Snow in Virginia

[Sdiver]

Originally Posted by Tatonka316

... and if you can't drive in Fayetteville --- PLEASE say out of Colorado! We have so many transplants here that the mere mention of snow in the forecast has a significant number of tourons driving 10 - 15 mph and it hasn't even started snowing yet!!!

Supposed to be almost 50 degrees here in the sunny Rockies today!

Be careful out there to all in the East!

molon labe

AMEN to that.

[Utah Bob]

Originally Posted by Tatonka316

... and if you can't drive in Fayetteville --- PLEASE say out of Colorado! We have so many transplants here that the mere mention of snow in the forecast has a significant number of tourons driving 10 - 15 mph and it hasn't even started snowing yet!!!

Supposed to be almost 50 degrees here in the sunny Rockies today!

Be careful out there to all in the East!

molon labe

And then there is the other extreme of folks that think 4-wheel drive means "not affected by road conditions" and maintain their suicidal dash down the streets. They're always amazed when their shiny Explorer ends up crumpled in a ditch.

[Dan]

I ran shift change shuttles in my truck from the hospital to various places around Fayetteville for Saturday morning, Saturday evening, and again this morning. I saw a lot of people that should have had a northerner or someone that knows how to drive in these conditions shuttle them because of their ignorance on how to drive on snow/icy roads. I probably would have pulled them over too and gave them a warning; the word I got is that the police were to give warnings to people that were a very apparent danger to themselves and anyone else out on the roads by how they were driving. I saw cases where people overdid acceleration, braking, steering, drove 2 miles an hour, etc. I'd assume without being there that both the previous stated case by jbour13 and armymom1228 were this case; most people think their right in these type situations because they don't have enough SA to start with or are forced due to situations beyond their control.

I also saw numerous people with going into Convenience / Grocery stores after the storm hit; most of them were from groups that appeared to meet the lower income bracket and was wondering to myself if it was because they have limited SA of the approaching storm or if it was because they didn't have the money to buy on civilian payday evening before the storm. Either way we were lucky to have the storm do so little in Fayetteville and not power losses from freezing rain accumulation. For the average northerner this storm was nothing here in Fayetteville, but crippling for the locals. Some people ought to read about being prepared before emergencies and not afterward, but that is hard to get across to some people when they're already scraping by. But then there are always those that are just to ignorant...those were the preppy dressed type going into the stores with designer high heeled boots.

While waiting on someone to come out of the hospital this morning, I had some comic relief for me (not the other person). A male hospital staff member came walking out in some crocs and short sleeved scrubs, slipping around on the ice in the low 20 degree weather. He finally got to his $70K sports car and couldn't get it back out; he was gunning the engine and the 6 inches of hardened snow/ice left by a plow behind his vehicle was keeping him from leaving. I watched him and thought; do I enable this guy with zero SA or not, but before I reacted a female in a 4wd vehicle that knew him drove up. She got in it and backed it out with experienced driving skills (understanding that gunning it doesn't help). While he was walking over to the car he fell, so now he was embarrassed in more ways than one. She got in her vehicle and took off, while he gunned it and took off losing control in the first turn out of the parking lot. He finally got it moving again and left, but he's lucky if he made it to his destination safely; I didn't follow him.

[C0B2A]

Drove from Fort Knox, KY to home in Fayetteville yesterday in a Mitsubishi Eclipse, snow the whole way. NC is by far the worst at plowing their roads out of the states I drove through.
I came to the conclusion after seeing a car spin out across 5 lanes and hit the center divide that 99% of people should not be allowed to drive in the snow. I must have passed around 25 cars off to the side of the road stuck and almost half facing the wrong way just in NC.
Made the 600 mile drive in just under 12 hours.

[Pete]

Originally Posted by Dan

I ran shift change shuttles in my truck from the hospital to various places around Fayetteville for Saturday morning, Saturday evening, and again this morning.......................

Folks, back in a different life I did what Dan did a few times.

If you just have to get out and drive your 4x4 on a crappy day check out volunteering at the local hopital or other community service. It provides a service, is fun because some of the roads have never been driven on and you can meet some nice folks - and forget the ones who are not.

PS - The cops will not bug you.

And a picture of the fun machine.

[stickey]

My parents live right outside of Ft. Lee. They said they got around 7.25 inches. Proud and glad to be Virginian born and raised, but glad I now live in FL, even though like Armymom said, it was only around 56 today around Tampa.

Originally Posted by stickey

My parents live right outside of Ft. Lee. They said they got around 7.25 inches. Proud and glad to be Virginian born and raised, but glad I now live in FL, even though like Armymom said, it was only around 56 today around Tampa.

