DFW 2013 Snowpacalypse, Take 2

[tessaesque]

So about two weeks ago there was a HUGE deal made of some impending winter weather that never came. Grocery store shelves were raided, people were already planning for their day off work, and then.....nothing. Not even a drizzle.

Today, they're predicting freezing rain and sleet over night w/temps well below freezing. The rain DID come, and so did the temps. But at this point it's still not bad....it isn't even truly freezing on the roadways yet. And still, the whole damned metroplex is freaking out.

As the child of two yankees (both of whom grew up where blizzards are the norm from October to April), this whole mess is almost laughable. Traffic at a standstill, school districts preemptively closing, and people once again raiding the grocery shelves.

They're totally over dramatizing the event. It'd be seriously funny, if it weren't so incredibly sad. Calm the hell down, people. This is Texas. It ain't gonna last.

 

[Fisher]

Places not used to it are the places that need to pay most attention to it. They generally do not have the equipment/supplies to maintain the roads and people not used to driving in it are the one who cause massive pile-ups.

 

[anatta]

So glad to be in weird Floriduh, I'll take alligators in the bathroom before ice all over the walkway.

 

[tessaesque]

Places not used to it are the places that need to pay most attention to it. They generally do not have the equipment/supplies to maintain the roads and people not used to driving in it are the one who cause massive pile-ups.

We've got tons of salt and sand trucks and volunteers from Oklahoma (where they DO get real winter weather) that can come out and take care of this.

It's just exaggeration at this point. Wall-to-wall weather coverage on every local channel, reporters in the field simultaneously confirming that the roads aren't freezing (yet), then saying that the roads are totally undriveable.

 

[Helix]

i call them the French toast people. MILK BREAD AND EGGS OH NOEZ

 

[Summerwind]

So about two weeks ago there was a HUGE deal made of some impending winter weather that never came. Grocery store shelves were raided, people were already planning for their day off work, and then.....nothing. Not even a drizzle.

Today, they're predicting freezing rain and sleet over night w/temps well below freezing. The rain DID come, and so did the temps. But at this point it's still not bad....it isn't even truly freezing on the roadways yet. And still, the whole damned metroplex is freaking out.

As the child of two yankees (both of whom grew up where blizzards are the norm from October to April), this whole mess is almost laughable. Traffic at a standstill, school districts preemptively closing, and people once again raiding the grocery shelves.

They're totally over dramatizing the event. It'd be seriously funny, if it weren't so incredibly sad. Calm the hell down, people. This is Texas. It ain't gonna last.

I remember those days. If you know how to drive in such weather, still better stay home because even a bit of rain will throw off the DFW folks. Of course, it's only fair to point out that a bit of rain in DFW turns the roads to the equivalent of icy roads due to calichy and oil.

 

[Fisher]

We've got tons of salt and sand trucks and volunteers from Oklahoma (where they DO get real winter weather) that can come out and take care of this.

It's just exaggeration at this point. Wall-to-wall weather coverage on every local channel, reporters in the field simultaneously confirming that the roads aren't freezing (yet), then saying that the roads are totally undriveable.

So are they slushy but not icy?

I stand by my statement. A big urban area an hour south of me completely shuts down with stuff we find just an annoyance because they never get it. We get it often enough that we are mostly prepared even though a lot of folks elect to stay in. Ironically enough, when I lived in the northeast, it was a lot less inconvenient as they and I were used to it coming regularly. Brining the roads ahead of the storm works much better than spreading rock salt by the way.

 

[Beaudreaux]

So about two weeks ago there was a HUGE deal made of some impending winter weather that never came. Grocery store shelves were raided, people were already planning for their day off work, and then.....nothing. Not even a drizzle.

Today, they're predicting freezing rain and sleet over night w/temps well below freezing. The rain DID come, and so did the temps. But at this point it's still not bad....it isn't even truly freezing on the roadways yet. And still, the whole damned metroplex is freaking out.

As the child of two yankees (both of whom grew up where blizzards are the norm from October to April), this whole mess is almost laughable. Traffic at a standstill, school districts preemptively closing, and people once again raiding the grocery shelves.

They're totally over dramatizing the event. It'd be seriously funny, if it weren't so incredibly sad. Calm the hell down, people. This is Texas. It ain't gonna last.

I'm getting packed to head out right now because of this ice storm.

Just a few facts to keep in mind about freezing rain:

1/4" of ice accumulation can break tree limbs and cause them to impact power lines and knock out power;
1/2" of ice can break whole trees in half and can again cause power outages;
3/4" of ice can bring down power lines on its own, and bring down entire trees uprooting the stump.

The forecast for north east Texas, Arkansas, western Tennessee and northern Mississippi is for any where from 1/4" to 3/4" of ice accumulation. DFW is forecast to get as much as 1/2" of ice accumulation.

Add to this that ice on roads is the most dangerous surface to travel on. Bridges will ice over first and melt last, as well as shady places on the roads.

This particular storm has all the ingredients to be a serious pain in the butt for you, so I hope you're ready.

Edit: For those that don't know, disaster recovery is what I do for a living.

 

[Lutherf]

So about two weeks ago there was a HUGE deal made of some impending winter weather that never came. Grocery store shelves were raided, people were already planning for their day off work, and then.....nothing. Not even a drizzle.

Today, they're predicting freezing rain and sleet over night w/temps well below freezing. The rain DID come, and so did the temps. But at this point it's still not bad....it isn't even truly freezing on the roadways yet. And still, the whole damned metroplex is freaking out.

As the child of two yankees (both of whom grew up where blizzards are the norm from October to April), this whole mess is almost laughable. Traffic at a standstill, school districts preemptively closing, and people once again raiding the grocery shelves.

They're totally over dramatizing the event. It'd be seriously funny, if it weren't so incredibly sad. Calm the hell down, people. This is Texas. It ain't gonna last.

In 1984 I was in training at Camp Bullis outside of San Antonio. One afternoon right around Christmas it started to snow and before it stopped we got something like 15". They actually stopped training (which was kind of weird to me since, coming from New York, it wasn't that much snow). A few of us took that opportunity to head into town and see what was going on. I will never forget looking to my right as we started to pull out of a Godfather's Pizza parking lot and seeing a city bus sliding down the slight hill sideways. It was kind of amusing to see all those faces pressed to the downhill side window with a mix of fear and amusement.:lamo

 

[WCH]

Places not used to it are the places that need to pay most attention to it. They generally do not have the equipment/supplies to maintain the roads and people not used to driving in it are the one who cause massive pile-ups.

DFW has a grand total of 23 sand trucks....so.yeah.

 

[WCH]

We're in the "possibly not going to work tommorrow" alert status here northwest of the Kremlin on the Colorado.

 

[tech30528]

When we get weather like that we just take a day or two off. Ice and mountain roads don't mix. But we've got everything we need to hang out for a while without power or being able to drive.

 

[poweRob]

We got eight inches a week ago and no snow until today. Today we got around another eight. Tomorrow is supposed to be clear and then snow on Saturday and Sunday. The ski resort here is doing well I do believe.