the time on icy roads its not going that is the problem its stopping in time. A 4X4 does not have any more breaking power than a 2 wheel drive. In fact a little less cause of the extra weight of the front drive parts.


Need a deployable anchor system for truck......coming from a southerner who never has to deal with it.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

somedevildawg said:


> Need a deployable anchor system for truck......coming from a southerner who never has to deal with it.


It's called a snow plow.


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

mlappin said:


> It's called a snow plow.


Ha, there's a awfully funny joke about a guy in buffalo that decided he had enuf of the snow so he decided to drive south until no one knew what the hell that thing was on the front of his truck.....finally settled down around here....Neighbor asked him what it was....figured that was good enuf for him....
I ain't gonna tell you what the neighbor had strapped to his hood the next day as he took off with all of his belongings......enter your own


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