Yeah well, I just walked out of Whole Foods in Tampa, and nearly froze my tush off. It was the wind, not the actual temp., It was the raw wind blowing.
It is 54 out, and Whole Foods had the A/C on.

[Dragbag036]

Well, I'm up in Maine at the moment so ......this pic what Ive been dealing with.

[Red Flag 1]

Originally Posted by armymom1228

Yeah well, I just walked out of Whole Foods in Tampa, and nearly froze my tush off. It was the wind, not the actual temp., It was the raw wind blowing.
It is 54 out, and Whole Foods had the A/C on.

The "off" switch on Fla a/c units is optional.

RF 1

Originally Posted by Red Flag 1

The "off" switch on Fla a/c units is optional.

RF 1

yeah sure, tell that to these people down here. They bitch about it being hot so they crank the A/C to 60 daytime, then when the temps outside ARE 60 they whine about being cold.

[LarryW]

Dragbag036, I once drove from Bath to Portland in a white out to catch a flight. When I left the Holiday Inn the guy told me not to make the trip. I went anyway. There was 3ft of packed snow on the sidewalks, snowflakes big as a dogs head, and what ever that stuff was that was falling wasn't falling but blowing sideways instead. I don't know why I made it to the airport without being in traction, but I did. Then, sat on my butt for 10hrs waiting for the weather to break enough to get out. The Downeaster guy at the hotel was right. I'm a dumbass.

You're right...what we got in VA was just a cloudy afternoon compared to Maine.

[Ret10Echo]

Well the forecasters were off (yet again). We ended up with about 8 1/2 inches over here on the "good" side. Drove down from Hagerstown on Saturday afternoon leaving from a tournament. The hour-and-fifty-minute drive turned into three hours plus. Most folks were sane, I think the State was seriously rationing the budget on snow removal (my understanding is the big storm wiped out this years budget) and it showed. One track lane down the interstate.

Yes, the Yukon and Suburban crowd were performing as expected. The AWD on the SUV worked wonders and we were flat-dumb-and-happy all the way down. I did note that probably 75% of the disable vehicles I saw were high-end European luxury sedans and coupes. Bimmers, Mercedes and Volvos along with the occasional mishmash of sport coupes. Of course the Polar Bear Plunge was Saturday and that put a lot of folks out on the road that may not have been normally.

It was a minor blip overall. Sunshine yesterday cleared off most of the pavement and the kids are in school today.

Better the snow than the ice.

[Red Flag 1]

Here at the base of the Blue Ridge Mtns. 30+" of snow is forecast into late Saturday. This is on top of the 6" already in place. Went out and bought one of the last snow blowers in the area on Tuesday. Got an Ariens Deluxe 27 with two stage auger, six forward and two reverse speeds, huge light, etc..I passed on the radar detector, GPS , and a/c unit. Together with my Kubota and its front end loader, I should be able to dig myself and the neighbors out on Sunday.

Once this event is over, we have two more to deal with. One system will blow through on Tuesday, with the second expected the following weekend.

I grew up in upstate NY, was stationed in a few northern bases, including Plattsburgh AFB, and three years in rural Germany. It just pisses me off (age and health issues mostly) to find myself in a position to have to have to have two 4X4's, a bucket loader, and a snow blower to get by in Virginia of all places. I just prey that we do not lose power during this event.

Well, off to begin stage one of snow removal!

RF 1

[bandycpa]

Originally Posted by Red Flag 1

Here at the base of the Blue Ridge Mtns. 30+" of snow is forecast into late Saturday. This is on top of the 6" already in place. Went out and bought one of the last snow blowers in the area on Tuesday. Got an Ariens Deluxe 27 with two stage auger, six forward and two reverse speeds, huge light, etc..I passed on the radar detector, GPS , and a/c unit. Together with my Kubota and its front end loader, I should be able to dig myself and the neighbors out on Sunday.

Once this event is over, we have two more to deal with. One system will blow through on Tuesday, with the second expected the following weekend.

I grew up in upstate NY, was stationed in a few northern bases, including Plattsburgh AFB, and three years in rural Germany. It just pisses me off (age and health issues mostly) to find myself in a position to have to have to have two 4X4's, a bucket loader, and a snow blower to get by in Virginia of all places. I just prey that we do not lose power during this event.

Well, off to begin stage one of snow removal!

RF 1

Stay safe up there RF 1. We've been fortunate here in our little part of SW Virginia so far. Mostly rain and high wind. Areas around us have started getting snow, but we appear to have missed it this time...so far.


Bandy

[Red Flag 1]

Originally Posted by bandycpa

Stay safe up there RF 1. We've been fortunate here in our little part of SW Virginia so far. Mostly rain and high wind. Areas around us have started getting snow, but we appear to have missed it this time...so far.


Bandy

Thanks amigo!!

Be well!

RF 1